GP14 Spring Series 2026 at the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club Day 1
by Ross Kearney 10 Mar 07:30 EST
8 March 2026
Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club GP14 Spring Series 2026 Day 1 © Lindsay Nolan
RNIYC started its annual GP14 Spring Series on the 8th of March, a beautiful sunny day greeted the competitors, adding the energy and excitement of dusting off the cobwebs to start the 2026 season.
15 boats made their way out to the course, 12 to 17 knots from the south allowed for some shifty and gusty conditions.
Race officer Gerry Reid and his team put on 3 great windward leeward races, 15/20 minutes for each race, and a very quick turnaround prevents the cold setting on too much, a great format that everyone loves.
We had some new faces this year, great to see 2 boats from Whitehead, Donaghadee and visitors from as far as Blessington and Sligo. Thank you for making the effort!
Race 1 started in a building breeze, Niall Henry and Ossian Geraghty didn't take long to get used to the format, straight out of the blocks, the Sligo pair won from a chasing Keith and Matteo Louden with Adam and Emily Torrens in 3rd.
Race 2, the fleet got under way cleanly, this time the Loudens led from start to finish, Ross and Daniel in 2nd with Niall and Ossian in 3rd.
New to GP14s James Waugh and Emma Pierce were seemingly getting used the boat, they rounded well up showing some great pace, only to have a slight issue with the board coming right up which initiated a bit of rolling around and resulted in a capsize, James was just pleased to check the glistening underneath of his hull.
Race 3 started similarly, the shifty breeze made for great close racing and the fleet were really bunched up, causing places to be lost and gained only too often.
Again the loudens got away, Ross and Daniel in 2nd and Meg Tyrell and Connor Twohig in 3rd, Meg normally commands the front of the boat but jumped in with Connor and were flying all day!
A great day was had by all, thank you to Gerry and his team, Frank and the rescue team and royal north for hosting the event. Looking forward to next week!
Daily entries are available if you want to come and join the fun!