National Yacht Club's Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race is 'Most Definitely On!'

6th May 2021

Racing to Dingle in June s 'most definitely on', say the National Yacht Club

Racing to Dingle in June is 'most definitely on', say the National Yacht Club Credit: Afloat

National Yacht Club Race Chairman Adam Winkelmann has confirmed June's Dun Laoghaire Dingle Race is 'most definitely on' and crews will begin preparing for the 320-mile offshore race next week.

Winklemann told Afloat, "we are greatly encouraged by the recent government announcements and timelines for re-opening / back to sport".

The race will be sponsored this year by the National Yacht Club itself and by long term race partner The Dingle Skellig Hotel.

Assuming there are no changes to those plans in the coming month the D2D Race will start as planned on June 9th from the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

As Afloat reported earlier, boats can train from May 10th and after June 7th race with crews in pods of up to 15 maximum and ISORA and DBSC are both planning on the water training from next week.

Adam Winkelmann - June's D2D Race is 'most definitely on'

Based on the current travel restrictions in force, Winkelmann says the race will be restricted to boats and crews normally based on the island of Ireland or those in compliance with quarantine guidance and port entry restrictions. "This means our entries from the UK (other than Northern Ireland) will be refunded their entry fees paid," he says.

All boats on the waiting list will be accommodated and we will accept additional entries up to the closing date as per the NOR.

Defending Dun Laoghaire Dingle Race champion Paul O’Higgin’s Rockabill VI from the Royal Irish Yacht Club

In the coming weeks the National Yacht Club will finalise sailing instructions (SIs) and arrangements to minimise contact and wherever possible to ensure safe operations for volunteers and competitors.

"We will look at pre-race berthing in DL harbour to ensure that we have safe berthing for visitors. We will also be making arrangements for the Dingle Marina and finishing operations that seek to comply with all advice and again minimise risk for all involved" he says.

There will be virtual declarations both pre and post-race and use the virtual finish line at Dingle. This will include plans for giving out and recovering YB trackers and handing out prizes.

Finally, Winklemann says "As you might expect we cannot organise any shore events at either end of the race and we ask that people make arrangements in advance and behave sensibly to avoid any gatherings other than those that comply with government guidance. We want to provide you all with a great race and a safe race - that is the priority for us".

• Accommodation is to re-open from June 2nd and outdoor dining from June 7th for groups of up to six people, indoor dining for residents at their accommodation. The organisers are asking competitors to book accommodation in Dingle as soon as possible using the booking form on the race website.

Published in Dun Laoghaire Dingle

Dun Laoghaire Dingle Race Live Tracker 2023

Track the progress of the 2023 Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Yacht Race fleet on the live tracker above and the leaderboard below

Dun Laoghaire Dingle Race Live Leaderboard 2023

The 16th edition of the 280-mile race organised by the National Yacht Club starts at 2 pm on Wednesday, June 7th, on Dublin Bay.

Read the full 2023 race preview by WM Nixon here
Read all the D2D Race News in one handy link here
Listen to Lorna Siggins's interview with Race Chairman Adam Winkelmann on Afloat's Wavelengths here

WM Nixon will be posting regular race updates and analysis throughout the 2023 race here

Published in Dun Laoghaire Dingle

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Dun Laoghaire to Dingle

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Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Yacht Race Information

The biennial Dun Laoghaire to Dingle race is a 320-miles race down to the east coast of Ireland, across the south coast and into Dingle harbour in County Kerry.

The race is organised by the National Yacht Club.

It never fails to offer a full range of weather, wind and tide to the intrepid entrants, ranging from a 32ft cruiser to a 79ft all-out racer.

Three divisions are available to enter: cruiser (boats equipped with furlers), racing (the bulk of the fleet) and also two-handed.

D2D Course change overruled

In 2019, the organisers considered changing the course to allow boats to select routes close to shore by removing the requirement to go outside Islands and Lighthouses en route, but following input from regular participants, the National Yacht Club decided to stick with the tried and tested course route in order to be fair to large and smaller boats and to keep race records intact.

D2D Course record time

Mick Cotter’s 78ft Whisper established the 1 day and 48 minutes course record for the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race in 2009 and that time stood until 2019 when Cotter returned to beat his own record but only just, the Dun Laoghaire helmsman crossing the line in Kerry to shave just 20 seconds off his 2009 time.