Displaying items by tag: grand league

7th April 2011

Skibbereen Keen to Defend Rowing Title

Last year's Grand League winners, Skibbereen Rowing Club, will host the first of four Rowing Ireland Grand League regattas at the National Rowing Centre in Cork this weekend (April 9)

Other challengers this season will be runners up Neptune along with St. Michael's, Limerick, Commercial and UCD who all finished in the top five last season. Skibbereen Regatta sees a number of impressive crews start their challenge to become Grand League winners. With the absence of an NUIG entry, UCD's Senior 4 - stand out as the crew to watch. Muckross Olympians Sean Casey and Cathal Moynihan race together for the first time in the Senior 2x. As has been the trend, the men's Intermediate 1x has a large entry, as do all junior events. The Novice 8+ and 4+ Grand League titles look set to be fought for, mainly by the University clubs.

This is the second year the new Grand League will run at selected Irish regattas. The new format is designed to give competitive rowers more race time and allows all rowers to compete on speed as opposed to competing in strictly age-related or wins-related categories. The new system remains virtually unchanged from the 2010 season with all boats racing off in a series of heats which are timed, with the fastest six going into the A final and the next six into the B final.

Regatta hosts, Skibbereen RC, celebrated their 40th anniversary last year in impressive style, winning the Grand League and taking 14 national titles to bring the clubs' overall total to 123. They also hosted one of the country's best attended regattas last year with 456 crews racing. At international level, the club were well represented on national teams winning medals at the under 23 Worlds, the Coupe de la Jeunesse and Home Internationals.

The club capped off the year by opening a new boathouse, one of the largest ever built in Ireland. While the club's main emphasis is competitive rowing, they also take in 180 students for their annual schools rowing programme – an annual eight week course involving nine local schools.

The second Grand League regatta will be hosted by Queen's University in Castlewellan, Co. Down on May 14th.

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Skibbereen and UCD top league table heading into second Grand League regatta

Up to eight hundred rowers from twenty eight clubs will compete in Rowing Ireland’s second Grand League Regatta which takes place next Saturday at the Queen's Regatta in Castlewellan , Co Down. The leading clubs after the first Grand League Regatta of the season, which was held at the National Rowing Centre in Cork two weeks ago are:

Skibbereen 192 points, UCD 96 pts, Lee Rowing Club, Cork 86 pts and Commercial RC Dublin 75pts.
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UCD lead the Men's Senior Category ahead of Commercial, while Dublin University Ladies Boat Club lead the Women's Senior Category over NUI Galway.

Cork Clubs dominate the junior ranking with Skibbereen RC on top in both Junior Men’s and Women’s categories.

In the Junior Women, Skibbereen RC lead Shandon BC with Presentation College BC holding down the number two spot in the Junior Men’s category.

Rowing Ireland spokesperson, Pat McInerney said, “The top senior men’s race this weekend sees Queens up against UCD, Commercial, St Michaels, Neptune and several junior crews including the Bann juniors who placed very well at the recent London schools head.”

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Forty Foot Swimming Spot on Dublin Bay

The 'Forty Foot' is a rocky outcrop located at the southern tip of Dublin Bay at Sandycove, County Dublin from which people have been swimming in the Irish Sea all year round for 300 years or more. It is popular because it is one of few spots between Dublin city and Greystones in County Wicklow that allows for swimming at all stages of the tide, subject to the sea state.

Forty Foot History

Traditionally, the bathing spot was exclusively a men's bathing spot and the gentlemen's swimming club was established to help conserve the area.

Owing to its relative isolation and gender-specific nature it became a popular spot for nudists, but in the 1970s, during the women's liberation movement, a group of female equal-rights activists plunged into the waters and now it is also open to everyone and it is in the control of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.

Many people believe that swimming in extremely cold water is healthy and good for the immune system.

Is it safe to swim at the Forty Foot?

The Forty-Foot is a great place to swim because there is always enough water to get a dip but like all sea swimming, there are always hazards you need to be aware of. For example, a lot of people like to dive into to the pool at the Forty-foot but there are submerged rocks that can be hazardous especially at low water. The Council have erected signs to warn people of the underwater dangers. Other hazards include slippy granite cut stone steps that can often be covered with seaweed and of course marine wildlife including jellyfish that make their presence felt in the summer months as do an inquisitive nearby Sandycove seal colony.