Up to six County Wicklow boats will travel from Greystones Harbour early on Sunday morning to compete in the DMYC Kish Race swelling the already buoyant 40-boat entry for the annual Dublin Bay Race.
The Greystones visitors include the latest entry Frank Whelan's new J122 Grand Prix, Kaya, that will make its Irish race debut at the Dun Laoghaire Harbour event.
Whelan's new yacht is a sister ship to the well-known Royal St. George J122 Aurelia, a top Irish offshore performer.
Kaya is a replacement for Whelan's all beating Eleuthera, a Grand Soleil 44, that has been sold to new owners in Cascais, Portugal.
Kaya arrived in Ireland just a fortnight ago from France, so she is still in shakedown mode, according to her skipper for the Kish Lighthouse Race, Paddy Barnwell.
A new entry is Paul Barrington's well-known J109 "Jalapeno" from the National Yacht Club that will also be a serious contender for line and class honours in this year's race.
As Afloat previously reported, the race takes place from the DBSC Hut area at the back of the West Pier, starting at 10.30 am on Sunday.
The race has already attracted an entry of over 40 boats and promises to offer some impressive "head to heads" amongst the various competitors. The recent access of George Miller in "The Den" is no doubt welcomed by his Shipman classmates.
In the Ruffian 23s, David Meek and NYC Commodore Martin McCarthy are also racing out to the lighthouse.
Race Officer (RO) Larry Power is hoping for fair winds for the race. Currently forecast is for 10 to 16 knots from the East with the possibility of some sunshine.
The RO has the option to set an Inflatable Mark that will not be quite as far as the Kish if the feeling is that the wind is not sufficient.
Due to demand, The DMYC have extended the Entry Cut Off to 1900hrs on Saturday 19th. You can enter here.
Sailing Instructions are downloadable below.
The current entry is below:
CURRENT KISH RACE ENTRY LIST 2020
