51st Annual HYC Dinghy Frostbites Launches

04 November 2025
51st Annual HYC Dinghy Frostbites Launches
 
The 51st Annual HYC Dinghy Frostbites kicked off with a bang on Sunday morning as 29 boats took to the water for the first races of the 2025–26 series. Under bright, sunny skies and a gusty south-westerly breeze, sailors were treated to classic Howth conditions — choppy, challenging, and full of excitement.
 
Race Officer Richard Kissane set triangular courses for both races, smartly choosing a layout that kept the racing fast and dynamic while minimising the inevitable swimming that breezy Frostbite Sundays can bring.
 
While the Frostbite series has deep roots as a Laser/ILCA-only competition, recent years have seen the doors opened to a broader range of dinghies — and this year’s entry list is the most diverse yet.
 
 
The PY Fleet featured a strong mix of Melges 15s, RS Aeros, and IDRA 14s, while the ILCA classes were out in force with ILCA 7s, 6s, and 4s, joined by a Finn to complete the lineup.
 
PY Fleet - The RS Aero of Daragh Sheridan was right at home on the triangular course, taking first place in both races and showing exactly why he’s the Aero Masters European Champion.
Cormac Farrelly and Stephen Quinn followed close behind in their Melges 15s, finishing second and third overall for the day.
 
 
ILCA 7 - Series regular Dan O’Connell started strong with two race wins, while Conor Murphy secured second, and Andrejs Samoilovs and Tom Fox each picked up a third-place finish.
 
ILCA 6 - Darragh Peelo opened his series in style, taking two firsts, with Dylan Cassidy chasing hard in second in both races.
 
ILCA 4 - A tight battle in the ILCA 4s saw Dan Brereton and Florence Butler each take a race win, but it was Nicole Quinn’s consistency that put her on top of the leaderboard after Day 1.
 
With racing continuing every Sunday through to March, there’s plenty more to come from this iconic winter series.New entries are still welcome — sailors can join for one or both halves of the series.
 
 
 
Report by Conor Murphy