Cape 31 'Blast' Joins 60-Boats – and Counting – for DBSC Turkey Shoot Races This Sunday

Q: What is the start time for the Dublin Bay DBSC Turkey Shoot Series?

The first warning signal is at 10.10 am.

Cape 31 'Blast' Joins 60-Boats – and Counting – for DBSC Turkey Shoot Races This Sunday

2nd November 2022

Barry Cunningham's high-speed Cape 31 makes it Turkey Shoot debut on Sunday in the first race of the 2022 series from the Royal Irish Yacht Club

Barry Cunningham's high-speed Cape 31 makes her Turkey Shoot debut on Sunday in the first race of the 2022 series from the Royal Irish Yacht Club Credit: Afloat

Dublin Bay Sailing Club 2022 Turkey Shoot Series has reached a fleet of sixty and now includes the Royal Irish-based Cape 31 'Blast', ahead of Sunday's (November 6th) first of seven pre-Christmas races off Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

As entries for the popular series close today, organisers confirmed the high-speed Cape 31 will join a strong fleet of Class Zero boats – including Chris Power-Smith's offshore J122 Aurelia – which means a fifth start, as happened for the 75-boat 2021 series.

The RP37 Extreme Wow, the Puma 42 El Pocko, Black Magic, the First 44.7 and the First 40 Prima Forte, all Class Zero boats, will start last this Sunday.

The First 44.7 Black Magic (Barry O'Donovan) will add extra spice to the 2022 AIB-sponsored DBSC Turkey Shoot this Sunday Photo: Afloat

But, in the unique rules of the Turkey Shoot, all boats race together under 'FECHO' handicap, and not in different classes. As race organiser Fintan Cairns tells Afloat, ' there's big boats and little boats, but they're all Turkeys'.

Jonathan Nicholson's El Pocko, a 2004 41-footer yacht, a German Frers Puma 42 will compete this Sunday in the AIB-sponsored DBSC Turkey Shoot Photo: Afloat

Six J109s, including the reigning National Champion, Joker II, skippered by John Maybury, are also entered.

The 2019 winner, Eleint, a Trapper 300 Photo: Afloat The 2019 Turkey Shoot winner, Eleint, a Trapper 300 is entered for the 2022 series on Dublin Bay Photo: Afloat

Kenny Rumball from the INSS, currently competing at the inaugural World Champs in Croatia, will sail in the new RS21 keelboat from week two of the series, and a new First Class 8 class campaign is also expected to appear in the 'all-in' fleet that includes five J80s and four 1720s to date.

The Lindsay Casey skippered J97 Windjammer, a double winner of DBSC's George Arthur Newsom Cup - for the most successful boat in one-design racing, is slated for AIB-sponsored DBSC Turkey Shoot on Dublin Bay this Sunday Photo: Afloat

Organisers are now expecting to match or exceed last year's bumper fleet for the series that runs up to December 18th.

Regular John O'Gorman's Sunfast 3600 Hot Cookie from the National Yacht Club is competing in this weekend's AIB-sponsored DBSC Turkey Shoot on Dublin Bay Photo: Afloat

Now in its 22nd year, the AIB-sponsored seven-race series will be hosted by the Royal Irish Yacht Club at Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

As regular Afloat readers will know, the white-sailed Elan 333 White Lotus was the overall winner of the 21st edition.

Tim and Richard Goodbody's J109 White Mischief from the host club is one of six J109 contesting Sunday's AIB-sponsored DBSC Turkey Shoot on Dublin Bay Photo: Afloat

A Notice of Race is downloadable here. Sailing Instructions issued today (Wednesday, November 2nd) are here, the last day for entries.

The first gun this Sunday is at 10.10 hrs.

Published in Turkey Shoot, Royal Irish Yacht Club

Published in Turkey Shoot

Tagged under

About The Author

Afloat.ie Team

Email The Author

Afloat.ie is Ireland's dedicated marine journalism team.

Have you got a story for our reporters? Email us here.

We've got a favour to ask

More people are reading Afloat.ie than ever thanks to the power of the internet but we're in stormy seas because advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news sites, we haven’t put up a paywall because we want to keep our marine journalism open.

Afloat.ie is Ireland's only full–time marine journalism team and it takes time, money and hard work to produce our content.

So you can see why we need to ask for your help.

If everyone chipped in, we can enhance our coverage and our future would be more secure. You can help us through a small donation. Thank you.

You might also want to read...

Dublin Bay Sailing Club Turkey Shoot Winter Series

Dublin Bay Sailing Club's Turkey Shoot Series reached its 20th year in 2020.

The popular yacht series racing provides winter-racing for all the sailing clubs on the southside of Dublin Bay in the run-up to Christmas.

It regularly attracts a fleet of up to 70 boats of different shapes and sizes from all four yachts clubs at Dun Laoghaire: The National Yacht Club, The Royal St. George Yacht Club, The Royal Irish Yacht Club and the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club as well as other clubs such as Sailing in Dublin. Typically the event is hosted by each club in rotation.

The series has a short, sharp format for racing that starts at approximately 10 am and concludes around noon. The event was the brainchild of former DBSC Commodore Fintan Cairns to give the club year-round racing on the Bay thanks to the arrival of the marina at Dun Laoghaire in 2001. Cairns, an IRC racer himself, continues to run the series each winter.

Typically, racing features separate starts for different cruiser-racers but in fact, any type of boat is allowed to participate, even those yachts that do not normally race are encouraged to do so.

Turkey Shoot results are calculated under a modified ECHO handicap system and there can be a fun aspect to some of the scoring in keeping with the Christmas spirit of the occasion.

As a result, the Turkey Shoot often receives entries from boats as large as Beneteau 50 footers and one designs as small as 20-foot flying Fifteens, all competing over the same course.

It also has legendary weekly prizegivings in the host waterfront yacht clubs immediately after racing. There are fun prizes and overall prizes based on series results.

Regular updates and DBSC Turkey Shoot Results are published on Afloat each week as the series progresses.

FAQs

What is the start time for the Dublin Bay DBSC Turkey Shoot Series?

The first warning signal is at 10.10 am

Who can race in the Dublin Bay DBSC Turkey Shoot Series?

Cruisers, cruising boats, one-designs and boats that do not normally race are very welcome. Boats range in size from ocean-going cruisers at 60 and 60 feet right down to small one-design keelboats such as 20-foot Flying Fifteens. A listing of boats for different starts is announced on Channel 74 before racing each week.

When is the Dublin Bay DBSC Turkey Shoot Series held?

Each winter from the first Sunday in November until the last week before Christmas.

How long does a Dublin Bay DBSC Turkey Shoot Series race take?

Usually no more than two hours. The racecourse time limit is 12.30 hours.

How many races are in the Dublin Bay DBSC Turkey Shoot Series

Between six and eight with one or two discards applied.

What club hosts the Dublin Bay DBSC Turkey Shoot Series?

Racing is organised by Dublin Bay Sailing Club and the Series is rotated across different waterfront yacht clubs for the popular after race party and prizegiving. The waterfront clubs are National Yacht Club (NYC), Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC), Royal St George Yacht Club (RSGYC) and Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC).