National Yacht Club's Johnston Leads Beneteau 31.7 Nationals on Dublin Bay

2nd September 2023

Defending Beneteau 31.7 champion Chris Johnston from the National Yacht Club at the helm of Prospect Credit: Afloat

Defending Beneteau 31.7 champion Chris Johnston sailing Prospect leads after the three races sailed at the Royal St. George hosted 2023 National Championships on Dublin Bay.

Racing in a sea breeze of up to ten knots and with strong spring tides, the opening races were delayed while Race Officer Barry O'Neill waited for an easterly breeze to become established in the south of the bay.

Light winds and strong tides for the first day of racing at the Beneteau 31.7 National Championships on Dublin Bay

One point behind Johnston on seven is the host club's Michael Blaney skippering After You Too with John Power and Michael Leahy's Levante on 12.

With three completed, the minimum number of races has now been completed to constitute a series, but two more are scheduled for Sunday.

The day was not without incident, and up to six protests were heard in the ten-boat fleet.

Race Results

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Published in Beneteau 31.7

Tagged under

Beneteau 317

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Beneteau 31.7 sailing in Ireland

In Ireland, the Beneteau First 31.7 Ireland One Design Class Association encourages and develop the use of the Beneteau First 31.7 yacht as a one-design keelboat, mainly for racing.

Each year the association stages national championships with boats coming from different sailing across Ireland. The main centre is Dun Laoghaire Harbour where the bulk of the fleet (15 boats) are based at the National Yacht club but are moored at Dun Laoghaire Marina.

The Beneteau 31.7 boat is not new to Dublin Bay, as boats of this size and type have competed in DBSC in the Cruiser 2 class for some years.

However during the 2006 season, due to their increased numbers, DBSC granted the class its own racing start, thereby facilitating one-design racing for this cruiser/racer.

Since then it has become one of the biggest one-design keelboat classes on the Bay.

One-design rules were drawn up to discourage modifications, maintain a level playing field and set a generally ‘Corinthian’ ethos.

To preserve the cruising dimension, the boat races with cushions aboard.

Numbers entered in DBSC have settled down to approx 15-18 boats, and regular Thursday and Saturday attendances over the season are usually of the order of 14 to 16 boats, reflecting good participation by members. Racing is close and competitive.

In addition to scratch results, ECHO results are also posted. This combines the best of both worlds, providing one-design racing which the members like, while also providing an incentive and interest in turning out for those boats who may not always approach podium position on scratch.

At A Glance – Beneteau First 31.7 Specifications

L.O.A 9.61 m
Hull length 9.50 m
L.W.L. 8.80 m
Beam 3.23 m
Draught min (Deep draught keel) Cast iron 1.90 m
Ballast weight (Deep draught keel) 1 025 kg
Air draught (max) 13.90 m
Light displacement (EC) 3 750 kg
Fuel capacity 30 l
Freshwater capacity 160 l
Engine power 21 HP