Suddenly, it’s summer in Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Oh for sure, we all well know that, meteorologically speaking, it seems to have been bright sunny summer in Dun Laoghaire town since at least Easter, and maybe earlier. But in the Harbour, it isn’t really officially summer until the anchorage within the curve of the East Pier – The Bight as it’s known – is well-filled with a colourful array of yachts and boats lying serenely to their moorings. And the first stage of that vital marker took shape on Saturday, with the annual lift-in - COVID-19 delayed for two months - at the National Yacht Club, with forty boats going afloat in a steady day’s work.

Hibernation at the National YC. Thanks to the use of a long-jib crane, the boat-deck storage space is optimised for winter lay-up of members’ boats. But with the summer well upon us, the COVID-19 two-months delay meant they’d over-stayed their welcome. Photo: Brian McCullough

Led by Commodore Martin McCarthy - who looked every inch The Gaffer with a decidedly rakish and stylishly white customised NYC hard hat - it was a communal members’ effort, focused around the professional skills of a William O’Brien crane whose driver seemed doubly-determined to prove the accuracy of firm’s motto: “O’Brien Can Shift It”.

The crane had an apparently endlessly-extending jib which would have disappeared into the cloud base, had there been one. But it was a day of searing sunny heat, despite which everyone kept their cool and worked in compliance with the Industrial Outdoor Covid Restrictions – in other words, Building Site Regulations.

Dawn patrol for the first to be lifted-in. With forty boats to be splashed, it was an early start to a long day

Having a long-jib crane is central to the operation, as its use maximises the boat-deck storage area. Instead of space-consuming trailers, the members’ boats can be neatly dropped from high above into and out of spaces only slightly bigger than their basic support cradles, in what is for all the world like a continuous “Beam me up, Scotty” procedure.

“O’Brien Can Shift It” – an O’Brien long-jib extending crane enables boats to be extracted from their minimalist space-maximising berths in a “Beam me up, Scotty” operation. Photo: Afloat.ie/David O’Brien

Well, it wasn’t quite continuous, as the tidal times meant there was insufficient depth in the launching bay for two hours around the lunch-time low water. But although the clubhouse itself is shut, the kitchen is open, and the ubiquitous manager Tim O’Brien was on had to make sure that the creations of club chef Cormac Healy were rolling out for al fresco lunches in some welcome shade.

The it was back to work with the continued steady splashing-in of everything from the class of vintage Ruffian 23s (“We’re classics now, y’know”), right up to the flotilla of J/109s, including the Hall family’s distinctive dark blue Something Else, Dun Laoghaire’s senior boat of the marque.

Dress code was high vis vest, hard hat and industrial gloves, but otherwise casual

As late afternoon drew on, the boat-deck space emerged as newly-cleared, and it seemed enormous. There’ll be tidying up for a while and a bit of re-organisation, but by Thursday (June 4^th) the space will be ready for dry-sailers and dinghies and the fleet of Flying Fifteens, finally released from their extended hibernation in storage in the Wicklow Mountains.

Meanwhile on Saturday after a day of mega-achievement, there was the return to the current reality, with the realisation that there was no question of everyone adjourning to the club bar for some very refreshing and well-earned pints. But useful alternative arrangements may have been in place on an individual basis, and anyway there was nothing to beat the refreshing feeling of a complex communal job very well done.

Nearly there. A Shipman 28 goes aloft, with just four boats still to be launched in a long day’s work which saw forty boat go afloat. Photo: David OBrien/Afloat.ie

Summer will continue to return officially to Dun Laoghaire Harbour in the coming days with the Royal Irish YC boat-deck open for use to dry-sailers and dinghies from Tuesday June 2^nd onwards, while as mentioned just now, the National YC’s deck is in business from Thursday. Then on Saturday June 6^th there are big crane lift-ins at the Royal St George YC and the Dun Laoghaire Motor YC, and on Sunday it’s the turn of the Coal Harbour Boatyard to make use of the crane which will have been at the DMYC on Saturday.

As to sailing, it is of course already available for those who can comply with some quite strict restrictions, and in theory some limited racing will be possible for these compliers. But now that the boats are getting afloat again, we can expect a greater focus on clarifying what is possible. To revert to Star Trek, it may not be racing as we know it, Jim, but it will be some sort of racing nevertheless.

Almost the last in. The David Cheverton-designed wooden classic Carrick Witch finally gets gratefully afloat. The intense sunshine and heat of recent days has been very harsh on wooden boats still ashore

Additional photography by Michael Chester below

The National Yacht Club re-opened its platform at Dun Laoghaire Harbour yesterday, for the purpose of preparing boats for Lift in on Saturday 30th May.

The original annual lift-in date on April 11 was postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The Government Roadmap Phase 2 starting on Monday, June 8th, and the NYC anticipate it will be possible for some sailing to take place thereafter.

The club is working with DBSC and the other clubs to shape a summer sailing program that is safe but 'exciting and fun', according to Commodore Martin McCarthy.

As Afloat reported previously, all four of Dun Laoghaire Harbour's Waterfront Clubs will combine to host a Solidarity Regatta on Friday 31^st July & 1st August, all being well.

Meanwhile, the club's honorary member Annalise Murphy was back training yesterday after 55 days off the water, as Afloat reported here.

With the Government announcement last week of the phased plan to relax restrictions, sailing can begin preparing for a resumption of sailing activity in accordance with the phases of that plan. The National Yacht Club has now cancelled its special 150th-anniversary Regatta originally scheduled for the 10th to the 13th of June.

The NYC will be working with the other Dun Laoghaire waterfront clubs to put on the 'Dun Laoghaire Combined Clubs Solidarity Regatta 2020’ planned for 31st July to 3rd August if circumstances allow, and with a fallback Plan B date of September 5/6 also in the Irish Sailing and DBSC diaries.

The 2023 SB20 World Championships will be hosted in Ireland by the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire Harbour, County Dublin.

The successful Irish bid for the event will see the World Championships return to Dublin Bay in September 2023, 15 years after the inaugural world championships were sailed at the NYC in 2008.

That event attracted 136 SB3s drawn from 13 countries and was won by Britain's Geoff Carveth, Roger Gilbert, Roz Allen & Sarah Allan.

More recently, Dun Laoghaire's Royal Irish Yacht Club hosted the successful SB20 European Championships in 2018 when a final race win for Royal St. George's Michael O'Connor, the 2017 SB20 Corinthian World Champion, allowed him to produce the goods again for Ireland by taking third overall.

The plan for 2023 is to achieve the largest ever number of nations attending an SB20 World Championships, according to SB20 Irish President John Malone.

Due to Covid-19 the SB20 Worlds in 2020 (Cascais), 2021 (Singapore) and the Europeans in 2021 (St Petersburg) have all been moved forward by one year, the updated Calendar is as follows:

SB20 World Championships Calendar

• 2021 Cascais, Portugal (29th of August to 3rd of September)
• 2022 Singapore
• 2022 St Petersburg, Russia (European Championships)
• 2023 Dun Laoghaire, Ireland (National Yacht Club, September)
• 2024 The Hague, Netherlands (June)

The National Yacht Club has joined other yacht clubs across reland in launching its own members 'eSailing' League.

Series One of the NYC League will comprise five races every Thursday evening for the next four weeks using the ‘Virtual Regatta Inshore’ platform. 

The Virtual Regatta platform allows you to race people from across the world and even get yourself an Irish Sailing ranking!

As regular Afloat readers will know, Aat the neighbouring Dun Laoghaire Harbour Royal Irish Yacht Club, Enda O'Coineen got the RIYC Virtual league underway on Saturday.

A racing tips video (get practising!) is here:

A new Dublin Bay regatta involving the whole Dun Laoghaire sailing waterfront has been announced for July 31st to August 3rd. 

The 'Dun Laoghaire Combined Clubs Solidarity Regatta 2020' is an initiative of all five of Dun Laoghaire's yacht clubs as a response to the COVID-19 interrupted season.

"The event is a joint effort of the DMYC, RIYC, RStGYC, NYC and DBSC", according to Mark McGibney, the sailing manager of the Royal Irish Yacht Club.

We plan to run this regatta from Friday 31st July to the 3rd August.

In these uncertain times, the clubs have also decided to 'book' the weekend of the 5th/6th September as reserve dates if the August dates fall through.

More details as we have them.

Read also: 2020 Irish Sailing Fixtures (The Beyond COVID-19 Version)

The National Yacht Club has decided to reschedule the lift-in back to its ‘normal’ mid-April weekend (eg back by one week) to Saturday 11th April.

The lift-in had been brought forward by a week to Saturday 4th April as the 11th was during the Easter bank holiday weekend and the East Pier club were anticipating that some boat owners might be away.

However, as the weather has been very poor since Christmas and NYC says it thinks the additional time to prepare for the sailing season will be welcomed by owners.

The NYC says it doesn't think that many people will make travel arrangements over Easter or go on with previously made arrangements

The Irish Cruiser Racing (ICRA) National Championships return to Dublin Bay in 2021 it was confirmed at the weekend.

The National Yacht Club at Dun Laoghaire will host the three-day championships from May 28 to 30th, just a week before the East Pier Club also stages its biennial offshore 2021 Dun Laoghaire to Dingle race.

The announcement was made by ICRA Commodore Richard Colwell at last weekend's annual conference that attracted a turnout of 50 despite the storm warnings. 

A fleet of up to 100 boats in four divisions is expected for the championships that last sailed in Dublin Bay in 2019 when hosted by the Royal St. George Yacht Club.

This year the championships are heading for Royal Cork Yacht Club as part of the line up for the Cork Harbour Club's 300th celebrations at Cork Week Regatta.

Meanwhile, Dun Laoghaire Dingle Race Chairman Adam Winkelmann has set the date for the next edition of the D2D as Wednesday 9th, June 2021.

Dun Laoghaire Harbour's National Yacht Club celebrated another year of great sailing by its members at their annual awards dinner last Saturday night.

The club, that celebrates its 150th birthday this year, has fourteen annual awards for outstanding sailing achievements by members awarded from nominations received from members of the Committee and Sailing Sub Committee.

The awards reflected a great horizon of sailing activity and administration in 2019.

Commodore Martin McCarthy awarded the "Commodore's Award" to Chris and Sandra Moore. The husband and wife team were rewarded for their dedicated and ongoing voluntary service in support of sailing. 

Download the full NYC Awards booklet below. Prizegiving photos by Michael Chester

The Club has fourteen annual awards for outstanding sailing achievements

The Commodore’s award was presented to Chris and Sandra Moore. The award was made for their dedicated and ongoing voluntary service in support of sailing in the National Yacht Club and Dublin Bay Sailing Club over many years

John O’Gorman (left) receives The Boyne Regatta Cup. It is awarded to the member who achieved the best performance in Offshore racing of the year, he finished third in the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle race and was the best-placed National YC member

Clare Gorman receives The Winkleman trophy (2003) from her Mum & Dad Sarah and David. It is awarded to the cadet member who has the finest sailing achievements during the year

Jack Roy receives The Paul Murphy Cup (2009) from Paul's widow Ruth. Jack has been awarded the Cup for his unmatched commitment in Race Management including as PRO every Thursday for DBSC and for the Subaru Flying Fifteen pre - worlds regatta and World Championships

Chris Doorly and David O’Gorman receive The Edward Yacht Club Trophy (1919) from the Commadore Martin Mc Carthy is awarded to the member who achieves the best performance of the year in dinghies, Mermaids or Flying Fifteens

Commodore’s Commendation Fiona Staunton, Susan Spain, Tony Fox & Crew, Ida Kiernan and Frank Burgess for their contribution to the National Yacht Club in many areas  

William Byrne, (Grandson of John Byrne) receives The John Byrne memorial trophy (1989) from his Father Rory and NYC Commodore Martin McCarthy. The Cup is awarded to the member who achieves the greatest contribution to sailing at the NYC during the year 

Helen Cooney and Rosemary O’Connell, receive The Sue McDonnell Trophy is awarded to the member who has contributed most to the advancement of women in sailing. Presenting the trophy is John, Sue's Husband.

The Martin Crotty Cup (2017) Tom Shanahan has been awarded the Martin Crotty Cup for his season as skipper of J109 Ruth campaigning in Dublin Bay and ISORA and finishing in fourth place in the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle race. Pictured are Ben and Tom Shanahan with Commodore Martin McCarthy

The Wild Geese Trophy was awarded to Ian Mathews (centre) for his outstanding and success in raising sponsorship for the Subaru Flying Fifteen World Championships while being based in Abu Dhabi

Brian Bourke receives The Muglins Cup (1949). Brian has been awarded the Mullins Cup for his family cruise to an isolated archipelago situated 40 miles west-northwest of North Uist in the North Atlantic Ocean

Noel Butler and Stephen Orman receive The O’Leary Cup. The trophy is awarded to the member who achieves the best performance of the year in One Designs. Noel and Stephen were rewarded for a “Fireball Grand Slam” in 2019.

Today's popular National Yacht Club's Christmas Eve Swim at Dun Laoghaire Harbour has raised funds 'beyond expectation' for Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin.

The swim off the club's slipway took place from 10.45 am and featured waves of swimmers at phased times.

Open to members and non-members (for a small entry fee) the icy plunge is held annually in aid of good causes and again attracted a big crowd of participants and onlookers in the east coast port.

A donation was also raised for Kings College Hospital ICU in London.

Among the throngs of participants. the swim attracted Olympic silver medalist Annalise Murphy and 1988 Olympian Aisling Byrne.

Photos below by Michael Chester

1988 Olympian Aisling Byrne (left), Olympic Race Officer Con Murphy and Olympic silver medalist Annalise Murphy prepare for the dip

The CBC Monkstown senior rugby cup team joined the NYC Swim

Commodore Martin McCarthy (right) with Christmas Eve swim supporters