Former Admiral Archie O’Leary’s Irish Mist at Dún Laoghaire.  Photo Robert Bateman

At the VDLR Corkman Flor O’Driscoll, who sails out of the Royal St.George Yacht Club and sailing his J24 Hard on Port,with his fourth win in the event, won the overall IRC trophy.


Anthony O’Leary sailing Antix Dubh finished sixth in IRC Zero while Robert O’Leary, who had a win in the first race, suffered a black flag in Race two and had to be content with a 17th overall.  Donal O’Leary’s D-Tox finished 18th.  Mark Mansfield who was helming Tim Costello’s Tiamat, with Prof O’Connell on tactics, finished 4th in Class Zero.

The event, which is run by an amalgamation of the four  Dún Laoghaire Clubs, had a 460 boat fleet.  However, unlike Cork Week, they include dinghy classes such as the Water Wags, Idra 14s, Fireballs, Mermaids, etc. The regatta was deemed by all to be a huge success and plans are already afoot for the next one.  The weather thankfully provided wind this time round, perhaps too much of it on Saturday, including torrential rain, but ended on a splendid note with wind, sun and Sunday crowds thronging Dún Laoghaire and a comment made to your scribe that the day was like “your Crosshaven weather”!

Nostalgia was brought to the event with the arrival of Ireland’s Green Dragon, first seen by us during Cork Week 2008,  bringing the event to its conclusion with an escort by the RNLI and the racing fleet into Dún Laoghaire.

See pictures of the event on Bateman Gallery.