Sailing is offered on both keelboats and dinghies. Up to seven people can attend a keelboat sailing session which is led by a Captain. Day sailing takes place on either our Beneteau First 31.7 or Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 35. Our Ruffian mostly takes part in DBSC racing on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. During the Summer,  the Sun Odyssey 35 provides week-long live-aboard cruises around Ireland, Scotland, Cornwall or France. It also provides shorter Weekend cruises and Day-trips at other times of the year.

Up to 12 people take part in dinghy sailing sessions, which are run by an appointed Captain and Vice Captain. Members take turns to crew the safety boat for each session. Sailing takes place both in and outside the harbour depending on weather conditions. SID dinghies also take part in Frostbite and DBSC racing.

For keelboat sailing, no experience is required. If you are a beginner or improver, you will have the opportunity to sail with more experienced sailors and thereby improve your sailing skills.

For dinghy sailing, you need to have done at least a beginner’s dinghy sailing course or have similar experience. If you are unsure or have not sailed in a while please contact us. We always arrange for less experienced crew to have an experienced partner.

The club has four Vago dinghies, a 35ft Jeanneau Sun Odyssey yacht, a 32ft Beneteau yacht, a 23ft Ruffian yacht, a safety boat and a small launch for going to and from the Ruffian mooring.

The SID Sun Odyssey 35 “Silver Wind” is a six-person keelboat yacht with an overall length of 35 feet. It is fitted out for comfortable onboard living. “Silver Wind” is regularly used for weekend and weeklong liveaboard cruises on the Irish Sea and beyond.

The SID Beneteau 31.7 “Mayfly” is a seven-person keelboat yacht with an overall length of 32 feet. The 31.7 class is one of the largest keelboat classes in Dublin Bay. “Mayfly” is regularly used for weeknight practice, some races and for weekend liveaboard cruises on the Irish Sea.

The SID Ruffian “Ruff Diamond” is a five-person keelboat yacht with an overall length of 23 feet. The Ruffian Racing class is one of the largest keelboat classes in Ireland with more than twenty regularly racing at the national championships. “Ruff Diamond” can provide a more leisurely sail with longer trips in the Irish Sea from Malahide to Wicklow or can compete in regattas or Dublin Bay races.

A Vago is a two-person plastic hulled dinghy with an asymmetric gennaker and trapeze.

The Sun Odyssey, Beneteau and Ruffian are large keelboats with up to seven crew. You can wear your normal clothes with the addition of some rain gear. Keelboats have a greater range and can sail to Wicklow or Malahide. You don’t need any experience to take part in keelboat sailing.

Dinghy sailing takes place in small two-person boats. Your dinghy may capsize, so you need to wear a wetsuit and a buoyancy aid. You don’t need to be a world champion swimmer as long as you are comfortable being in the water. Dinghy sailing takes place within the harbour and in the immediate surrounding area. You would need some previous experience to take part in dinghy sailing.

For dinghy sailing the following is required:

• A wet suit (3mm arms and legs with 5mm body minimum recommended);
• Booties or old runners;
• Cagoule or windcheater;
• Sailing gloves.
• We do have some wetsuits available for guest use, but not for members.

For keelboat sailing:

• Warm clothes (no matter how warm it seems on land!);
• Waterproof jacket and waterproof trousers (even if it’s not raining you may get wet from sea spray);
• Sailing boots or old runners.

Lifejackets, safety lines, and sailing harnesses are provided.

No, for each dinghy session, people are paired up based on experience. People also swap around to crew the safety boat, so you will probably find yourself sailing with a couple of different crew. It’s a great way to meet your fellow sailors.

You would first need to do a Basic Dinghy Skills course first.

If you are interested in trying out the club before joining, you are welcome to join us for a session or two. We charge a guest fee of €30 which is refundable against your annual membership if you join. You just need to let us know in advance when you would like to sail. If you would like to, just contact us and we can schedule a guest sail.

We offer sailing opportunities seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, weather permitting.

Yes, you can sail as often as you wish. We encourage all members to take part in both Keelboat and Dinghy sailing. For those who have no dinghy sailing experience, we organise taster sessions from time to time with wetsuits and instruction provided.

When sailing on Silver Wind or Mayfly you can use the marina facilities (changing rooms, toilets, showers etc). When sailing on Ruff Diamond we use the DMYC clubhouse (changing rooms, bar, toilets, showers etc). Finally, when dinghy sailing, our “clubhouse” provides basic changing facilities and equipment storage. 

Safety boat cover is provided for SID-organised dinghy sessions. For events and races such as regattas, the safety cover is provided by the organisers of the event.

No, all sailing is organised in sessions with assigned captains and safety cover. We will organise extra sessions subject to demand.

Sessions are run by a Captain and a Vice Captain. Depending on the weather and how experienced the participants are, the Captain decides who sails with whom and where the sailing area is to be. The safety boat is also present and is crewed by members on a rotation basis.

No. For keelboat sailing, no specialist equipment or clothing is needed. You just need to pay your annual membership fee and you can sail as often as you wish. For cruising trips on the Silver Wind, there is an extra charge for use of the boat of €25 per night with the first night free (i.e. €150 per week). When cruising the crew will share the cost of any diesel used & any marina fees. The wind is free, as are anchorages.

For dinghy sailing, you would also need to buy a wetsuit (typically priced from €100).

€390 per annum. Additional fees apply for cruising, and races.

SID dinghies are entered in DMYC Frostbites (Sundays October to March) and in the Dublin Bay Sailing Club (Tuesdays & Saturdays May-September). Our Ruffian-23 competes in the DBSC series (Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays) and in the Class Championships. Entry fee is shared among those taking part and a rota is organised. There are also a number of regattas run by other Dun Laoghaire clubs during the summer months. Our Beneteau 31.7 takes part in the ISORA offshore series and also in Turkey-Shoot and Spring Chicken series.

SID does not provide formal training to members but we do encourage all members, especially those new to sailing, to take appropriate ISA courses. Some informal sessions are organised by members from time to time on a voluntary basis. We sometimes organise group training externally with an ISA-approved provider. SID is not a substitute for taking a course, but it is a great environment in which to practice the skills you have acquired through training.

No, SID club caters to adults only. If you wish to introduce your children to sailing we would recommend ISA Junior courses or contact the Irish National Sailing School or Sea Scouts in Dún Laoghaire.