2021 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Dingle Race To Sail With Maximum Fleet of 50

2nd January 2021

Afloat.ie Team

The biggest ever entry in the Dun Laoghaire Dingle Race arrives into Dingle Bay to set a new record in the 2019 race Credit: Rachel Fallon Langdon

Previous race entrants will be offered an early entry option into June's 2021 Volvo Dun Laoghaire-Dingle Race before entry is opened to others boats to allow up to a maximum of 50 for the 280-miler.

The next edition of the biennial offshore race will start on Wednesday 9th, June 2021, a date that has already prompted Afloat's WM Nixon in his first look at the 2021 season, to predict 'it could become symbolic of the emergence from pandemic'.

The timing of the National YC's biennial offshore race – a week after Howth Yacht Club's Lambay Race on June 4th – is designed so boats participating can use the race to get south in time for O'Leary's Sovereigns Week in Kinsale (June 23 – 26) and then be back well in time in Dun Laoghaire for the Volvo Dun Laoghaire IRC Regatta (July 8 -11).

The National YC's biennial Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race, currently scheduled for June 9th 2021, could become symbolic of the emergence from pandemic. The start of 2019's race shows overall winner Paul O'Higgin's JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI (left) showing briefly ahead of Mick Cotter's 94ft line honours winner and new course record-setter Windfall

The 2021 race is also on the RORC and ISORA race calendars and offers boats in those series to accumulate qualifying offshore racing experience for crews participating in the RORC Fastnet Race in August to its new finish in Cherbourg.

"The 2021 race is on the RORC and ISORA race calendars"

A Notice of Race from the Principal Race Officer Con Murphy is expected shortly and online race entry is expected to open at the end of January in line with the timing of previous editions.

2021 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Dingle Race Chairman Adam Winkelmann - 'We welcome Volvo Cars again as the title sponsor for the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race and would like to thank them for their continuous support'

The 2021 280-mile race will start, as usual, from the National Yacht Club and the race – now part of the Royal Ocean Racing Club calendar – will be limited to a 50 boat fleet following the success of the 2019 edition that attracted a record 43, including the biggest ever entrant, Windfall that set a new course record.

Published in Dun Laoghaire Dingle, RORC, National YC, ISORA

Dun Laoghaire Dingle Race Live Tracker 2023

Track the progress of the 2023 Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Yacht Race fleet on the live tracker above and the leaderboard below

Dun Laoghaire Dingle Race Live Leaderboard 2023

The 16th edition of the 280-mile race organised by the National Yacht Club starts at 2 pm on Wednesday, June 7th, on Dublin Bay.

Read the full 2023 race preview by WM Nixon here
Read all the D2D Race News in one handy link here
Listen to Lorna Siggins's interview with Race Chairman Adam Winkelmann on Afloat's Wavelengths here

WM Nixon will be posting regular race updates and analysis throughout the 2023 race here

Published in Dun Laoghaire Dingle

Tagged under

Dun Laoghaire Dingle Race

About The Author

Afloat.ie Team

Email The Author

Afloat.ie is Ireland's dedicated marine journalism team.

Have you got a story for our reporters? Email us here.

We've got a favour to ask

More people are reading Afloat.ie than ever thanks to the power of the internet but we're in stormy seas because advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news sites, we haven't put up a paywall because we want to keep our marine journalism open.

Afloat.ie is Ireland's only full-time marine journalism team and it takes time, money and hard work to produce our content.

So you can see why we need to ask for your help.

If everyone chipped in, we can enhance our coverage and our future would be more secure. You can help us through a small donation. Thank you.

You might also want to read...

Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Yacht Race Information

The biennial Dun Laoghaire to Dingle race is a 320-miles race down to the east coast of Ireland, across the south coast and into Dingle harbour in County Kerry.

The race is organised by the National Yacht Club.

It never fails to offer a full range of weather, wind and tide to the intrepid entrants, ranging from a 32ft cruiser to a 79ft all-out racer.

Three divisions are available to enter: cruiser (boats equipped with furlers), racing (the bulk of the fleet) and also two-handed.

D2D Course change overruled

In 2019, the organisers considered changing the course to allow boats to select routes close to shore by removing the requirement to go outside Islands and Lighthouses en route, but following input from regular participants, the National Yacht Club decided to stick with the tried and tested course route in order to be fair to large and smaller boats and to keep race records intact.

D2D Course record time

Mick Cotter’s 78ft Whisper established the 1 day and 48 minutes course record for the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race in 2009 and that time stood until 2019 when Cotter returned to beat his own record but only just, the Dun Laoghaire helmsman crossing the line in Kerry to shave just 20 seconds off his 2009 time.