Twenty-four months before the next race, the biennial offshore Dun Laoghaire Dingle (D2D) Race organisers have struck the date for its 17th race as Wednesday, June 11th, 2025.

The confirmation comes as the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire celebrates the successful wrap-up of its Volvo-sponsored, record-breaking 16th edition, won in spectacular style by New York Yacht Club's Ron O'Hanley in his 50-footer Privateer.

The club told members on Friday that "competitors are eagerly already asking when is the next edition", so "we are pleased to announce that the D2D 2025 will start on Wednesday, June 11th, 2025". 

Read all the news from the 2023 race (and previous races) in one handy link here

On the eve of its 100-boat Sovereign's Cup Regatta, Kinsale Yacht Club saluted their Volvo Dun Laoghaire Dingle Racers, particularly the two-handed campaign of Cian McCarthy and Sam Hunt, who finished second overall. 

As Afloat readers know, the stunning performance of McCarthy and Hunt in Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl has been a highlight of the 2023 season, with the doughty pair eclipsing the fully crewed 43-boat fleet except for New York Club's 50-foot canting keel Privateer skippered by Ron O'Hanley.

See the Volvo D2D prizegiving photos from Dingle here

In a packed clubhouse on Wednesday night, Brian Carroll, the KYC Cruiser Captain, was on hand to applaud the performance and that of club mates Tom Roche and his crew on the Salona 45 Meridian and Finbarr O'Regan and his J109 crew on ArtfulDodjer. 

A packed Kinsale Yacht Club clubhouse to acknowledge the achievements of KYC's  D2D racers. Photo: Bob Bateman

Kinsale Yacht Club Commodore Matthias Hellstern made the presentations to its D2D racers after a successful KYC outing in the 270-miler.

Double handers: Sam Hunt (left) and Cian McCarthy, who finished D2D in second overall are pictured back in Kinsale Yacht Club with Commodore Matthias Hellstern (centre) Photo: Bob Bateman

Next week the West Cork club stages its biennial Simply Blue-sponsored Sovereign's Cup Regatta, where 100 boats will compete, including the record-breaking American winner of the 2023 D2D. 

Finbarr O'Regan, skipper of J109 ArtfulDodjer (left) with Cian McCarthy of Cinnamon Girl Photo: Bob Bateman

Cinnamon Girl co-skipper Sam Hunt (left) with his parents Poppy and Keith Hunt Photo: Bob Bateman

Relive the opening moments of last week's epic 43-boat Volvo Dun Laoghaire Dingle Race from the air in this just-released drone footage.

Robbie Reynolds's drone footage shows the start of the race on Dublin Bay and the fleet heading south on the 270-mile race that was won so comprehensively by the visiting American yacht Privateer skippered by Ron O'Hanley. 

As regular Afloat readers know, the record-breaking race was an entire saga of sailing in just twenty-six hours.

D2D Thursday, 7 pm - In the golden olden days, when the legendary Fingal privateer skippers like Luke Ryan of Rogerstown or James Mathews of Rush went forth on their remarkably fine ships in officially licensed pursuit of enemy bullion and other treasure, their crews knew that they would either return in profitable triumph or else they would never be seen again, having been strung up by the neck from the yard-arm of the hostile ship of some disapproving foreign navy or – worse still for the sheer indignity of it – from the yardarm of their own beloved vessel.

Privateer - The New York Yacht Club expedition in search of plunder from the biennial Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race seems to be confirmed as having been completely successful Photo: Afloat

By that token, the necks of the crew of Ron O’Hanley’s Cookson 50 Privateer of the New York Yacht Club are happily safe for the time being, as their expedition in search of plunder from the biennial Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race seems to be confirmed as having been completely successful in just about every area in which they could possibly have taken prizes. Thus if we hear stories of squillionaire pensioners dancing on West 44th Street in New York outside the NYYC’s quirky clubhouse, it wouldn’t surprise us for a minute.

Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl, raced two-handed by owner Cian McCarthy and regular shipmate and fellow Kinsale sailor Sam Hunt Photo: Michael Chester

The entertainment of this year’s staging of the biennial modern classic is accentuated by the fact that the second overall prize has been taken by the very different little Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl, raced two-handed by owner Cian McCarthy and regular shipmate and fellow Kinsale sailor Sam Hunt. Quite how just two guys managed to maintain the sprint pressure against the fully-crewed boats which otherwise dominated this year’s race is anyone’s guess, but it really is a very extraordinary achievement.

There are so many permutations in the prize list that it’s going to take a while to sort it all out. But for this evening and tonight, Privateer and Cinnamon Girl are deservedly the toast of the Dingle waterfront.

D2D Thursday, 12.30 pm -  It’s not often that the steep but serene Atlantic island of Madeira is assaulted by a tropical storm. But a nasty one called Oscar has been doing that in recent days, and while evil Oscar’s main force is now spreading towards the Canaries, Portugal and Spain, distant northern fringe offshoots of his considerable vigour have been building the mainly easterly winds down in the Fastnet area to speed the bulk of the fleet who continue to stick the pace in the 2023 NYC Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race.

We use the phrase “continue to stick the pace” advisedly, as a dozen boats out of the starting fleet of 43 have now pulled out for reasons of varying seriousness, including the defending champion Nieulargo (Denis Murphy, RCYC), which popped into Baltimore this morning.

Defending Dun Laoghaire to Dingle champion, Nieulargo (Denis Murphy, RCYC) has retired into Baltimore Photo: Afloat

But out on the waters off West Cork and Kerry, there are still those who nurture a wild hope of sailing like crazy and toppling the already-finished Cookson 50 Privateer (Ron O’Hanley, New York Yacht Club) from her seemingly unassailable position in Dingle. There, Privateer has knocked more than five hours off the course record while setting a very potent corrected time of 1 day 2 hours 49 minutes and 40 seconds, which is cooking with gas and then some on a 270-mile non-straight-line course

Any toppling won’t be done by the biggies; however, as of 12:15 hrs today (Thursday), Frank Whelan’s Elliott 57 Opal from Greystones still had ten miles to the finish, and she was making only 9 knots. And though Robert Rendell’s Grand Soleil Samatom from Howth and clubmate Checkmate XX, Dave Cullen & Nigel Biggs’ First 50, are more in contention, Samatom in front still has 48 miles to sail.

Robert Rendell’s Grand Soleil Samatom from Howth Photo: Afloat

The First 50 Checkmate XX of Dave Cullen & Nigel Biggs from Howth Photo: Afloat

But right there with Checkmate in the mouth of Bantry Bay is the cheeky trio of Paul O’Higgins’ JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI (RIYC), Pete Smyth’s Sunfast 3600 Searcher (NYC), and Cian McCarthy’s Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl (Kinsale YC), which he’s racing two-handed with Sam Hunt.

Paul O’Higgins’ JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI Photo: Afloat

Pete Smyth’s Sunfast 3600 Searcher (NYC) Photo: Afloat

They really have been sailing like crazy, and this morning Cinnamon Girl logged a sustained speed burst of 14.3 knots. If there’s much more of that sort of thing, there might be some re-calculations needed at Dingle, where Oscar’s Offshoots look like being extremely obliging for a change, as they’re even setting up a local veering of the wind to provide freed sheets up Dingle Bay for easy sailing over that often obtuse final leg from Skellig Michael to Dingle Harbour.

It may be the 16th staging of the 30-year-old Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race. But there has never been one quite like this – or indeed remotely like this – before.

American skipper Ron O'Hanley and his New York Yacht Club crew stepped ashore to celebrations at Dingle Marina in County Kerry this morning, having broken the line honours record in the 30th-anniversary edition of the 270-mile Volvo Dun Laoghaire Dingle Race.

As Afloat reported earlier, O'Hanley clinched the course record and multiple wins in the biennial offshore race, a highlight of the Irish yacht calendar and part of the Royal Ocean Racing Club's season points championships.

The 50-foot yacht is reversed into her berth at one of Europe's most westerly marinas in Dingle, County Kerry ahead of course record celebrations for the American crew Photo: Dominick Walsh

O'Hanley's canting keel yacht Privateer sped ahead of the fleet with such confidence and competence that it was only briefly, while she was going through a soft patch on the East Coast, that the numbers showed she was no longer both the Line Honours and Corrected Time leader.

The rest of the 43-boat fleet is still racing towards Dingle this morning for IRC handicap honours. 

New York Yacht Club skipper Ron O'Hanley celebrates his line honours win in Dingle this morning Photo: Dominick Walsh 

D2D Thursday at 12.30 am - It’s a cold night off the south coast, with a keen edge to the east nor’east breeze which is sweeping the fleet towards a very strong possibility of records in the biennial 270-mile Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race.

That said, the pace is hot for those who can stick it, and Ron O’Hanley’s super-charged Cookson 50 Privateer from New York is due south of Cork Harbour at midnight, still clocking 15-18 knots even with the necessary tacking to lee, which her rig configuration requires.

Here's a vid from the deck of Privateer earlier tonight that gives a great view of the New York crew flying along the Irish south coast.

At just ten hours from Dublin Bay to Cork Harbour, it’s not surprising that she holds both the line honours lead and the overall lead on IRC too.

The Welsh J125 Jackknife (Andrew and Sam Hall) are lying second on IRC overall after the first ten hours of sailing in the Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race 2023 Photo: Afloat

But she isn’t completely out of sight on the leaderboard, as Andrew and Sam Hall’s vintage J/125 Jackknife from Pwllheli is having the race of her life to be second on corrected time by a margin of an hour and a half. That could evaporate very quickly in Jackknife’s favour if Privateer happens to be first into any area of soft pressure, which has happened before to seemingly unassailable leaders in this race.

Certainly, the breeze is light over much of the land. But with a new active weather system finally approaching from the south, it could be a case of Privateer being the one who gets “the mostest there the fastest” as she shapes her course on down towards the Fastnet Rock and stronger winds, with more than half the course distance already well astern – in fact, she only has 120 miles to go.

Rockabill VI (Paul O'Higgins) from the Royal Irish Yacht Club leaves Dublin Bay behind her under an asymmetric spinnaker in the Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race 2023 Photo: Afloat

Of the smaller craft, Paul O’Higgins JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI is now back up at fourth overall, just a smidgin ahead of Pete Smyth’s Sun Fast 3600 Searcher and both of them – along with mostly larger craft – south of Waterford Harbour.

The National Yacht Club's Sunfast 3600 Searcher (Pete Smyth) passes the Muglins Rock on Dublin Bay in the Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race 2023 Photo: Afloat

Right there nearly with them is Cian McCarthy’s smaller Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl from Kinsale, going mighty well to overcome that quite severe rating which she has shown herself well capable of handling in times past.

The Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl from Kinsale is co-skippered by Cian McCarthy (standing) and Sam Hunt in the Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race 2023 Photo: Afloat

This (Thursday) morning could see some interesting variations in the weather off the southwest seaboard, with the wind from the east, and frontal conditions developing to see the breeze locally fluctuating between 25 and 35 knots. Whatever, it could well be that the only real windward work of the entire race is the last short leg from Skellig Michael to Dingle Harbour.

D2D Wed, 730 pm -  Ron O’Hanley’s highy-tuned Cookson 50 Turbo Privateer from America flies on, and was past the Tuskar Rock by 18:40 hours with the last of the sluicing ebb helping her to 17 knots. Although boats with special offwind potential such as the newer Sunfast 3600s and 3300s, like John O’Gorman’s 3600 Hot Cookie from Dun Laoghaire (briefly the overall IRC leader) and the 3300 Cinnamon Girl (Cian McCarthy, Kinsale YC) have had their moments of glory, as the 270-mile Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race progresses, the conditions are tending to average out, thereby eliminating the effect of localised areas of less wind.

 John O’Gorman’s 3600 Hot Cookie from Dun Laoghaire, an early overall IRC leader with J125 Jackknife (inshore) in the Dublin Bay stage of the 2023 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Dingle Race Photo: Afloat

Cian McCarthy gets ready to set the spinnaker on the Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl with Sam Hunt steering on Killiney Bay shortly after the start of the Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race 2023 Photo: Afloat

But in a sunny nor’easter Ireland’s southeast corner is usually a breeze place, and with the added element of the turn of the tide approaching, Privateer’s position strengthens by the minute.

Frank Whelan of Greystones sailing their relatively newly-arrived Elliott 57 Opal in the Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race 2023 Photo: Afloat

On down the fleet meanwhile, there have been intriguing changes in fortune. 

Andrew & Sam Hall's J/125 Jackknife from Pwllheli exits Dublin Bay in the opening minutes of the Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race 2023 Photo: Afloat

And while Frank Whelan of Greystones and his crew have become more confident in sailing their relatively newly-arrived Elliott 57 Opal, not so very far astern is Andrew & Sam Hall from Pwllheli’s attractive J/125 Jackknife, romping along to lie second overall on IRC, but with less of the remaining tidal advantage in prospect at Tuskar.

Paul O’Higgins’ JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI (RIYC) inshore in Killiney Bay (blue and yellow kite) and Pete Smyth’s Sunfast 3600 Searcher (NYC)  shortly after the start of the Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race 2023 Photo: Afloat

The two early race stars, Paul O’Higgins’ JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI (RIYC) and Pete Smyth’s Sunfast 3600 Searcher (NYC), are still very much in contention, with Searcher currently third, Rockabill VI fourth, Hot Cookie still going well at fifth, and Pwllheli’s Mojito the first of the J/109s at sixth.

Paul O’Higgins’ JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI (RIYC) reaching in the  Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race 2023 Photo: Afloat

But on current weather predictions, and with the first of the new flood tide going to hit the smaller boats at the Tuskar, Privateer is already looking like a done deal – she’s on course and on 18 knots south of the Saltees as we sign off this report at 19:30 hrs.

Four yachts in the 43-boat Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race have retired with gear failure on the first night of the 270-mile race. 

The Foynes Yacht Club entry Big Deal, a Grand Soleil 37 sailing Double Handed and skippered by Derek Dillon, was towed into Arklow by the RNLI lifeboat with rudder damage.

John Conlon's Humdinger, a Sunfast 37, is also heading for Arklow after a broken boom stopped progress down the east coast.

In a second incident involving the RNLI tonight, the Reichel Pugh 37 37 WOW skippered by Tim Kane is being towed by Kilmore Quay lifeboat after rudder failure and subsequent water ingress.

Another competitor in the vicinity of WOW has also been forced to retire. The Blaoga crew broke a spinnaker pole and damaged their mast track when dropping sails to assist WOW off the Wexford coast.

Emmet Sheridan's Dufour Blaoga is out of the Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race due to gear failure Photo: Afloat

There is consensus it will be a fast one, but much debate about what type of boat will win this afternoon's 30th-anniversary IRC handicap Volvo Dun Laoghaire Dingle Race.

One theory emerging from last night's pre-race briefing at the National Yacht Club is that the 270-mile race is all downwind, so the winning edge could boil down to the use of either symmetric or asymmetric spinnaker sails that could bring the line hours winner home in 24 hours.

If that transpires, it will break the course record of 24 hours and 28 minutes set by Mick Cotter's 93ft Windfall in 2019.

12-1: Pete Smyth's Searcher arrives at Dingle in the 2021 race under asymmetric spinnaker. She has switched to symmetric for the 2023 race Photo: Dominick Walsh

Asymmetric v Symmetric sails

Tuesday night's well-attended pow-wow heard it could be a battle between the boats flying symmetric kites that can pole back and surf in the big breeze to steer dead downwind and sail the shortest distance against those fast asymmetric boats that can truly plane downwind, such as the two potent canting keelers.

Examples of potent symmetric boats in these conditions are former D2D champion JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI, the defending champion, the Grand Soleil 40 Nieulargo, Northern Ireland's First 40.7 Game Changer (second in last month's Scottish Series), the host club's Sunfast 3600 Searcher and Royal Cork J122 Jelly Baby that has recently been converted to symmetrical kite.

Royal Cork J122 Jelly Baby has recently been converted to symmetrical kite Photo: Afloat

Fast planing asymmetric boat examples in the fleet are restricted to the two canting keelers, the Cookson 50 Privateer, the new Elliot, Opal from Greystones Harbour, plus the Welsh J125 flying machine, Jackknife.

14-1: Welsh J125 entry Jackknife under her Code Zero asymmetric sail in an ISORA race from Dublin Bay Photo: Afloat

But this hypothesis dismisses the bulk of some of the fleet's strong performers that are asymmetric displacement boats which, the theorists say, will need to sail much more distance if the breeze is dead downwind.

Whatever the modelling, the reality on the race course is often a completely different kettle of fish, and the battle will most likely be settled by the angle of the wind over the next 24 hours. 

So Afloat asked Mystic Meg (at 6 am on June 7th) for what she predicts lies in store for the fleet, and her unofficial odds are at the bottom of this article.

Race Chairman Adam Winkelmann and National Yacht Club, who spoke about the race to Afloat's Wavelength podcast here) and Commodore Peter Sherry welcomed competitors and sponsors to the 15th race, which has attracted a 42-boat fleet. See Afloat's race preview here.

At the 2023 Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race, briefing in the National Yacht Club was (from left to right) Alan Crowley, MD of Volvo Cars Ireland, Peter Sherry,  Commodore of the NYC and Adam Winkelmann, Race Chairman Photo: Michael Chester

Race Officer Con Murphy covered the start and finish, safety procedures and rules governing shipping Traffic Separation Schemes (TSS) that proved controversial in 2021 when five boats were penalised for sailing in the Tuskar TSS, which is prohibited in the race rules. Download his safety briefing below.

Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race Officer Con Murphy addresses the competitors before the 2 pm Wednesday start from Dun Laoghaire Harbour Photo: Michael Chester

Kenny Rumball of the Offshore Racing Academy gave his latest update on the race weather forecast. Download his briefing below.

Kenny Rumball of the Offshore Racing Academy gave his latest update on the D2D race weather forecast Photo: Michael Chester

Rumball predicts an NNE sea breeze to start on Wednesday at 2 pm that will back during the afternoon as the fleet heads down the east coast, and he is expecting the breeze to build. 

A live webcam of the start area is here.

He expects the wind to veer for the south coast early Thursday morning. 

In essence, once the fleet exits Dublin Bay, it may be a square run downwind to Wicklow and on to the Tuskar, then another square run from Tuskar right along the south coast to the Fastnet Rock.

By the time the fleet reaches the Fastnet, they can expect winds up to 35 knots. 

Once around Fastnet, as the leaders go north, there will be less breeze, and the wind will likely go forward.

And who will be leading at that point? Nobody knows for sure, but that has not stopped Afloat's Mystic Meg from making some predictions.

Afloat's Mystic Meg D2D Odds  

It seems like a big boat race based on current wind and tide predictions (6 am, June 7th). Tuskar Rock rounding times will better indicate who has avoided the north-going flood, but those who can hit double-figure speeds down the east coast will have a distinct advantage.

The two canting keelers will have to post a time in Dingle and hope lighter winds in the final approaches will shut the door on the chasing pack. 

Another critical distinction is the symmetric v asymmetric downwind sails as outlined above - As the wind veers on the south coast, it may favour the symmetric boats with their ability to sail deeper.

Meg says the winner will emerge from the chasing pack of higher-rated boats, so the odds are as follows:

• 12/1 Rockabill VI, Searcher
• 13/1 Checkmate XX, Ghost Raider, Blaoga, Mynx, Prime Suspect, Marco Polo, Game Changer
• 14/1 Jackknife, Samatom, Black Magic, Gelert, Alpaca, JellyBaby, May Contain Nuts, Hot Cookie, Cinnamon Girl, Nieulargo, 
• 15/1 Opal, Privateer, WOW, Meridian
• 25/1 The Field