Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

On 22 August, Division 1A Water Wags raced the second match for The Newsom Memorial Trophy, while division 1B raced for The Hilpotsteiner Tankard and Division 2 raced for The Phyllis Cup. It was a warm evening in Dun Laoghaire,…

People often ask which is the most competitive fleet in Dublin Bay? You will be given twenty different answers, depending on who you ask. However, despite its venerable status, the Water Wag class is experiencing a boost in popularity, because…

The Water Wag club has a long tradition of single-handed races as is shown by this picture above. Ideally, the weather for a single-handed race should be an evening with not too much wind, and not too many waves. On…

With a history going back to 1887, some sixty-eight double-ended Water Wags were built between 1887 and 1900. All but one of these has fallen by the wayside and its location is no longer known. That one surviving Water Wag…

In looking at the numbers of one design dinghies at National championships in Ireland, there are few enough adult classes which can muster a fleet of 25 competitors. However, the Water Wag Club in Dun Laoghaire does not hold a…

What a shame! The Water Wags, the largest one-design fleet in Dun Laoghaire on Dublin Bay have lost three out of their last five races, due to inclement weather. On 23 May the problem was, that the valiant Race Officers could…

In contrast with many one design classes, the Water Wags hold regular handicap races during the sailing season. On 16th May the first handicap race was held with 24 boats competing. The plan for the evening was for Division 2…

The Water Wag season Started in Dun Laoghaire Harbour with a bang on Wednesday last, with a fleet of 22 Water Wags coming to the start line, making it the strongest dinghy class within Dublin Bay Sailing Club. The wind…

The Water Wag training weekend which was based out of Quigley’s Marina in Glasson, Co Westmeath last weekend was a huge success. As Afloat.ie reported earlier, the class had 15 Water Wags with a nearly perfect gender balance of 14/14!…

You’re never too old to learn, and at 131 years old the Dublin Bay Water Wags (founded 1887, though current boats date from 1900) seemed determined to prove this by having a two-day Coaching Session last weekend at Killinure on…

Over a number of years, the numbers of Water Wag competing in club racing, on Wednesday evenings, has been bucking the national trend, by increasing in numbers of competitors. Hal Sisk, the 2017 Captain of the Water Wags, decided that…

For the second handicap race of the year, for The Buckingham Cup and The Wigham Trophy, the Dun Laoghaire Water Wags were discommoded by a 9,975 ton, 440ft long cruise liner, The Star Pride with her 208 passengers and 164…

The Collen Cup is a new perpetual trophy which has been in the Collen family since 1907 and will be awarded to the overall winner of the Water Wag Class within the Classic section of this and subsequent Volvo Dun…

It’s probably more than a little sacrilegious to suggest that, as some of the rituals of a global religion are built around The Last Supper, then it’s not at all unreasonable for the world’s oldest One-Design sailing class to have…

Over the next few days fourteen Water Wags will head by ferry to France to participate in one of the greatest classic boat regattas in Europe. As Afloat.ie reported previously, one thousand four hundred and forty two traditional workboats and…

Yesterday evening the Water Wags raced for the Buckingham Cup & Wigham Trophy with handicaps applied at the start, resulting in some boats starting five and a half minutes ahead of others. The handicaps were allocated on the basis of…