Displaying items by tag: Three Peaks Yacht Race

30th December 2022

Entry Now Open for Three Peaks Yacht Race in 2023

Entry is now open for the Three Peaks Yacht Race which celebrates its 45th year in 2023.

Regarded as the oldest multi-sport endurance race in the world, the Three Peaks race is a combination of yacht racing and summit runs up the tallest peaks in Wales, England and Scotland.

Ireland has previously enjoyed success in the four-day endurance challenge, with Magic Touch — an Irish Beneteau First 34.7 — claiming the IRC trophy and placing second overall in the 2018 race, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

For more information on and details of how to enter the Barmouth to Fort William Three Peaks Yacht Race, starting on 10 June 2023, see threepeaksyachtrace.co.uk.

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25th June 2018

Three Peaks Yacht Race Success for Irish Boat 'Magic Touch'

The Magic Touch crew from Ireland were second overall and raised money for charity in the process

After a slow, light airs start to the 2018 Three Peaks Yacht Race, Irish boat Magic Touch, a Beneteau First 34.7 racing as 'Team Digital Built Consultants' crewed by Steve Hayes (owner), John White, Mal Moir and runners Ian Alcock and Des Tivnan, claimed the IRC sailing trophy and second overall after over four days of continuous sailing, running and cycling and raised over €3,000 for the Blackrock & Harold’s Cross Hospice in the process.

The race, one of the oldest and considered one of the top ten toughest endurance races in the world, takes competitors from Barmouth in Wales to Fort William in Scotland via the tallest peaks in Wales, England and Scotland.
It involves 389 miles of sailing, 30 miles of cycling and 60 miles of mountain ascent and descent and rowing the yachts is permitted!

Magic touch three peaks yacht race Magic Touch to weather won the IRC sailing prize in the Three Peaks Race Photo: Rob Howard

The boats started in Barmouth at 17:00 on the 9th June in a falling breeze from the NE.

Digital Built Consultants was the first of the race fleet to get to the infamous Bardsey Sound through a mixture of rowing and sailing, using a new Code Zero from UK Sails bought specifically for the event but had to fight for over two hours to get through the notorious tidal race in a light and fluky breeze, which gave the other boats a chance to catch up.

"The crew raised over €3,000 for the Blackrock & Harold’s Cross Hospice"

The wind remained light and variable through the night and daybreak saw Digital Built Consultants back on the oars to make progress towards Caernarfon.

Magic touch crew Magic Touch, a Beneteau First 34.7 racing as 'Team Digital Built Consultants' crewed by Steve Hayes (owner), John White, Mal Moir and runners Ian Alcock and Des Tivnan

The winds filled in in the morning and after sailing over the Caernarfon bar as far as the “Mussel Bank” mark, Digital Built Consultants was the first race boat to drop their runners at approx. 12:30 for the ascent of Snowden. Team Ajax, the Royal Armoured Corps Yacht Club in a J109 approx. 50 minutes later then Baloo a Sigma 33 and Wild Spirit, a Jeanneau 40 a further 10 minutes later.

Wild Spirit’s runners were the first back on board, followed by Digital Built Consultants 30 minutes later and then Baloo a further 30 minutes later.

All race boats opted to go around Anglesey rather than the shorter but trickier route through the Menai Straits.

Digital Built Consultants took the most westerly course and picked up the filling westerly breeze on Monday morning and were the first to cross the finish line at Whitehaven at 18:29 on Monday. They had to wait almost an hour for enough water to access the loch gate into Whitehaven marina, but their runners were on the road by 20:00.

Wild Spirit finished second on the water approx. 1:20 later but their runners need some recuperation before starting their run after a lumpy passage from Caernarfon.
Baloo and Ajax followed into Whitehaven approx. 2 hours later.

The earliest lockout time from Whitehaven on Tuesday morning was 8:15 and Digital Built Consultants & Wild Spirit went out together, along with Team Smithers Purslow, one of the challenge class boats who had the option to motor rather than sail or row. It was effectively a two-horse race at this point and Digital Built Consultants opened up a lead over Wild Spirit in the light winds but as the wind and seas built through the day and into the night, the difference in speed reduced and a match race up the North Irish Sea ensued with Wild Spirit covering Digital Built Consultants from behind.

Both boats made it to the tidal gate of the Mull of Kintyre with little time to spare and turned NE for the long downwind leg to Fort William through the spectacular Loch Linnhe.

Wild Spirit, flying asymmetric spinnaker were able to sail a direct course while Digital Built Consultants used asymmetric spinnakers and had to sail the gybe angles. The lead changed several times and as the wind built and conditions deteriorated, Digital Built Consultants pushed hard holding a spinnaker in over 30 knots of breeze to close the gap on Wild Spirit. After many gybes up the last 4 miles into Fort William, Digital Built Consultants finished 30 seconds behind Wild Spirit on the water.

The final Run up Ben Nevis was postponed until Thursday as Storm Hector made the conditions on the summit too dangerous for an ascent.

Team Ajax and Team Baloo were caught out in the storm and both saw gusts in excess of 60 knots, but both made it to Fort William relatively unscathed

All the runners started the final shortened run together on Thursday at 14:00 with Wild Spirit’s runners getting back and getting the overall win with a total time of 4 days, 2 hours & 13 minutes (sailing 3 days, 8 hours 0 minutes / running 13 hours 22 minutes)

Digital Built Consultants finished second overall with a total time of 4 days, 2 hours & 54 minutes (sailing 3 days, 5 hours and 36 minutes / running 17 hours 26 minutes)

Baloo were third at 4 days, 5 hours & 31 minutes (sailing 3 days, 9 hours & 19 minutes / running 16 hours 51 minutes) & Ajax fourth at 4 days 16 hours & 41 minutes (sailing 3 days, 19 hours & 46 minutes / running 20 hours & 7 minutes)

Go Sailing Association retired in Whitehaven as they did not think they would get to Fort William before Storm Hector arrived, but their runners did drive to Scotland and climbed Ben Nevis.

For more details about the race see the race website here

They are happy to help put teams together and would welcome more Irish boats into the race which takes place from June 15th next year.

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Three Peaks Yacht Race

28th October 2015

Combine Sailing, Running & Cycling in Three Peaks Yacht Race

The Three Peaks Yacht Race is one of the oldest and most remarkable multi-sport endurance races in the world. It is a unique event combining sailing, running and a little cycling; with the quirky feature that rowing is allowed in moments of calm. It takes competitors through some of the most spectacular scenery that the United Kingdom has to offer and truly challenges the sailors' navigational expertise.

In 2011, in the biggest and most competitive race in the 34–year–history of the Three Race, the Irish boat 'Danu Technologies', skippered by Glen Ward, stayed ahead of the competition to win in a time of 77 hours 37 minutes.

Teams of four or five per yacht sail from Barmouth on the west coast of Wales up to the finish in Fort William on the west coast of Scotland. Two of the crew are required to climb each of the highest mountains in Wales, England and Scotland en route, thereby running the equivalent of three marathons in 3 or 4 days.

Entries are now open and the organisers would welcome enquiries. There is an early bird discount; £800 till the 1st March and £900 after.

Email [email protected] for further information

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Three Peaks Yacht Race

4th July 2011

Racing Round Up: Lasers, E Boats, Puppeteers,DBSC, VDLR, Royal Cork, Cove and Sailor of the Month

Ruigrock, Murphy, Guilfoyle and Flannigan Sailed to Laser Glory on Dublin Bay in the best conditions of the Summer so far. Across the bay in Howth Harlequin took the Puppeteer Nationals title. In a build up to Thursday's Dun Laoghaire regatta Tiamat Returned to Cruisers Zero with a Win. Pat O'Neill Sailed to E Boat National Championship victory and across the Irish sea an Irish yacht won the Three Peaks Yacht Race.

In Cork Harbour 'Mid-Summer Madness' regatta attracted 40 Boats. We have the photos. There was a Fun Time for Cruisers at Cove Sailing Club's 'At Home' Regatta.

Galway's Martin Breen is June's Sailor of the Month and the Waterford Tall Ships Parade of Sail Photos are here.

Reasons to be cheerful? You bet. Click here to read how Dublin Bay sailors celebrate these wins.

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Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta

From the Baily lighthouse to Dalkey island, the bay accommodates six separate courses for 21 different classes racing every two years for the Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

In assembling its record-breaking armada, Volvo Dun Laoghaire regatta (VDLR) became, at its second staging, not only the country's biggest sailing event, with 3,500 sailors competing, but also one of Ireland's largest participant sporting events.

One of the reasons for this, ironically, is that competitors across Europe have become jaded by well-worn venue claims attempting to replicate Cowes and Cork Week.'Never mind the quality, feel the width' has been a criticism of modern-day regattas where organisers mistakenly focus on being the biggest to be the best. Dun Laoghaire, with its local fleet of 300 boats, never set out to be the biggest. Its priority focussed instead on quality racing even after it got off to a spectacularly wrong start when the event was becalmed for four days at its first attempt.

The idea to rekindle a combined Dublin bay event resurfaced after an absence of almost 40 years, mostly because of the persistence of a passionate race officer Brian Craig who believed that Dun Laoghaire could become the Cowes of the Irish Sea if the town and the local clubs worked together. Although fickle winds conspired against him in 2005, the support of all four Dun Laoghaire waterfront yacht clubs since then (made up of Dun Laoghaire Motor YC, National YC, Royal Irish YC and Royal St GYC), in association with the two racing clubs of Dublin Bay SC and Royal Alfred YC, gave him the momentum to carry on.

There is no doubt that sailors have also responded with their support from all four coasts. Running for four days, the regatta is (after the large mini-marathons) the single most significant participant sports event in the country, requiring the services of 280 volunteers on and off the water, as well as top international race officers and an international jury, to resolve racing disputes representing five countries. A flotilla of 25 boats regularly races from the Royal Dee near Liverpool to Dublin for the Lyver Trophy to coincide with the event. The race also doubles as a RORC qualifying race for the Fastnet.

Sailors from the Ribble, Mersey, the Menai Straits, Anglesey, Cardigan Bay and the Isle of Man have to travel three times the distance to the Solent as they do to Dublin Bay. This, claims Craig, is one of the major selling points of the Irish event and explains the range of entries from marinas as far away as Yorkshire's Whitby YC and the Isle of Wight.

No other regatta in the Irish Sea area can claim to have such a reach. Dublin Bay Weeks such as this petered out in the 1960s, and it has taken almost four decades for the waterfront clubs to come together to produce a spectacle on and off the water to rival Cowes."The fact that we are getting such numbers means it is inevitable that it is compared with Cowes," said Craig. However, there the comparison ends."We're doing our own thing here. Dun Laoghaire is unique, and we are making an extraordinary effort to welcome visitors from abroad," he added. The busiest shipping lane in the country – across the bay to Dublin port – closes temporarily to facilitate the regatta and the placing of six separate courses each day.

A fleet total of this size represents something of an unknown quantity on the bay as it is more than double the size of any other regatta ever held there.

Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta FAQs

What is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is Ireland's biggest sailing event. It is held every second Summer at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Dublin Bay.

When is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is held every two years, typically in the first weekend of July.

Where is Dun Laoghaire Regatta held?

As its name suggests, the event is based at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Racing is held on Dublin Bay over as many as six different courses with a coastal route that extends out into the Irish Sea. Ashore, the festivities are held across the town but mostly in the four organising yacht clubs.

How big is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is the largest sailing regatta in Ireland and on the Irish Sea and the second largest in the British Isles. It has a fleet of 500 competing boats and up to 3,000 sailors. Scotland's biggest regatta on the Clyde is less than half the size of the Dun Laoghaire event. After the Dublin city marathon, the regatta is one of the most significant single participant sporting events in the country in terms of Irish sporting events.

How old is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The modern Dublin Bay Regatta began in 2005, but it owes its roots to earlier combined Dublin Bay Regattas of the 1960s.

How many boats compete at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Up to 500 boats regularly compete.

How many yacht clubs are represented at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Up to 70 different yacht clubs are represented.

Where do the yachts come from to compete at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The Channel Islands, Isle of Man, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland countrywide, and Dublin clubs.

How many boats are visiting boats at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Nearly half the sailors, over 1,000, travel to participate from outside of Dun Laoghaire and from overseas to race and socialise in Dun Laoghaire.

What type of yachts race in Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

21 different classes are competing at Dun Laoghaire Regatta. As well as four IRC Divisions from 50-footers down to 20-foot day boats and White Sails, there are also extensive one-design keelboat and dinghy fleets to include all the fleets that regularly race on the Bay such as Beneteau 31.7s, Ruffian 23s, Sigma 33s as well as Flying Fifteens, Laser SB20s plus some visiting fleets such as the RS Elites from Belfast Lough to name by one.

What famous sailors race in Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Some sailing household names are regular competitors at the biennial Dun Laoghaire event including Dun Laoghaire Olympic silver medalist, Annalise Murphy. International sailing stars are competing too such as Mike McIntyre, a British Olympic Gold medalist and a raft of World and European class champions.

How much does it cost to enter Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

There are different entry fees for different size boats. A 40-foot yacht will pay up to €550, but a 14-foot dinghy such as Laser will pay €95. Full entry fee details are contained in the Regatta Notice of Race document.

Where can spectators view Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Spectators can see the boats racing on six courses from any vantage point on the southern shore of Dublin Bay. As well as from the Harbour walls itself, it is also possible to see the boats from Sandycove, Dalkey and Killiney, especially when the boats compete over inshore coastal courses or have in-harbour finishes.

How does Dun Laoghaire regatta compare to international regattas?

Very favourably. It is often compared to Cowes, Britain's biggest regatta on the Isle of Wight that has 1,000 entries. However, sailors based in the north of England have to travel three times the distance to get to Cowes as they do to Dun Laoghaire.

Why is Dun Laoghaire Regatta so unique?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is unique because of its compact site offering four different yacht clubs within the harbour and the race tracks' proximity, just a five-minute sail from shore. International sailors also speak of its international travel connections and being so close to Dublin city. The regatta also prides itself on balancing excellent competition with good fun ashore.

Who organises Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The Organising Authority (OA) of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta is Dublin Bay Regattas Ltd, a not-for-profit company, beneficially owned by Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC), National Yacht Club (NYC), Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC) and Royal St George Yacht Club (RSGYC).

What does Dun Laoghaire Regatta contribute to the local economy?

The Irish Marine Federation launched a case study on the 2009 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta's socio-economic significance. Over four days, the study (carried out by Irish Sea Marine Leisure Knowledge Network) found the event was worth nearly €3million to the local economy over the four days of the event. Typically the Royal Marine Hotel and Haddington Hotel and other local providers are fully booked for the event.