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Big Breeze for First Race of GP14 Nationals at Lough Erne

13th August 2021
Hugh and Dan Gill's new GP14 YIN Tang is prepared for Race of the National Championships at Lough Erne
Hugh and Dan Gill's new GP14 YIN Tang is prepared for Race of the National Championships at Lough Erne

There is plenty of wind for the first races of the GP14 National Championships in Lough Erne today but the fleet is currently still aiming for a First Gun at 12:30 under race officer, Derek Bothwell from Howth Yacht Club.

Despite a few notable absentees, there are 40 entries at this stage which is being viewed as a "very healthy turnout from the Class in these challenging times".

A few new boats from builder Alistair Duffin are in the fleet this season, with Hugh and Dan Gill's YIN Tang getting plenty of attention. This is the second outing for YIN Tang having raced the Skerries Regatta two weeks ago.

As Afloat previously reported, aside from the GP14 start in Skerries a couple of weeks ago, the class have completed two events this year with Ger Owens & Mel Morris winning both the Leinsters (Blessington) in July and the Ulsters (Newtownards) back in June.

However, both events were quite close affairs with the likes of Shane MacCarthy and Ross Kearney knocking on the door with Colman Grimes, Diana Kissane, Stuart McCormack and the Gills all in good form.

GP14 Championships at Lough Erne Yacht Club

GP14 Championships at Lough Erne Yacht Club

GP14 Championships at Lough Erne Yacht Club

There is a healthy number of youth sailors involved too and a good number are in Enniskillen this weekend. With Greystones Youghal, Blessington and Sutton Dinghy Club,  particularly embracing GP14 Youth, the class association says "this has been a particularly satisfying aspect of the GP14 Class in recent years".

Published in GP14
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The GP14 is a popular sailing dinghy, with well over 14,000 boats built.

The class is active in the UK, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and parts of north-eastern USA, and the GP14 can be used for both racing and cruising. 

Designed by Jack Holt in 1949, with the assistance of the Dovey Yacht Club in Aberdyfi. The idea behind the design was to build a General Purpose (GP) 14-foot dinghy which could be sailed or rowed, capable of also being powered effectively by a small outboard motor, able to be towed behind a small family car and able to be launched and recovered reasonably easily, and stable enough to be able to lie to moorings or anchor when required. Racing soon followed, initially with some degree of opposition from Yachting World, who had commissioned the design, and the boat soon turned out to be an outstanding racing design also.

The boat was initially designed with a main and small jib as a comfortable family dinghy. In a design philosophy that is both practical and highly redolent of social attitudes of the day the intention was that she should accommodate a family comprising parents plus two children, and specifically that the jib should be modest enough for "Mum" or older children to handle, while she should perform well enough to give "Dad" some excitement when not taking the family out. While this rig is still available, and can be useful when using the boat to teach sailing, or for family sailing, and has some popularity for cruising, the boat is more commonly seen with the full modern rig of a mainsail, genoa and spinnaker. Australian boats also routinely use trapezes.

GP14 Ireland Event Dates 2023

  • O'Tiarnaigh (Apr 22-23) Blessington Sailing Club
  • Ulsters (May 20-21) East Antrim Boat Club
  • Munsters (Jun 17-18) Tralee Bay Sailing Club
  • Leinsters (Jul 7-9) Dun Laoghaire Regatta
  • SOYC (Aug 19-20) Rush Sailing Club
  • Nationals (Sep 1-3) Sutton Dinghy Club
  • Hot Toddy (Sep 30-Oct 1) Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club

 

At A Glance – GP14 Dinghy Specifications

Crew 2
Draft 1,200 mm (47 in)
Hull weight 132.9 kg
LOA 4.27 m (14 ft)
Beam 1.54 m
Spinnaker area 8.4 m2
Upwind sail area 12.85 m2

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