Thomas Chaix
Thomas Chaix is Head Coach at the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. He currently sails the 49er dinghy (for fun) but raced the Laser for 25 years and has been a member of French and Irish teams
National Yacht Club Junior Sailors Make Great Start to the Dinghy Racing Season
15th May 2024 National YC
After a frustrating May Bank Holiday weekend and the absence of wind that led to the cancellation of the Feva East Coast championships, the various host yacht clubs around the country were rewarded with great conditions last weekend. The Optimist…
The Mirror dinghy season kicked off with a bang as 13 boats landed in Blessington Lake Sailing Club; a little apprehensive about how the weekend would unfold but certainly excited to get back afloat. There were some new faces and…
The National Yacht Club hosted the first combined 29er and 49er events, and it proved to be a great success. There was a palpable buzz on the club platform before and after sailing and great racing. As it was reported…
The rejuvenated Mirror dinghy class is ready to kick off 2024 in Blessington on 27-28 April, whether you have the latest Winder racing unit or the wooden beauty your granddad built in his garage. Is it the fun, the intergenerational learning,…
National Yacht Club sailing and performance programmes ran all winter alongside frostbite racing, keeping racing sailors training and progressing at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. The club had coaching series in almost all the main classes sailed off the NYC platform with…
2023 was a great year for Tralee Bay Sailing Club, and there was no better way to end it than with a very enjoyable Christmas party catching up with friends, bringing back fun sailing memories and acknowledging some of the…
National Yacht Club sailors at Dun Laoghaire Harbour have had an incredible 2023, ranging from great cruising adventures to local, national, and international glory in the various classes we sail at the club. This is a recap of the club…
Hooked on the RS Aero: Thomas Chaix Reviews 'A Greal Little Single-hander'
23rd December 2023 RS Aero
The RS Aero 1066 is back afloat... She is one of the first generation, and she has plenty of fun to give to its third owner. After four sessions afloat (and finally a bit of hiking at the weekend frostbite…
2023 delivered a great year for the Mirror dinghy class in Ireland (and abroad) with steady growth and a great world championship in Sligo. Since the completion of a very fun and successful Easterns in Blessington in September, a group…
'La Solitaire Optimist' Kept Sailors On Their Toes at Royal Cork's National Training Week
6th November 2023 Optimist
We were promised a storm! The only storm that materialised was the arrival of 130 Optimist sailors and their families in Crosshaven for the Annual National Training Week, as Afloat reports here. After two days of training, dodging big gusts…
National Yacht Club Enters Winter Sailing Mode at Dun Laoghaire Harbour
18th October 2023 Dun Laoghaire Harbour News
The annual lift out of cruisers at the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire Harbour is usually a good sign that winter is not far, and last weekend inevitably saw the first single-digit temperatures and a sure sign winter Performance…
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…
Surfing the wave of this summer's world championships held in Sligo, the Mirror dinghy class saw their biggest turnout of the national season for their final event on Blessington Lakes. 17 boats travelled to join the three local entries. With…
The season is now well underway and the National Yacht Club’s staff and volunteers are now within the final straight before the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta this week, writes head coach Thomas Chaix. But June was a month rich of…
Sailing Coach Thomas Chaix looks at the benefits of the Mirror dinghy in the lead-up to the World Championships in Sligo as well as a possible new orientation for the 1962 design that has more than 70,000 built worldwide Why the Mirror?…
National Yacht Club Feva Dinghies Ready for Blessington RS Fest National Championships
14th June 2023 National YC
After a very successful Eastern Championships organised by the neighbouring Royal Irish Yacht Club at Dun Laoghaire Harbour, a small group of National Yacht Club RS Feva sailors got set for the British Nationals. After a light-air yet instructive clinic,…
When the weather plays ball, the kids enjoy sailing! The two weeks of the Easter break may have been cold and split by the last (we hope) storm of the season, but they certainly deliver some great sailing for our…
National Yacht Club is Preparing for Summer Racing Season at Dun Laoghaire
24th March 2023 National YC
National Yacht Club Winter sailing programmes have been full throttle in the various classes supported by the club, preparing actively for the beginning of the racing season. The Flying 15 winter training has led the way with an early launch…
National Yacht Club Dinghy Season in Full Swing at Dun Laoghaire Harbour
14th February 2023 National YC
The last few weeks have delivered winterish yet good conditions for the return of all our coaching programmes at the National Yacht Club at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. The Optimist Performance group and the ILCA & Aero programmes were the first…
The EUROMED is a great mid-winter event in Malta. The event is sailed in Optimist, ILCA4 and ILCA6. The mild temperatures along with the friendliness of the organisers, deliver the perfect combo for fun and competition. Team National Yacht Club…