It's more than appropriate that the John B Kearney-designed-and-built-in-Ringsend 11-ton gaff yawl Mavis is in the midst of her Centenary celebrations this weekend, even as his 1932-designed Mermaid class is racing its annual championship in Wexford.
They've plenty of room to do both, as the Ron Hawkins-restored Mavis is based in Camden in Maine. But a third sailing centre comes into the equation, as Clontarf Yacht & Boat Club – a Mermaid stronghold for a long time in its 150 years - is looking back on a very special "At Home" last weekend when it celebrated with visiting historic classics from Dun Laoghaire and Howth, venerable boats which were themselves celebrating significant restorations.
The Centenarian Ringsend-built Mavis berthed in Camden, Maine
Commodore Peter Sherry with Mavis restorer Ron Hawkins during the latter's visit to the National YC last year. Photo: W M Nixon
FLAG OFFICER OF NATIONAL YACHT CLUB
In times past, John Kearney and the Mavis would have been no strangers to racing from Dun Laoghaire to the Clontarf At Home. As the Rear Commodore of the National YC in Dun Laoghaire from 1942 to 1952 in the period when J. B. Kearney-enthusiast Pierce Purcell was Commodore, Mavis would often be the leading NYC presence at East Coast regattas, and the best image of her in top racing form is when she was winning Skerries Regatta in 1928.
Mavis winning Skerries Regatta in 1928
There have been several Irish visitors in Camden during the ongoing Centenary Party, including the noted US-based marine technical ace Johnny Smullen, who proudly maintains his NYC membership - it goes all the way back to 1972.
EGGEMOGGIN REACH RACE
However, things have a certain edge in the classic and traditional racing in Maine this weekend, as today sees the staging of the famous Eggemoggin Reach Race, in which Ron and Denise Hawkins and their shipmates aboard Mavis will be hoping to provide a performance worthy of John B Kearney himself.
John B Kearney (1880-1968) working on the design of the 54ft Helen of Howth in 1963. Photo: Tom Hudson
Back in Dublin Bay, Commodore Gerry Coonan and his members in Clontarf Y & BC can look back on a remarkably varied and successful 150th celebration, for as the flooding spring tide provided them with extensive in-town sailing water, the Howth 17s of 1898, the Dublin Bay 21s of 1902, and the Glen ODs of 1947 started their races towards the Sesquicentennial Party from Howth and Dun Laoghaire.
CY&BC Commodore Gerry Coonan receives a memento of the Howth 17s' Sesquicentennial visit from Class Captain Dave O'Shea. Photo: Jimmy Flood
ADVERSE TIDE BOTH WAYS
It's one of the Howth 17s' crazier outing, for they know that in heading down the coast to be in Clontarf when the tide is surging, they're going to be heading south round Howth Head and plugging the flood stream until they're well into Dublin Bay, with most of the fleet "enjoying" the inevitably hang-up at the Baily where the tidal stream is at its strongest and the wnd can be blanketed by the cliffs.
Going good. The 1988 Howth-built Erica wins at Clontarf. Photo: Jimmy Flood
On top of that, at the end of the day the Seventeens are going to be pushing the new ebb for much of their way homeward bound. But the Howth 17s had something to celebrate in addition to the Clontarf 150th, as the 1898-built Aura – one of the original five boats built by Hilditch of Carrickfergus to a design completed in October 1897 by Herbert Boyd, founding Commodore of Howth Sailing Club in 1895 - had returned from the west, where owner Ian Malcolm, owner of Aura since 1981, and sailing in the class before that, had commissioned major work with Steve Morris at Kilrush Boatyard.
Rita, Rosemary and Isobe battle for second place. Photo: Jimmy Flood
RENEWING FASTENINGS, FRAMES AND RIBS
That involved renewing all fastenings and fitting ten new frames while replacing 33 ribs. It might have been quicker to start from scratch, but that's not the way they do things in the Howth Seventeens. Inevitably, it took time, but nevertheless, a deadline was needed, so the Clontarf At Home with its trademark "brack & refreshments" became the target.
Born again. Ian Malcolm's Aura making her way into Clontarf
TOO MUCH TO EXPECT AN "ASSISTED FIRST'
The re-born Aura arrived on time from the west for craning-in at Howth YC at 15;30 hrs on Friday afternoon (July 25th), and on Saturday morning she and twelve sister-ships raced for Clontarf. As one of the secrets of the Howth 17s' longevity is the fact that they race very keenly, and expect at least 60 serious races each year, it would be too much to expect that the class would shuttle Aura into first place in this special race, so the final lineup at the finish at the entrance to the Liffey was 1st Erica (1988, Davie Nixon), 2nd Orla (2017, Marc FtzGibbon) 3rd Isobel (1988, Conor & Brian Turvey,) and 4th Rita (1898, Marc Lynch & John Curley).
"All the usual suspects" – CY&BC ferryman Peter O'Neill brings 17-footer sailors ashore
TWO CLASSES FROM DUN LAOGHAIRE
There were two vintage keelboat classes from Dun Laoghaire sailing to Clontarf from Dun Laoghaire, while some IDRA 14s had the road-trail option, as had IDRA 14s from Howth. The reviving Alfred Mylne keelboat designs – the Dublin Bay 21s restored at Kilrush under the initiative of Fionn de Barra and Hal Sisk, and the Glens coming back to life in a secret laboratory at the head of the West Pier in Dun Laoghaire, may have had the advantage of a fair tide there and back when going to Clontarf, but the south side of Dublin Bay seems to have a much stronger wind sweeping down from the Wicklow and Dublin Hills.
The latest vintage Glen OD to be restored is David McCaffrey's Pterodactyl
It was strong enough for Glenmiller to lose the top of her mast in a gybe (most folk had though the Glen's box-girder masts were unbreakable), but up ahead the lead in the six boats was neck-and-neck between Glendun (Brian Denham) and Glenluce (Ailbe Millerick).
However, the newest Glen restoration, David McCaffrey's Pterodactyl, seemed to be set for the win which would have been a fine reward for bring the boat back to life, but it seems the Glens are as unsentimental as the Howth 17s when it comes to wins, and Glendun pipped Pterodactyl at the post for first, Glenluce was third and Osiris (Conor O'Hanlon) fourth.
The sea we share…..As the DB21 Naneen comes to the finish line south of the Poolbeg Light, there's a sharp reminder that Dublin Port is currently handling 46 ship movements per day
IDRA 14s WON BY CLASSIC
In the inner bay off the Clontarf club, a goodly fleet of IDRA 14s seemed dominated in numbers terms by white-hulled GRP boats, but Terry Carr and Orlaith Connolly in the classic wooden Starfish, no 38, were on top form, and not for the first time found themselves with the prize.
IDRA 14s on the beat at Clontarf, with the veteran Starfish already clear in the lead (right).
A good day at the races…..Alan Carr and Orlaith Connolly with their haul of trophies
Coastal rowing skiffs from the nearby East Wall Watersports Centre added to the variety of craft at the Clontarf 150th.
COASTAL SKIFFS
Further into the bay from the Clontarf Y & BC, the thriving East Wall Watersport Centre is a stronghold of classic coastal skiff racing, and they came the mile or so to CY&BC to do their stuff as Clontarf fulfilled its role as a true maritime community which happens to find itself plumb in the middle of one of Dublin's most established and prosperous suburbs with its own USP. It and the yacht & boat club at its heart face south, one of the very few sailing clubs in Ireland to do so.
Clontarf Y&BC is one of the few sailing clubs in Ireland that faces south
LOOK TO THE WEST
The re-furbished Howth 17 Aura may have been hurried eastward eight days ago, but now that we're into August the thoughts are of the west, with the four day Calves Week at Schull starting next Tuesday, and Cruinnui na mBad at Kinvara from Friday 8th August until Sunday 10th.
A HUNDRED YEARS WITH ONE BOAT
As for the great lakes of the Shannon, the ever-young 123-year old Shannon One Designs swing into the peak of their season with Lough Ree Regatta Week next week, followed by Lough Derg Week. Doubtless that versatile boat person Vincent Delany will shift his focus from analysing the relative performance of the nationwide Squib Class to continuing his family's long involvement with the Shannon One Design. And then maybe as the first hints of Autumn arrive, he'll be back in town and we'll learn more about the fact that the Delany family have been involved with the Dublin Bay Water Wag Pansy since 1925, and that's a Centenary of some note.
The unique Shannon One Designs spring into action for the next fortnight on Lough Ree and Lough Derg
BIG BALLYHOLME GOLDEN JUBILEE FOR ILCA/LASERS
Meanwhile we hear the ILCAs are re-thinking of themselves as the Lasers for their Golden Jubilee celebration at Ballyholme YC on Belfast Lough for the Nationals 2025, starting the evening of Friday 15th August with the father and mother (and grandfather too) of a celebratory party, 7:30 pm till late, and a welcome for anyone who has set foot in a Laser in the last 50 years.
They'll be celebrating the Golden Jubilee of the special challenge that Ballyholme Bay offers to Laser/ILCA sailors with a come-all-ye party on August 15th at the 2025 Nationals.
But for today, some of us will be thinking only of the hundred-year-old Mavis setting out to race with some other truly extraordinary veteran and classic boats along Eggemoggin Reach
Kindred spirits. Classic yacht restorer Hal Sisk with Ron & Denise Hawkins of Mavis in the National YC. Photo: W M Nixon
