The Dun Laoghaire Cup 2026 concluded at Royal Irish Yacht Club on Sunday following a weekend of competitive racing across the Dragon, SB20, Flying 15, Melges 15 and B211 fleets.
Light to medium southwesterly conditions allowed six races to be completed for most fleets, while the B211 class completed a four-race series. Consistency and strong discard profiles ultimately proved decisive across several tightly contested divisions.
In the Dragon fleet, Neil Hegarty’s Phantom delivered a dominant performance for the Royal St George Yacht Club crew, securing four race wins from six starts to claim the overall title. Rui Ferreira’s Leia from Glandore Harbour Yacht Club finished second overall, while Ben Cooke’s Titan completed the podium positions.
The SB20 fleet saw Michael O’Connor’s Ted control the series with four race wins and a commanding overall victory. Ger Dempsey’s venuesworld.com secured second, while Tadgh Donnelly’s Leviathan from the National Yacht Club claimed third overall after a consistent series.
One of the standout performances of the weekend came in the B211 fleet, where Pat Shannon’s Beeswing finished on just three nett points after winning three of the four races sailed. Kieran Kingston’s Vamoose took second overall, with Vincent Mulvey’s Plan B securing third after victory in the final race.
The Flying 15 fleet produced some of the closest racing of the regatta, with only a single point separating the top two boats overall. Sean Craig and Stephen Boyle’s FARFALLA secured victory for the Royal St George Yacht Club ahead of John Lavery and Alan Green’s ffmf, while Frank Miller and Cathy Booth’s Glass Half Full finished third.
The highly competitive 16-boat Melges 15 fleet was won by Jack Fahy and Adam Hyland, representing the Royal St George and Lough Derg Yacht Club. Billy Far Out finished second overall, while Boost claimed third after a strong final day performance.
Across all fleets, the regatta once again highlighted the depth and competitiveness of Irish one-design racing, with several classes remaining undecided until the closing races of the weekend.