Sailing on Saturday with WM Nixon
#woodenboats – On Midsummer's Day, W M Nixon looks back on the already busy and event-filled Irish season of 2014, and reflects on the extraordinary longevity of some boats, their remarkable variety, and the diverse characters who own them. When…
Fun Sailing at ICRA's Cruiser–Racer Nationals at The Royal Irish Yacht Club
14th June 2014 W M Nixon
#cruiserracing – The opening day of the ICRA Nationals at the Royal Irish YC in Dun Laoghaire offered W M Nixon the chance of a painless transition through Friday 13th, and the discovery that there is a life after spinnakers.…
#cruiserracing – The three day ICRA Nationals begin next Friday (June 13th) at the Royal Irish YC in Dun Laoghaire. The entry of one hundred and eleven boats from all parts of Ireland will inevitably see the numbers emphasis on…
#historicboats – The historic Water Wag class in Dun Laoghaire have been doing well for some time now, but for 2014 they're already showing even more vitality. W M Nixon reckons they're right up there with the famous X One…
Racing Wooden Boats Round Lambay's Traditional Course Simplifies Yacht Racing
24th May 2014 W M Nixon
#hyc – Simplify the courses, make the starts more accessible, and sign up interesting boats, ideally with historical interest - those are some of W M Nixon's suggestions for stimulating sailing. They're going back to their sailing roots in Howth. The historic Lambay…
ICRA Link–Up With Kinsale 2015 Underlines Cruiser–Racer Willingness To Guide & Go With The Flow
17th May 2014 W M Nixon
#cruiserracing – As we start to emerge from seven years of recession, we find the world of sailing has undergone changes which may have not been noticed in the struggle for economic survival. To prosper today, it seems that sailing…
Ireland's Wooden & Traditional Boats Have A Fine Flagship in This Shannon Cutter
10th May 2014 W M Nixon
#woodenboat – The wonderful world of Ireland's wooden boats is a winding trail. W M Nixon went to West Clare to see one boat, but unexpectedly happened upon another with which he was totally smitten. Then he found the original…
#irishsailing – After five years of economic contraction, there are signs of recovery, and the 2014 Irish sailing season has also got off to a flying start. W M Nixon looks at various signs of new energy and initiatives, and…
#fingal – The Government's recent move to create a framework for the direct election of a new all-powerful Mayor for Dublin was expected to be a shoo-in. The new Super-Mayor's authority would incorporate the current four local councils of Dun…
#cruiserracing – For the ordinary participant, sailing events just seem to happen. All they have to do personally is simply turn up, and get involved each year in a programme which somehow fits together both locally and nationally. But a…
#yachtclubs – The antiquity of Irish recreational sailing is beyond dispute, even if arguments arise as to when it started, and whether or not the Royal Cork YC really is the world's oldest club in its descent from the Water…
#chillout – As the sailing community ponders the global fall-off in casual sailing numbers, leading sailor Ken Read reckons that one of the reasons is because our sport is getting too serious. He says it's time for most sailors to…
#historicboats – These days we're told of the growing disparity between the economic recovery of Ireland's eastern region, and the relative economic stagnation of some of the rest of the country. But W M Nixon suggests that, for one part…
Is Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) The Most Effective Sailing Organisation in the World?
14th March 2014 W M Nixon
#dbsc – Ireland's largest yacht racing organisation is Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC), which administers the regular weekly programme for the entire Dun Laoghaire fleet. It has been such an accepted part of sailing's furniture for so long that it…
#boatsforsale – Time was when shrewd boat buyers went into action in the Autumn, when the post-summer downturn in enthusiasm might just make the used dreamboat affordable with a bargain end-of-season price. But these days, when most of us are…
#cluboftheyear – The Mitsubishi Motors "Sailing Club of the Year" for 2014 will be announced tonight. W M Nixon looks back on a unique inter-club contest with which he has been involved since its inception 35 years ago, and reflects…
