The winter lift-out of sailing cruisers was completed in Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Saturday, October 14th.

About sixty yachts and cruisers were hauled out of the water in chilly but otherwise, near-perfect weather conditions as the 2023 summer season ended at Ireland's biggest boating centre.

The Royal St. George YC and neighbouring National Yacht Club at the East Pier, lifted approximately 30 cruisers apiece using a mobile crane on their decks.

The boats will overwinter on the hardstanding at the waterfront clubhouses, where space is at a premium with winter sailing series for dinghies and cruisers starting next month.

The winter DBSC Turkey Shoot Series, which attracts over 70 boats, mainly from the town marina, is scheduled to start on Sunday, Nov 5th, and the DMYC Dinghy Frostbite Series will run in-harbour racing until March. It already has buoyant entries for its November 6th first race.

Liam Shanahan Senr was widely known in the sailing community as a determined offshore racing and cruising owner-skipper and a pillar of the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire, both as a longtime Club Trustee and a racing and sea-going achiever. He and his family regularly added to the club’s annual haul of significant trophies won locally, nationally and internationally. And he did this through sailing skills started while working abroad, and then honed in Dublin Bay racing, ISORA competition, and offshore majors such as the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle and Round Ireland races.

He was the personification of success achieved through shrewd career choices, a willingness to travel to further his work objectives, an ability to work very hard indeed, and a determination that - in time - he and his growing family’s remarkable life would be firmly Ireland-centric.

He was representative of the best of modern Ireland, as he was of that generation of specialised qualifications which had to accept that a period working internationally – and working with exceptional concentration wherever he found himself with a project in hand – would be required in order to fulfil his long-term ambition of living comfortably beside Dublin Bay in a permanent family home and running his own high-powered international business from a South Dublin office complex.

A SENSE OF SOMEONE SPECIAL

Consequently, for those of us who didn’t get to know him until he started to make his mark on the ISORA scene in the 1970s, there was inevitably a slight sense of the lone wolf about Liam. It was a very positive thing, but there was this inescapable awareness of a canny and determined eye on the distant horizon, and a willingness to take unorthodox action.

Liam Shanahan reflecting on a life well lived. His achievements were very typical of success in modern Ireland. Photo: Shanahan family

Thus, in one Round Ireland race, he memorably broke away from a closely competing group off the Antrim coast, and sailed what seemed to be a slower course to the southwest while the rest of us stayed in a sou’easter on the direct line for the next turning mark at Mew Island. And sure enough, a new brisker sou’wester came slowly, seemingly out of nowhere, and Liam was well in it and gone almost an hour before anyone else felt its benefits - we didn’t see him again until Wicklow Harbour.

Yet once the business of racing was done, he could emerge – perhaps from some global business telephone communication session – and be the life and soul of the party, leavened with a wicked sense of humour as we memorably discovered after the 1995 Dun Laoghaire-Dingle Race, before the official celebrations had swung into action.

DEATH OF FATHER WHEN HE WAS AGED FOUR

This left us in no doubt that Liam Shanahan operated successfully at several levels, some of them unknown to most people. Fundamental to it all was his devotion to family. But it was equally clear that supporting every level of his complex character profile was a personal core of the toughest steel. We get an insight into one of the reasons for this with the knowledge that his own father died in 1934, when he was just four. Yet his widowed mother was able to put him through university thanks to his own willingness to work at any summer job that came along in the tough environment of Dublin docks.

Today, working to help support your way through college is a familiar rite of passage. But in the closed world of 1940s-1950s Dublin, it tended to set you apart. However, in Liam Shanahan’s special case, he had the personality and zest for life to enjoy university life with the same ease as those who were feather-bedding their way through college.

Family, friends, and sailing in Dublin Bay – all something to be achieved and cherished. Liam Shanahan in his 90s aboard the Oyster 625 Ruth II. Photo: Liam Shanahan Jnr

When such an interesting man has reached the age of 93 at the time he goes from among us, there is so much to his very fulfilled life that we can only really begin to realise just how remarkable he was through insights from his family. Afloat.ie is grateful to his sons Liam Jnr and Jack for these memories about someone who made a local, national and international impact in every activity with which he became involved.

LIAM SHANAHAN JNR (SAILOR OF THE YEAR 2015) REMEMBERS HIS FATHER

“He was born In Dublin on 31 August 1930 and educated at O’Connell’s School (Christian Brothers), which he disliked intensely. But the climate of Third Level education suited him well, and he revelled in the degree course in Mechanical & Electrical Engineering at University College Dublin, which he loved completely.

However, it was more the fun bit of college rather than the academic side that attracted him, although there’s no doubt he was smart with his studies. His first contact with the sea probably came with his UCD holiday jobs, as he faced the special challenge of working as a summer dockhand in Dublin Port. In that notably tough environment, he stood his ground strongly enough to have the friendly nickname of “Silver”, as in Long John Silver of the novel Treasure Island, for he was conspicuously tall and skinny.

The family’s first sailing boat was a Penguin Dinghy in New Jersey in the late 1960s, when Liam was working with GE in New York

He was always interested in boating – and getting out on the sea. He told us that when younger and working as an electrical engineer in Peru, he used to dawn-fish, just beyond the Pacific breakers off Lima , and when living in Venezuela, night-fish with the locals on Lake Maracaibo .

START WITH ESB

Before these jobs abroad, my father had initially worked at the nation’s Electricity Supply Board after graduating from UCD with his degree in Mech/Elec Engineering. But while a secure semi-government ESB position would have been the height of many of his contemporaries’ dreams, my father was one of those who realised that the Ireland of the 1950s was a place of small horizons, low industrial innovation and activity, and even lower salaries when a salaried job could be secured at all.

He left Ireland to work for General Electric in the Unites States, with his first international assignment for the company being to the desert in Saudi Arabia, living in a tent among the Bedouins as a young commissioning engineer on a major power plant GE had been contracted to install.

PERIPATETIC EARLY MARRIED LIFE

He maintained the closest links with Ireland, and with the Saudi project successfully completed, on his way back to the US he arranged to meet my mother Emir in Amsterdam, where they got engaged. She was working as a trainee nurse at the time, in the Richmond Hospital in Dublin. After their marriage, when he was working with General Electric in the US, my parent’s first home was in Schenectady in New York State, and the next in New York City.

Their first posting overseas as a young couple (my mother was just 21) was to post-war Japan, where GE were deeply involved in rebuilding the power generation infrastructure. When my mother became pregnant, she flew to Ireland to have the first of their children, as at that time, medical care in Japan was still rudimentary. She holds a certificate from Air France for being one of the first women to fly the newly opened route over the North Pole from Japan to Europe.

JAPAN TO SOUTH AMERICA

Once their Japanese assignment was over, they went on to live in Venezuela, Colombia (where three further children were born), then in Peru and Trinidad before heading back to the US with my father working in Manhattan, and the family living in the suburbs at Ridgewood, New Jersey, where the last and final child Jack was born.

When we lived in New Jersey, my father was introduced to sailing by Dave Jones, his former boss in South America. My father crewed for Dave on his Olympic Star on Saturday club racing, and at the occasional local championship event. Dave was an old school lake-sailor, and a very authoritarian skipper…….my father learned well.

THE FIRST FAMILY BOAT

Our first Shanahan family boat in New Jersey was a dinghy - a una-rigged Penguin - sailed always with some combination of the family as crew. These sailing days in the Penguin quickly became only occasional outings, as my father was by now extremely busy at work, and for a while sailing fell into the background . He would have been 40 years old at the time, and my mother around 33.

In 1972, my father relocated from the US to Ireland with GE, which fitted precisely with his longterm plan of having his own Ireland-based international consultancy and engineering project management company. So though he continued to travel extensively around the world, it was now from an Irish base, and he intended to keep it that way.

MERMAID IN IRELAND WAS HECTIC LEARNING EXPERIENCE

His first boat in Ireland was a 17ft Mermaid, which he bought after a rapid and decisive half hour research chat in the bar of the National Yacht Club with the vendor, the late Ronnie Finlay Mulligan. She was Nicola – sail number 120. It was wild sailing with him in those days – this was in the time when the courses were frequently down through Dalkey Sound and back, with all which that entailed.

Back in Ireland, and starting to get to grips with sailing in the early 1970s with Nicola of the Mermaid Class in the foreground, and learning fast. Photo: Shanahan family

It was huge fun, but sometimes very terrifying for his young crew – we didn’t really know what we were doing. He entered our first regatta a few short weeks after he bought the boat - the Mermaid Nationals in Skerries. The wind howled as I remember, and no one else was flying spinnakers. But that didn’t matter, my father figured we had to find out what would happen, and there was only one way to do it. That was my first (but not last ) completely wild sea sleigh ride with him, and it seemed to take us forever to figure out how to get the thing down, but we lived to sail again and again.

OFFSHORE RACING TAKES CENTRE STAGE

After several years racing the Mermaid and attending most of the events around the country, he purchased a new Ron Holland-designed Shamrock Half Tonner he named Emircedes from South Coast Boatyard in Cork in 1979. This was an IOR-rated boat, and together with similarly-sized boats such as Brendan Briscoe’s Avanti, Peter Cullen’s Eliminator, Jim Poole’s Feanor, Tony Farrell's Crystal Clear and Paddy Kirwan’s Boomerang, our horizons rapidly broadened, and we raced Dublin Bay, ISORA, and campaigns such as the Round Ireland and the Fastnet.

Hectic Half Ton days, inshore and off. Brendan Briscoe’s Club Shamrock Avanti was a frequent contender with the Shanahan family’s sister-ship Emircedes. Photo: Shanahan family

He always had a young family-oriented crew – my sister Sarah was the youngest participant in the completely wild 1982 Round Ireland race at the time – that year, it seemed to dominated by very cold near-gale nor’easters. Because my father was still travelling so much for work, he insisted that the boat be sailed with the young crew stepping up to the mark if needs be in his absence, and as a result we all learned the offshore game at an early age.

The Superstar – the all-conquering db2s Lightning. Photo: Shanahan family

LIGHTNING LIVES UP TO HER NAME

His appetite whetted for the hottest competition, he sold Emircedes to the Horgan family - with whom the young Peter Ryan was to find much of his offshore racing experience - and bought Lightning, the already success-laden DB2s, from Leslie Kertez. He made her even more successful in ISORA and the Round Ireland races especially, coming second overall to Michael Boyd’s J/35 Big Ears in the Ireland circuit in 1986, and then first in 1988.

“We did it!” – Liam and his Round Ireland crew in Wicklow immediately after winning the 1988 Round Ireland Race (left to right) Tom Carroll, John O'Connor, Liam Shanahan Snr, Adam Winkelmann, Michael Horgan Jnr and Johnny Treanor

This was a true peak of achievement that was much celebrated, particularly in the National Yacht Club. So having achieved it, he began to think in terms of having a cruiser-racer which could really cruise as well as turning in an acceptable offshore racing performance, and reached this target with the acquisition of the Sigma 41 Sarah Mercedes in 1990.

With this comfortable bigger boat, he could be reasonably competitive in the Round Ireland race, and could also be an enthusiastic supporter of the National YC’s biennial Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race after it was inaugurated in 1993. But by Dingle Race’s positioning of the boat in West Kerry, he could then renew his profound pleasure in cruising comfortably along the Irish coast in detail.

A more formal reception for the winning Round Ireland crew of 1988 back to the National YC, with Liam at centre and Malachy Muldoon, Aidan Tarbett, John O'Connor, Cormac Kelly, Simon Digby, Johnny Treanor, Aidan Tarbett, Adam Winkelmann and Brian Barry

TOTAL CRUISING ORIENTATION

Then, having achieved all his racing goals, he decided to take a more sedate approach to sailing, purchasing a Beneteau 34 that he sailed along the Intra Coastal waterway in the US and through the Bahamas for a few years. This was followed by a Dun Laoghaire-based Beneteau 47, which he cruised extensively around the coasts of Ireland and France. And in his later years, he down-sized with a Beneteau 38 in which he enjoyed getting out on the bay, even doing the odd race in DBSC White Sails division.

A little bit of white sail racing in his 80s with the DBSC fleet.

The last few times we sailed together were on my own boat Ruth II, an Oyster 625. In 2018, and then again in 2021 and now with him into his 90s, he sailed with me from Dun Laoghaire to Kinsale and Greystones to Dunmore East and up to Waterford – these were the first legs of two Atlantic crossings in that boat, and he very much enjoyed being at the centre of it all.

FAMILY’S LEGACY OF A LOVE OF SAILING

My father has left us an enduring and hugely important sailing legacy. All of his adult children and grandchildren have taken his early beginnings in the Penguin dinghy in 1971 through to a deep and extensively active involvement in many aspects of the sport. His grandson Max, his daughter Sarah’s son, is a former British and Irish Optimist champion who lives and works in London, and as I write this weekend, he is sailing as tactician in the US for a boat out of the New York Yacht Club.

His other grandchildren have sailed extensively inshore and offshore on my own family’s J109 Ruth, all have worked as sailing instructors in Ireland and the US, and they have sailed across oceans on Ruth II.

His eldest son Paddy sails with his family in Dublin and cruises West Cork extensively, while his youngest son Jack has a boat in Dun Laoghaire, and is a member of the Dun Laoghaire RNLI. Finally, his eldest grandson Ben has recently bought a half share in venerable (1984 ) Sigma 31 which he keeps in the Beaulieu river in the Solent, and will enter in her first two-handed race next week.

Sailing was his greatest gift to us all”.

Liam Shanahan 8/10/23

JACK SHANAHAN’S RECOLLECTIONS

“Dad Loved Sailing,

He loved the science behind how the sails worked the mechanics of how a boat worked, but most of all, he loved the natural beauty of the sea, and the perspective it gave you of the land beside it.

Having spent most of his life travelling to distant corners of the world for work, there was nothing he loved more than coming home and going for a sail in Dublin Bay with his family and friends.

Seeking to develop a hobby that he could enjoy together with his family, Dad wandered into the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire, looking to buy a boat. After friendly pints with someone who convinced him they had the perfect boat for sailing AND fishing, he bought “Nicola”, a Dublin Bay Mermaid. So began the obsession with the sea, and catching the guy in front.

While Dublin Bay was Liam Shanahan’s very special place, it was West Cork (above) which most strongly drew him in when he went cruising

WEST CORK THE HAPPY PLACE

The most valuable aspect of sailing for Dad was the freedom, that disconnection from the land and its hustle and bustle. A favourite family holiday was to head down to West Cork and cruise along from village to village, often in the company of other boats from Dun Laoghaire, sailing from regatta to regatta. Dad loved the thrill of a race together with the fun of after parties and sing-songs on boats. Above all, he particularly liked cruising along the coast of West Cork, and had a vast knowledge of all the landmarks and history behind them.

INTRODUCING OTHERS TO SAILING

A constant element of sailing with Dad was having people new to sailing on board. He loved teaching people how and why the sails worked, how to read a chart, what the nautical terms were and why they are used. He took pleasure in demystifying sailing and enjoyed opening the horizons for the many people who took up sailing after a spell with Dad.

That all makes him sound Like the Mary Poppins of sailing. Though it is all true, he was also very much the Captain of the boat, particularly when racing. Many stories that people have retold about sailing with Dad are often laced with strong language, hilarity and panic! His overriding priority was safety at sea, and if he felt someone was putting themselves or the boat in danger, he would correct the situation quickly and firmly with words he probably picked up working on the docks in his youth.

In racing, Dad was super competitive, he raced to win every time he went out. He admired his competitors, preferably from in front of them. In particular, Dad favoured the amateur racer, in the Round Ireland races of ’86 and ’88, he was especially pleased that it was amateur boats and crews that had won ahead of high-end professional crews on sponsored boats. And the Dublin to Dingle race became a favourite of his, as it encapsulated everything he loved, amateur racers and a trip along the Irish coast to Kerry.

When it came to the promotion of the sport as a whole, Dad became very involved in his own club and area, the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire. Over his time there, he and his fellow members pushed for greater inclusion of Junior sailors with improved facilities and a more open, family-friendly direction in general.

PROMOTING AND PRESERVING DUBLIN BAY AND DUN LAOGHAIRE

Greater inclusion in sailing and boating as a whole was something he felt very strongly about, he believed that the sea, in particular Dublin Bay, should be open and accessible for anyone wishing to enjoy it and that the bay was something that needed to be protected from over-development and conserved as a natural resource for all to enjoy.

When he could no longer sail himself, Dad took immense pleasure in following the adventures of his children and grandchildren in their sailing exploits far and wide. Some were long cruising trips, some were hard-fought races, but either way, they all had one thing in common: his family enjoying a sport and a hobby that had something for everyone and brought them all together.”

Jack Shanahan 7/10/23

A FAMILY CENTRAL TO IRISH SAILING

Liam Shanahan Senr became the firm yet kindly and inspirational patriarch of a family which typifies all that is best in Irish sailing. Yet another peak of Shanahan achievement was reached in 2015 when his son Liam Jnr and the largely-family-sailed J/109 Ruth were overall winners in the very hotly-contested Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race, an achievement which – when combined with his other success in that year, made him “Sailor of the Year” for 2015.

Liam Shanahan Jnr on helm with shipmate Kevin Daly aboard the J/109 Ruth in the 2015 Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race, with the finish and first place in sight, and “Sailor of the Year 2015” on the horizon.

At the same time, Liam Senr was ever more determined in his efforts on behalf of the preservation of Dublin Bay and Dun Laoghaire Harbour. His appreciation of this unique city resource was heightened by how much it had meant to him – on his returns from work abroad - to be able to go sailing with family and friends in an easily-accessed, very attractive and relatively unspoilt place within convenient distance of home.

Ninety years of fascination with boats and sailing aboard the Oyster 625 Ruth in Dunmore East in 2021. Photo: Liam Shanahan Jnr

REMEMBERING LIAM SHANAHAN WITH THE PRESERVATION OF DUBLIN BAY AND DUN LAOGHAIRE HARBOUR

While the legacy of his family’s involvement in sailing continues stronger than ever, we could also best remember this remarkable man by ensuring the proper conservation of the sailing waters and harbour environment, which meant so much to him. Meanwhile, our heartfelt condolences are with his extended family and his very many shipmates and friends at home and abroad.

WMN

“And all I ask is a Tall Ship……” Liam in recent years in his “very special place”, sailing in Dublin Bay with Dun Laoghaire harbour astern and a very appropriate scene-stealer in Ruth II’s wake. Photo: Liam Shanahan Jnr

Afloat.ie regret to record the death of National Yacht Club member and former Trustee Mr. Liam Shanahan Snr.

Liam and his wife Emir and family have been stalwart members of the National Yacht Club at Dun Laoghaire Harbour for many years. 

"Together with their family, the Shanahans have made a huge and positive impact on many aspects of Club life", National Yacht Club Commodore Peter Sherry said last night.

"Always willing to help with the management of functions and events, they epitomised the true ethos of family membership", the Commodore added.

"Liam brought his very extensive experience as a successful businessman to bear for the benefit of the Club, which was greatly appreciated by every Commodore he supported during his long term as Club Trustee", he said.

An offshore racer, Liam was at the top of the sport in the 1980s and '90s in both Irish Sea and Round Ireland Race campaigns. "Liam was a stalwart of offshore racing and ISORA from its early days, racing boats like “Emircedes“ and “Lightning", ISORA Chairman Peter Ryan told Afloat. 

A former crew on Shanahan campaigns, and the Chairman of the NYC's Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race, Adam Winkelmann, expressed his condolences online saying: "Sincere condolences to Emir and the whole Shanahan family. Truly the end of an era for many of us who were mentored in offshore and life skills by Liam. So many fond memories of time at sea and onshore together. Truly a life lived to the full. Rest in peace Liam and thank you for it all". 

The National Yacht Club ensign will be flown at half-mast in his memory, and a minute's silence will be observed at the next club committee meeting.

A full appreciation of this very special figure in the Dublin and Irish sailing world will appear in due course; meanwhile, our heartfelt condolences are with his family and very many friends throughout Ireland and abroad.

The funeral arrangements are here

There may be 20,000 Irish fans or more in France for the Ruby World Cup this month, but not many of them are travelling by yacht.

The maritime voyage of some Dun Laoghaire Harbour sailors has attracted attention from the French media.

The National Yacht Club's Justin Burke and Michael Raymond were recently interviewed by the daily newspaper Ouest France, upon mooring their boat in Pornichet, Western France, ahead of Ireland's match against Tonga in Nantes.

Burke, who owns a JPK yacht based in Brittany, is using the vessel to support the Irish rugby team to its full potential

Burke and Raymond watched the Tonga match alongside crewmates Mark Burke, John Malone, and Gerry Haughey. The sailors plan to sail from Porniche to Port La Foret and then onwards to Paris for the Ireland vs South Africa match on September 23rd. Justin's brother, Paul, will join the crew for the upcoming match.

Read the full article on Ouest France here (subscription required).

The last week has been light, very light, and Ireland enjoyed a week of late summer. The conditions were too light for any races at the National Yacht Club Junior September Series in Dun Laoghaire Harbour, so the tally remained at three races after the races were completed on the series' weekend.

The ILCA (Laser) Connaughts was raced in Wexford (very fluid regional limits). The race officer managed to secure four races, as Afloat reports here. Sam Ledoux started with an OCS disqualification before scoring three race wins, securing the title in the ILCA 7 (Full rig) for his first event in the class.

RYA NI Youth Champs

Many NYC young sailors journeyed to Ballyholme to compete at the RYA Northern Ireland youth championships, a multi-class youth event marking the end of the season in the North and launching their winter training programmes.

Rory Hudson Hobb was the Topper champion at the RYA NI Youth Championships in Ballyholme

In the Topper Class, three races were completed, and Rory Brennan-Hobbs took the title. Consistency in the difficult light conditions was key, and his event resulted from steady progress all season. Seventh overall, Kate Kenny secured bronze in the girls. James Gorman concluded his event in 12th.

Matthew Holden and Peter Ridout, RYA NI Youth RSFeva Champions in Ballyholme

In the Feva class, Matthew Holden (with his local crew, Peter Ridout) took the title ahead of Felix Dion and Lucas Browne. Grace Keating and Hannah Walsh completed the unique race and sailed for the class in fifth overall.

The 29th event was also the Northerns. NYC girls Ella Fitzgerald and Lisa Flynn were putting their latest training to the test and completed the unique race sailed in 3rd (1st girls).

This year's event had a small Optimist fleet, and Alex Butcher used the event as practice prior to next week's Connaughts in Lough Ree (over 150 entries expected). After three races completed, he secured Silver.

It was a great show from NYC young sailors, and they are now looking forward to the Optimist Connaughts and the Feva Southern Championships.

Saturday, 2nd September, dawned windless on Belfast Lough for the second day of the Irish Flying Fifteen National Championships at County Antrim Yacht Club. It stayed that way sufficiently long for the Race Officer to fly a postponement flag ashore. It afforded the fleet an opportunity to tweak boats, apply temporary bandages to bruised hulls and engage in the social aspect of the regatta.

The fleet were advised to go afloat after the expiry of the hour signalled by the shoreside flying on the postponement flag. At that stage the water wasn't quite so glassy but there was a semblance of wind. It subsequently filled to allow 3 races to be sailed in winds that probably got up to ten knots.

A well know FF personality is often heard to say after a frustrating day on the water " you can't beat the sailing". Today, he bit back, scoring a 1,2,1 to elevate himself and his crew to the top of the overall standings albeit by a point ahead of the Connemara cousins, Niall and Ronan O'Briain who took the middle race win. The Connemara crew have an eight-point advantage over the Dunmore East combination of Lee Statham & Andy Paul who have 3pts over Peter Kennedy & Stephen Kane with another point separating them and overnight leader Trevor D'Arcy.

More wind is forecast for Sunday, but after a day of genteel winds and sunshine today, we won't get too greedy!

The overall results after five races sailed are below.

Irish Flying Fifteen National Championships results after five races sailed at County Antrim Yacht Club

The longstanding commitment of Facet Jewellers to the Flying Fifteen Class in Dun Laoghaire Harbour manifested itself again this past Saturday when the Facet Trophy was raced for by ten Flying Fifteens in a relatively empty Dublin Bay. Indeed, a start of ten boats might have been a high for the day in terms of overall participation.

The forecast for the weekend had been dire from the middle of the week, but as the week wore its way towards Friday, there was a sense that the conditions were set to moderate. However, anyone who was awake very early on the Saturday morning (3 – 4am) would have heard a howling gale outside. By 13:00, the concern wasn’t so much the wind but the sea state! However, a preliminary reconnaissance by the committee boat deemed that racing could proceed.

With the wind set to be slightly west of north, according to XCWeather, we set off for a start area in the vicinity of Merrion with a weather mark that was initially in transit with the leading lights at the mouth of the Liffey.

The wind was pretty much as forecast 16/17 knots with gusts coming through with each pass of grey cloud. However, with the tide still having just over an hour of flooding and the course being inshore, in relative terms, the seas were quite confused and lumpy. The majority of the fleet started on starboard tack for the first race with David Gorman & Cormac Bradley (4099) about halfway down the line in the company of Ian Mathews and Keith Poole (4093), David Mulvin & Ronan Beirne (4068), with Neil Colin & Margaret Casey (4028) also in this group. Unbeknownst to this scribe, three boats went hard right – Ken Dumpleton & Joe Hickey (3955), Joe Coughlan & Andrew Marshall (3913) and Jill Fleming (3747). The consequence of the latter group going hard right was that the former group, having done their best to get away from their colleagues in the middle and left of the course, found themselves playing second fiddle to Dumpleton & Hickey who were never headed after the weather mark and won by a comfortable margin. Behind them, the running order was Gorman & Bradley in very close company with Mulvin & Beirne and Mathews & Poole. Down the first leeward leg, Mathews and Mulvin closed on Gorman with Alastair Court & Conor O’Leary (3753) behind this group. Colin & Casey were also not far away from the chasing three.

As the chasing group gybed and gybed again to get to the leeward mark, Mulvin sneaked in ahead of Gorman while Mathews dropped a little behind. Within the last few boat-lengths to the mark, Gorman came back again, and while he had no room, Mulvin made sure that he wasn’t tempted to squeeze in, by slamming the door shut. At this stage, Mathews and Poole parted company, giving Gorman the chance to chase Mulvin up the next beat unfettered. Court also took advantage to get into fourth place.

There were no changes up the second beat and subsequent run in the lead group, leading to a finishing order of Dumpleton, Mulvin, Gorman, Court, Mathews, Colin, Alan Balfe & son (3995), Coughlan, Mick Quinn & Mary-Jane Mulligan (3960) and Fleming. Back on shore Dumpleton said his decision to go hard right was influenced by the cloud movement and while there wasn’t unanimity about that on the boat, it paid dividends.

For the second race, the RO, Barry O’Neil moved the weather mark quite a bit westward to compensate for the shifting breeze. Once underway the reverse of the first race applied! The bulk of the fleet worked the middle and right of the course after a starboard tacked start. Gorman, peeled off first, taking a modest port tack before coming back into the middle of the course again. Mathews, Court and Mulvin took the port tack later and Gorman found himself leading this bunch as he worked the middle part of the course. But where were Colin & Casey? In contrast to Dumpleton the first time round, they worked the extreme left of the course as Dumpleton had done before on the right and lead the fleet around the weather mark. Behind them came Gorman and Court with a bit of distance before Mathews, Mulvin and Dumpleton rounded.

The run to the leeward mark required only a single gybe and a much later one at that. Colin, Gorman and Court all rounded safely without giving anything away to those who were chasing them. All three set off on the second beat holding a port tack before Court became the first to peel off and go shore-wards. Gorman took the decision to chase Colin and as the beat developed it appeared that was a good decision as some distance had been eked out from Court and Colin’s lead was slightly reduced.

While Gorman had closed on Colin, he had to keep an eye on Court as a slip at this stage might change the whole scene in overall terms. Again, the run to the mark was a single tack sail with a gybe late on to accommodate the short three sail reach to the finish, the wind having swung a bit further westward. Gorman gybed before he reached the leeward mark which allowed him a more relaxed set of the spinnaker and a higher windward slot to the finish. Colin’s later gybe did not go quite so smoothly and Gorman was able to take advantage and the winning gun. Ashore, Colin’s explanation of his first beat tactics was working the shifts on the left hand-side.

Since a recent session on rigging and tuning by John Lavery, there has been a much greater awareness of the need to change rigs in accordance with conditions. Post-race it seems everyone had taken heed of John’s advice as most people made a rigging change between the two races.

The finishing order for the second race was; Gorman, Colin, Court, Mathews, Mulvin, Dumpleton, Coughlan, Balfe, Fleming.

Over the two races the points were as follows; Gorman (4), Court, Mulvin and Dumpleton (7), Mathews (9), Coughlan and Balfe (15), Quinn and Fleming (19), meaning that tie-breaks were needed to resolve the 1-2-3 in both the Silver and Gold Fleet.

Ronan Beirne & David Mulvin (4068) were 2nd Gold Fleet in the Flying Fifteen Facet Trophy race and were presented with the trophy by Pat Shannon of Facet Jewellers (right) Photo: Dasha Hilliard

Ken Dumpleton (left) & Joe Hickey (3955) were 3rd Gold Fleet in the Flying Fifteen Facet Trophy race and were presented with the trophy by Pat Shannon of Facet Jewellers (centre) Photo: Dasha Hilliard

Gold Overall
1. David Gorman & Cormac Bradley 4pts
2. Ken Dumpleton & Joe Hickey 7pts
3. David Mulvin & Ronan Beirne 7pts

Silver Fleet
1. Joe Coughlan & Andrew Marshall 15pts
2. Alan Balfe & son, 15pts
3. Mick Quinn & Mary-Jane Mulligan 19pts.

Alan Balfe & son (3995) – 1st Silver Fleet in the Flying Fifteen Facet Trophy race Photo: Dasha Hilliard

Andrew Marshall & Joe Coughlan – 2nd Silver Fleet in the Flying Fifteen Facet Trophy race Photo: Dasha Hilliard

Mick Quinn (3960) was 3rd Silver Fleet in the Flying Fifteen Facet Trophy race Photo: Dasha Hilliard

Class Captain Robin Hilliard, ably assisted by his daughter Dasha, officiated at the prizegiving at the National Yacht Club with Facet Jewellers’ Pat Shannon in attendance to hand out the prizes. Pat commended the fleet for the day’s racing and referenced the longstanding relationship between Facet Jewellers and the Flying Fifteen Fleet. He also thanked Class Captain Robin Hilliard for his work in putting the event together.

Dun Laoghaire's National Yacht Club Will Byrne crewed on Jon Desmond's Mills 41Chicago-Mackinac race winner, Final Final, at the weekend.

Desmond's debutantes took the overall ORC and class win out of 250 boats racing the 350-mile course on Lake Michigan.

Chicago Yacht Club organisers claimed, "Another successful race to Mackinac is in the books, with today’s award ceremony taking place on the great lawn of Mission Point Resort".

Dun Laoghaire's National Yacht Club Will Byrne (third from left) with his  crew mates from Jon Desmond's Mills 41 Final Final, the 2023 Chicago-Mackinac race winner Photo: CYC

The race, known as ‘America’s Offshore Challenge,’ delivered a spectacular race yet again with its mix of squalls, calms and, most of all, new memories for the 240 teams competing.

For the Mackinac Cup, awarded this year to the large racing boat overall winner, first-timer Final Final won Section 2 and the Cup.

Owner Jon Desmond of Cohasset, Mass., admitted they had more than a few moments of angst when they made a tactical decision to split from the fleet early on in the race. “We had this moment where it was like, ‘you realise we have just separated from the teams that have how many Macs under their belt’?” he said.

The decision paid off, and the East-coast-based Mills 41 is already planning its return to defend the victory.

Some sunshine and gentle sailing breezes on Dublin Bay allowed a full programme of three races for Wednesday's (19th July) National Yacht Club Junior Regatta sponsored by Sia Partners NextGen Consulting.

Over 100 boats contested the regatta in an in-harbour fleet at Dun Laoghaire and a main fleet that raced on Dublin Bay. 

RStGYC's Caoilinn Geraghty-McDonnell was the winner of the Laser 4.7 division, with Emily Cantwell second and Zita Tempany third. 

Optimists sailing downwind at the National Yacht Club Junior Regatta sponsored by Sia Partners NextGen Consulting. Scroll down for a photo gallery Photo: Michael Chester

RStGYC's Jamie White won the Optimists, Holly Cantwell was second with James Crawford, all RSTGYC, third.

The NYC's Tom Flannery and Alex Trickett were the PY two-handed winners in a 29er. 

A 29er skiff sailing on a reach at the National Yacht Club Junior Regatta sponsored by Sia Partners NextGen Consulting. Scroll down for a photo gallery Photo: Michael Chester

In the RS Feva, NYC's  Daniel Burns and John Healy won from RStGYC's Amy OHalloran, with RSGYC's Susanna Bloomer and Elizabeth Lyster third.

Prizes were presented by National Yacht Club Commodore Peter Sherry, assisted by the Junior Regatta organiser Rebecca Hall. 

National Yacht Club Junior Regatta 2023 Prizegiving Photo Gallery by Michael Chester

Results for the main fleet are below, and the harbour fleet result is here

National Yacht Club Junior Regatta 2023 Photo Gallery by Michael Chester

With four straight wins, Britain's Megan Pascoe won Sunday's Irish 2.4mR Championships 2023 held in Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

As Afloat reported previously, Saturday's first day of racing in the one-person keelboat event was lost to strong winds. 

The National Yacht Club hosted championships attracted sailors from the UK and Netherlands, including the previous world champion Pascoe.

Second overall at the Irish 2.4mR Championships 2023 held in Dun Laoghaire Harbour was Steve Bullmore from Spinnaker SC (GBR 1039) Photo: Afloat

British sailors also took second and third overall, with Steve Bullmore from Spinnaker Sailing Club winning silver and John Patrick from Blue Circle Cruising & SC taking bronze in the 13-boat fleet.

Sneek sailed by Dutch sailor Pieter Visser (NED 59), competing at the Irish 2.4mR Championships 2023 held in Dun Laoghaire Harbour Photo: Afloat

Results below