Kinsale Yacht Club is mourning the loss of former Commodore Pat Pyne, who died on February 22nd.

Pyne was Commodore from 1995-1998 when the West Cork club's flagship event, the Sovereigns Cup, was launched in 1995.

A keen sailor, Pyne competed in KYC Class 2 on his boat Demi-Sec for many years.

Pyne took particular interest in fostering Junior sailing, ensuring the young sailors were heard and looked after within the club. 

"Pat and his wife Maureen, who passed away only recently, will be greatly missed by us all at Kinsale Yacht Club. Our deepest sympathies go out to his family and friends", KYC Commodore Matthia Hellstern told Afloat.

Three different winners in three races on the fourth day of the Frostbite series at Kinsale Yacht Club on Sunday showed close competition at the top of the Squib fleet, where Ian Travers and Keith O’Riordan continue to lead in Outlaw.

Allegro won the day's first race, sailed by Colm Dunne and Fiona Ward, who is in second place overall on 17.5 points. The second winner was the third overall crew, Matthias Hellstern and Colm Daly, sailing Fifty Shades. The third race was won by Mucky Duck, sailed by the O’Sullivans – Michael and Micheál.

Outlaw had second place in the first race, followed by a third in the second and a fourth in the third. The second discard of the series has been applied, and Travers/O’Riordan are on a nett 13 points overall at the top, followed by Allegro 4.5 points behind and Fifty Shades on 27.5 in third. Mucky Duck is fourth overall on 33. 

Ahead of the 420 Munster Championships starting today (Friday) in Kinsale, the class held the Craftinsure Irish International 420 Spring Training.

Hosted by Kinsale Yacht Club, the training is led by Graeme Grant and supported by Cara McDowell, Michael O Sullivan and (420 youth coaches) Hugo Micka and Henry Thompson.

The class is fortunate to have highly respected sailing coaches. These former 420 sailors have a wealth of experience in the sport ranging from Olympic campaigns, ISAF youth world and multiple World and European championship experiences.

32 young sailors have experienced a variety of challenging sailing conditions and bright sunshine which is a feature of the Irish south coast in February.

420 dinghies are ready to launch at Kinsale for the Craftinsure Irish International 420 Spring Training Week

Throughout the week, the coaches have helped the sailors continue improving their skills with training on rigging, boat handling and tactics. Sessions are designed to suit the skills of each team, and goals are set for the sailors to work in readiness for the next class association training event.

The 420 dinghies got a great mix of conditions at Kinsale for the Craftinsure Irish International 420 Spring Training Week

Apres sailing activities included a coaches presentation and motivational talk with Graeme, Cara and Michael recounting stories from their sailing careers and their journey through the class and how the skills learned in the class have helped them to continue enjoying sailing. The sailors also enjoyed the annual sailor dinner followed by a nautically themed table quiz which was a great way to bring the 420 sailing community together.

Apres sailing at Kinsale Yacht Club for the Irtish 420 class; activities included a coaches presentation and motivational talk with coach Graeme Grant

The 420 Munster Championships, which take place on Friday and Saturday, the 17th and 18th of February, promises to be an exciting event that will showcase the talent of the young sailors.

After three races sailed in the Squib Class at Kinsale Yacht Club's Custom Rigging Frostbite Series, a father and son duo sailing Mucky Duck lead the 12-boat fleet on seven points.

The O'Sullivan's, Micheal and Michael take a four-point advantage over Colm Dunne and Fiona Ward sailing Allegro lie second on 11 points and share the same points as Matthias Hellstern and Colm Daly in third place.

Colm Dunne and Fiona Ward sailing Allegro lie second in the Kinsale Yacht Club Frostbite Series Photo: Bob Bateman

The series kicked off on the 29th of January under race officers John and Valerie Stallard and runs for six weeks, with races starting each Sunday at 11.55 hrs, but the opening races were delayed awaiting a light westerly wind.

Matthias Hellstern and Colm Daly are lying third in the Kinsale Yacht Club Frostbite Series Photo: Bob BatemanJohn Stallard is the Principal Race Officer in the Kinsale Yacht Club Frostbite Series Photo: Bob Bateman

Squibs, Lasers, Toppers and Mixed Dinghies sail the series.

Results below

Squib Class at the Kinsale Yacht Club Frostbite Series Photo Gallery by Bob Bateman

Kinsale RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crew along with the assistance of four coastguard units rescued two stranded dogs on Bank Holiday Monday (2 January).

The dogs had gotten into difficulty at the bottom of a cliff near Nohoval Cove in West Cork and were last seen by their owners the previous day.

Kinsale RNLI’s lifeboat Miss Sally Ann Baggy II, helmed by Jonathan Connor, was launched just before 10am and reached the bottom of the cliff near New Foundland Bay shortly after in difficult sea conditions.

Irish Coast Guard units from Oysterhaven, Kinsale, Summercove and Crosshaven were also tasked.

Due to a southwesterly surge, it proved challenging to veer the lifeboat in, so a decision was made to hold position and send two crew members into the water and swim to the base of the cliff.

With the help of the coastguard units and a specialist tracking device that was on the dogs’ collars, the two dogs were rescued uninjured and reunited with their owners shortly after midday at Oysterhaven Coast Guard station.

Speaking following the callout, Kinsale RNLI helm Jonathan Connor said: “This was a multi-agency response from our volunteers and our colleagues in the coastguard. Unfortunately, one of the three dogs involved died but we were glad to be able to reunite the two others with their owners.

“We would remind dog owners to ensure to look after their own personal safety and don’t get into danger trying to attempt a rescue themselves. We would advise keeping dogs on a lead if close to cliff edges.

“If your dog does go over a cliff and into the water or gets stuck in mud, don't go in after them. Instead move to a place your dog can get to safely and call their name and they may get out by themselves.

“If you're worried about your dog, call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard.”

Kinsale Yacht Club honoured its Under 25 team and presented them with awards for their achievement to mark the success of the club’s project which, through the support of members, bought a J24, which they named Kinsailor and sailed successfully during the past season.

At the J24 National Championships raced in Foynes YC, they won the Under 25 section, took the silver prize for second overall and finished eighth of the 20 boats racing that included top sailors in the Class. At the J/24 Europeans 2022 sailed out of Howth Yacht Club, they finished third, taking the bronze prize. Micheal O Suilleabháin who was a team leader was named Afloat Sailor of the Month (International Keelboats) for September and former Club Commodore.

Dave O’Sullivan, who led the development of the Under 25 team, was chosen as KYC Club Member of the Year.

(From L to R) Francesca Lewis, Leslie Collins, Dorothy Matthews, Emer Heery and Rachel Akerlind Photo: Bob Bateman

Altogether a very successful project, and there is more to come, O’Sullivan told the gathering to honour the Under 25s.

Next season Kinsailor will race in the club’s premier event, the Sovereigns Cup, next June and the team have eyes on international competition, as Dave O’Sullivan told me. He paid tribute to ICRA for their guidance in developing Under 25 racing and said there is now so much support, the club could crew two boats, though it will be staying with one, at least for the immediate future!

Listen to an interview with Dave O’Sullivan at the Kinsale function below

Today’s largest sailing superyachts are so much a world unto themselves that they lead a sort of independent and supra-national existence. The name of Argentine-born designer Juan Kouyoumdjian (an ancestor was Armenian) may be best known in Ireland for his direct creative connection to George David’s Rambler 88. But in terms of big boat development, Rambler 88 is now history and small with it, while of late Juan K has been working in conjunction with Kinsale-based designer Rob Doyle on some decidedly large-scale projects.

In fact, they’re on such scale at 54 metres LOA that it’s difficult to grasp their size, particularly when you know they’re going to step just one cloud-piercing mast which will be well north of 130 metres in height. That will inevitably restrict their cruising areas, as there are many major sea-channel-spanning bridges which they won’t be able to pass under. But at the moment, there seems to be something of an arms race in the top stratum of sailing superyachts to have the boat which can list the largest number of non-negotiable bridges. So as far as the Argo 54 is concerned, that’s all right then.

His design decisions affect budgets of many millions – Rob Doyle at work in his Kinsale office

The beautifully-made aluminium hull was launched last week in the heart of Dutch suburbia, and with consummate skill was negotiated down a canal seemingly no wider than the River Dodder in Dublin, until more open water was reached and the voyage to the completion yard in Greece could get under way.

The new Argo 54 hull afloat for the first time. The locations of some of the leading Dutch boat-building facilities can be surprisingly suburban – can you imagine coming upon something like this in the middle of Sandymount?

As we said, it’s not so much international as supra-nationals, and at next week’s METS in Amsterdam, the movers and shakers in this extremely rarefied world will be getting together to negotiate superyacht deals for sums significantly larger than the GNP of some of the smaller Polynesian island nations. And in the midst of it all, there’ll be Kinsale brains and talent at work, moving way-out dreams along the first steps towards reality.

“Meanwhile, right beside Sandymount Green…..” No matter how you look at her, the Argo 54 is a serious biggie

The volunteers at Union Hall RNLI received a cheque recently for over $500 from a group of Irish emigrants in the USA.

Volunteer fundraiser Pamela Deasy travelled to Kinsale recently and met John Farley, who resides in San Francisco, and his friend John O’Mahony, a volunteer deputy launching authority at Kinsale RNLI, to receive a cheque on behalf of McCarthy’s Bar in San Francisco.

McCarthy’s Bar is owned by Eileen McCarthy from Drinagh in West Cork, and its patrons last year raised over $5,000 in aid of the Kinsale lifeboat, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

John is a lifelong supporter of the RNLI with first-hand experience of their work after he, his sister and his niece were rescued a number of years ago when their boat broke down off the Old Head of Kinsale.

Deasy said: “On behalf of all our team, we wish to thank Eileen and John for thinking of us in Union Hall. This donation will help us greatly.

“With three callouts in the last two weeks, this donation will help with training costs for our volunteers, as it costs roughly €1,557 per crew member annually.”

The fleet set out in classic Kinsale weather with 20 knots and waves. The championships were both decided on the water in the final race at the Bandon Co-op Squib National Championships.

After the many black flags of yesterday, the fleet got off first time with just an individual recall flag showing. Once again it was RicO’Shea who took an early lead and were well off into the distance (more on that later) however it was the Irish fleet who really had the hang of the big weather and it was going to be a hard-fought race throughout with Fagin, Allegro and Outlaw and Fuggles all battling for the win.

Fantastic surfing on the downwind legs was had by all and in the end, it was Bacchante VII, Joe Henry and Roly Wilson who took the win ahead of local Kinsale Commodore, Matthias Hellstern and Colm Daly in Fifty Shades.

Championship Winner Tom Jeffgate and Mark Hogan receive the Chris Hogan Memorial Trophy From John O' Looney Bandon Co-Op Photo: Bob Bateman

The team of Sean Murphy and his father Paul in Fuggles took a well-deserved third to assure that as crane driver the fleet would be lifted out in a super-efficient manner.

Ric O Shea were unfortunate to be one of the receivers of the individual recall flag.

John O'Looney of Bandon Co-Op presents Irish Squib National Championships winners Ian Travers and Keith O'Riordan with their trophy Photo: Bob Bateman

Overall a fantastic week was had by all, with superb racing organised by the Race Offer, Peter Crowley, and his team on SpareTime and all the fleet are hugely appreciative of their time and effort in ensuring a great week of racing.

The Bandon Co-op Irish National Champions 2022 are local team Outlaw, Ian Travers and Keith O’Riordan, second went to Royal North of Ireland team Fagan, Gordan Patterson and Ross Nolan whilst Kinsale’s Allegro, Colm Dunne and Rob Gill took the bronze.

The Squib National 2022 was won by South Caernarvonshire Yacht Club’s Ric O Shea, Tom Jeffcoate and Mark Hogan. Second place went to Lucky Counts, Jono Brown and Chris Agar from the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club ahead of team mate Spoof, Micky Wright and Alex Porteous in third.

Squib Championships Kinsale 2022 Prizewinners Photo Gallery by Bob Bateman

The third day of the Bandon co-op Squib National Championships at Kinsale Yacht Club gave the competitors the chance to do boat repairs and check out the settings of the competition as the race officer, Peter Crowley, was forced to raise the postponement flag.

The forecasted rain has not appeared but despite some promising sunshine the clouds have kept the much hoped-for sea breeze away and ultimately the decision has been made to postpone Race 4 until tomorrow.

Evening entertainment will go ahead as scheduled on the balcony of the Club.