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A Harbour Seal photographed at Dun Laoghaire Marina on Dublin Bay, Ireland. Also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. The most widely distributed species of pinnipeds, they are found in coastal waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Baltic and North seas. Photo: AfloatA photograph of a Harbour Seal taken at Dun Laoghaire Marina on Dublin Bay, Ireland. Also known as the common seal, this species can be found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines throughout the Northern Hemisphere. They are the most widely distributed species of pinnipeds and can be found in the coastal waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans, as well as the Baltic and North Seas. Photo: Afloat

Displaying items by tag: Howth Yacht Club

The concluding day's one extra race at the Investwise Youth Sailing National Championships at Howth Yacht Club, slotted in between the morning's sunlit near-calm and the mid-afternoons varying attempts at fog, provided some key classes with an additional discard to affect the final top places.

While Howth Yacht Club's Harry Dunne continued to play a very steady game of exemplary style in the Optimists to take a second in Race 10 and retain the overall lead, it was to be by only one point ahead of Royal St George's Caoilinn McDonnell.

Her initially stellar performance of a string of wins had been marred by two huge setback showings, so though she was back in 12th place in the final race, the availability of an extra mega-discard meant that overall she could now finish second overall by just that one point astern of Dunne, with 30 pts to his 29, while Royal Cork's Andrew O'Neill was another 9 points astern in third overall.

Results below

Published in Optimist
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Rocco Wright won a home waters victory at the Investwise Youth Sailing National Championships in Howth on Sunday.

Wright took the ILCA 6 Youth National Champion title by a clear margin of ten nett points after ten races sailed across a range of conditions that concluded in light winds.

The Howth Yacht Club sailor was followed by his clubmate Luke Turvey on 25 points. One-time series leader Tom Coulter of (East Antrim Boat Club) was third on 29 points in the 33-boat fleet.

Wright, of Howth Yacht Club, adds the domestic title to his recently won bronze in the ILCA 6 Men’s class at the ILCA European Championships in Andora, Italy, as Afloat reported here.

ILCA 4 Title for Pierse

The ILCA 4 title was won by Royal Cork’s Oisin Pierse, with Krzysztof Ciborowski (Royal St George YC) and Cillian Twomey (Howth YC) in second and third place.

Results are below

Published in Laser

With several local weather systems working themselves into lathers of various combinations, it seems that Howth in April for the four-day Investwise Youth Sailing Nationals can either provide sunshine but little wind, or a rising sou'easter but with eventually thickening grey cloud. Things were decidedly brisk by the time today's (Saturday) full third day programme was completed on an ultimately sunless sea and with the busiest classes showing nine valid race results, they already have a championship and then some.

But the Stakhanovite Race Teams are apparently planning to try to fit in another three races tomorrow (Sunday) before they call the final results.

By this stage, the overall winners in most classes are now emerging from among two or three top boats, with some instances of remarkable consistency belying the youth of the contenders, which is maybe an ageist sort of comment, but there you go.

Wright on top in ILCA 6

The ILCA 6s saw local boy Rocco Wright continue on top form to log two firsts and a second, which gives him a mighty margin as he's on 13 points OA to the 21 of East Antrim's Tom Coulter, who by the end of the day was looking astern rather than ahead, as Howth's Luke Turvey is snapping on his heels just one point astern.

O'Shaughnessy and Spain lead 29ers

The Cork/Dun Laoghaire combination of Ben O'Shaughnessy and Ethan Spain have it a bit closer in the 29ers, as they've only a couple of points in hand at the front of the fleet on Dun Laoghaire's Van Steenberge duo, the totes being 11 to 13.

McDowell and Thompson Strong in 420s

But in the 420s the combination of Malahide and Wicklow in the form of Jack McDowell and Henry Thompson appears very strong; they lead on 14 to the 20 of Malahide's Kate Campion and Amelie Soffe, who are another case of stern chase concentration, as they've only a spare point on the Blessington/Malahide combination of Cora McNaughton and Sean Cronin, who in turn are only a point clear of the might of Dunmore East and Galway Bay as combined by Max Sweetman and Roisin Mitchell Ward.

Pierce Overtakes in ILCA 4s

In the ILCA 4s, Royal Cork's Oisin Pierce has taken the overall lead by 3 points from Royal St George's Krzysztof Coborowski, with Lucy Ives third and Cillian Twomey best of the host club in fourth, but in the Optimists local sailor, Harry Dunne got through to Saturday night by taking over the overall lead with a day's result of 2, 2, 8 and 3 to put him ahead of Royal St George's Andrew O'Neill by 35 to 44, meaning that young Harry is putting together the sort of consistent series favoured by strategists, as he's always there or thereabouts, but has only recorded one race win.

Brady moves up to third in Optimists

Gemma Brady of the National in Dun Laoghaire has now moved into the Optimist frame to be third overall, just four points behind Andrew O'Neill, but the George's Caolinn McDonnnell continues to climb back up the rankings after yesterday's (Friday) upsets, her score today was 8,1,1,5, which is consistency plus, and it puts her at sixth OA after being back at 15th.

Driscoll is Topper leader

In the Toppers, Tom Driscoll of Ballyholme stays in the overall lead after Cormac Byrne of Strangford Sailing Club/Ballyholme YC retired from today's final race, with third place held by Caoimhe Corkery of Cfosshaven and Kinsale.

For the final races today (Sunday), the wind looks like being more directly and damply from the south, and at one stage there's even a suggestion that mist or even fog might intervene for a while. But the heat being generated by the intensity of competition in this roller coaster regatta will surely burn off any mist or fog in no time at all.

Published in Youth Sailing
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Some placings waxed and waned, occasionally quite spectacularly, in Day 2's racing in the Investwise Youth Sailing Nationals at Howth, as wind and weather struggled to stabilise themselves after the theatrically unsettled conditions experienced earlier in the week.

Nevertheless, in a testing time for Race Officer teams, the more senior classes, which had already notched two races on the opening afternoon on Thursday (Day 1), got themselves three further completed contests, while the newbies in the Toppers and ILCA 4s stepped up to the plate to start their championships with two races logged.

Already there'll be competitors who will be hoping for a full slate of finishes by the time racing concludes on Sunday, as two of the overnight leaders may be looking for everything that further discards have to offer. In the substantial Optimist fleet (43 boats racing), overnight clear leader Caoilinn McDonnell (Royal St George Yacht Club) scaled the extremes of experience with a UFD, a first, and a retiral to put her back to 15th overall despite having a neat lineup of three bullets for her three fully finished races.

An Optimist competitor sails past the Martello Tower on Ireland's Eye at Howth Yacht Club Photo: HYCAn Optimist dinghy competitor sails past the Martello Tower on Ireland's Eye at Howth Yacht Club Photo: HYC

There was excitement for the home Optimist fleet when local rising star Harry Dunne won the day's first race, and then a fifth in the second kept him up in lights, but a DNF in the third dropped him back to 7th OA at the end of the day.

Meanwhile, the Young Crusaders of Royal St George kept up their assault across a broad front, as Jules Start moved into first OA with a 13,3,1 while clubmate Conor Cronin took up second OA ahead of Andrew O'Neill of Royal Cork Yacht Club.

At the other end of the five-class regatta fleet, the ILCA 6s saw local stars Rocco Wright and Luke Turvey find their mojo with persistent performances in the frame, but Rocco was glad to have the first discard kick in as he was disqualified in the day's first race, but then made amends with two clear wins. Luke meanwhile had a first and two seconds, so it needed a tie-break to put Rocco ahead, as both are on 7 points total. Overnight leader Tom Coulter of East Antrim went back to 12 points total, as he'd to make do with a discarded 8th, and a retained 3rd and 6th.

World youth sailing gold medalist Rocco Wright leads the ILCA 6 division in his home waters at Howth Photo: World SailingWorld youth sailing gold medalist Rocco Wright leads the ILCA 6 division in his home waters at Howth Photo: World Sailing

It looks as though we're going to have to get used to spelling Krzysztof Ciborowski's name properly, as the young Royal St George YC helm ended the day on tops in the ILCA 4s after logging a 4th and 1st to put him ahead of Royal Cork's Oisin Pierse in another tie break, as both are on a total of 5, with another gong for Royal St George with Seth Walker third OA on a 5th and 2nd in a class of 34 boats.

The Toppers put out a fleet of 40 to see Tom Driscoll of Ballyholme become a clear overnight leader with two firsts to the 6th and 2nd of Cormac Byrne (SSC & BYC), with Lucy Moynan of Royal Cork keeping it cross country on third from a 4th and 5th.

TWO HANDERS

Ben O'Shaughnessy of Crosshaven's Royal Cork YC and Ethan Spain of the National YC continued on form in the 29ers with a 2,1,2. When you're discarding a second, the smart money bets you're overall leaders, and so they are, yet it's only on a tie-break against the Van Steenberges (Clementine & Nathan) from Dun Laoghaire, while Lucia Cullen (Royal St George) and Alana Twomey (Royal Cork) are third on 11 to the leaders' 6.

International 29er performers Lucia Cullen (Royal St George) and Alana Twomey (Royal Cork) are lying third in Howth at the Youth Sailing Nationals International 29er performers Lucia Cullen (Royal St George) and Alana Twomey (Royal Cork) are lying third in Howth at the Youth Sailing Nationals 

The 420s saw Jack McDowell of Malahide and Henry Thompson of Wicklow have a great day on the water - with third and two firsts; they shot into the overall lead one point overall ahead of Malahide's Kate Campion and Amelie Soffe, while the cross-country mix of Max Sweetman of WHSC (Dunmore East) and Roisin Mitchell Ward of Galway Bay stayed in the frame on third overall.

When seen in the context of the week's earlier weather, it wasn't a bad day at all, but the promises of significantly warmer conditions have generally held back to Saturday (Day 3) when we hope to see a more steady southerly keeping this stylish and entertaining regatta on track.

Published in Youth Sailing

Storm Antoni has been making quite a lot of noise and bother all over Ireland in recent days, but now he has moved east just in time for the Investwise Youth Sailing Nationals 2023 to move in on Howth from the west, with a fleet of 168 boats in six classes keen to show that they're the youth stars of today and the adult stars of tomorrow in four days of increasingly intense competition concluding on Sunday.

Optimist, Topper, ILCA 4, ILCA 6, 420s and 29ers classes are competing.

Principal Race Officer David Lovegrove is looking at a scenario in which conditions promise to improve as the weekend moves in, and a forecasted rise in temperatures will be particularly welcome.

Further details here

Published in Howth YC
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Howth Yacht Club again hosted the annual Irish Universities Sailing Association Keelboat Student Nationals in the Club J80s in its traditional time slot of the last weekend in March.

The weather provided a bit of everything on Saturday, but we started off in a Westerly breeze of about 14kts, which was ideal.

Flight 1 sailed their series without any real incident, with some excellent racing resulting in Technical University Dublin (TUD)1 leading the way with the slenderest of margins of 1 point over University College Cork (UCC)1. MTU (Munster Technical University) were the third boat left, anxious to see if they would claim the spot in the final.

Flight 2 got off after a swift changeover and turnaround and started uneventfully; however, when approaching the windward mark at the end of the first downwind leg in Race 1, a squall blew in, leading to much excitement and, unfortunately, a badly ripped jib. This led to a long delay whilst the sail was taken ashore and repaired.

During this delay, the wind started fading rapidly, and Races 2 & 3 were sailed in lighter conditions with full sails; the reefs have been in up to that point. Unfortunately, it was not possible to sail races 4 & 5 that day as the wind had now died completely, so it was therefore decided that the flight would continue on Sunday morning.

The weekend brought a wide variety of weather, but late on Saturday the wind departed to force a prompt start on Sunday – despite the clocks going forward.The weekend brought a wide variety of weather, but late on Saturday the wind departed to force a prompt start on Sunday – despite the clocks going forward.

Sunday dawned, and despite losing an hour’s sleep due to the beginning of Summertime, we were all set to go on time for the 10AM gun. The wind was 15-16 knots in a very lumpy North Easterly, making life uncomfortable for all, and the Race Committee took the decision to leave the spinnakers in their bags and sail under white sails only.

This led to TUD2 winning the group, again by only one point from University College Dublin (UCD)1 who did very well as they had to count an OCS. Queens University Belfast (QUB) finished third and scored exactly the same points as MTU had in the first flight. This meant that the countback tie-breaker had to be employed, leaving MTU as the unlucky losers.

By the time we were ready to start the final series, the wind had dropped to about 12kts, so the spinnakers were back in. The racing was incredibly close, with the two top teams from Flight 1 renewing their recent rivalry. UCD1 were also determined to show their strengths, with these three teams sharing out the race wins between them.

Now an established Varsity sailing fixture in the last weekend of March, the Keelboat Champs in Howth’s J/80s can usually find a hint of SpringNow an established Varsity sailing fixture in the last weekend of March, the Keelboat Champs in Howth’s J/80s can usually find a hint of Spring

In the final race, UCC1 led TUD1 by one point, with UCD1 a further two points back. At the bottom mark the first time around, TUD1 held the lead and the Micheal O’Suillebhain-captained UCC1’s woes were worsened when their spinnaker got snagged at the top of the mast, and they struggled to retrieve it - but retrieve it they did, without losing too much ground. They then showed us why they had gone into the final race ahead by sailing a brilliant second half of the race and coming out on top.

A fantastic weekend’s sailing was capped by some incredibly tight racing which was a real joy to watch.

Final scores:

  • UCC1 18pts 1st
  • TUD1 21pts 2nd
  • UCD1 22pts 3rd

Finally, with a weekend like this, there are nearly as many volunteers as there are competitors. A huge thank you goes out to all the volunteers who helped to make this event the great success it always is.

Report by Scorie Walls

Published in Howth YC
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The Howth Yacht Club Spring Frostbite series was concluded on Sunday (March 5th) when the final day of the series achieved delivery of 100% of the planned races, with the host club giving deeper meaning to “generous hospitality” by allowing visitors to take the title in all but one of the four classes. Aisling Kelly (Rush SC), Marco Sorgassi (RStGYC) and Ronan Wallace (Wexford HB&TC) took the overall victories in the ILCA 4, 6 and 7 Classes while Daragh Sheridan was the only Howth winner to take the overall prize in the PY Class with his RS Aero 7.

Although the westerly wind was a relatively modest 10 – 12kn, the air temperature was the main topic of conversation. The sunshine of recent weeks was intermittently repeated, but nature’s link to the thermometer appeared to have disconnected, and the chill gave another reminder of why the event has justified its ‘Frostbites’ title since it started back in the 1970s.

Let’s hear it for the Wexford Harbour Boat & Tennis Club! Southeast star Ronan Wallace on his way to another overall win. Photo: Neil MurphyLet’s hear it for the Wexford Harbour Boat & Tennis Club! Southeast star Ronan Wallace on his way to another overall win. Photo: Neil Murphy

Race Officer Jim Lambkin decided on Windward-Leeward courses for the two races, and despite the anxiety of some of the ILCA sailors to get racing a little before the start guns for both, only one general recall was needed with the individual recall signal sorting the rest.

With the wind oscillating through 20 degrees and a strong ebb tide running more strongly down one side of the course, the good strategists (and the fortunate) were able to capitalise on getting to the right place at the right time, but there was plenty of place-changing in both races. The strong tide setting the boats down on the starboard tack approach to the windward mark caused some a lot of grief, and judging the right amount to overstand what would normally have been the correct layline made a big difference to how long and how many extra tacks were needed to get around it.

Two further variants on the 14ft theme – Alan Blay in the vintage Geep hangs in ahead of Jeremy Beshoff in the B14. Photo: Neil MurphyTwo further variants on the 14ft theme – Alan Blay in the vintage Geep hangs in ahead of Jeremy Beshoff in the B14. Photo: Neil Murphy

Tristan Nelson and Peter Freyne, who normally sail single-handed RS600s, brought out their International 14 to get some practice in for the upcoming Round the Island Race. It added considerably to the Sunday morning spectacle on the Sound, not only when the boat was vertical and travelling very fast, but also while it was transitioning to horizontal mode.

Given the complexity and performance of these thoroughbreds of the dinghy racing world, an occasional lie down is a fate to avoid. Having clocked up 12kn+ on Sunday in a breeze of around the same velocity, their boat speed should make them a favourite for line honours in the Round the Island this Saturday...but their opposition will be taking inspiration from the fable of the tortoise and the hare.

Malahide’s Daragh Peelo keeping cover on Paul HassettMalahide’s Daragh Peelo keeping cover on Paul Hassett Photo: Neil Murphy

Most of the ILCA 4 fleet were afloat early for a pre-race coaching session with Aoife Hopkins. The initial six boats enjoyed great racing, but Cillian Twomey (HYC) was a model of consistency and took the winning gun in both races. Glenda Gallagher (MYC) and Aisling Kelly took the other podium places in the first race, while Thea Daly (HYC) came out for the second race and added to the fun, finishing third behind Ciara McMahon (HYC) in second. Aisling Kelly’s consistency over the series brought her to first overall with Viktor Samoilovs (MYC) taking second.

In the ILCA 6s, Marco Sorgassi (RStGYC) added to his tally of race wins in the first race of the day, his 12th victory out of the eighteen races, and it secured his overall win for the series. In the second race, Fiachra Farrelly (HYC) sailed exceptionally well to grab the final race win of the event, while Marco had to be content with third. Darragh Peelo (MYC) rounded out the podium in both races with a third and then a second, which was enough to secure him second place overall.

The ILCA 7s had a lower turnout than usual for the last day with both Dan O’Connell (Cove SC) and Conor Murphy (HYC), two of the usual front runners, not racing. In Race 1, Oisin Hughes (RStGYC) sailed a great race to fend off second-placed Ronan Wallace, with Rory Lynch (Baltimore SC) taking third. Ronan was back in front in Race 2 with Rory as runner-up, while Dave Kirwan (MYC) added to his very consistent results over the series with a good third place.

Conor Twohig chases the Street boat in the GP14s while the ILCAs suss out the hydrography of the south end of Ireland’s Eye. Photo: Neil MurphyConor Twohig chases the Street boat in the GP14s while the ILCAs suss out the hydrography of the south end of Ireland’s Eye. Photo: Neil Murphy

Dave has the distinction of having won races in both the ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 Classes during the event, choosing the rig size that best suited him on each day to secure 11 ‘top 3’ finishes, including 4 wins, out of the 18 races completed. The top three finishers for the overall series in the ILCA 7s were Ronan Wallace, Dan O’Connell and Rory Lynch, with only two points separating Conor Murphy in fourth from fifth placed Oisin Hughes.

The PY Class completed their first Frostbite Series after 40+ years of the event being restricted to Lasers and then ILCAs. The 13 entries enjoyed close racing as the numbers built over the series and the results proved that the PY ratings are a fair reflection of how boats from the various Classes should perform.

Daragh Sheridan (HYC) opened a comfortable lead during the first part of the Series in his RS Aero, which allowed him enough of a cushion to secure first overall despite not racing on the last day. The wide range of boat types competing included two RS 600s, a B14, Fireball, three RS Aeros, an RS 800, the International 14 and five GP 14s.

Match racing practice within the GP 14s for the Street and Blay boats. Photo: Neil MurphyMatch racing practice within the GP 14s for the Street and Blay boats. Photo: Neil Murphy

The GP14s proved themselves well able to sail to their handicap, and once their crews became familiar with the intricacies of racing on Howth Sound, proved a match for the RS Aeros. Daragh’s tally of eleven race wins stood to him in the end, but the GP14s took first on corrected time in seven of the last nine races, albeit with Alan Blay (SDC) taking six of them and Denis Cully (Blessington SC) the seventh. Alan and Denis each took a win on the last day to confirm Alan as runner-up to Daragh Sheridan, while Conor Twohig (SDC), also in a GP14, took third overall to finish just ahead of Jeremy Beshoff’s B14.

The Round the Island Race will take place on Saturday next, March 11th, and all those not entered are reminded that entries close at midnight on Wednesday, March 8th. There is already a great entry of ILCAs and a wide variety of PY Class boats, so come and join the fun and work out your solution to the eternal quandary of this race – clockwise or anti-clockwise!!

Report by Neil Murphy

Published in Howth YC
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The penultimate morning's racing on Sunday, 26th February, for the Howth Yacht Club Spring Series 2023 finally experienced an onshore wind. Yet it was no Beast from the East, but more of an often sunny though sometimes brisk 12-15 knot easterly breeze that welcomed the contenders to the sailing area, where Harry Gallagher got two races cleanly away.

A triangular course followed by a windward-leeward, with separate starts for the ILCA and PY fleets. This week's racing gave the competitors their 4th and final discard, which has shaken up the leaderboards.

All the fleets have podium spots still to fight for, setting up what will be a hotly contested final series race on Sunday, March 5th. The winter season isn't quite over, though; the annual come-all-ye Round the Island Race takes place on Saturday, 11th March, which gives the ultimate bragging rights for the HYC winter sailing.

Out on his own...ILCA 7 National Champion Dan O'Connell of Cobh logged two wins on Sunday for the Howth leaderboard. Photo: Neil MurphyOut on his own...ILCA 7 National Champion Dan O'Connell of Cobh logged two wins on Sunday for the Howth leaderboard. Photo: Neil Murphy

The ILCA 7s saw Dan O'Connell demonstrating why he was crowned National Champion in Tralee Bay 6 months ago, closing the day with two wins from two. He led each race the whole way around, keeping Ronan Wallace at arms length, only allowing Ronan 2nd in each race. Conor Costello delivered his strongest day of the series, clinching a 4th and a 5th. Richard Tate swapped the 4th and 5th with Costello, while Zander took home 6th in each race. Dan's two wins aren't enough to unseat Ronan from the top spot in the series overall, while Conor Murphy fills in 3rd. Oisin Hughes and Rory Lynch will be fighting with Murphy for the final podium place, unfortunately, gear failure just before race 1 precluded Lynch from taking part.

Dave Kirwan of Malahide fighting off Marco Sorgassi of Dun Laoghaire.....Photo: Neil MurphyDave Kirwan of Malahide fighting off Marco Sorgassi of Dun Laoghaire.....Photo: Neil Murphy

......with a spot of gybing to sharpen the mix as they shape the final approach the mark. Photo: Neil Murphy......with a spot of gybing to sharpen the mix as they shape the final approach the mark. Photo: Neil Murphy

ILCA 6s saw the same finishing order of Dave Kirwan, Marco Sorgassi and Charlie Savage in both races. They showed remarkable speed to keep in the mix with the ILCA 7s around the course in both races. Marco holds an insurmountable lead in the series overall, regardless of what happens next week. The rest of the fleet will need the next 2 races to straighten out, with Kirwan, Darragh Peelo and Fiachra Farrelly fighting for the final two podium places, each are on 50 points.

 "The Heavies" lead the Geeps. Fresh from collecting some silverare at the Puppeteer 22 dinner in HYC the night before, Alan Blay had the McNally might aboard in the morning to help display his GP14 expertise. Photo: Neil Murphy "The Heavies" lead the Geeps. Fresh from collecting some silverare at the Puppeteer 22 dinner in HYC the night before, Alan Blay had the McNally might aboard in the morning to help display his GP14 expertise. Photo: Neil Murphy

The ILCA 4s had the strongest turnout of the day, with 9 sailors showing their skills that they've been learning from HYC's Aoife Hopkins in recent weeks. Charlie Keating took 1st in both races, while the rest of the top 6 saw plenty of changes between the two races. Glenda Gallagher and Aisling Kelly took a 2nd each, while Viktor Samoilovs and Ciara McMahon took home a 3rd each. Kelly leads the series overall with 31 points, followed closely by Samoilovs and Riaghan Boardman.

Personal testing of the product....Series Organiser Conor Murphy has been in every race sailed. Photo: Neil MurphyPersonal testing of the product....Series Organiser Conor Murphy has been in every race sailed. Photo: Neil Murphy

The PY fleet had a range of classes making up the 8 boats on the water, and the results show an apparent preference that the different classes have for the different courses. The fast reaches of the triangle favour the RS Aeros, leading to Daragh Sheridan's win in
race 1, followed by the GP 14s of Alan Blay and Conor Twohig. Race 2's windward-leeward course favoured the GP14s, with their symmetrical kites giving them the boost they needed downwind to overcome Sheridan's Aero. Blay took first, followed by fellow GP14s
Conor Twohig and Peter Boyle. Mike Evans was joined by HYC's own ILCA ace Ewan McMahon for the day, but they couldn't break into the podium places in the handicapped fleet. Sheridan has a safe lead on the series heading into the final weekend of racing, while Blay has moved into 2nd overall, followed by Jeremy Beshoff's B14 in 3rd.

There's plenty to play for in the final races of the series next week, and the long-range forecasts are promising some great conditions. The Round the Island Race follows the series on Saturday, 11th March, and there are already entries from all over the country for all sorts of boats in addition to our usual classes, including whispers of Mermaids and International 14s coming to compete for the annual prize. Don't miss out; make sure to get your entries in.

 

Published in Howth YC
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For the seventh weekend in a row in the Spring Series of the HYC Dinghy Frostbites, two races went ahead on schedule in the waters north of Howth Harbour. A 11-15 knot south-westerly breeze, with a maximum gust of 23 knots, welcomed the sailors to the start line. Race Officer Liam Dineen got two races away for the ILCA and PY fleets, the first around a windward-leeward, then the second around a triangular course. A strengthening ebb tide made the beats "interesting" and the laylines difficult to judge, but by the end of the racing the sun had come out, making the racing that bit more enjoyable.

Early leaders Dan O'Connell (Cobh) from Conor Murphy (Howth) and Dave Kirwan (Malahide). Photo: Neil MurphyEarly leaders Dan O'Connell (Cobh) from Conor Murphy (Howth) and Dave Kirwan (Malahide). Photo: Neil Murphy

With only two more weeks of racing before the season-closing Round the Island Race on March 11th, the fleets are tight-knit. The ILCA 7s had some of their closest racing yet. In Race 1, there was stiff competition to start at the pin end, however with the ebb tide pushing everyone towards it, Ronan Wallace ended up striking the pin mark as the start gun went. As he did his 360 penalty, the rest of the fleet moved on up the beat.

Conor Murphy, Dan O'Connell and Rory Lynch had a very tight battle around the first two laps of the course, however on the third lap, while those three original leaders fought it out with each other, Wallace sped cleanly up the beat and got right back in with the pack. By the finish line, he had stolen 1st, Lynch 2nd and O'Connell 3rd, making it Wexford, Balitmore and Cobh without a Howth boat on the podium, though after a 35 minute race, only a few boat-lengths separated the top four.

The Comeback Kid. Despite taking a 360 at the start, Ronan Wallace came through for the bullet and is now overall leader on countback, tying with Dan O'Connell. Photo: Neil MurphyThe Comeback Kid. Despite taking a 360 at the start, Ronan Wallace came through for the bullet and is now overall leader on countback, tying with Dan O'Connell. Photo: Neil Murphy

Con Costello brings his ILCA out of a tack while Tristan Nelson sails serenely by in the RS600Con Costello brings his ILCA out of a tack while Tristan Nelson sails serenely by in the RS600

Dave Kirwan was unfortunate to be called OCS, but recovered well in Race 2 to take 5th, after the same 1st to 4th places as in race 1. Wallace leads the series overall, but is tied on points with O'Connell. Rory Lynch follows 5 points behind in third, while Conor Murphy and Oisin Hughes fight it out for fourth with only two points between them.

Marco Sorgassi from Dun aoghaire continues to show the ILCA 6s what's what, with another 2 wins to solidify his overall lead. Daniel O'Hare showed consistency and took two 2nd places. Darragh Peelo took 3rd in race 1 and Fiachra Farrelly took it in race 2. Peelo and Farrelly are tied on 41 points apiece for 2nd place, so with 4 races to go, the rest of the podium after Marco is all to play for.

Aisling Kelly keeping things under control in the ILCA 4s with Mackay, Savage and Daragh Sheridan in the RS Aero astern and to lee. Photo: Neil MurphyAisling Kelly keeping things under control in the ILCA 4s with Mackay, Savage and Daragh Sheridan in the RS Aero astern and to lee. Photo: Neil Murphy

The ILCA 4s saw Aisling Kelly solidify her overall lead with a 3rd and a 1st. Des Turvey won the race 1, but unfortunately didn't complete race 2. Viktor Samoilovs and Maedbh Butterly took home the rest of the podium places for the day. Aisling Kelly has a 3.5 point lead over Viktor Samoilovs in the series, who in turn has a 7.5 point lead over Riaghan Boardman.

Malahide's Daragh Peelo demonstrating that an hour or two of good winter sailing is as much of a morale booster as a whole day in summer. Photo: Neil Murphy Malahide's Daragh Peelo demonstrating that an hour or two of good winter sailing is as much of a morale booster as a whole day in summer. Photo: Neil Murphy 

The PY fleet again saw its now usual mix of RS Aeros, 600, 800, GP14s and a B14. Alan Blay's GP14 and Daragh Sheridan's RS Aero swapped 1st and 2nd in each race. The windward leeward of Race 1 favoured the GP14, allowing Blay to win by over a minute on corrected time. However in Race 2, the fast reaches favoured Sheridan's RS Aero, and he took first by a narrow 11 seconds on corrected time. Tristan Nelson's single-handed trapezing RS600 took third in both races. Overall in the series, Sheridan still has a healthy lead, but only 9 points separates Jeremy Beshoff (B14) and Alan Blay in the fight for secnd. Four more more races and one more discard could make or break the series.

Renaissance Man....the multi-talented ICRA "Boat of the Year" co-skipper Mike Evans takes RS800 racing in his stride. Photo: Neil MurphyRenaissance Man....the multi-talented ICRA "Boat of the Year" co-skipper Mike Evans takes RS800 racing in his stride. Photo: Neil Murphy

Boss Woman....Aisling Kelly leads the ILCA 4s. Photo: Neil MurphyBoss Woman....Aisling Kelly leads the ILCA 4s. Photo: Neil Murphy

Puppeteer 22 ace helm Alan Blay hones his skills with GP 14 racing success, and won the first race by a clear minute. Photo: Neil MurphyPuppeteer 22 ace helm Alan Blay hones his skills with GP 14 racing success, and won the first race by a clear minute. Photo: Neil Murphy

Full results are available below. Meanwhile make sure to get entries in for the Round the Island Race, taking place on Saturday 11th March.

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Another Sunday, another good turnout for the HYC Dinghy Frostbites. A hint of sunshine and a gentle southerly breeze with slowly clearing skies welcomed 28 boats to the race course, as race officer Neil Murphy sent the fleets on two races around windward-leeward courses. The breeze brought plenty of shifts, gusts and lulls, while a flooding tide - the exact opposite of the previous weekend - encouraged most sailors close towards the shore for rock-crawling or sand-shuffling to get up the beats in the slackest water. And with the tide-imposd discipline, all the starts got cleanly away.

Time is whistling by, and now only three Sundays and six races remain in this series which is noted - so far - for the regular completion of its full weekend programme in 2023, regardless of the winter weather being experienced elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere. Admittedly hints of a "Beast from the East" meteorological experience in the next two or three weeks may upset the current clear picture, but already the leaderboard has a meaningful set of results in place. Thus all hope for the best in the three weekends between now and the Big One, the season-closing Round the Island Race on Saturday 11th March for which we are told there'll be a fleet of "ludicrous variety" added to the seasoned campaigners emerging from this current Spring Series.

On Sunday, the ILCA 7s saw Dan O'Connell of Cobh and Rory Lynch of Baltimore returned after their St Brigid's Bank Holiday Weekend absence - presumably home in the Rebel County - and both came back with a bang with a win each. Conor Murphy rounded out the top spots of the day, taking whatever podium places left from the other two. Dan, taking his first win of the series in the second race of the day, now leads the series overall with 24 points. Ronan Wallace of Wexford, Rory Lynch, Conor Murphy and Oisin Hughes fill out the rest of the top 5 for the series. With only 4 points separating 2nd to 5th, and one more discard to come, expect plenty of position changes over the next few weeks.

Let's hear it for the Rebel County! Dan O'Connell of Cobh has his first race win in the Spring Series at Howth on Sunday, but thanks to consistency he now has a narrow overall lead. Photo: HYCLet's hear it for the Rebel County! Dan O'Connell of Cobh has his first race win in the Spring Series at Howth on Sunday, but thanks to consistency he now has a narrow overall lead. Photo: HYC

Marco Sorgassi (RStGYC) returned to the top of the ILCA 6s with two clean wins, sailing fast and rubbing shoulders with the ILCA 7s most of the way around the course. Fiachra Farrelly and Darragh Peelo swapped second and thrrd in each race to fill out the rest of the podium places. Marco leads the series with an impressive 9 points after 12 races, but only one point separates Howth's Fiachra Farrelly and Malahide's Darragh Peelo, so this one might go to the wire.

Marco Sorgassi (RStGYC) consolidating his overall lead in the ILCA 6. Photo: HYCMarco Sorgassi (RStGYC) consolidating his overall lead in the ILCA 6. Photo: HYC

The ILCA 4s had two new race winners in MYC's Glenda Gallagher and HYC's Des Turvey. MYC's Viktor Samoilovs continues to rack up some great results, and clinched the remaining podium places for the day's racing. There was even a photo finish required for the second race of the day,
as Viktor and Des crossed the line together after two complete laps of the windward-leeward course. With the race committee ultimately unable to separate the two, both were awarded 2.5 points for the race. Aisling Kelly leads the series overall, but Viktor is only 0.5 points behind in second and Riaghan Boardman (Rush) is only another 3.5 points behind him in turn.

The PY fleet and their growing numbers earned them their own start again this week. Another impressive display from Alan Blay in his GP14 saw him take two firsts, firmly unseating Daragh Sheridan's long streak of winning at least one race each weekend in his RS Aero. Conor Twohig and Matthew Cotter's GP14 swapped second and third with Daragh Sheridan's RS Aero with nail-biting margins - separation of 2 seconds and 4 seconds on corrected time in each race.

Three more weekends, six more races, and if the weather holds up there's no reason to not continue the brilliant quality of racing achieved this weekend. Full results from this weekend are available here: www.hyc.ie/results

Everybody is at it - Stephen Quinn, better known for campaigning his J/97 Lambay Rules, keeps himself ahead of Daragh Sheridan's RS Aero. Photo: HYCEverybody is at it - Stephen Quinn, better known for campaigning his J/97 Lambay Rules, keeps himself ahead of Daragh Sheridan's RS Aero. Photo: HYC

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For all you need on the Marine Environment - covering the latest news and updates on marine science and wildlife, weather and climate, power from the sea and Ireland's coastal regions and communities - the place to be is Afloat.ie.

Coastal Notes

The Coastal Notes category covers a broad range of stories, events and developments that have an impact on Ireland's coastal regions and communities, whose lives and livelihoods are directly linked with the sea and Ireland's coastal waters.

Topics covered in Coastal Notes can be as varied as the rare finding of sea-life creatures, an historic shipwreck with secrets to tell, or even a trawler's net caught hauling much more than just fish.

Other angles focusing the attention of Coastal Notes are Ireland's maritime museums, which are of national importance to maintaining access and knowledge of our nautical heritage, and those who harvest the sea using small boats based in harbours where infrastructure and safety pose an issue, plying their trade along the rugged wild western seaboard.

Coastal Notes tells the stories that are arguably as varied as the environment they come from, and which shape people's interaction with the natural world and our relationship with the sea.

Marine Wildlife

One of the greatest memories of any day spent boating around the Irish coast is an encounter with Marine Wildlife. It's a thrill for young and old to witness seabirds, seals, dolphins and whales right there in their own habitat. And as boaters fortunate enough to have experienced it will testify, even spotting a distant dorsal fin can be the highlight of any day afloat. Was that a porpoise? Was it a whale? No matter how brief the glimpse, it's a privilege to share the seas with Irish marine wildlife.

Thanks to our location in the North Atlantic, there appears to be no shortage of marine life to observe. From whales to dolphins, seals, sharks and other ocean animals, the Marine Wildlife category documents the most interesting accounts around our shores. And we're keen to receive your observations, your photos, links and video clips, too!

Also valuable is the unique perspective of all those who go afloat, from coastal sailing to sea angling to inshore kayaking to offshore yacht racing, as what they encounter can be of great importance to organisations such as the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG). Thanks to their work we now know we share the seas with dozens of species who also call Ireland home. But as impressive as the list is, the experts believe there are still gaps in our knowledge. Next time you are out on the ocean waves, keep a sharp look out!

Weather

As an island in the North Atlantic, Ireland's fate is decided by Weather more so than many other European countries. When storm-force winds race across the Irish Sea, ferry and shipping services are cut off, disrupting our economy. When swollen waves crash on our shores, communities are flooded and fishermen brace for impact - both to their vessels and to their livelihoods.

Keeping abreast of the weather, therefore, is as important to leisure cruisers and fishing crews alike - for whom a small craft warning can mean the difference between life and death - as it is to the communities lining the coast, where timely weather alerts can help protect homes and lives.

Weather affects us all, and Afloat.ie will keep you informed on the hows and the whys.

Marine Science

Perhaps it's the work of the Irish research vessels RV Celtic Explorer and RV Celtic Voyager out in the Atlantic Ocean that best highlights the essential nature of Marine Science for the future growth of Ireland's emerging 'blue economy'.

From marine research to development and sustainable management, Ireland is developing a strong and well-deserved reputation as an emerging centre of excellence. Whether it's Wavebob ocean energy technology to aquaculture to weather buoys and oil exploration, the Marine Science category documents the work of Irish marine scientists and researchers and how they have secured prominent roles in many European and international marine science bodies.

Power From The Sea

The message from the experts is clear: offshore wind and wave energy is the future. And as Ireland looks towards the potential of the renewable energy sector, generating Power From The Sea will become a greater priority in the State's 'blue growth' strategy.

Developments and activities in existing and planned projects in the pipeline from the wind and wave renewables sector, and those of the energy exploration industry, point to the future of energy requirements for the whole world, not just in Ireland. And that's not to mention the supplementary industries that sea power projects can support in coastal communities.

Irish ports are already in a good position to capitalise on investments in offshore renewable energy services. And Power From The Sea can even be good for marine wildlife if done properly.

Aside from the green sector, our coastal waters also hold a wealth of oil and gas resources that numerous prospectors are hoping to exploit, even if people in coastal and island areas are as yet unsure of the potential benefits or pitfalls for their communities.

Changing Ocean Climate

Our ocean and climate are inextricably linked - the ocean plays a crucial role in the global climate system in a number of ways. These include absorbing excess heat from the atmosphere and absorbing 30 per cent of the carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere by human activity. But our marine ecosystems are coming under increasing pressure due to climate change.

The Marine Institute, with its national and international partners, works to observe and understand how our ocean is changing and analyses, models and projects the impacts of our changing oceans. Advice and forecasting projections of our changing oceans and climate are essential to create effective policies and management decisions to safeguard our ocean.

Dr Paul Connolly, CEO of the Marine Institute, said, “Our ocean is fundamental to life on earth and affects so many facets of our everyday activities. One of the greatest challenges we face as a society is that of our changing climate. The strong international collaborations that the Marine Institute has built up over decades facilitates a shared focusing on our changing ocean climate and developing new and enhanced ways of monitoring it and tracking changes over time.

“Our knowledge and services help us to observe these patterns of change and identify the steps to safeguard our marine ecosystems for future generations.”

The Marine Institute’s annual ocean climate research survey, which has been running since 2004, facilitates long term monitoring of the deep water environment to the west of Ireland. This repeat survey, which takes place on board RV Celtic Explorer, enables scientists to establish baseline oceanic conditions in Irish waters that can be used as a benchmark for future changes.

Scientists collect data on temperature, salinity, water currents, oxygen and carbon dioxide in the Atlantic Ocean. This high quality oceanographic data contributes to the Atlantic Ocean Observing System. Physical oceanographic data from the survey is submitted to the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) and, in addition, the survey contributes to national research such as the VOCAB ocean acidification and biogeochemistry project, the ‘Clean Atlantic’ project on marine litter and the A4 marine climate change project.

Dr Caroline Cusack, who co-ordinates scientific activities on board the RV Celtic Explorer for the annual survey, said, “The generation of long-term series to monitor ocean climate is vital to allow us understand the likely impact of future changes in ocean climate on ecosystems and other marine resources.”

Other activities during the survey in 2019 included the deployment of oceanographic gliders, two Argo floats (Ireland’s contribution to EuroArgo) and four surface drifters (Interreg Atlantic Area Clean Atlantic project). The new Argo floats have the capacity to measure dissolved ocean and biogeochemical parameters from the ocean surface down to a depth of 2,000 metres continuously for up to four years, providing important information as to the health of our oceans.

During the 2019 survey, the RV Celtic Explorer retrieved a string of oceanographic sensors from the deep ocean at an adjacent subsurface moored station and deployed a replacement M6 weather buoy, as part of the Irish Marine Data Buoy Observation Network (IMDBON).

Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the IMDBON is managed by the Marine Institute in collaboration with Met Éireann and is designed to improve weather forecasts and safety at sea around Ireland. The data buoys have instruments which collect weather and ocean data including wind speed and direction, pressure, air and sea surface temperature and wave statistics. This data provides vital information for weather forecasts, shipping bulletins, gale and swell warnings as well as data for general public information and research.

“It is only in the last 20 years, meteorologists and climatologists have really began to understood the pivotal role the ocean plays in determining our climate and weather,” said Evelyn Cusack, Head of Forecasting at Met Éireann. “The real-time information provided by the Irish data buoy network is particularly important for our mariners and rescue services. The M6 data buoy in the Atlantic provides vital information on swell waves generated by Atlantic storms. Even though the weather and winds may be calm around our shores, there could be some very high swells coming in from Atlantic storms.”