Displaying items by tag: Harry Durcan

14th January 2024

Durcan on Board Winning British Dragon in Vilamoura

Irish Dragon sailors were in action in Portugal at the weekend with Royal Cork and Baltimore's Harry Durcan on board the winning boat in round two of the Algarve Dragon Winter Cup at Vilamoura.

Durcan was part of a four-up British entry skippered by Pete Cooke with Torvar Mirsky and Peter Nicholas, who tied on points with Portugal's Pedro Rebelo de Andrade but won on the tie-break rule.

Also racing from Ireland was Dun Laoghaire's Jonathan Bourke with Conn Harte-Bourke and Sam Gullivan, who finished seventh in the 11-boat fleet.

Round three of the Cup sets sail on February 16th.

In a big year for Irish Dragon sailing, Kinsale Yacht Club will stage the class's prestigious Gold Cup this September.

Published in Dragon

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6th May 2023

Royal Cork's Durcan and Roberts Sailing on J122 El Ocaso are Overall Winners at Antigua Sailing Week

Royal Cork’s Harry Durcan and Grattan Roberts were part of the J122 El Ocaso that were declared overall winners of Antigua Sailing Week.

Racing onboard Chris Body’s J122 El Ocaso, they led CSA 2 by a slim margin of a single point going into the last day.

The crew were awarded the Lord Nelson Trophy as the overall Antigua Week 2023 winner.

Chris Body’s J122 El Ocaso crew that includes Grattan Roberts and Harry Durcan from Royal Cork Photo: Paul Wyeth

Louay Habib caught up with them after racing on the final day, first Durcan, then Roberts in the audio below.

Afloat.ie · Harry Durcan and Grattan Roberts win at Antigua Sailing Week

El Ocaso, GBR 4860, winners of the Lord Nelson Trophy 2023, at Antigua Sailing Week Photo: Paul Wyeth

Published in Royal Cork YC

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1st April 2022

Harry Durcan of Cork is “Sailor of the Month” for March

A rose is still a rose by any other name, but though Cork Institute of Technology is now Munster Technological University, its team keelboat sailing skipper is still Harry Durcan of Crosshaven.

And at the weekend he showed he’d lost none of the zip which had CIT as the Keelboat Champs racing J/80s at Howth back in March 2019, as they’ve done exactly the same thing again under the MTU moniker with the resumption of close-up sailing in March 2022. The margin after 18 races was 12 points over UCD, and while his crew of Ronan Cournane, Mark Murphy, Morgan McKnight and Charlie Moloney had something to do with it, one name has to go on the title, and that’s Harry Durcan.

Published in Sailor of the Month

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Harry Durcan

10th November 2021

Royal Cork's Durcan Helms 'Wildcard' J/70 to Success in Monaco

Wildcard J70 racing team from Cork led by William Twomey (bow), along with Harry Durcan (helm), Richie Harrington (tactics) and Gratton Roberts (trimming) got their J70 World Championship 2022 campaign underway with a successful Act1 of the Monaco sports-boat winter series over the past few days.

After a successful European championship last September in Denmark when the team was helmed by 17-year-old Harry Twomey and contained Rio Olympian Finn Lynch on tactics along with William Twomey, Sally O' Flynn and Harry Durcan.

"The Irish J/70 World Championship 2022 campaign is underway"

Wind conditions varied over the three days with a mixture of heavy and light winds. The sole Irish team finished off with a commanding bullet in the final race to wrap up the 1st Corinthian team overall in the 40 boat fleet that contained Olympic gold medalists and Americas Cup sailors.

(Above and below) The RCYC J/70 Wildcard in action

The series continues next month and continues onwards in February, and cumulates with the Monaco Primo cup in March.

The Cork-based team say they are looking forward to joining the Italian circuit for spring/summer for the final run into the Europeans in France this coming September and the World championship in Monaco in 10 months time.

The J/70 fleet in Monaco

Published in Royal Cork YC

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7th August 2021

Irish Crew on Board Cowes Week IRC One Winner, J/111 McFly

Winners of Cowes Week IRC One division on the Solent this week was Tony Mack's UK-based J/111 McFly that included a notable Irish presence in her crew lineup.

Royal Cork's Harry Durcan was the mainsheet trimmer, Cathal Leigh-Doyle was the upwind trimmer with Kinsale Laser dinghy ace Darragh O'Sullivan also on board the 36-footer in the 16-boat fleet.

Results are here

Success in Cowes Week is only one part of Durcan's UK summer odyssey, the former 29er skiff helmsman sails with club mates on the Murphy family's Grand Soleil Nieulargo tomorrow in the Fastnet Race.

Published in Cowes Week

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4th August 2019

Durcan & Twomey Finish Ninth Overall In 29er Worlds

Harry Twomey racing with Harry Durcan on Day 5 of the Zhik 29er Worlds in Gdynia, Poland

Harry Durcan and Harry Twomey finished ninth overall at the Zhik 29er World Championships in Poland, which drew to a close yesterday (Saturday 3 August), scoring Ireland’s best result ever in the competition.

And it marks another remarkable result for the Royal Cork duo who also placed second at the RYA Youth Nationals in Weymouth this past April.

That was despite the fact it was the first time former Optimist ace Twomey was helming a 29er in competition alongside March’s Sailor of the Month.

Theirs was the top Irish result from three pairs among 175 teams competing in Gdynia — the same venue where Team Ireland were racing in the Youth Worlds last month — with Durcan’s twin Johnny not far behind in 16th overall in his mixed pair with Lola Kohl.

Also competing for Ireland over the week were Charlie Cullen (Royal St George/National YC) and Ben Hogan, who placed sixth on the Bronze fleet.

Read how a unique tie-up with the US Virgin Islands led to eight Irish sailors contesting the Gdynia Championships by Chris Bateman here.

Published in 29er

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2nd April 2019

Harry Durcan is March “Sailor of the Month”

The successful Cork Institute of Technology team at the Student Yachting Selection Trials at Howth over the weekend were (left to right) Ewan O’Keeffe, Mark Murphy, Morgan Knight, Harry Durcan (helmsman) and Grattan Roberts, with Commodore Ian Byrne HYC, and Race Officer Scorie Walls

It was Cork crews all the way in yesterday’s intensely-fought final in the two-day Student Nationals in the J/80s at Howth Yacht Club.

But in the end, victory was taken by Cork Institute of Technology helmed in style by Harry Durcan. The final margin over University College Cork may only have been one point, yet CIT is now not only Irish champions, but they will be the national team in the Student Yachting Worlds in France in the Autumn.

22nd August 2017

Tom Higgins & Harry Durcan Team Up for New 29er Campaign

Harry Durcan and Harry Whitaker competing stateside at the 29er Worlds in California this month

This month's Californian 29–er skiff Worlds was youth sailors Harry Durcan and Harry Whitaker's last regatta together as the pair embark on different sailing and study plans.

Durcan will swap to crewing the 29er dinghy. His new helmsman is 2016 Irish and British Optimist national champion Tom Higgins of Dun Laoghaire's Royal St. George Yacht Club.

Dun Laoghaire's Tom Higgins who has moved from Optimist to Laser 4.7 and now to 29er skiff. Photo: Bob Bateman

The pair have already started training and although the early goal back in April was to contest the Europeans this month in France they have not entered that regatta that began at the weekend. The campaign will last until next June 2018 and the end of sixth year studies. 'Once that is over I'll be heading into the Olympic 49er class, the young Cork Harbour sailor told Afloat.ie

Harry Whitaker, it is understood, will take a step back from competitive sailing but will continue to participate in team racing and yacht racing while going through college.

Published in 29er

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23rd September 2016

Show of Youth Sailing Strength for Royal St. George As Big Breeze Forecast for Junior All–Irelands

Radial sailor Johnny Durcan from Royal Cork alongside his coach–boat before a race at this summer's Laser Radial Youth Worlds in Dun Laoghaire. Durcan is among the talented Junior All Ireland Championships line–up in Schull, West Cork tomorrow

Tomorrow's All Ireland Junior sailing championships looks like it will get off to a wet and windy start for the 16–nominated junior sailing stars drawn from seven yacht clubs from around the country.

The Under–18 championships is scheduled to race over two days in West Cork's own TR3.6 two handed dinghies but the weather forecast for the Schull venue shows winds topping 40–knots for Saturday and the same again on Sunday.

XC weather forecaster shows big winds in Schull, West Cork tomorrow

In a show of strength for Dublin's Royal St. George Yacht Club more than a third of the participants are drawn from the Dun Laoghaire club. RStGYC juniors are representing the RS200 (Toby Hudson Fowler), the RS Feva (Henry Start), Laser 4.7 (Peter Fagan), Optimist (Tom Higgins), Topper (Jack Fahy) and Kate Lyttle from the 420 class.

Multi–champion in the Optimist class, Tom Higgins from the Royal St. George, is nominated for this weekend's All Ireland Juniors in Schull

Royal Cork Yacht Club is the next biggest club on the water in Schull with four sailors involved. 29er skipper Harry Durcan and twin Johnny representing 29er and Laser Radials respectively. Harry Twomey represents the Optimist class and Sophie Crosby sails for the Toppers.

The National Yacht Club's Clare Gorman represents the Laser 4.7 and will defend the girls title and the NYC's Leah Rickard sails for the Optimists.

Schull's own TR3.6 dinghies ready for the junior all Ireland sailors. Photo: Fastnet Marine

The West coast is represented by three clubs.Topaz sailors Adam Byrne and Dylan Reidy representing Dingle SC and Foynes YC respectively and Sligo Yacht Club sends Mirror ace Sarah White.

The 420 class is represented by Geoff Power of Waterford Harbour Sailing Club.

Full nominee list below

Class	Name	Surname	Club
RS200 Junior	Toby	Hudson Fowler	Royal StGeorge YC
RS Feva	Henry	Start	Royal St George YC
Mirror	Sarah	White	Sligo YC
Laser 4.7	Clare	Gorman	NYC
Laser 4.7	Peter	Fagan	Royal St George YC
Laser Radial	Johnny	Durcan	RCYC/NYC
Topaz	Adam	Byrne	Dingle SC
Topaz	Dylan	Reidy	Foynes YC
Topper	Jack	Fahy	RSTGYC
Topper	Sophie	Crosby	RCYC
420	Geoff	Power	WHSC
420	Kate	Lyttle	RStGYC
OPTIMIST	Tom	Higgins	RSGYC
OPTIMIST	Harry	Twomey	RCYC&CHSC
OPTIMIST	Leah	Rickard	NYC
29er	Harry	Durcan	RCYC

Published in Youth Sailing

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12th August 2016

Royal Cork Youth Skiff Pair Win UK 29er Champs

Harry Durcan and Harry Whittaker are UK 29er National Championship winners

Royal Cork's Harry Durcan and Harry Whittaker have won the UK 29er National Championship in Torbay. After six days racing and 19 races in all, it all came down to the final race which they secured with a bullet giving them a two point lead over the rest of the fleet. Full results here. Conditions today were shifty at best and the Race Officer did well to get four races in to finish the final series.

Published in 29er

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Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta

From the Baily lighthouse to Dalkey island, the bay accommodates six separate courses for 21 different classes racing every two years for the Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

In assembling its record-breaking armada, Volvo Dun Laoghaire regatta (VDLR) became, at its second staging, not only the country's biggest sailing event, with 3,500 sailors competing, but also one of Ireland's largest participant sporting events.

One of the reasons for this, ironically, is that competitors across Europe have become jaded by well-worn venue claims attempting to replicate Cowes and Cork Week.'Never mind the quality, feel the width' has been a criticism of modern-day regattas where organisers mistakenly focus on being the biggest to be the best. Dun Laoghaire, with its local fleet of 300 boats, never set out to be the biggest. Its priority focussed instead on quality racing even after it got off to a spectacularly wrong start when the event was becalmed for four days at its first attempt.

The idea to rekindle a combined Dublin bay event resurfaced after an absence of almost 40 years, mostly because of the persistence of a passionate race officer Brian Craig who believed that Dun Laoghaire could become the Cowes of the Irish Sea if the town and the local clubs worked together. Although fickle winds conspired against him in 2005, the support of all four Dun Laoghaire waterfront yacht clubs since then (made up of Dun Laoghaire Motor YC, National YC, Royal Irish YC and Royal St GYC), in association with the two racing clubs of Dublin Bay SC and Royal Alfred YC, gave him the momentum to carry on.

There is no doubt that sailors have also responded with their support from all four coasts. Running for four days, the regatta is (after the large mini-marathons) the single most significant participant sports event in the country, requiring the services of 280 volunteers on and off the water, as well as top international race officers and an international jury, to resolve racing disputes representing five countries. A flotilla of 25 boats regularly races from the Royal Dee near Liverpool to Dublin for the Lyver Trophy to coincide with the event. The race also doubles as a RORC qualifying race for the Fastnet.

Sailors from the Ribble, Mersey, the Menai Straits, Anglesey, Cardigan Bay and the Isle of Man have to travel three times the distance to the Solent as they do to Dublin Bay. This, claims Craig, is one of the major selling points of the Irish event and explains the range of entries from marinas as far away as Yorkshire's Whitby YC and the Isle of Wight.

No other regatta in the Irish Sea area can claim to have such a reach. Dublin Bay Weeks such as this petered out in the 1960s, and it has taken almost four decades for the waterfront clubs to come together to produce a spectacle on and off the water to rival Cowes."The fact that we are getting such numbers means it is inevitable that it is compared with Cowes," said Craig. However, there the comparison ends."We're doing our own thing here. Dun Laoghaire is unique, and we are making an extraordinary effort to welcome visitors from abroad," he added. The busiest shipping lane in the country – across the bay to Dublin port – closes temporarily to facilitate the regatta and the placing of six separate courses each day.

A fleet total of this size represents something of an unknown quantity on the bay as it is more than double the size of any other regatta ever held there.

Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta FAQs

What is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is Ireland's biggest sailing event. It is held every second Summer at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Dublin Bay.

When is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is held every two years, typically in the first weekend of July.

Where is Dun Laoghaire Regatta held?

As its name suggests, the event is based at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Racing is held on Dublin Bay over as many as six different courses with a coastal route that extends out into the Irish Sea. Ashore, the festivities are held across the town but mostly in the four organising yacht clubs.

How big is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is the largest sailing regatta in Ireland and on the Irish Sea and the second largest in the British Isles. It has a fleet of 500 competing boats and up to 3,000 sailors. Scotland's biggest regatta on the Clyde is less than half the size of the Dun Laoghaire event. After the Dublin city marathon, the regatta is one of the most significant single participant sporting events in the country in terms of Irish sporting events.

How old is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The modern Dublin Bay Regatta began in 2005, but it owes its roots to earlier combined Dublin Bay Regattas of the 1960s.

How many boats compete at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Up to 500 boats regularly compete.

How many yacht clubs are represented at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Up to 70 different yacht clubs are represented.

Where do the yachts come from to compete at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The Channel Islands, Isle of Man, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland countrywide, and Dublin clubs.

How many boats are visiting boats at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Nearly half the sailors, over 1,000, travel to participate from outside of Dun Laoghaire and from overseas to race and socialise in Dun Laoghaire.

What type of yachts race in Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

21 different classes are competing at Dun Laoghaire Regatta. As well as four IRC Divisions from 50-footers down to 20-foot day boats and White Sails, there are also extensive one-design keelboat and dinghy fleets to include all the fleets that regularly race on the Bay such as Beneteau 31.7s, Ruffian 23s, Sigma 33s as well as Flying Fifteens, Laser SB20s plus some visiting fleets such as the RS Elites from Belfast Lough to name by one.

What famous sailors race in Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Some sailing household names are regular competitors at the biennial Dun Laoghaire event including Dun Laoghaire Olympic silver medalist, Annalise Murphy. International sailing stars are competing too such as Mike McIntyre, a British Olympic Gold medalist and a raft of World and European class champions.

How much does it cost to enter Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

There are different entry fees for different size boats. A 40-foot yacht will pay up to €550, but a 14-foot dinghy such as Laser will pay €95. Full entry fee details are contained in the Regatta Notice of Race document.

Where can spectators view Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Spectators can see the boats racing on six courses from any vantage point on the southern shore of Dublin Bay. As well as from the Harbour walls itself, it is also possible to see the boats from Sandycove, Dalkey and Killiney, especially when the boats compete over inshore coastal courses or have in-harbour finishes.

How does Dun Laoghaire regatta compare to international regattas?

Very favourably. It is often compared to Cowes, Britain's biggest regatta on the Isle of Wight that has 1,000 entries. However, sailors based in the north of England have to travel three times the distance to get to Cowes as they do to Dun Laoghaire.

Why is Dun Laoghaire Regatta so unique?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is unique because of its compact site offering four different yacht clubs within the harbour and the race tracks' proximity, just a five-minute sail from shore. International sailors also speak of its international travel connections and being so close to Dublin city. The regatta also prides itself on balancing excellent competition with good fun ashore.

Who organises Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The Organising Authority (OA) of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta is Dublin Bay Regattas Ltd, a not-for-profit company, beneficially owned by Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC), National Yacht Club (NYC), Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC) and Royal St George Yacht Club (RSGYC).

What does Dun Laoghaire Regatta contribute to the local economy?

The Irish Marine Federation launched a case study on the 2009 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta's socio-economic significance. Over four days, the study (carried out by Irish Sea Marine Leisure Knowledge Network) found the event was worth nearly €3million to the local economy over the four days of the event. Typically the Royal Marine Hotel and Haddington Hotel and other local providers are fully booked for the event.