Record numbers

Strong contingent due at tomorrow's Dun Laoghaire Regatta Championship

With 24 Hours to the start of the Dun Laoghaire Regatta Championship, the event organisers have received 393 entries confirming the event as the biggest sailing event of the year.

Excitement in the four host clubs is building as boats arrive. An estimated 1,930 crew will take to the start lines tomorrow afternoon at 3:30pm while reserve crew should bring the numbers participating in the event to well over 2,000. Family, friends and visitors will further swell numbers ashore after racing

Boats are very evenly split among the 23 classes sailing on seven courses. A fleet of 21 boats in Class 0 makes this one of the biggest gatherings of these big boats ever seen in Ireland. Among this entry will be Patches, Eamonn Connelly’s TP52 who will be in competition with Colm Barrington’s Flying Glove, recent winners of the UK National Championships and Tiamat winners of the Scottish Series in May. Class 1 consists of 31 boats with a strong Dublin Bay presence being challenged by Anthony OLeary’s Antix of Cork, recent winners of the Sovereigns Cup and Irish Class 1 Championships in Kinsale.

Class 2 sees all of the top three from the recent Irish Championships lining up against each other again with Benola (Paddy Gregory) and Kinetic (Richard Colwell) from Howth travelling across the bay and Dick Dastardly ( Barry Cunningham ) from Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, one of the host clubs. Class 3 is the biggest class in the event with 36 entries which should make for exciting start lines and excellent competition. In contrast, Class 4 has the smallest entry with eight boats, but no quarter will be given in this all-Dun Laoghaire fleet.

One-Design Fleets are also here in force with Sigma 33s, First 31.7s, Dragons, J/24s, Ruffians, Shipmans, Squibs, 1720s, and Flying Fifteens all racing for fleet honours. Seventy four dinghies will add contrast to the keelboats. Fireballs have the largest turnout with 20 boats.

An overall Handicap, Dinghy and One Design winner will be chosen by a panel from the ISA, Event Organsing committee and Jury. The committee will then decide on an overall Dun Laoghaire Regatta Championiship winner from these three finalists, to be announced after results are published on Sunday afternoon.