National Dragon Champion Neil Hegarty of the Royal St. George Yacht Club leads this weekend's class East Coast Championships at the Royal Irish Yacht Club at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. 

After four races sailed in light westerly winds, Hegarty sailing with Kevin O’Boyle and Charlie Bolger leads by two points from Dragon newcomers Ruan O'Tiarnaigh in Phantom Capital sailing with Stephan Boyle and John Burke of Sutton Dinghy Club.

After one discard applied, Kinsale Yacht Club visitors Brian Goggin, Sean Murphy, Daniel Murphy and John O Connor are tied on seven points with O'Tiarnaigh in the 13-boat fleet. 

Two races are left to sail on Sunday. Results are here

The Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire Harbour hosted 'An Evening with Tracy Edwards MBE' on Wednesday, May 18th. 

The legendary Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race skipper was welcomed by RIYC Commodore Jerry Dowling and Flag Officers. 

Edwards gave a talk to members and guests from the original Maiden Project through to the Maiden Factor, a global foundation that inspires women and girls all over the world.

In 1989 Edwards skippered Maiden, the first all-female crew, in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race, achieving second overall in Class and becoming the first woman to receive the Yachtsman of the Year Trophy.

Tracy Edwards is presented with a Royal Irish burgee by Commodore Jerry Dowling during her Dun Laoghaire visit. Photo: Rachel Fallon Langdon/Ocean Images

Due to personal reasons, round the world sailor, Tracy Edwards MBE will not be able to attend Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC) at Dun Laoghaire for her talk scheduled for Wednesday, March 23rd. 

As Afloat previously reported Edwards skippered her yacht Maiden, the first all-female crew, in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race in 1989, achieving second overall in Class and becoming the first woman to receive the Yachtsman of the Year Trophy.

The event will be rescheduled, according to a RIYC statement.

, the event will be re-schedule for a later date.

The Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire Harbour will host 'An Evening with Tracy Edwards MBE' on Wednesday, 23rd March

In 1989 Edwards skippered Maiden, the first all-female crew, in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race, achieving second overall in Class and becoming the first woman to receive the Yachtsman of the Year Trophy.

She will deliver a talk that will take members and guests from the original Maiden Project through to the Maiden Factor, a global foundation that inspires women and girls all over the world.

The talk commences 1900 hrs.

The Royal Irish Yacht Club will host a four-class Dun Laoghaire Cup for sportsboats in May with racing for 1720, SB20, J80 and Beneteau First 21 classes. 

The 1720 East Coast Championship, the J80 East Coast Championship and First 21 National Championship will all be staged as part of the Cup running from Saturday 21st – Sunday 22nd May on Dublin Bay.

For the SB20s, it will be the first opportunity to 'cross swords' in what promises to be a very exciting season in the build-up to September's class World Championships being staged the same venue.

As regular readers of Afloat will know, Ireland's only dedicated sportsboat regatta was postponed in 2021 due to COVID.

Download the Notice of Race below 

There are already at least 50 confirmed boats from ten countries entered for the Royal Irish Yacht Club's staging of the 2022 SB20 World Championships on Dublin Bay.

The event will be held from 5th September -10th September 2022 with up to four races per day.

As regular Afloat readers will know, the 2018 European Championships were also hosted by the RIYC, an event that attracted considerable international acclaim.

Joe Conway is Chairman of the Organising Committee for the 2022 big event and the club's own Jack Roy, a Race Officer from the London 2012 Olympic Regatta, will be the Principal Race Officer.

At home, the domestic SB20 scene has been dominated by the Ted crew skippered by Michael O'Connor of the Royal St. George Yacht Club, where achievements included a win at the Lough Ree Nationals.

John Maybury and the Joker II crew became J109 National Champions for the fifth time on Dublin Bay this afternoon with a clear win in the two-day, six-race North Sails Ireland sponsored championships. 

Maybury secured the title at the Royal Irish Yacht Club with a five-point margin over RIYC club mate Andrew Craig's Chimaera in second place in the ten-boat fleet.

The Royal Irish helm took the advantage early yesterday winning all three races on the opening day in decidedly light and fickle conditions,  a performance that virtually sealed the title there and then. 

"We had our set up just right on Saturday and sailed out of our skins", Maybury told Afloat. 

John Maybury's Joker II crew on thier way to overall victory for the fifth time in the Irish J109 National Championships on Dublin Bay

Conditions for the final two races on Sunday were much improved and the event concluded in a ten-knot northwesterly breeze. 

Although Maybury could not hold on to his clean scoresheet his (5.0), 2.0 and 4.0, Joker II's remaining scores were more than enough to clinch it.

It brings to five, the number of times Maybury has lifted the trophy previously also winning in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2019.

Richard Colwell and John Murphy's Outrajeous from Howth Yacht Club finished third on a tie-break with Chimaera on the same 14 points. 

Andrew Craig's Chimaera clinched second overall with a final race win

J109 National Championships 2021 Overall

1. Joker 2 1206 RIYC John Maybury 1.0 1.0 1.0 (5.0) 2.0 4.0 14.0 9.0
2. Chimeara 2160 RIYC Andrew Craig (6.0) 4.0 2.0 4.0 3.0 1.0 20.0 14.0
3. Outrajeous 19109 HYC Richard Colwell/ John Murphy 2.0 2.0 4.0 (6.0) 4.0 2.0 20.0 14.0
4. Storm 1141 RSC/HYC Kelly Family 3.0 5.0 8.0 1.0 1.0 (9.0) 27.0 18.0
5. White Mischief 1242 RIYC Richard Goodbody (8.0) 3.0 5.0 2.0 8.0 5.0 31.0 23.0
6. Jellybaby 9609 RCYC Jones Family 5.0 6.0 6.0 (7.0) 7.0 3.0 34.0 27.0
7. Jalapeno 5109 NYC Barrington/O Reilly/ O Sullivan/ Rosique 4.0 7.0 (9.0) 3.0 9.0 6.0 38.0 29.0
8. Artful Dodjer 1713 KYC Finbarr O Regan 9.0 9.0 7.0 (10.0) 5.0 7.0 47.0 37.0
9. Ruth 1383 NYC Shanahan Family 7.0 (10.0) 3.0 9.0 10.0 10.0 49.0 39.0
10. Dear Prudence 1095 RIYC Jay Bourke (11.0 RET) 8.0 10.0 8.0 6.0 8.0 51.0 40.0

Full results are here

Richard Colwell and John Murphy's Outrajeous from Howth finished third overall  

Three wins from three races in light and fickle conditions on Dublin Bay give the host club's John Maybury a clear lead in the J/109 National Championships 2021 at the Royal Irish Yacht Club.

Maybury's Joker II, a past class champion, is five points clear of Richard Colwell and John Murphy's Outrajeous from Howth Yacht Club on eight points. 

Third in the ten boat fleet on 12 points is Andrew Craig's Chimaera also of the host club. 

Racing continues on Sunday and more light winds are forecast.

J109 Nationals Overall after 3 races sailed

1. Joker 2 1206 RIYC John Maybury 1.0 1.0 1.0 3.0 3.0
2. Outrajeous 19109 HYC Richard Colwell/ John Murphy 2.0 2.0 4.0 8.0 8.0
3. Chimeara 2160 RIYC Andrew Craig 6.0 4.0 2.0 12.0 12.0
4. Storm 1141 RSC/HYC Kelly Family 3.0 5.0 8.0 16.0 16.0
5. White Mischief 1242 RIYC Richard Goodbody 9.0 3.0 5.0 17.0 17.0
6. Jellybaby 9609 RCYC Jones Family 5.0 6.0 6.0 17.0 17.0
7. Jalapeno 5109 NYC Barrington/O Reilly/ O Sullivan/ Rosique 4.0 7.0 9.0 20.0 20.0
8. Ruth 1383 NYC Shanahan Family 8.0 10.0 3.0 21.0 21.0
9. Dear Prudence 1095 RIYC Jay Bourke 7.0 8.0 10.0 25.0 25.0
10. Artful Dodjer 1713 KYC Finbarr O Regan 10.0 9.0 7.0 26.0 26.0

*Results are provisional as of 17:15 on September 18, 2021

One of the photos released in connection with tomorrow (Friday) evening’s Royal Irish YC 190th Anniversary Pursuit Race is a story in itself. For although it looks like a close finish to a Dublin Bay regatta race around 150 years ago, with the decorative flags on the mark boat the evidence for a special event, in fact, there’s only one racing yacht in the entire image. She’s the trim white-sailed sailed cutter setting a low rig, as her topmast has been housed for a rugged beat in from the Kish, where the wind was probably near gale force.

But the other four boats under sail are working craft going about their business. The one on the distant left with distinctly grey sails and a large number on her mainsail is the Dublin Pilot Cutter, while the other three are fishing boats from the Ringsend fleet, with the two in the foreground well-laden with a fresh catch from the southeastern grounds. So their race is deadly serious - it’s for the prize share of the market, which is so keenly sought that the cutter sweeping close past the committee boat with fine disdain has sent up her topsail, and the two of them are going like the clappers.

It boggles the mind to imagine what the atmosphere must have been like as they charged neck-and-neck up the Liffey and into Ringsend with its waiting fish-buyers on the rough quayside. It’s most unlikely you’d have heard anyone saying: “After you…….”

The Royal Irish Yacht Club annual pursuit race, tomorrow evening Friday 10th September, will celebrate the 190th anniversary of the historic Club’s foundation in 1831 at Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

This, says the Club Commodore Pat Shannon, will be a fitting way to end its 190th season and to mark the beginning of a return to normality for the club.

The RIYC fleet will be joined by the Dublin Bay 21s which will be helmed for the occasion by the Club’s Flag Officers Commodore Shannon, Vice Commodore Jerry Dowling and Rear Commodore Sailing Joe Conway.

In addition, the Dublin Bay 21s will remain at the RIYC pontoon on Saturday for members to view firsthand.

As well as the Don Richardson Perpetual Trophy, traditionally awarded to the overall winner, Commodore Pat Shannon has given a commemorative trophy for the race which is open to all RIYC members.

Shoreside, there will be Après Sail options and entertainment available on the deck and terrace afterwards.