The National Yacht Club takes the lion’s share of representation, understandably as this is where the bulk of the DL fleet is situated, but four boats (from seven) hail from the Royal St George and the DMYC has a solitary representative, which translates to a 100% turnout for them.
Double British Olympic keelboat sailor Andy Beadsworth is on board Dave Dwyer’s Royal Cork Half Tonner Swuzzlebubble for an IRC Two contest in this week’s Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta, where strong winds are forecasted to get the four-day regatta off to an exciting start on Thursday afternoon.
While Darren Griffin (MYC/RStG) must be a favourite on paper for the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta ILCA 6 dinghy title as he was top three at the ILCA 6 Master Nationals in the last two years, another north Dublin sailor, Tom Fox of Rush, will also be very fast if the forecasted breeze materialises this weekend.
It turns out that next week’s Quarter Ton World Championships in Cork Harbour may well have a bearing on the overall results of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta’s IRC Three division. The reason is that at least three top Quarter Ton teams – including one visiting former world champion – are signed up in a 20-boat mix of eclectic designs.
It may look like only half the size of the other IRC classes at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta, but an 11-boat IRC Zero fleet is every bit as competitive as the other four and double the size of the 2019 entry.
The much-anticipated arrival of two of the world’s top Cape 31s for Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta on Dublin Bay this Thursday is underway.
Anthony O’Leary’s Antix will seek to defend his Cape 31 national title when the championship is run in conjunction with the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta this week on Dublin Bay. Racing will run from Thursday to Sunday, but competitors have already begun to arrive at the Royal Irish Yacht Club, which is hosting the fleet of six.
Met Éireann is forecasting southerly to south-easterly winds for Dublin Bay during the Volvo Dun Laoghaire regatta this week. However, it cautions that the forecast is “more uncertain than usual for later this week, so the probability for change is quite high”.
With the top three boats from 2019 all competing again, the outcome of this contest depends mainly on what conditions will prevail. Six days out, it looks like the Bay will serve strong to medium-strength southerly breezes, which could upset the pecking order in the regatta’s most significant class.
Overall, this 20-boat class has a wide range of cruisers studded with a few stand-out racers who can run away with the prize if they come prepared with a decent crew, but it may also be the hardest class to call given this weekend’s wind conditions showing both light and strong winds.
