After confirmation of her IRC overall win in the weekend's marathon ISORA cross-channel race, Peter Dunlop and Victoria Cox's J109 Mojito now lead the ISORA points table after eight races sailed.

Despite not competing in some of April's coastal races, Dunlop and Cox's performance in winning (the 1.2 weighted) May 6th Dun Laoghaire to Pwllheli race plus last weekend's return fixture on May 21 – and the IRC Welsh Championships in between – means they go top of the 28-boat Irish Sea offshore fleet.

The Pwllheli Sailing Club crew count 483.2 points to be 14.5 ahead of second overall Rockabill VI, the  JPK 10.80 of Paul O'Higgins from Dun Laoghaire's Royal Irish Yacht Club on 468.7.

Mojito's club mate, the J125 Jackknife (Andrew Hall), which lost line honours by seconds in Sunday morning's finish of the 24-hour Pwllheli to Dun Laoghaire race, is lying third overall.

The top three are all entries in ISORA's next fixture, June's offshore season highlight, the 260-mile Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race.

Results are below

In an elapsed time of just under 24 hours, Nigel Biggs and Dave Cullen's First 50 Checkmate XX from Howth Yacht Club claimed the line honours win by seconds this morning – according to the race tracker – in the Pwllheli to Dun Laoghaire ISORA cross-channel race.

ISORA fans have to go back to pre-covid races to find races of similar duration, but ISORA Chief Peter Ryan maintains that the race will be 'good training' for the 260-mile Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race that starts in less than three weeks.

"People think it's about sailing, but offshore racing is all in the head!" Ryan told Afloat after the finish.

The marathon fixture started from the Pwllheli Sailing Club line at 0730 hours on Saturday morning.

Light wind forecasts proved deadly accurate for the 80-miler that saw the first boat finish at 0830 hours on Sunday, thanks to a flood tide rather than the breeze after a long night in Killiney Bay.

Andrew Hall's J125 Jackknife (left) leads Nigel Biggs and Dave Cullen's First 50 Checkmate XX into the ISORA finish line at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Dublin Bay but minutes later Checkmate XX pipped Jackknfie for the line honours win when Jackknife had to avoid a fishing boat at the mouth of the harbour and lost all momentum Photo: Afloat

According to the race tracker, Andrew Hall's J125 Jackknife scored second in line honours despite leading into Dublin Bay. 

From an entry of 16, ten boats competed in the second ISORA offshore race of the season.

Provisional results give the IRC race win to the recently crowned IRC Welsh champion, Peter Dunlop and Vicky Cox's J109 Mojito, but official scoring confirmation is awaited. 

With yet another light wind forecast, Saturday's Pwllheli to Dun Laoghaire ISORA cross-channel race looks to be a battle between the recently crowned IRC Welsh champion, Peter Dunlop and Vicky Cox's J109 Mojito and Paul O'Higgins' Royal Irish JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI for overall honours.

Winds are forecast as light easterlies for the North Wales start. There have been a number of withdrawals.

The race is Race No. 8 in the Musto ISORA 2023 series and the second offshore race of the season and comes just three weeks before the offshore season highlight, the Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race, on June 7th.

Paul O'Higgins' Royal Irish JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI Photo: Afloat

Although a 16-boat ISORA fleet entered the race, a number of Irish boats have indicated they will not compete in the 90-miler. 

Peter Dunlop and Vicky Cox's J109 Mojito Photo: Afloat

The Beneteau Mayfly is undergoing rigging renewals at Dun Laoghaire, so will not compete. Barry O'Donovan's First 44.7 Black Magic is out, and both of the National Yacht Club's  Sunfast 3600s, Pete Smyth's Searcher and John O'Gorman's Hot Cookie are withdrawn. The Grand Soleil 44 Samatom (Bob Rendell) from Howth is also out. 

The Race Start Times are :

• Class 2: 07:30
• Class 1: 08:00
• Class 0: 08:30

The course is published as follows:

• STARTING LINE at Pwllheli as defined in this Supplemental Sailing Instruction
• PSC 1 (Racing Turning Mark) (P) 52º 52.738'N 04º 24.218'W
• Passing ISORA Dublin Bay Virtual Mark (S) N53º 17.110 W6º 00.100
• FINISH LINE at Dun Laoghaire

ISORA Race 8 Pwllheli to Dun Laoghaire entries 

The ISORA Champion, the J109 Mojito (Peter Dunlop and Vicky Cox), won Class One overall of the 23-boat IRC Welsh National Championships on Sunday (May 14).

After seven races sailed at Plas Heli, the Welsh National Sailing Academy and Events Centre, the defending champions counted four race wins to be 11 points clear of Andrew Hall's J125 Jackknife, whose last race victory saw him overtake Wilhelmus Batist's Only Magic for the runner-up slot.

The event incorporated the Celtic Championships, IRC 1 and 2 inshore and cruiser racing.

As regular Afloat readers will recall, Mojito won Saturday's 90-mile cross-channel ISORA race from Dun Laoghaire to Pwllheli on May 6th and now adds the Welsh IRC title to her 2023 early successes.

In the eight-boat Class 2 fleet, Adam Kyffin's Eazitiger won by two points after eight races sailed from Ian McMillan's Checkmate on 11. Third was Chris Seal's Brainstorm.

Class three, sailing on NHS handicap four, sailed Suspicious Minds, skippered by Gavin Nicholas, won the six-boat fleet sailing on NHS handicap.

All results here

The ISORA Champion, the J109 Mojito (Peter Dunlop and Vicky Cox), leads Class One into the final day of racing at the 23-boat IRC Welsh National Championships on Sunday (May 14).

After three races sailed at Plas Heli, the Welsh National Sailing Academy and Events Centre, the Pwllheli crew are four points clear of Wilhelmus Batist's Only Magic on nine. Third in the nine-boat fleet is Mike Crompton's Xpletive on ten points.

As regular Afloat readers will recall, Mojito won Saturday's 90-mile cross-channel ISORA race from Dun Laoghaire to Pwllheli on May 6th. 

In the eight-boat Class 2 fleet, Adam Kyffin's Eazitiger leads after four sailed from Ian McMillan's Checkmate. Third is Gary Ward's Altima.

Class three, sailing on NHS handicap four, sailed Suspicious Minds, skippered by Gavin Nicholas, leads the six-boat fleet.

Class One competitor J109 'Mojito' (Peter Dunlop & Victoria Cox, Pwllheli Sailing Club) won Saturday's 90-mile cross-channel ISORA race from Dun Laoghaire to Pwllheli. 

This first win of 2023 for the Welsh is a continuation of last year's strong form, which saw the Mojito crew take the ISORA 2022 title as well as other key 2022 coastal and offshore victories, as Afloat reported previously here.

Saturday's 20-hour race over 90 miles attracted 11 starters, with six Welsh boats making the journey to Dublin Bay to join the local fleet for the first of the Musto offshore series.

Royal Irish yacht Rockabill VI (on starboard tack) heads out of Dublin Bay against a strong flood tide and on course for Pwllheli in North Wales, in the first cross-channel race of the ISORA 2023 season.  Howth yacht Samatom (on port) was one of the first boats out of the bay but later retired from the light air 90-mile race Photo: Afloat

It turned out to be a productive journey for the Welsh, who took the top six places on IRC overall except for second place, which was won by the on form Royal Irish JPK 10.8 Rockabill VI, skippered by Paul O'Higgins.

Line honours winner Andrew Hall's J125 Jackknife, from Pwllheli, was third.

Line honours winner Andrew Hall's J125 Jackknife, from Pwllheli, was third on IRC overall in the first ISORA cross channel race of the year

Racing in light winds easterly winds, five of the fleet retired.

Howth's First 50 Checkmate XX (left) and Dun Laoghaire's Sunfast 3600 Searcher at the start of the ISORA Dun Laoghaire to Pwllheli Race. Both boats retired from the 90-mile race Photo: Afloat

Yesterday's top three overall, and several others too, are all entered into next month's season highlight, the 40-boat Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle 260-miler on June 7th.

ISORA say results below are provisional pending declarations

After three coastal races and a total of 80 miles sailed in April, a 12-boat ISORA fleet embarks on its first offshore race of the season on the first weekend of May. 

Included in the lineup is the Viking Marine April Coastal Series winner Paul O'Higgins in the JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI from the Royal Irish. Also coming to Dun Laoghaire is ISORA's 2022 overall champion, the Peter Cox and Vicky Dunlop J109 Mojito from north Wales.

The first cross-channel offshore race starts from Dun Laoghaire and goes approximately 90 miles to the Plas Heli line at Pwllheli Sailing Club in North Wales.

Southerly winds are expected at ten knots and probably significantly stronger.

Download the sailing instructions below

A 12-boat ISORA fleet embarks on its first offshore race of the season on Saturday morning

The good news for offshore enthusiasts is that ISORA's latest innovation of an early-season mini-series at Dun Laoghaire reflected the buoyant entry in three buoyant turnouts.

The Viking Marine series consisted of three coastal races, all sailing in April, with day racing ranging in length from 35 to 19 miles and attracting a good mix of designs, including a brand new J111, a First 50, a Grand Soleil 44, two First 34.7s, two Sunfast 3600s and two J109s.

Five competed in Class Zero, six in Class One and six in Class Two.

Of 17 entries received, only one boat did not compete at all, and that's because of Alan Hannon's New JPK. 10.80 Coquine was already on Royal Ulster race duty on Belfast Lough, as Afloat reported here. Eight boats competed in all three races. 

The early-season ISORA mini-series at Dun Laoghaire reflected the buoyant entry in three buoyant turnouts Photo: Afloat

Even though the weather did not play ball off the Dublin and Wicklow coast, and the fleet was confronted with three separate light wind races on April 15, 22 and 29th, turnouts remained encouragingly in double figures. 

Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race beckons

It wasn't just about numbers either; the quality of the boats involved bodes well for the season ahead as crews train for the Dun Laoghaire-Dingle Race (D2D) starting in under 40 days.

A JPK10.80 took the mini-series honours, but Paul O'Higgins' all-beating JPK10.80, Rockabill VI from the Royal Irish Yacht Club did not have it all her way though, with Howth's Colm Buckley and Simon Knowles on the J109 Indian taking the last race win in arguably the trickiest conditions of the series which saw five boats retired.

Second overall was the Shanahan family's J109 Ruth, with Buckley and Knowles in third, just two of five J109s entered in the D2D.

The full results of the April mini-series are below.

There are still some boats to arrive on Irish waters, including the much-rumoured entry of two canting keelers, Opal and Wild Joe, which could make the next few ISORA fixtures in May an exciting prospect.

While the 2023 D2D trophy winner will only be known on June 9th at the earliest, what is known right now is that the 240-miler is living up to its billing as the Irish offshore sailing highlight of the year.

And with three coastal races already under their belt (and the same number on the Welsh side), who'd bet against the winner coming from ISORA's ranks?

Simon Knowles and Colm Buckley's J109 Indian appeared out of the Dublin Bay mist to win ISORA's Race Five of the Viking Marine Coastal Series on Dublin Bay today. 

The Howth crew wrestled the lead from Paul O'Higgins in the JPK10.80 Rockabill VI, who finished second overall. Third place overall was taken by John O 'Gorman's Sunfast 3600, Hot Cookie. 

 Of the 12 starters, five boats retired from the 19-mile course. Conditions were light for most of the race, with some freshening of the 3-5 knots from N/NE breeze near rain showers. 

The ISORA fleet looks for signs of wind as they cross Scotsman's Bay shortly after the start of the 0800 hrs start of Race Five of the Viking Marine Coastal Series in Dublin Photo: Afloat

Crews opted for an early start in order to cheer on Leinster's victory at the Aviva stadium, so the first gun was at 0755hrs for Class 2 and 0825 hrs for Class 0 & 1.

The fleet sailed from Dun Laoghaire to an ISORA virtual mark, to the Muglins, to the Shanganagh (Killiney) Outfall buoy, to North Kish, to an ISORA  virtual mark, and back to finish at Dun Laoghaire.

Pete Smyth's Sunfast 3600 Searcher on starboard and Robert Rendell's Grand Soleil 44 Samatom (left) and ISORA April mini-Series winner, Rockabill VI (Paul O'Higgins) in today's light air ISORA Race Five Photo: Afloat

With two wins from two starts, Rockabill VI was the on-form boat to complete three from three in the April mini-series, but even though O'Higgins took the new series overall, the Knowles crew spoiled the perfect scoresheet by taking today's overall IRC win, the Class One win and third place in line honours.

ISORA's coastal course five will be a 19-miler for what looks like another light air fixture for the third and final race of the Viking Marine April Mini-Series.

With the European Cup rugby semi-final being shown live at the National Yacht Club at 3 pm, the crews have opted for an early start, and there will be a first gun at 0755hrs for Class 2 and at 0825 hrs for Class 0 & 1.

The wind is forecast to be 3-5 knots from N/NE, freshening up slightly during the day. The tide will be ebbing for most of the race.

With two wins from two starts, Rockabill VI is the on-form boat and will be joined in Class Zero for the first time in 2023 by Robert Rendell's Grand Soleil 44, Samatom, for the race as far south as the Shanganagh (Killiney) Outfall buoy. See the full entry list of 12 boats below.

The course is: 

• Usual Dun Laoghaire start at Dun Laoghaire Outfall Buoy 53 18.404N 6 8.348W
• ISORA Dublin ISORA Virtual (P) N53 17.110 W6 00.100 - Passing Mark
• Muglins (S) 53 16.515N 6 4.550W
• Shanganagh (Killiney) Outfall (P) 53 14.899N 6 5.113W
• North Kish (P) 53 18.560N 5 56.423W
• ISORA Dublin ISORA Virtual (S) N53 17.110 W6 00.100
• Usual Dun Laoghaire Finish between the pier heads

ISORA Race 5 - Irish coastal course entries for April 29th