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Displaying items by tag: speed sailor

27th September 2010

John Kenny RIP

The sailing community is mourning the loss of Irish speed sailing record holder John Kenny (37) following a tragedy last Wednesday night at Hanover Quay in Dublin.

John's funeral took place this morning at St. Patrick's Church, Ringsend. Details HERE. A passionate and true sportsman he pioneered the sport of speed sailing in Ireland.

John is survived by his mother and father Rose and Sean, sister Charlene, Caroline and brother Tony, his partner Linda Balfe and children Conor, Orlagh and Brona.

John was named Irish Independent/Afloat.ie "Sailor of the Month" last January after pushing the bounds of waterborne wind-powered speed in Ireland in winter's big breezes.

Previously Afloat's Sailor of the Month in October 2008 when he set a new Irish record in Dungarvan, Co. Waterford.

He achieved a personal best of a burst of 45.3 knots (it's 84 kph) and averaged 42.52 for the 500 metres to take the Irish Speed sailing record.

On his blog windsurfer Alistair Nichol today said:

"I am still shocked that my good friend John Kenny passed away last week. The next time I turn up to go speed sailing and he will not be there giving me a kick up the arse cause i'm not sailing fast enough and not see him charging down the speed course usually setting the fastest runs of the day is going to be wierd. Whenever i sailed with him he was always pushing me to do better. He lived his life to the full, giving 100% in anything he did and the world will be a much smaller place without him in it and he will be missed by all who had the pleasure to know him. RIP...mate hope your getting 50 knot runs in up there"

southend

John 'JK' Kenny competing at speed in the UK. Photo: Paul O'Riain

 

Published in News Update

Coastal Notes Coastal Notes covers a broad spectrum of stories, events and developments in which some can be quirky and local in nature, while other stories are of national importance and are on-going, but whatever they are about, they need to be told.

Stories can be diverse and they can be influential, albeit some are more subtle than others in nature, while other events can be immediately felt. No more so felt, is firstly to those living along the coastal rim and rural isolated communities. Here the impact poses is increased to those directly linked with the sea, where daily lives are made from earning an income ashore and within coastal waters.

The topics in Coastal Notes can also be about the rare finding of sea-life creatures, a historic shipwreck lost to the passage of time and which has yet many a secret to tell. A trawler's net caught hauling more than fish but cannon balls dating to the Napoleonic era.

Also focusing the attention of Coastal Notes, are the maritime museums which are of national importance to maintaining access and knowledge of historical exhibits for future generations.

Equally to keep an eye on the present day, with activities of existing and planned projects in the pipeline from the wind and wave renewables sector and those of the energy exploration industry.

In addition Coastal Notes has many more angles to cover, be it the weekend boat leisure user taking a sedate cruise off a long straight beach on the coast beach and making a friend with a feathered companion along the way.

In complete contrast is to those who harvest the sea, using small boats based in harbours where infrastructure and safety poses an issue, before they set off to ply their trade at the foot of our highest sea cliffs along the rugged wild western seaboard.

It's all there, as Coastal Notes tells the stories that are arguably as varied to the environment from which they came from and indeed which shape people's interaction with the surrounding environment that is the natural world and our relationship with the sea.