Sigma 33 Offshore One-Design Championship at Howth Yacht Club
by Julie Manahan 30 Jun 2025 10:27 PDT
26-29 June 2025
The Sigma 33 Class Championships were hosted by Howth Yacht Club for the first time from June 26-29, which incorporates the Irish and UK fleets.
Howth delivered four spectacular days of racing under the expert guidance of Scorie Walls and her race management team. A total of 11 races were completed, thanks to the class's decision to run windward-leeward courses—maximising racing opportunities and keeping the action tight.
It was a standout regatta for Stephen Mullaney and his local team aboard Insider, who delivered a commanding performance to claim the championship title with an extraordinary 9 bullets from 11 races, discarding a fourth place. With this result, Insider becomes just the second Irish boat ever to win the Sigma 33 Class Championships since the first event in 1979, following in the wake of Tim Goodbody's White Mischief from the Royal Irish Yacht Club.
The 2023 winner, Griogair Whyte's Close Encounters from the Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club (RNCYC) finished as runners-up with a notably consistent performance, including six second-place finishes.
The defending champions, Harper/Robertson's Leaky Roof 2, from Cove SC, completed the podium in third overall, winning two races—including Race 1 on Friday, which earned them the prestigious RNCYC Trophy.
The Silver Fleet was won by Mark & Andrea Mackey's Mithril, who also took home the Quaich Trophy for the best newcomer to the class—a promising debut that signals a bright future.
Beyond the racing, camaraderie was alive and well at the traditional Sigma 33 Class Dinner, hosted on Saturday evening in the fabulous restaurant facilities at Howth Yacht Club. The celebrations ran late into the night, and it's fair to say that not all crews were quite as fresh on Sunday morning as they were at the start of the regatta!
The Sigma 33 class now looks ahead to their next major event with their own start in the Volvo Dún Laoghaire Regatta with many visitors coming for both events. The class will be aiming to build on the success of Howth as they head to Bangor in 2026 for the Class Championships.
Overall Results:
If you finished in the top ten at the Sigma 33 nationals then enter your Gear Guide information here
| Pos | Fleet | Boat Name | Sail No | Owner(s) | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | R10 | R11 | Pts |
|---|
| 1st | Gold | Insider | 4444 | Stephen Mullaney | Howth YC | 1 | 1 | 1 | ‑4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| 2nd | Gold | Close Encounters | 8858 | Griogair Whyte | RNCYC / CCC | ‑4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 25 |
| 3rd | Gold | Leaky Roof 2 | 4607 | Harper & Robertson | Cove SC | 5 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ‑9 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 29 |
| 4th | Gold | Squawk | 8148 | Emma & Paul Prentice | BYC / RUYC | 3 | ‑7 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 43 |
| 5th | Gold | Flyover | 4571 | David Marchant & John McDonald | Waterford Harbour SC | 6 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 4 | ‑7 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 50 |
| 6th | Gold | Excelle | 4462 | Claridge & Fox | Flushing SC | 2 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 6 | (DNF) | 6 | 5 | 3 | 52 |
| 7th | Silver | Mithril | 4505 | Mark & Andrea Mackey | BYC/RUYC/Quoile YC | 9 | 8 | ‑10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 70 |
| 8th | Silver | Moonshine | 4999 | R Moloney
D O' Flynn & F O'Sullivan | RStGYC/Baltimore SC | (DNF) | 10 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 73 |
| 9th | Silver | Elandra of Down | 4536 | Martin Dews | Royal Ulster YC | 7 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | (DNS) | 9 | 78 |
| 10th | Silver | Springer | 4464 | Ian Bowring | RStG YC | 8 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | DNS | (DNC) | 95 |
| 11th | | Mayrise | 8856 | James Miller | Helensburgh SC | (DNC) | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | 180 |
| 11th | | Folly IV of Tamar | 4555 | Peter Vitai | Royal Cornwall YC | (DNC) | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | 180 |
| 11th | | An Oifig | 4443 | Niall Sabongi & Ger Smith | Skerries SC | (DNC) | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | 180 |
| 11th | | Partisan | 5690 | Dan Lewis | Neyland YC | (DNC) | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | 180 |
| 11th | | Afrita | 4264 | Andrew Laming | St Mawes | (DNC) | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | 180 |
| 11th | | Sonic | 4399 | Ruairidh Campbell | Toward Seasports C | (DNC) | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | 180 |
| 11th | | Rajah | 1685 | PJ Moran | National YC | (DNC) | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | 180 |