The Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association (ISORA) is set to embark on a new adventure on August 11th as it heads to Strangford Lough for a Northern Ireland-based weekend. After a season of coastal and cross-channel fixtures between Dun Laoghaire and Pwllheli, ISORA has partnered with the Royal Ulster Yacht Club on Belfast Lough to host a Holyhead, North Wales to the Strangford Lough race. 

The race will commence on August 11th at 7.30 pm with an evening start, followed by a Strangford to a mid-Irish Sea finish starting at 0630 am on Sunday, August 13th. Sailing Instructions are expected to be published shortly for the fixed course races.

ISORA has been providing challenging and competitive offshore racing for over 50 years, and this new venture in 2023 promises to be yet another exciting chapter in its history. With the stunning backdrop of Strangford Lough and the competition set to be renewed after July's Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta, this is not one to be missed, say organisers. 

Leslie Parnell's First 34.7 Black Velvet of the Royal Irish Yacht Club was the overall IRC winner of Saturday's shortened ISORA Viking Marine Coastal Race from Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

Second on IRC was sistership, the Greystones Harbour-based Magic Touch skippered by Steve Hayes.

A six-boat fleet set out on a 26-mile course in very light winds at 10 am, but a flood tide meant it took three hours even to reach Muglins Rock on Dublin Bay's southern tip.  

As a result, Race Organiser Peter Ryan shortened the race to finish at the Bray Outfall buoy in Killiney Bay. 

After five hours of racing, five boats finished within seven minutes of each other. One retired. It was, at least, a result on a day that otherwise saw no racing on the Bay due to the light winds.

The line honours winner was John O'Gorman's Hot Cookie. Third on IRC was Howth's J109 Indian, skippered by Simon Knowles.

ISORA's last Irish coastal in 2023 is the night race on the 18th of August which will decide the winner of the Vincent Farrell Trophy.

ISORA has announced Saturday's Race 13 course of its Viking Marine Coastal Series off the Dublin and Wicklow coasts, but a morning of race notice from Race Organiser Peter Ryan warns the course may be shortened.

"The forecasts are most unusual. The race may have to be shortened", Ryan told competitors on Whatsapp at 8 am.

A fleet of six (Nigel Ingram's Farr 30 Wild Haggis withdrew overnight) will sail 26 miles from Dun Laoghaire to Bray via North Kish as follows.

ISORA Course for Race 13 is:

• Start
• Muglins (P)
• Bray (P)
• North Kish (P)
• Bray (S)
• Muglins (P)
• Finish

There will be one all-in start at 10 am. The aim is to have all boats finished by approximately 4 pm at Dun Laoghaire's East Pier head.

Live Dublin Bay webcams may pick up the boats at the start and finish

Seven boats will contest this Saturday's (July 22) ISORA Coastal Race 13 from Dun Laoghaire Harbour, part of the association's 2023 Musto Offshore Series.

The fleet's smaller size this weekend is likely a result of the clash with Saturday's record-breaking Rolex Fastnet Race start that has already led to the cancellation of July 28th's SCORA Fastnet fixture from Kinsale on the south coast.

The UK-based Farr 30 Wild Haggis joins the fleet that includes Howth regular Simon Knowles in the J109 Indian and the National Yacht Club's John O'Gorman in the Sunfast 3600 Hot Cookie.

Two Beneteau First 34.7s are also entered with Magic Touch from Greystones Harbour and Leslie Parnell's Black Velvet from the Royal Irish Yacht Club, both coming to the West Pier line.

There will be one all-in start at 10 am. The aim is to have all boats finished by approximately 4 pm.

The course will be published on Friday. All boats sail with YB trackers.

ISORA Coastal Race 13 entries

The Pwhelli Sailing Club, J109 Mojito of Vicky Cox and Peter Dunlop, were the winners of the Royal Dee (RDYC) Offshore Championship series raced for as part of this weekend's Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

As regular Afloat readers know, the first race was from Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire, the first of five in the Royal Dee (RDYC) Offshore Championship series. The other four were coastal races as part of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta. 

The Royal Dee Offshore Champions, the Mojito crew with Peter Ryan of ISORA at Dun Laoghaire Photo: Michael Chester

Royal Irish Yacht Club's Paul O'Higgins sailing Rockabill VI won Saturday's 12-hour Lyver Trophy Race from Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire. 

The line honours winner in the tough test across the Irish Sea was Andrew & Sam Hall's J125 Jackknife.

The fixture was also Race 12 in the Musto ISORA 2023 Offshore Series.

Andrew & Sam Hall's J125 Jackknife was the Lyver Trophy Race line honours winner Photo: Afloat

The course took the eight competing boats northwest out of Holyhead before turning towards Wicklow. The course was selected to avoid the overfalls at the South Stacks.

Due to the strong westerly winds, the course to Wicklow was upwind and in large seas. The final leg north, along the coast, was a reach.

Throughout the race, there was a three-way tussle between Jackknife, Rockabill VI and Keith Miller's Prime Suspect from Kilmore Quay Boat Club.

Although finishing in that order, Rockabill VI won the race, the Lyver Trophy and RORC medallion.

The race is the first of five in the Royal Dee (RDYC) Offshore Championship series. The other four are coastal races as part of next week's Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta. However, Rockabill VI has elected to race in Cruisers 0 in the regatta, so the RIYC crew won’t take any further part in the RDYC championship series.

Saturday's 85-mile course for the Lyver Trophy Offshore Race across the Irish Sea has been confirmed.

The 18 entries will race from Holyhead at 0930 am, and organisers expect the first boats to finish around 9 pm off Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

The fleet will be heading on a short leg northwest from Holyhead before turning southwest towards Wicklow. They will then follow the coast north to Dun Laoghaire.

As Afloat reported previously, the race is the 12th fixture in the season-long ISORA points series.

The weekend fleet includes the reigning ISORA champion, the J109 Mojito from Pwllheli Sailing Club in North Wales.

The course for the race is as follows:

• Start line at Holyhead Pier lighthouse to Clippereau Buoy
• Langdon (P) 52⁰ 22.754N 4⁰ 38.646W
• Wicklow Outfall (S) 53⁰ 59.545N 6⁰ 1.286W
• Muglins (P) 53⁰ 16.515N 6⁰ 4.550W
• Finish between Dun Laoghaire Pier Heads

Forecasts indicate strong westerly winds for a windward leg across the Irish Sea.

The race marks the arrival of competitors from across the Irish Sea for next week's 350-boat Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

Saturday's Lyver Trophy Race Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire Offshore Race marks the arrival of competitors from across the Irish Sea for next week's big one, the 350-boat Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta. 

With a declared entry of 18 boats, the weekend fleet includes the reigning ISORA champion, the J109 Mojito from Pwllheli Sailing Club in North Wales.

The race starts at 9 am, and early forecasts indicate strong westerly winds for a windward leg across the Irish Sea, with the final course to be confirmed on Friday.

The JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI from the Royal Irish Yacht Club Photo: Afloat

In collaboration with Irish Sea clubs, the race is organised by Liverpool Yacht Club & Royal Dee Yacht Club with the assistance of the National Yacht Club and the Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association (ISORA).

The race counts as race 12 of the 2023 Musto ISORA Offshore Race series and the Royal Dee Offshore Championship Series.

Entries for the RORC Lyver Race

As ISORA's Peter Ryan explains, "The race is also the first of five races in the Royal Dee Offshore Championship series, with the four coastal races in next week's VDLR".

The race is a qualifying race for August's Fastnet Race. Winners will be eligible for RORC medallions.

"As well as the Lyver Trophy, the winner will be presented with an ISORA trophy. The prizegiving is to take place at the ISORA dinner in November, Ryan told Afloat.

The National Yacht Club's Sunfast 3600 Searcher Photo: Afloat

"Separate entries are not required for the Championship series. As there will be no discards, the boats that compete in all five races are the only boats that can win. The winner of the series will receive a trophy at the VDLR prizegiving. RDYC prizes will be presented to 2nd and 3rd place in the series", he says.

Alan Hannon's Coquine after rounding the Ailsa Craig, is an entry in the Lyver race. Photo: Hammy Baker

"There are no day prizes in the VDLR, but as part of the RDYC offshore series, there will be day-class prizes for boats in the VDLR coastal class. These will be presented every evening in the NYC, " Ryan adds.

Paul O'Higgins's JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI took line honours, first in IRC overall and first in Class Zero in Saturday's 23-mile race ten of the ISORA Series.

In a southerly 15-18 knot breeze, the six-boat fleet started off Dun Laoghaire Harbour under Race Officer Michael Horgan at 10 am.

The fleet left Muglins Rock at the southern tip of Dublin Bay to starboard, sailing down the coast to round  Moulditch buoy off Greystones Harbour in County Wicklow before returning to the Bay, leaving the Muglins to Port and a finish off Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

The Royal Irish line honours winner completed the course in four hours, 24 minutes and 31 seconds.

Second in IRC overall was Leslie Parnell's First 34.7, which was sailed double-handed. Third place in IRC overall, and the IRC Class One winner was the Shanahan family's J109, Ruth from the National Yacht Club.

A seven-boat ISORA fleet is considering a course proposal from Race Officers for this weekend's coastal race from Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race competitors are back on the water for ISORA's Race 10. Saturday's proposed 23-mile course to Wicklow is very similar to the opening stage of the 270-mile race a fortnight ago.

2023 D2D veterans Paul O'Higgins's JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI and Tom Shanahan's J109 Ruth are racing. 

Leslie Parnell's Royal Irish 34.7 Black Velvet will be racing double-handed.

ISORA numbers for race ten are reduced due to the weekend clash with the conclusion of the Sovereign's Cup at Kinsale.

ISORA Race Ten competitors

Starting on flood tide at 10 am, with a 15-18 knot southerly breeze, the proposed course from the Dun Laoghaire start is Muglins S - Moulditch S - Muglins P - Dun Laoghaire Finish.
23 miles. Breeches buoy instead of Moulditch would extend the course to 28 miles.

The course will be confirmed on Friday.