Donnelly and Arrowsmith defend Irish Title

After some amazing comebacks when needed, Sean and Greg battled through a tough field to take the 2026 Irish title, retaining the trophy after a win in Howth last year. No race proved this more than Race 4 on Day 1 where they battled back from 14th at the first mark to win the race, snatching victory just before the finish.

22 teams battled it out over 7 races in Dun Laoghaire with race officer Michael Tyrell and his team from the Royal Irish delivering great racing. The event was sailed in light to medium conditions with Sundays three races in particular a light affair. Amazingly at the end, the top four boats were all separated by 1 point each, with the 7 races being won by 5 different teams.

The 2026 Nationals was the biggest class regional event so far with more new teams coming on board this season. Without question the standard across the class continues to rise as shown by the high scoring series where an average of third place was good enough to win.

Next up for the class is the final class event for the season before Winter sailing takes over. The Melges 15 Sprint Series takes place in the Royal Saint George Yacht Club on September 26/27