GP's have the largest and most active two person senior dinghy racing fleet in Ireland and we can prove it, by counting active boats and fleets. The GP is a one-design 14ft dinghy, raced by a crew of two. It is a three sailed 'mid-performance' boat which can be sailed safely in a wide range of sea and weather conditions, by moderately competent crew or it can be enjoyed while racing on the edge with spinnaker up in force 5 and 6 winds or tactically gaining inches, in a large championship fleet in a flat calm. It is a forgiving boat, easy to learn in and tolerant of a wide range of crew weight or experience.

There are seven national sailing events organised each year by the Class in Ireland. Each month from May to October there is at least one Open Meeting or Championship with attendances varying from 20 to 60 boats, depending on time of year, venue etc. On the water places are hotly contested by crews of the Gold, Silver and Bronze fleets from all around the country and off the water yarns and tips are just as hotly traded and good humored banter is the currency. Anyone who is even a little competitive soon gets hooked on the circuit and quickly makes new friends right across the spectrum of sailors both male and female. The GP14 has been popular here for 40 years and currently has fleets in 17 clubs around the country, where crews of all ages enjoy racing in brand new or older fibreglass or wooden boats costing from €1000 to €12000. The International Class Association keeps the GP14 up to date by continuous development and improvements, carefully designed not to prejudice older boats, while at the same time improving its appeal and ease of maintenance. Cost of ownership is kept down by a special class insurance scheme and restriction on the prices of major items such as sails and spars.

The GP14 Class Association of Ireland

There are about 400 GP's in Ireland with nearly 200 Association members and a strong organisation that looks after their interests with the help of the International Class Association, based in England. Our association provides a lot of help and guidance for members in areas such as Insurance, boat buying, boat tuning, race training, boat building, clubs where GP14s are sailed, World, National and Area Championships and Open Meetings etc.

In Ireland each year there are seven sailing meetings organised around the country including a Junior and Youth Championship, with entries ranging from 30 to 80 boats, most clubs are represented together with frequent visitors from the UK. There is a high standard of competition in the Class in Ireland, which has produced two World Champions and many ISA Champion of Champions and Irish boats regularly feature at the top of British Championships.

The Gp14 Class association of Ireland is organised on a regional basis by a volunteer committee who give of their time to ensure quality racing for all GP14 sailors. 

(Above details courtesy of the GP14 Class Association of Ireland) 

GP14 Class Association Of Ireland, c/o Tania MacHale, Secretary, Beech Cottage, Dromahair, Co Leitrim. Email: [email protected]

There is a space for Irish boating clubs and racing classes to use as their own bulletin board and forum for announcements and discussion. If you want to see a dedicated forum slot for your club or class, click here 

Afloat's Graham Smith wrote, on March 2009: "If 2007 had been a good one for Sligo’s Tim Corcoran and Brendan Brogan, 2008 was even better as the Western crew dominated the GP14 class, winning everything in sight.

They won the Leinsters at Blessington and then the Ulsters at home in Sligo before going on to retain their National Championship title with success at Newtownards. These results saw them win the Traveller’s Trophy and they also won the Speed Sail League, one of the class’s special annual awards.

Gerard Healy won the Youth Championship while Curly Morris headed the Master’s Championship.
Four new additions brought the national fleet up to 87 this year, with 60 of them racing regularly at the 17 established GP clubs, while turnouts at open events averaged the mid-20s. National Champions 2009: Tim Corcoran and Brendan Brogan, Sligo YC"

The Enterprise is a 4 metre, two sail sailing dinghy designed by Jack Holt. Its popularity is due to its excellent qualities both as a cruising and a two-man racing boat. The International Enterprise Class Association is based in the UK (also the UK Enterprise Association). There is also an active Irish Enterprise Association. For those who like to race, there is serious competition at both National and International level with some top names in sailing having passed through the class (eg, Shane McCarthy – now a professional sailor, Sean Craig, and Richard Estaugh).

The Enterprise Class is annually represented in the ISA Helmsman’s Championships. There are close to 23,000 registered boats world-wide and about 40 active Irish Enterprise boat owners. The Enterprise is an active and exciting chime-construction boat to sail. It has one mast and two sails (the mainsail and gib). It has neither spinnaker nor trapeze, has plenty of space, is simple in layout and is exceptionally smooth in handling. A large proportion of new boats are glass fibre. Alternatives are the composite boat for those who like wooden decks without the fuss of fitting out a wooden hull.

(Above information courtesy of Enterprise Class) 

Contact, Irish Enterprise Class Association, c/o Mr Richard Graves, President, 51 Carysfort Downs, Blackrock, Co Dublin. Email: [email protected], website: www.enterpriseclass.ie (inactive as at 23/9/09)

Afloat's Graham Smith wrote the following in the March 2009 issue: "Once the leading dinghy class in Ireland and the provider of many of Ireland’s leading sailors over a couple of decades, the Enterprise is now a pale shadow of its former self yet still provides close racing for the stalwarts who maintain an interest.

The national fleet has dwindled to around 25 dotted around six or seven clubs, with Bray – one of the pioneers of the class when it was formed 50 years ago – still the major supplier, so it’s no surprise to see Ger Dempsey from the County Wicklow club as the dominant figure in the class.

He won the two regional events – one on home waters and the other at Cullaun – before regaining his national title which Greystones’ Roy Van Maanen had taken the previous year when the event formed part of the Worlds in Dun Laoghaire.

National Champion as at March 2009: Ger Dempsey, Bray SC."

There is a space for Irish boating clubs and racing classes to use as their own bulletin board and forum for announcements and discussion. If you want to see a dedicated forum slot for your club or class, click here 

Graham Smith wrote in the March 2009 Afloat: "Clontarf and Skerries are the two promoters of the E-Boat and between them have 27 boats which race competitively at both club and open level. That number includes two boats which returned to the fold after restoration following bad damage during a storm two years ago.

Eighteen boats – effectively 70% of the national fleet – contested the National Championships in Clontarf and after six tight races, Pat O’Neill in OctopussE of the host club emerged victorious.

The other open events went to other skippers, with Pat Gilmour winning the Howth Lambay Race and John Denham winning the third Annual Liffey Challenge, an entertaining addition to the class’s racing calendar where the course boundaries are determined by solid quay walls.

The same events will feature in the E-Boat schedule for 2009 with the addition of a separate start at the Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

National Champion: Pat O’Neill, Clontarf Y&BC"

Clontarf Yacht & Boat Club – MaryRose Curran, tel 086 384 1936

Skerries Sailing Club – Ray Wall, email:[email protected]

Background

The E-Boat, designed by Julian Everitt, went into production in 1976 and to date there are in the region of 250 E-Boats around the world. She was designed to comply with IOR rules and is basically a 22 feet, four berth trailer/sailer. For the full story look at The E-Boat Story.

Specifications

Length Over All (LOA) 6.7 m                             Sail Areas

Length at Water Line (LWL) 5.5 m                      Mainsail 8.5 m²
Beam 2.8 m                                                  No.1 Genoa 15.6 m²
Draught (Keel locked down) 1.4 m                      No.2 Genoa 12 m²
Draught (Keel fully retracted) 0.25 m                  No.3 Jib 7.4 m²
Displacement 975 kgs                                      No.4 Storm Jib 2.5 m²
Ballast 318 kgs                                               Spinnaker 32 m²

The E Boat Class Association currently has a membership of around 100 worldwide, but with the majority of members living in and sailing around Great Britain, Ireland, The Netherlands and Denmark.

(Above information courtesy of the International E-Boat Class Association)

International E-Boat Class Association (UK) 

There is a space for Irish boating clubs and racing classes to use as their own bulletin board and forum for announcements and discussion. If you want to see a dedicated forum slot for your club or class, click here

The historic Water Wags are the most popular senior class of two man dinghy in Dun Laoghaire or elsewhere in Ireland.

Unlike other dinghy classes in Dun Laoghaire which sail under the burgee of the Dublin Bay Sailing Club on Tuesdays and Sundays, the Water Wags sail on Wednesdays under the burgee of their own club, The Water Wag Club, which was founded in 1887.

Each Wednesday evening from April till mid-September, (weather permitting) twenty of more of these 14'-3" long open wooden dinghies compete in a race within the shelter of Dun Laoghaire harbour.

The class offers a lifestyle, with regular social events, weekends away from Dun Laoghaire in venues such as Clew Bay, Glandore, or the River Shannon.

Who competes in the Water Wag races?
There is no age limit, although most competitors are between the ages of 25 and 75.

Although many boats are sailed by husbands and wives, there are some which are steered by wives and crewed by husbands.

Newly built boats are available on about 4 months delivery, and used boats are available from the Water Wag Club

Dublin Bay Dragon Fleet – 2009 Officers
Admiral – Martin Byrne
Hon. Secretary – Tim Pearson
Record Keeper – Daniel Murphy
Hon. Treasurer – Peter Bowring

Irish Dragon Association c/o Tim Pearson, Secretary, 44 Orpen Green, Stillorgan Grove, Blackrock, Co. Dublin. Tel: 01 283 2423, email: [email protected]

There is a space for Irish boating clubs and racing classes to use as their own bulletin board and forum for announcements and discussion. Click here for all the latest Dragon News.

Afloat's Graham Smith wrote, in the March 2009 issue: "Sorenson (from Kinsale) won the Easterns but was even more impressive in winning the Italian Nationals in San Remo, while O’Donoghue won the Edinburgh Cup and was fourth and ninth at two major French events. Not surprisingly, he won the Class’s Travellers’ Trophy for his exploits abroad.

Back home, the Royal St George’s Martin Byrne had a memorable season, winning the Southerns in Kinsale and then becoming Irish Champion from a 16-strong fleet in Dun Laoghaire. Based on combined results, however, the defending champion Neil Hegarty tops the class rankings for the year.

The Dragon’s national fleet numbers remain static, but at a very healthy 42, and turnouts at open events is confidently expected to return to previous highs in the year ahead. National Champion 2009: Martin Byrne, Royal St George YC"
 

About the The Dragon

The Dragon was designed by Johan Anker in 1929. The original design had two berths and was ideally suited for cruising in his home waters of Norway. The boat quickly attracted owners and within ten years it had spread all over Europe.

In 1937 the Gold Cup was presented to the class by the Clyde Yacht Club Association. This quickly became one of the principal championships in the class and a prestigious trophy in the world of competitive yachting.

Origin of the Name

Gunter Ahlers writes: In the beginning boats were built by the designer's yard, Anker and Jensen, as a 'cheap' scerry cruiser for young people.

When the design was submitted to the then IYRU (now ISAF) he or someone else translated his name 'Anker' into Norwegian language 'Draggen' and the English, being reluctant to speak other languages, made out of 'Draggen', 'Dragon', probably thinking that this Norwegian did not even know how to spell Dragon.

This is how this Class came to its name, so I was told years ago. If it is not quite true, it comes close to being true and is a good story anyhow... see also Early Dragon History, an informal posting on the IDA Forum

After the excitement of the World Championships on Dublin Bay the previous year, 2008 could have been something of an anti-climax for the Dragons, yet the elegant one-design still produced fleets of 18 or so for its various championship events and Irish performances overseas were highly commendable, particularly by Don O’Donoghue and Olaf Sorenson.

Aims of the IDA

To further the interests of the International Dragon Class in all countries where Dragons are sailed and to introduce the Class to new countries.

To be responsible for the administration of the class rules and coordinating proposals for rule amendments for consideration by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF).

To ensure that the class retains its "International" status by complying with the criteria adopted by the ISAF.

To co-ordinate and select venues for the following International Championships: 1 World Championships; 2 European Championships; and 3 Gold Cups

To produce regular Yearbooks containing information about the Class and the activities of the IDA for distribution to all Dragon sailors throughout the world (to be distributed by National Dragon Associations).
General Meetings

The Annual General Meeting shall take place in October or November on a date, which precedes the annual meeting of the ISAF. Unless otherwise agreed at the preceding Annual General Meeting, the meeting shall take place in London.

(The above information courtesy of the International Dragon Association)

International Dragon Association

Bucking the trend of classes remaining static or with just a few additions, the 420s have seen a remarkable spurt of an extra 20 boats to bring the national fleet up to the half-century mark. Many other classes will watch this success enviously, wondering how they can match it.

Fleets at regional championships averaged around 18 while double that competed at the Irish Championships on Galway Bay. The 420 year was looking like a Stephen Tiernan benefit as the young Corkman and his crew, Rob Lehane, dominated proceedings throughout the season, winning all three regional championships at Rush, Dromineer and Kinsale.

That flawless record, however, was spoiled at the Nationals when Howth’s Tim O’Laoire and crew Brian Kelleher topped the 36-strong fleet to take the honours in a season in which they had competed well at British, European and World levels.

National Champions (as at March 2009): Tim O’Laoire and Brian Kelleher, Howth YC

Irish 420 Class Association

There is a space for Irish boating clubs and racing classes to use as their own bulletin board and forum for announcements and discussion. If you want to see a dedicated forum slot for your club or class, click here

Graham Smith wrote, in the March 2009 issue of Afloat: "The RS stable was further enhanced by the arrival of the RS Elite keelboat class on Belfast Lough in 2006 and in less than two years, it has grown to 13 boats with five more expected in the Lough for 2009. Interest has been expressed in Cork, Dublin and Galway so 2009 may prove to be a turning point for the Elite.

The fact that the European Championships are being hosted by Royal North of Ireland YC at Cultra next June is the carrot to encourage expansion and the class promoters will no doubt be highly active over the winter months to attract more sailors to its fleet.

Simon Brien of Dragon, Squib, etc., fame has already been bitten by the bug and duly won the first ever Elite Nationals in the appropriately named ‘Athelites’. Clubmate Jeff Ralston won the inaugural Northerns in a nine-strong fleet. National Champion: Simon Brien, RNIYC."

RS Elite Ireland, c/o Gerry Reid, President, Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club, 7 Seafront Road, Cultra, Holywood BT18 0BB, N. Ireland. Tel:0044 777 484 9998, email: [email protected]

Preview ~ Cork Week 2006

(reprinted from Afloat June/July 2006)

If you’re one of the many Irish sailors who thinks Cork Week is basically ‘The Solent on tour’, check out the 2006 entry list on www.corkweek.com and you will see that there is a strong domestic sailing following for what is the country's biggest and best known regatta.

A GBR armada, however, is already preparing to colonise Crosshaven for a week of fun from July 15th and this year there may be more than ever, thanks to a charity sail from England.

In May organisers said they may have to consider capping the number of entries for the regatta due to pressure of space in Crosshaven, said Chairman Ian Venner.

“Our new Online Entry system means that we can monitor the size of the entries along with the number of boats. Our priority is to create the best possible conditions for the regatta. We want people to enjoy competitive racing but we also want to keep the unique spirit of our regatta intact.”

Thankfully this did not have to happen and all 450 entries received so far have been accomodated. This is a drop off in numbers from 2004 with 500 boats, largely because of a smaller number of UK SB3s attending and also a smaller number of UK Sigma 38s.

Virgin Money has launched the newest offshore ocean race on the sailing calendar by announcing the Big V Race where participating crews are encouraged to raise sponsorship in aid of the Everyman Cancer Campaign. Selected as a Cork Week feeder race, it will set off from its main start location, Portsmouth, on July 10th, and is open to all classes.

BBC TV presenter, Ben Fogle, who, along with Olympic gold medallist James Cracknell, was narrowly beaten into third place in the Atlantic Rowing Race, has signed up to do the Big V Sail.

Dee Cafferi’s team have also signed up and Dee has agreed to present the prize giving for the race. Details, including race regulations, can be found at http://uk.virginmoney.com/cancer-cover/bigvevents/sail/

Heading up the Irish challenge in what is hoped will be a successful outcome from the Commodore's Cup, Colm Barrington has confirmed that he will be at Cork Week in his new Ker 50, Magic Glove. It will be Gloves first event in Ireland.

UK IRC Class champions Chieftain (IRC SuperZero), Tiamat (IRC0), Mariners Cove (IRC1) and Elusive (IRC3) along with Antix and Checkmate (2nd/3rd IRC2) have all confirmed their entries for Cork Week 2006.

This represents the first major Irish regatta for some of the Irish boats, such as Chieftain and Mariner’s Cove.

Richard Matthews of Oyster Marine, a regular competitor since 1992, has also entered his Oyster 72, Oystercatcher XXVIII.

Class Zero is shaping up to be a great class for racing boats of this size with Benny Kelly also confirming his TP52 Panthera for Crosshaven. On the opposite end of the scale, the SB3 Class should have great racing with about 30/40 boats expected.

Organisers are beaming as the event’s international profile continues to grow with boats from all over the world expected. This year’s regatta has attracted first time entries from the Philippines, South Africa, Italy and Sweden.

Cork Week 2008 Preview

380 boats and a fleet packed with quality

 (reprinted from Afloat June/July 2008)

Markham Nolan previews ACCBank Cork Week that has announced a new Cup for the amateur cruiser-racer

It’s now 30 years since the concept of Cork Week was born. In 1978 Royal Cork started the tradition of a biennial regatta with just 50 enthusiastic boats and a smattering of volunteers. Little did they know what they had started. The regatta gained momentum, and ten years later the club had a major event with a cult sailing following on its hands. Cork Week had arrived.

At that stage, Cork Week was a welcome antidote to the hot-shot racing that pitted the disgruntled amateur against the pro. No pros were allowed at Cork Week, a Corinthian ethic reiterated this year with a new trophy for the amateur cruiser-racer, the Corinthian Cup supplied by the Sisk Group. Boats in IRC Class Zero, in which professional sailors are allowed, are eligible if they have a maximum of one Group 3 classified sailor on board.

However, the pros are out there, in the one-design classes and in the big boats, and part of the experience of something like Cork Week is racing at an event which can still attract top names in yacht racing. Racing against the best is an education, and there’s always the chance that you’ll rub shoulders at the bar, and perhaps learn a trick or two from a friendly pro over a pint.

Since those early days, then, Cork Week has become something of a sailing must-see. It’s a rite of passage, providing milestones every other year by which Irish sailing is measured. Do you remember your first Cork Week? Of course you do. You still tell the stories. The memory will be blurry, sunburnt and caked in salt, but you’ll remember it – for many reasons.

There’s the fact that Crosshaven, geographically, was never meant by God to see this much action. The narrow tidal estuary has overcome its limitations through innovation, expansion and pure can-do moxy to accommodate all-comers. As craft of every conceivable shape and size funnel into the harbour at the end of the racing day, you could practically walk from shore to shore without getting your feet wet, using the moving boats as stepping stones.

There’s the fact that, for plenty of us, this is, undoubtedly, the biggest and best event available.

Until recently, nothing came close to Cork Week for sheer volume, with several acres of canvas hoisted by thousands of competitors every day, and gallons of liquid refreshment sluiced through bodies every evening. It has been Ireland’s yacht racing behemoth for decades, and the numbers, when all is said and done, are mind-boggling. There’s the craic, the unquantifiable charisma that is a factor of place, people and shared experience.

And then there’s the racing. Outside the heads the fleets go their separate ways in the morning, returning to the marina, bar and bandstand together at the end of the day. The middle part of the day is filled with the reason most go to Cork – a mix of courses, conditions, classes and competition that is unsurpassed.

The secret, as always, is in the successful mix of onshore and offshore pleasures. The tent city provides as many memories as do the racecourses, and with 10,000 visitors through the gates in any given year, its status as one of Ireland’s biggest sporting events is assured. Landlubber delights this year include several top music acts, with Paddy Casey and Aslan just two of the big names gracing the tent city in ’08.

But what of the racing at ACC Bank Cork Week, the 2008 edition, which is likely to be as memorable as any other? Entries have already reached a respectable 380, down from the heady, chaotic days of 600 boats and more, but it’s a fleet packed with quality. Again, it’ll be a spectacle like no other at the top end of the ratings, where the big money and the pros live.

For those who enjoy the skyscraper effect of superyachts, as you crane your neck upwards to take in their monstrous rigs, there are a handful of over-60s, including the awesome STP 65 Moneypenny, owned by San Franciscan Jim Schwarz, and the enormous 90-foot Reichel Pugh, Rambler, one of two maxis which featured in last year’s Fastnet Race.

However, it’s the slightly smaller TP52s that have the most potential for high-speed, close quarters cut-and-thrust racing. The six one-design carbon sleds (or as close as dammit to one-design), include Colm Barrington’s Flash Glove. The fleet will line out off Roches Point and those following form will be offering slim odds on Benny Kelly’s Panthera, which has stolen a clutch of victories around England’s south coast already this year.

Ten Farr 45s form another high-performance one-design category within IRC class Zero, as well as, further down the ratings, ten X332s, a dozen Beneteau 31.7s and more than two dozen J109s, which will share guns for some toe-to-toe action in their Irish Championships.

And among the cruiser-racers, the beating heart of the event, you’ll find a slew of top club racers facing off against crews returned from the Commodore’s Cup.
 
The newly-swelled ranks of the SB3 class are expected to number into the forties, with entries coming from as far afield as Australia.

For the slightly more sedate, yet no less competitive, forty-something entries flesh out the increasingly popular white sails gentleman’s class.

All that remains is to get thee to the Rebel County for another edition of Ireland’s premier regatta. It’s all there once again – everything that makes the week as special as it is. The line-up is solid. The stage is set. Cork it.  
 

The Admiral's View

Describing himself as a ‘reluctant admiral’ when it comes to telling his story, Mike MacCarthy started sailing in dinghies at the Royal Cork Yacht Club at about nine or ten years of age. He’s now been involved for 30-odd years having worked up to admiral, a position he will fill for the next 18 months having started in the position in January 2008.

Enjoying his tenure, looking forward to Cork Week and commenting on what it means to be admiral, MacCarthy maintains that, “the club here is quite large and there are a number of different sections: racing, dinghies, cruising, and motor-boating, and each group has their own social element. I have to try and represent every one of these and not just the club itself, which makes the job time-consuming, yet very interesting”.

Putting a slight sail to his own story, MacCarthy acknowledges “I’m from the racing fraternity and the name of my boat is Checkmate – a family association – which is a racing cruiser, and I enjoy racing in West Cork and go to Dublin on a regular basis, and I’ve been to Dún Laoghaire Week several times”.

If the Royal Cork Yacht Club had the ear of Government, MacCarthy would like to see “a better system to allow the club develop its facilities, both land- and water-based. For instance, if I had a €5 million donation tomorrow, I wouldn’t be able to build a marina. Or a slipway. The planning regulations and the red-tape between The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, valuation departments and county councils (even though Cork County Council has been very good to us and has been very understanding) is a nightmare. We have a wish list of a number of projects we’d like to do including extending our marina, putting in a crane, and developing an extra slipway. However, with all the different departments to negotiate with, it’s incredibly difficult to improve the quality of the club.”

Tralee Bay Sailing Club

Tralee Bay Sailing Club (TBSC) situated in Fenit, Co. Kerry was founded in 1956 by a group of local enthusiasts. From rudimentary beginnings the Club has grown and now boasts a vibrant and expanding membership together with a clubhouse and a sailing school.
 
The setting of the Clubhouse overlooking Tralee Bay near Fenit Harbour provides panoramic views of Tralee Bay from Blennerville Windmill to the Marahees and westward to Bandon Point.

It is the combination of this spectacular backdrop together with the protected inshore waters of Tralee Bay, which provides a tremendous venue for competitive sailing events such as National Championships and WIORA. To the seaward of Tralee Bay more vigorous conditions prevail – south to Dingle and West Cork and north to the Shannon Estuary and Galway.

In addition to the TBSC clubhouse, with changing rooms, showers, kitchen, storage and licensed bar, the adjacent Fenit Harbour provides a sheltered 110 berth marina with associated facilities.

Cruiser racing takes place from March to October on Tuesday and Thursday evenings with a number of Sunday races. Dinghy racing is on Sundays during March, April, September, October, November and on Wednesdays and Saturdays from May to August inclusive.

Visitors are always welcome!

Tralee Bay Sailing Club, Fenit, Tralee, Co. Kerry. Tel: 066 713 6119, email: [email protected]

(Courtesy of Tralee Bay Sailing Club)

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