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GP14s Prepare for Skerries World Championships with 2022 Calendar Announcement

28th November 2021
GP14 training for the 2022 World Championships at Skerries Sailing Club has begun with a breezy session on Dublin Bay at Sutton Dinghy Club
GP14 training for the 2022 World Championships at Skerries Sailing Club has begun with a breezy session on Dublin Bay at Sutton Dinghy Club

The Irish GP14 fleet will visit three coasts of Ireland in the build-up to the World Championships on the east coast at Skerries next August.

Although there is no trip to the south coast scheduled, the packed eight-event calendar sees the first regatta in the west at Sligo on April 30th. It is followed by two Northern events; the Ulsters (May 21-22) at Lough Foyle YC and the National Championships (July 2-3)at RNIYC on Belfast Lough. 

The fleet then bases itself at Skerries in North Dublin for August's World Championships from August 14-19) with a pre worlds training camp at the venue from July 30-31. 

"the packed eight-event calendar sees the first regatta in the west at Sligo on April 30th"

But training for the 'Big One' is already underway at Skerries this month where a recently concluded short Frostbite series had a couple of boats from Sutton, RStGYC and Blessington boats joining the Skerries sailors.

With its conclusion, Hugh Gill and Stephen Boyle in Sutton Dinghy Club on Dublin Bay has kick-started a five-week series that is open to all comers. Last weekend saw three boats get on the water, with six boats expected from now on.

The first gun is 11 am each Sunday through to December 19th at Sutton Dinghy Club.

GP14 2022 Irish Fixtures 

Spring Open (Apr 30 May 1)
Sligo YC

Ulsters (May 21-22)
Lough Foyle YC

Nationals (Jul 2-3)
RNIYC

O'Tiarnaigh Pre-Worlds (Jul 30-31)
Skerries SC

GP14 Worlds (Aug 14-19)
Skerries SC

Leinsters (Sep 17-18)
Mullingar SC

Hot Toddy/Youth Championship
(Oct 15-16) - Newtownards SC

Munster Championship
(Nov 5-6) - Cullaun Sailing Club

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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