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The 1720 sportsboat Optique held off a strong challenge from three different J-Boat designs to win the first race of the AIB DBSC Turkey Shoot Series on Sunday morning.

The Dublin Bay-based cruiser racer one-design keelboat fleet series hosted by the Royal Irish Yacht Club attracted a 68-boat entry for the race in medium westerly winds.

The J109 Blast on Chimaera finished second, with sistership White Mischief in third. A third J109 Riders on the Storm was fourth, with J97 Windjammer fifth and the larger J112e Valentina sixth. 

Results are downloadable below, with handicaps and starts for the first race.

For the third year running, there were five separate starts, such is the range of boats now competing.

Racing continues next Sunday.

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Dublin Bay Sailing Club 2023 Turkey Shoot Series has reached a fleet of over sixty ahead of Sunday's (November 5th) first of seven pre-Christmas races off Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

It looks like the winter series will get off to an ideal start with moderate to fresh westerly winds forecast for Dublin Bay. It will be bright and breezy with sunny spells and passing brief showers. Visibility is forecast to be good. Sea state moderate but rough well offshore.

As entries for the popular series closed this week, organisers confirmed some long-distance travellers for the fun series.

As Afloat reported earlier, Sean Hawkshaw's Sligo-based Sigma 38 Wardance is among the runners, as is Stuart Harris's Moxy II, an X322 from Waterford Harbour.

In an eve of race announcement, organiser Fintan Cairns has highlighted Sailing Instruction 14 re Bowsprits and SI 17.4 re DLRCC Yellow buoys for swimmers. Download the full SIs below. 

From among Dun Laoghaire's waterfront clubs, Brendan Foley's first Class 8 Allig8r from the Royal St. George is racing, as is Patrick Burke's First 40, Prima Forte from the host club. 

John Treanor's new J112e Valentina from the National Yacht Club is entered, and so is Hal Sisk's newly restored Marian Maid, a classic 8-metre from 1954.

Organisers are now expecting to match or exceed last year's bumper fleet for the series that runs up to December 17th. 

Now in its 23rd year, the AIB-sponsored seven-race series will be hosted by the Royal Irish Yacht Club at Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

Published in Turkey Shoot
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Yachts from Sligo and Dunmore East will race in this year's popular DBSC 'Turkey Shoot' Winter Sailing Series that starts on Dublin Bay in less than a fortnight.

With over a week before entries close, the popular event already has 45 entries, putting it on target for its usual bumper fleet of 70 boats or more.

Sean Hawkshaw's Sligo-based Sigma 38 Wardance is among the runners, as is Stuart Harris's Moxy II, an X322 from Waterford Harbour.

Brendan Foley's first Class 8 Allig8r from the Royal St. GeorgeBrendan Foley's first Class 8 Allig8r from the Royal St. George Photo: Afloat

From among Dun Laoghaire's waterfront clubs, Brendan Foley's first Class 8 Allig8r from the Royal St. George is racing, as is Patrick Burke's First 40, Prima Forte from the host club. 

John Treanor's new J112e Valentina from the National Yacht Club is entered, and so is Hal Sisk's newly restored Marian Maid, a classic 8-metre from 1954.

Hal Sisk's restored 8-metre Marian Maid Hal Sisk's restored 8-metre Marian Maid Photo: Bob Bateman

Dublin Bay Sailing Club has already issued the advance notice of race for the first race on Sunday, 5th November. 

"This is a series for keelboats, cruisers, cruising boats, one-designs and boats that do not normally race are very welcome," race organiser Fintan Cairns told Afloat.

Now in its 23rd year, the AIB-sponsored seven-race series will be co-hosted by the Royal Irish Yacht Club at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. 

Last year, a massive 78-boat entry gathered for the short and sharp morning racing that promises to have everyone ashore by lunchtime.

As Afloat reported, Kenny Rumball's RS21 was the first entry received

The last date for entries is Wednesday, 1st November.

Published in Turkey Shoot
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Dublin Bay Sailing Club has issued the advance notice of its popular 'Turkey Shoot' winter sailing series that starts on Sunday, 5th November.

Now in its 23rd year, the AIB-sponsored seven-race series will be co-hosted by the Royal Irish Yacht Club at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. 

Last year, a massive 78-boat entry gathered for the short and sharp morning racing that promises to have everyone ashore by lunchtime.

A progressive handicap on a time-on-time basis will be used. 

As regular Afloat readers will know, the white-sailed First 31.7 'Avalon' was the overall winner of the 22nd edition.

A Notice of Race is downloadable below.

Race organiser Fintan Cairns, who has run the series since inception,  has urged skippers to enter early to ease the administrative burden, with one entry received already in the shape of Kenny Rumball's RS 21 keelboat.

"This is a series for keelboats, cruisers, cruising boats, one-designs and boats that do not normally race are very welcome," he told Afloat.

The last date for entries is Wednesday, 1st November.

"Handicaps of late entries (and incorrect sail nos.!) will be adjusted accordingly!" Cairns says.

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The final DBSC Saturday Summer Series racing was cancelled on Dublin Bay today for all classes when southerly winds reached 35 knots off Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

Results in all classes are below

Published in DBSC
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Tim Goodbody's J109 White Mischief won the penultimate Saturday race in Dublin Bay Sailing Club's AIB Summer Series on September 23rd. 

The Royal Irish crew finished Saturday's IRC Cruisers One race in a corrected time of one hour 37 minutes and 10 seconds to be clear ahead of clubmate Fintan Cairns and his Mills 31 crew on Raptor, finishing in a time of 1:43:13. John Hall's J109, Something Else from the National Yacht Club, was third on 1:43:35.

Overall, after 14 races sailed and with 11 races counted, Goodbody leads the Saturday Series with 15 points from Colin Byrne's XP33 Bon Exemple on 20. Something Else is third on 35.5.

The final Saturday race of the season takes place on September 30th.

Full results in all DBSC classes are below.

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Although northeasterly winds gusting to 25 knots and big seas on Dublin Bay led to the cancellation of some DBSC Saturday Series racing, the club's blue fleet raced.

Racing was held for 31.7s, Cruisers Two and Cruisers Three.

National Champion Chris Johnston continues his domination of the 31.7s with another win today in a reduced fleet of three boats. 

Two DBSC Saturday races are left in the 2023 calendar.

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With Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) Saturday racing starred in IRC Zero and One due to the annual ICRA cruiser-racer National Championships in Howth, a five-boat IRC Two division was won by Lindsay Casey's J97 Windjammer and Ed Melvin's Ceol na Mara was the winner of IRC Three.

A south-easterly sea breeze of less than 10 knots prevailed for the fourth last Saturday race of the AIB Summer Series.

In the one design fleets, a 15-boat turnout of Flying Fifteens was won by Shane McCarthy in Mr Potato Head of the National Yacht Club. Recently crowned 31.7 national champions, Chris Johnston sailing Prospect of the National Yacht Club, won again in a five-boat turnout. The Royal Irish's Joe Smyth topped a seven-boat Beneteau 211 fleet.

Full results in all classes are below.

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It's not often Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) racers don shorts and T-shirts for AIB Saturday Series racing – and rarer still in September – but today's 2nd September fixture presented such an opportunity with a warm sea breeze of up to ten knots on Dublin Bay.

There was an individual recall in the Cruisers One start, with four boats on course side (OCS), but all four (Something Else, Powder Monkey, Ruth and Raptor) returned with the Mills 31 Raptor skippered by Fintan Cairns managing to take second on IRC rating in the ten boat race despite the start line blip.

The Race Officer was Con Murphy.

Timothy Goodbody's J109 White Mischief of the Royal Irish was the race winner in a corrected time of 1 hour, 30 minutes and 11 seconds. Clubmate Raptor finished in 1:31:14, corrected with another RIYC entry, Colin Byrne's XP33 Bon Exemple, third in a corrected time of  1:31:24.

With four Saturday races left to sail in the 2023 Series, White Mischief leads on 14 points from Bon Exemple on 16, with John Hall's J109 Something Else from the National Yacht Club lying third on 32.5.

Full DBSC results in all classes below.

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John Power's Beneteau 31.7 Levante from the National Yacht Club was the winner of DBSC's final Thursday night AIB Summer Series 2023 race on Dublin Bay on August 31st. 

The overall series leader, Chris Johnston's Prospect, was second in an eight-boat fleet, with a third NYC boat, Michael Bryson's Bluefin Two, third. 

Colin Byrne's XP33 Bon Exemple won Thursday's race 18 in the IRC One division in a corrected time of 44 minutes and 40 seconds from John Maybury's Joker 2 (0:45:13 corrected). Third was the Mills 31 Raptor
skipped by Fintan Cairns (0:47:28 corr).

In the last race before the class national championships this weekend on Belfast Lough, Philip Lawton's Puffling won the Flying Fifteen race with only two finishers. Niall Coleman in Flyer was second. 

All DBSC results are below.

 

 

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Ireland's offshore islands

Around 30 of Ireland's offshore islands are inhabited and hold a wealth of cultural heritage.

A central Government objective is to ensure that sustainable vibrant communities continue to live on the islands.

Irish offshore islands FAQs

Technically, it is Ireland itself, as the third largest island in Europe.

Ireland is surrounded by approximately 80 islands of significant size, of which only about 20 are inhabited.

Achill island is the largest of the Irish isles with a coastline of almost 80 miles and has a population of 2,569.

The smallest inhabited offshore island is Inishfree, off Donegal.

The total voting population in the Republic's inhabited islands is just over 2,600 people, according to the Department of Housing.

Starting with west Cork, and giving voting register numbers as of 2020, here you go - Bere island (177), Cape Clear island (131),Dursey island (6), Hare island (29), Whiddy island (26), Long island, Schull (16), Sherkin island (95). The Galway islands are Inis Mór (675), Inis Meáin (148), Inis Oírr (210), Inishbofin (183). The Donegal islands are Arranmore (513), Gola (30), Inishboffin (63), Inishfree (4), Tory (140). The Mayo islands, apart from Achill which is connected by a bridge, are Clare island (116), Inishbiggle (25) and Inishturk (52).

No, the Gaeltacht islands are the Donegal islands, three of the four Galway islands (Inishbofin, like Clifden, is English-speaking primarily), and Cape Clear or Oileán Chléire in west Cork.

Lack of a pier was one of the main factors in the evacuation of a number of islands, the best known being the Blasket islands off Kerry, which were evacuated in November 1953. There are now three cottages available to rent on the Great Blasket island.

In the early 20th century, scholars visited the Great Blasket to learn Irish and to collect folklore and they encouraged the islanders to record their life stories in their native tongue. The three best known island books are An tOileánach (The Islandman) by Tomás Ó Criomhthain, Peig by Peig Sayers, and Fiche Blian ag Fás (Twenty Years A-Growing) by Muiris Ó Súilleabháin. Former taoiseach Charles J Haughey also kept a residence on his island, Inishvickillaune, which is one of the smaller and less accessible Blasket islands.

Charles J Haughey, as above, or late Beatle musician, John Lennon. Lennon bought Dorinish island in Clew Bay, south Mayo, in 1967 for a reported £1,700 sterling. Vendor was Westport Harbour Board which had used it for marine pilots. Lennon reportedly planned to spend his retirement there, and The Guardian newspaper quoted local estate agent Andrew Crowley as saying he was "besotted with the place by all accounts". He did lodge a planning application for a house, but never built on the 19 acres. He offered it to Sid Rawle, founder of the Digger Action Movement and known as the "King of the Hippies". Rawle and 30 others lived there until 1972 when their tents were burned by an oil lamp. Lennon and Yoko Ono visited it once more before his death in 1980. Ono sold the island for £30,000 in 1984, and it is widely reported that she donated the proceeds of the sale to an Irish orphanage

 

Yes, Rathlin island, off Co Antrim's Causeway Coast, is Ireland's most northerly inhabited island. As a special area of conservation, it is home to tens of thousands of sea birds, including puffins, kittiwakes, razorbills and guillemots. It is known for its Rathlin golden hare. It is almost famous for the fact that Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, retreated after being defeated by the English at Perth and hid in a sea cave where he was so inspired by a spider's tenacity that he returned to defeat his enemy.

No. The Aran islands have a regular ferry and plane service, with ferries from Ros-a-Mhíl, south Connemara all year round and from Doolin, Co Clare in the tourist season. The plane service flies from Indreabhán to all three islands. Inishbofin is connected by ferry from Cleggan, Co Galway, while Clare island and Inishturk are connected from Roonagh pier, outside Louisburgh. The Donegal islands of Arranmore and Tory island also have ferry services, as has Bere island, Cape Clear and Sherkin off Cork. How are the island transport services financed? The Government subsidises transport services to and from the islands. The Irish Coast Guard carries out medical evacuations, as to the RNLI lifeboats. Former Fianna Fáíl minister Éamon Ó Cuív is widely credited with improving transport services to and from offshore islands, earning his department the nickname "Craggy island".

Craggy Island is an bleak, isolated community located of the west coast, inhabited by Irish, a Chinese community and one Maori. Three priests and housekeeper Mrs Doyle live in a parochial house There is a pub, a very small golf course, a McDonald's fast food restaurant and a Chinatown... Actually, that is all fiction. Craggy island is a figment of the imagination of the Father Ted series writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews, for the highly successful Channel 4 television series, and the Georgian style parochial house on the "island" is actually Glenquin House in Co Clare.

Yes, that is of the Plassey, a freighter which was washed up on Inis Oírr in bad weather in 1960.

There are some small privately owned islands,and islands like Inishlyre in Co Mayo with only a small number of residents providing their own transport. Several Connemara islands such as Turbot and Inishturk South have a growing summer population, with some residents extending their stay during Covid-19. Turbot island off Eyrephort is one such example – the island, which was first spotted by Alcock and Brown as they approached Ireland during their epic transatlantic flight in 1919, was evacuated in 1978, four years after three of its fishermen drowned on the way home from watching an All Ireland final in Clifden. However, it is slowly being repopulated

Responsibility for the islands was taking over by the Department of Rural and Community Development . It was previously with the Gaeltacht section in the Department of Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht.

It is a periodic bone of contention, as Ireland does not have the same approach to its islands as Norway, which believes in right of access. However, many improvements were made during Fianna Fáíl Galway West TD Éamon Ó Cuív's time as minister. The Irish Island Federation, Comdháil Oileáin na hÉireann, represents island issues at national and international level.

The 12 offshore islands with registered voters have long argued that having to cast their vote early puts them at a disadvantage – especially as improved transport links mean that ballot boxes can be transported to the mainland in most weather conditions, bar the winter months. Legislation allowing them to vote on the same day as the rest of the State wasn't passed in time for the February 2020 general election.

Yes, but check tide tables ! Omey island off north Connemara is accessible at low tide and also runs a summer race meeting on the strand. In Sligo, 14 pillars mark the way to Coney island – one of several islands bearing this name off the Irish coast.

Cape Clear or Oileán Chléire is the country's most southerly inhabited island, eight miles off the west Cork coast, and within sight of the Fastnet Rock lighthouse, also known as the "teardrop of Ireland".
Skellig Michael off the Kerry coast, which has a monastic site dating from the 6th century. It is accessible by boat – prebooking essential – from Portmagee, Co Kerry. However, due to Covid-19 restrictions, it was not open to visitors in 2020.
All islands have bird life, but puffins and gannets and kittiwakes are synonymous with Skellig Michael and Little Skellig. Rathlin island off Antrim and Cape Clear off west Cork have bird observatories. The Saltee islands off the Wexford coast are privately owned by the O'Neill family, but day visitors are permitted access to the Great Saltee during certain hours. The Saltees have gannets, gulls, puffins and Manx shearwaters.
Vikings used Dublin as a European slaving capital, and one of their bases was on Dalkey island, which can be viewed from Killiney's Vico road. Boat trips available from Coliemore harbour in Dalkey. Birdwatch Ireland has set up nestboxes here for roseate terns. Keep an eye out also for feral goats.
Plenty! There are regular boat trips in summer to Inchagoill island on Lough Corrib, while the best known Irish inshore island might be the lake isle of Innisfree on Sligo's Lough Gill, immortalised by WB Yeats in his poem of the same name. Roscommon's Lough Key has several islands, the most prominent being the privately-owned Castle Island. Trinity island is more accessible to the public - it was once occupied by Cistercian monks from Boyle Abbey.

©Afloat 2020