Question 1

What is a Dublin Bay 21 footer?

Accepted Answer

The Dublin Bay 21 is a vintage one-design wooden yacht designed for sailing in Dublin Bay.

Question 2

When were the Dublin Bay 21 footers built?

Accepted Answer

Seven were built between 1903 and 1906

Question 3

What is the age of the Dublin Bay 21s?

Accepted Answer

As of 2020, the yachts are 117 years old.

Question 4

Who designed the Dublin Bay 21?

Accepted Answer

Alfred Mylne designed the seven yachts.

Question 5

For what purpose was the Dublin Bay 21 designed?

Accepted Answer

Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) commissioned the boat to encourage inexpensive one-design racing to recognise the success of the Water Wag one-design dinghy of 1887 and the Colleen keelboat class of 1897.

Question 6

What are the names and builders of the seven Dublin Bay 21s?

Accepted Answer

Estelle built by Hollwey, 1903; Garavogue built by Kelly, 1903; Innisfallen built by Hollwey, 1903.; Maureen built by Hollwey, 1903.; Oola built by Kelly, 1905; Naneen built by Clancy, 1905.

Question 7

What are the dimensions of the Dublin Bay 21s?

Accepted Answer

Overall length- 32'-6', Beam- 7'-6", Keel lead- 2 tons Sail area - 600sq.ft

Question 8

When did the Dublin Bay 21 Class first race?

Accepted Answer

The first race took place on 19 June 1903 in Dublin Bay.

Question 9

Why are the Dublin Bay 21 boats so important to the sailing world?

Accepted Answer

They may be the oldest intact class of racing keelboat yacht in the world. Sailing together in a fleet, they are one of the loveliest sights to be seen on any sailing waters in the world, according to many Dublin Bay aficionados.

Question 10

Why did the Dublin Bay 21 fleet change the original gaff rig to a Bermudan one?

Accepted Answer

In 1964, some of the owners thought that the boats were outdated, and needed a new breath of fresh air. After extensive discussions between all the owners, the gaff rig and timber mast was abandoned in favour of a more fashionable Bermudan rig with an aluminium mast. Unfortunately, this rig put previously unseen loads on the hulls, resulting in some permanent damage.

Question 11

What happened to the Dublin Bay 21 fleet that it stopped sailing?

Accepted Answer

The fleet was taken out of the water in 1986 after Hurricane Charlie ruined active Dublin Bay 21 fleet racing in August of that year. Two 21s sank in the storm, suffering the same fate as their sister ship Estelle four years earlier. The class then became defunct. In 1988, master shipwright Jack Tyrrell of Arklow inspected the fleet and considered the state of the hulls as vulnerable, describing them as 'still restorable even if some would need a virtual rebuild'. The fleet then lay rotting in a farmyard in Arklow until 2019 and the pioneering project of Dun Laoghaire sailors Fionan De Barra and Hal Sisk who decided to bring them back to their former glory.

Question 12

How did the Dublin Bay 21 fleet come to be stored in Wicklow for over 30 years?

Accepted Answer

Hurricane Charlie finally ruined active Dublin Bay 21 fleet racing in August 1986. Two 21s sank in the storm, suffering the same fate as a sister ship four years earlier; Estelle sank twice, once on her moorings and once in a near-tragic downwind capsize. Despite their collective salvage from the sea bed, the class decided the ancient boats should not be allowed suffer anymore. To avoid further deterioration and risk to the rare craft all seven 21s were put into storage in 1989 under the direction of the naval architect Jack Tyrrell at his yard in Arklow.

Question 13

How did the Dublin Bay 21 fleet get to Arklow for storage?

Accepted Answer

While two of the fleet, Garavogue and Geraldine sailed to their current home, the other five, in various states of disrepair, were carried the 50-odd miles to Arklow by road.

Question 14

What does the Dublin Bay 21 project hope to achieve?

Accepted Answer

To revive the legendary Dublin Bay 21 class, the famous Mylne design of 1902-03. Hal Sisk and Fionan de Barra are developing ideas to retain the class's spirit while making the boats more appropriate to today's needs in Dun Laoghaire harbour, with its many other rival sailing attractions. The Dublin Bay 21-foot class's fate represents far more than the loss of a single class; it is bad news for the Bay's yachting heritage at large. Although Dún Laoghaire turned a blind eye to the plight of the oldest intact one-design keelboat fleet in the world for 30 years or more they are now fully restored.

Question 15

Who are the Dublin Bay 21 restoration team?

Accepted Answer

The Dublin Bay 21 Restoration team includes Steve Morris, James Madigan, Hal Sisk, Fionan de Barra, Fintan Ryan and Dan Mill.

Question 16

Will they be using the original Dublin Bay 21 hulls?

Accepted Answer

Retaining the pure Mylne-designed hull was essential, but the project has new laminated cold-moulded hulls which are being built inverted but will, when finished and upright, be fitted on the original ballast keels, thereby maintaining the boat’s continuity of existence, the presence of the true spirit of the ship.

Question 17

What will the new Dublin Bay 21 rigs be like?

Accepted Answer

It will be a gunter-rigged sloop. It was decided a simpler yet clearly vintage rig was needed for the time-constrained sailors of the 21st Century. So, far from bringing the original and almost-mythical gaff cutter rig with jackyard topsail back to life above a traditionally-constructed hull, the project is content to have an attractive gunter-rigged sloop – “American gaff” some would call it.

Question 18

What was the first Dublin Bay 21 to be restored?

Accepted Answer

The first DB 21 to get the treatment was Naneen, originally built in 1905 by Clancy of Dun Laoghaire for T. Cosby Burrowes, a serial boat owner from Cavan.

Question 19

Where will the new Dublin Bay 21 be sailing?

Accepted Answer

On Dublin Bay. Dublin Bay Sailing Club granted a racing start for 2020 Tuesday evening racing starting in 2020, but it was deferred due to COVID-19.

Question 20

How many of the Dublin Bay 21s will be racing?

Accepted Answer

Initially, two Dublin Bay 21s will race then three as the boat building project based in Kilrush on the Shannon Estuary completes the six-boat project.

Question 21

How are the restored Dublin Bay 21 boats to be welcomed back to the Bay?

Accepted Answer

The restored boats will be welcomed back to the Bay in a special DBSC gun salute from committee boat Mac Lir at the start of the season.

Question 22

What is it like to sail a Dublin Bay 21?

Accepted Answer

In a recollection for Afloat, well known Dun Laoghaire one-design sailor Roger Bannon said: "They were complete bitches of boats to sail, over-canvassed and fundamentally badly balanced. Their construction and design was also seriously flawed which meant that they constantly leaked and required endless expensive maintenance. They suffered from unbelievable lee helm which led to regular swamping's and indeed several sinkings. It was very disconcerting in a squall that the boat would violently bear off, even with the sheets eased and bury the lee rail up to the coaming in the brine. While in this vulnerable position any wave coming over the bow would quickly flood the cockpit and create a dangerous situation. Alfred Mylne came to Dublin shortly after they were built to have a sail. He was appalled at how badly they handled and subsequently submitted a report recommending that the location of the mast step and sail plan be altered to correct the problem. The local owners decided that spending £200 was not justified and ignored his recommendations. The other shortcoming from which they suffered was the near vertical garboard plank which moved away from the hog when the rig was fully loaded, which led to a constant ingress of water, which would lead to a constant ingress of water if not pumped out continuously swamping in a very short time. The original steel floors had been badly designed, and the rig loads were not dispersed adequately throughout the hull. They were undoubtedly elegant but deeply flawed boats, largely because the original owners did not adopt the modifications specified by Mylne shortly after they were built".

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