Classic Cult | Dublin Bay 21, ‘old school’ Irish pride

How to make the essence of class racing accessible, without distorting it?
A complex challenge, but one egregiously met by Alfred Mylne and the Dublin Bay Sailing Club who, in 1902, offered a polished response, now a cult icon of Irish sailing: the Dublin Bay 21. Born out of a specific desire to ‘democratize’ offshore sailing in waters dominated by deep-rooted traditions and ‘cumbersome’ institutions, thus was born a hull that goes beyond a mere stylistic exercise, manifesting itself in a class that is nothing short of exceptional, now a cult. Able to withstand fashions and technological pushes, in no small part, it is a unique case in the history of international yachting: the world’s oldest one-design cruiser-racer class.

Classic Cult | Dublin Bay 21, ‘old school’ Irish pride

Originally a gaff-rigged rig complete with counter topsail (jackyard topsail), 9.90 meters (32’6″) long, the Dublin Bay 21 was born in 1903 giving birth to a class of 7 hulls, the ‘Seven Sisters.’ They are Estelle, Garavogue, Naneen, Maureen, Oola, Inisfallen e Geraldine -beating heart of a class destined to win the heart of every Dublin sailor. But the real achievement of the DB21 is to be found elsewhere: one hundred and twenty-eright years after the first launch, Mylne’s not only proves to be a still active Class-already exceptional in itself-but will soon be complete again with every hull… With five Dublin Bay 21 sailing and two under restoration, this is a unique case, a record of which Irish sailing can be more than proud.

Dublin Bay 21 | Genesis and Operational Life

An exceptional representation of an early twentieth-century monotype, the Dublin Bay 21 is specifically designed to combine performance and equity, resulting in a hull that, without losing elegance, knew how to be simultaneously high-performing and accessible, while still offering room for the occasional cruise.
Built between 1903 and 1908, she was thus born as an aptly named class, outstanding upwind and particularly seaworthy, soon a true pride of the Irish seascape, where she would remain at home for several decades to follow, surviving first the years of the Great Depression and then World War II. It would be the 1960s, however, that would give her a first and real setback.

In 1964, in fact, in an effort to modernize the class, it was decided to replace the original auric boom with a Bermudian one, thus also replacing the mast with a redesigned variant made of aluminum. A choice, in retrospect, short-sighted. In fact, on the one hand capable of bringing subtly new performance, on the other hand, the change of rig and rig imposed new stresses on the hulls, stresses, moreover, excessive, which inevitably damaged the structures, marking the beginning of the crisis. It will be the 1980s, however, that will define its decline.

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In 1986, in fact, Hurricane Charley dealt a fatal blow to the class: two boats sank, racing ceased, and the remaining five DB21s were hospitalized at the Tyrrell shipyard in Arklow, where they would remain relegated for more than 30 years.

Dublin Bay 21 | Rebirth

For over thirty years, the “Seven Sisters” rest abandoned, suspended between memory and oblivion. Yet where tradition seems at risk, passion intervenes. From the initiative of Hal Sisk and Fionán de Barra, together with a small nucleus of enthusiasts and historians, thirty years after their hospitalization, new life takes shape: one of the most unexpected and significant revivals of Irish sailing.
In 2017, the Dublin Bay 21 Footer Class Association, a reality that gathers skills, enthusiasm and resources to tackle an ambitious restoration project totally devoted to philological preservation. The priority is clear: it is not just a matter of bringing hulls back to the surface, but of revitalizing a technical and social heritage, returning the Bay to its original monotype, in the most authentic and respectful configuration possible.

Leading the operations is Stephen Morris, shipwright of Kilrush Boatyard, who is tasked with rebuilding each boat, starting with the remaining original components and incorporating the most advanced techniques of restoration. Obviously, with the utmost fidelity to Alfred Mylne’s drawings and to the original materials preserved, including the rig, which is strictly auric (however, this time without topsail and spinnaker, to protect strength and maneuverability).

At the same time, the Class is being organized according to strict membership criteria. Among the most relevant: ownership of the hulls is collective, management shared among members, boats rotate in shifts of use and a participatory culture of “active custodianship” is promoted capable of involving sailors, historians, technicians and the local public.
To date, racing has resumed and five hulls are back on the water-Geraldine, Oola, Estelle, Naneen, Garavogue-while Maureen and Inisfallen are nearing completion, ready to return the Irish gulf to its original spectacle.
But the revival of Dublin Bay 21 goes beyond that: It is not just a rescue, but a broader operation to preserve collective memory. An example, perhaps, to look at carefully

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