The Irish Sea’s strongest Class One IRC fleet of the year is assembling for the Volvo Dún Laoghaire Regatta (VDLR) in three months, where a record combined fleet of 500 boats is expected for Ireland’s biggest sailing event. The four-day sailfest was launched in buoyant style on Thursday night at the National Maritime Museum by local Dún Laoghaire Minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor, with the news that 410 boats are already secured as early entries 100 days before the first gun on July 11th. Organised jointly by the four Dún Laoghaire waterfront yacht clubs (the Dún Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, the National Yacht Club, the Royal Irish Yacht Club and the Royal St George Yacht Club), it provides a snapshot of the sport of sailing in Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Yet it is not all high-tech racing at Dún Laoghaire. Traditional sailing is still very much a part of the regatta programme, with a local 30-boat Water Wag fleet, the oldest dinghy fleet in the world, put centre stage.

Source: The Irish Times April 04, 2019 18:11 UTC