Two Northern Ireland Yachts Racing to Kerry in Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race Fleet

4th June 2023

Belfast Lough's Game Changer is one of two Northern Ireland boats competing in the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race Credit: Afloat

The Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race starts from the National Yacht Club on Wednesday, 7th June at 2 pm, and this year, the 43-strong fleet will include two entries from the North of Ireland.

Fresh from his second place in IRC in the recent Scottish Series is Shaun Douglas’s Beneteau 40.7, Game Changer, who will make the trip from Belfast Lough to take part in this 270-mile 30th Anniversary event.

Also there, via the Isle of Man, is Michael Eames’ Sunfast 3200.

The current race record of just over 24 hours (24 hours 48 minutes) is currently held by the 94ft Southern Wind, Windfall.

Published in Dun Laoghaire Dingle, Northern Ireland Waters

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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About The Author

Betty Armstrong

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Betty Armstrong is Afloat and Yachting Life's Northern Ireland Correspondent. Betty grew up racing dinghies but now sails a more sedate Dehler 36 around County Down

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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.