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Volvo Come Onboard for June's 30th Anniversary Dun Laoghaire to Dingle (D2D) Race

15th January 2023
Up to 50 yachts varying between 30 and 100 feet in length, with crews of between 2 and 20 sailors on board will compete in the 2023 Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race on June 7th
Up to 50 yachts varying between 30 and 100 feet in length, with crews of between 2 and 20 sailors on board will compete in the 2023 Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race on June 7th Credit: Afloat

Volvo Car Ireland has again stepped up to support the 2023 Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race in June. This will be the 30th anniversary of the race which has become a biennial fixture in the Irish sailing calendar.

As Afloat reported earlier, Denis and Annamarie Murphy's successful Grand Soleil 40 Nieulargo from Royal Cork Yacht Club will defend its race title with up to 50 yachts competing.

The race starts from Dun Laoghaire on June 7th and is scheduled to arrive in Dingle Harbour on June 9th and 10th.

Volvo Car Ireland is supported by the Tralee-based dealer Billy Naughton Motors, representing Volvo Cars in the Kerry region. The race also continues a long association with the local Dingle Skellig Hotel, where the prizegiving will take place on Saturday, June 10th.

The start of the 2021 Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race The start of the 2021 Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race on Dublin Bay Photo: Afloat

As regular Afloat readers will recall, after an epic 14th edition of the 'D2D' that attracted a 38-boat fleet, the Murphy's lifted the trophy in Dingle, County Kerry.

The 2021 race was one of great success for Cork offshore sailing interests, and now, with the confirmation of Nieulargos' entry, SCORA's interest in the 270-miler shows no sign of letting up.

Competing yachts will vary between 30 and 100 feet in length, with crews of between 2 and 20 sailors on board.

The first D2D race took place in 1993 and the race has grown to become one of the great mini offshore sailing challenges in the UK and Irish waters. Underlining this growth in status is the fact that the D2D race now forms part of both the Royal Ocean Racing Club and the Irish Sea Offshore Racing Associations 2023 series.

Dublin boat Yoyo arrives into Dingle marina in Co Kerry after racing from Dun Laoghaire. A total of 38 boats took part in the 2021 270-mile race Photo: Domnick WalshDublin boat Yoyo arrives into Dingle marina in Co Kerry after racing from Dun Laoghaire. A total of 38 boats took part in the 2021 270-mile race Photo: Domnick Walsh

The race will test crews’ skills in terms of fast sailing, accurate navigation and tactics and great teamwork. Crews include top male and female sailors, and there is a separate prize to encourage this growth of women in the race. “Volvo Car Ireland are proud to support activities that align with our brand pillars. Sustainability and electrification are a key focus for our business, and our oceans' long-term health is a core part of this. We wish all participating sailors safe sailing and encourage all supporters to visit Dingle and enjoy the great atmosphere surrounding the finish in the town.” David Thomas, Managing Director, Volvo Car Ireland.

The National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire are the race organiser and provides 'world-class' starting and finishing teams for race management. The yachts can be tracked live online using the YB Tracking system, which can be found through www.d2drace.ie or through www.afloat.ie from the start on Wednesday, June 7th.

The Notice of Race is here and the entry form is now available here

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

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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.

RORC Points Calendar

The 2019 race was the first edition to form part of the Royal Ocean Racing Club “RORC” calendar for the season. This is in addition to the race continuing as part of the ISORA programme. 

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.