Displaying items by tag: Flor O'Driscoll

9th June 2015

Irish J24s Lie 14 & 16 in Strong Euro Fleet

#j24 – Royal St. George's Flor O'Driscoll is 14th after three races of the J24 Europeans in France this week. 16th is Howth Yacht Club's Kilcullen (Cillian Dickson in a fleet of 32 boats from seven European countries. France, Ireland, Hungary, Great Britain, Italy, Germany, Greece are participating at in Crouesty de Arzon,France including representatives from the USA and Brazil. What is all the more remarkable is that this year's fleet is one of the strongest fields in a number of years.

A top USA J/24 team from Rochester, New York – Mike Ingham and gang has reinforced a strong European field. Topping it all off with regards to talent and experience will surely be multiple World and South American Champion, Mauricio Santa Cruz sailing Bruschetta with partners King and Revore.

Top ten after 3 races
1. Mike Ingham, USA, 5 points
2. Duncan McCarthy, GBR, 6
3. Ignazio Bonanno, ITA, 19
4. Frank Schonfeldt, GER, 19
5. Anthimos Nicolaidis, GRE, 23
6. TIll Pomarius, GER, 24
7. Johann Huhn, GER, 26
8. Tom Stryi, GER, 27
9. Mark Karsunke, GER, 27
10. Francois De Herce, FRA, 27

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30th August 2014

Change of J24 Leader as Big Winds Sweep Through Lough Erne

#j24 – Day two of the Irish J24 National Championships made for a gruelling affair for the competitors as winds gusted above 25 for most of the racing day writes Andrew Carey.

With it brought a change to the leaderboard with Flor O'Driscoll's Hard On Port taking line honours in the first two races of day two.

Unfortunately for the leader after day one, JP McCaldin's Jamais Encore, retirement from race one due to a damaged rudder meant that running repairs were called for as the fleet raced on in race two, but tantamount to the resolve of the Lough Erne boat, JP and his crew returned to take line honours in the final two races of the day.

With heavy winds and squalls rolling in off the north western shores, the 12 crews took their punishment as the country's best J24 boats battled and vowed for the lead which changed throughout the tight racing.

With 6 races sailed, Hard On Port has the lead by three points over Stefan Hyde's Hamilton Bear and Jamais Encore and further eight points back.

With two races to sail on the last day, close racing will again be to the fore as the top boats battle it out for the national J24 title.

Results after 6 raced
Hard on Port Flor O'Driscoll RsGYC
Hamilton Bear Stefan Hyde RCYC
Jamais Encore JP McCaldin LEYC
Kilcullen Gordon Stirling HYC
Crazy Horse Tim Corcoran SYC

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22nd June 2011

Countback needed to decide J24 Western Championship

Irish J24 Champion Flor O'Driscoll and his crew on 'Hard on Port' won the first J24 regional event of the season – the Western Championship at Lough Ree Yacht Club – last weekend but not with his usual margin of victory. Instead, he was pushed all the way by several boats and in the end only took the title on countback from Fergus O'Kelly & Others on 'Jibberish' (Howth YC).

O'Driscoll, the Corkman who sails out of the Royal St.George but is racing in Howth this season in preparation for the forthcoming BMW European Championships there in September, got off to the perfect start by winning the first race but was black-flagged in the second, when victory went to local boat 'Jeb' (Andrew Mannion) ahead of 'Jibberish'.

Heavy squalls in race 3 mixed things up again with Stefan Hyde/Declan MacManus's 'Kilcullen' taking the gun from local man Stan Bradbury in 'Javelin'. The fourth race was sailed in Force 5+ winds and with most boats opting for jibs, it was 'Jeb' who took the honours and so lead overnight.

On the second day, Mickey McCaldin's 'Murder Picture' from Lough Erne won race 5 from 'Jibberish', a result that meant any of the top six could win the event going into the final race. O'Driscoll and crew held their nerve to beat O'Kelly et al to the line, leaving the two tied on points after the discard.

On countback, two race wins was enough to give the edge to 'Hard on Port' and 'Jeb' finishing third. Three points separated the top five points, illustrating the closeness of competition in this one-design keelboat class.

J24 Western Championships at Lough Ree YC - Results:

Hard on Port Flor O'Driscoll (RStGYC/HYC) 14ptsJibberish Fergus O'Kelly et al (HYC) 14 ptsJeb Andrew Mannion (LRYC) 16 ptsJavelin Stan Bradbury (LRYC) 16 ptsKilcullen Hyde/MacManus (RCYC/HYC) 17 pts

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12th September 2010

Masterclass by O'Driscoll earns J/24 national title

An exhibition of how to win sailing races on the second day of the Irish J/24 Championships at Howth saw Flor O'Driscoll and his crew from the Royal St.George YC on 'Hard on Port' deservedly win the national title he has craved for several years, by the impressive margin of 19 points.

Three bullets on day two, including one which required coming from behind to outfox former champion Stefan Hyde by the final leeward mark, was sufficient to give the pre-event favourite the championship. O'Driscoll's cause was certainly helped when overnight leader and defending champion Mickey McCaldin on 'Murder Picture' (LEYC) was one of five boats 'black-flagged' on the first race start after PRO David Lovegrove imposed the penalty following a couple of general recalls.

That effectively ended the Ulster crew's challenge and it was followed by two other poor results which ultimately dropped them to 6th overall. The black flag decision also had a significant impact on other overall results, with another Lough Erne entry, Diarmuid O'Donovan's 'Sayonara' jumping four places to earn the runners-up spot, thanks to two second places and an 8th. It was enough to edge past clubmate and J/24 Class President Robin Eagleson who wasn't as effective as on the first day but did more enough to justify 3rd overall and also first in the silver fleet for the older boats.

Howth's 'Jibberish' (Fergus O'Kelly et al) was more than pleased with 4th overall, just one point away from a podium finish, an encouraging performance considering the crew did not have the benefit of a full season's practice as a result of serious collision damage back in June. One point further back was Andrew Mannion's 'Jeb Stuart', with three top six places on the second day lifting the Lough Ree boat two places in the overall standings.

That four points separated second from fifth places overall indicates the closeness of one-design racing while Gordon Davies on the Jury Boat was kept busy over the two days maintaining rule observation on the water. The full 8-race schedule was completed, generally in fresh westerlies, with the race management team complemented on their performance over both days, when strong tides were a significant factor.

The 17-boat fleet, one of the biggest J/24 fleets in recent years, augurs well for the J/24 Europeans at Howth next year, with around eight nations already confirming their intention to compete.

J/24 National Championship – final results after 8 races:

1. Hard on Port – Flor O'Driscoll (RStGYC) 13 points

2. Sayonara – Diarmuid O'Donovan (LEYC) 32 points

3. Luder Too – Robin Eagleson (LEYC) 34 points

4. Jibberish – Fergus O'Kelly (HYC) 35 points

5. Jeb Stuart – Andrew Mannion 36 points

6. Murder Picture – Mickey McCaldin (LEYC) 44 points

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12th September 2010

McCaldin Defending Title in Style

J/24 National Championships – Day 1 After indifferent form in previous regional championships, Mickey McCaldin of Lough Erne YC did not arrive in Howth as the favourite to retain the Irish title he won last year but after the first five races of the eight race series, he and his experienced crew on 'Murder Picture' have made it clear that they intend to hold on to the trophy.

His championship defence couldn't have started any better, with three successive bullets. The fourth race was something of a disaster for them finishing 14th but 5th in the final race of the first day sees them two points clear of their major rival for the honours, Flor O'Driscoll (RSt.GYC) on 'Hard on Port' who notched up three third places and a win the final race to stay very much in touch with the defending champion.

Local hopes centre on 'Jibberish' (O'Kelly & Co) and they did not disappoint. Having only taken delivery of the boat two days ago after repairs to serious damage suffered months ago in a T-bone collision, they might be excused for not performing, as they got re-0acquainted with their boat. A results card that included two second places and the most impressive race win of the day – the margin of victory was very impressive – puts the Howth crew in third place overall going into the second day.

Tying on points but ranked as 4th is J/24 Class President Robin Eagleson of Lough Erne YC on 'Luder Too' who also showed great consistency with three second places and might have ended the day even higher up the leader-board if it wasn't for a disastrous last race when the tides played havoc with the distinctively red boat at the windward mark.

Two other northern boats – JP McCaldin's 'Jamais Encore' (Dalgety Bay SC) and 'Sayonara' (D.O'Donovan, LEYC) – fill the next two places overall.

The five windward-leeward races were sailed in varying (although generally fresh) conditions, with headsail changes the order of the day, while the last race threw up gusts of 30 knots plus at the 17-boat fleet. The series concludes on Sunday 12th with three races scheduled by PRO David Lovegrove and his team on 'Free Enterprise'.

J/24 National Championship – overall places after 5 races:

Mickey McCaldin – LEYC – 8 points
Flor O'Driscoll – RStGYC – 10 points
Fergus O'Kelly & Co. – HYC – 14 points
Robin Eagleson – LEYC – 14 points
J.P. McCaldin (DBSC) – 20 points
D.O'Donovan – LEYC – 20 points

Photo Gallery by Gareth Craig HERE

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7th September 2010

O'Driscoll tipped for J/24 Nationals title

After the Etchells Worlds and SB3 Nationals in successive weeks, Howth Yacht Club's championship trilogy concludes this weekend with the J/24 National Championship which is expected to attract up to 18 entries from half a dozen clubs for the 8-race series.

The out-and-out favourite for the title is Flor O'Driscoll and his crew on 'Hard on Port' from the Royal St.George YC who have dominated the class this year, with comfortable wins in the Western and Northern Championships already. In addition, second place in Class 3 in the ICRA Nationals behind a very fast quarter-tonner is a clear indication of how well the boat is being sailed this season.

Defending champions are the veteran crew on Mickey McCaldin's 'Murder Picture' from Lough Erne YC while the younger McCaldin, JP, will hope to improve on his 2nd place on 'Jamais Encore' at last month's Northerns on home waters.

Lough Ree YC supplies a number of entries and the leading contender from the Shannon region is likely to be Stan Bradbury on 'Javlin' who sailed well at Lough Erne but lost out with two OCS infringements.

The north Dublin challenge could be led by Brian McDowell's 'Scandal' from Malahide while the host club's Fergus O'Kelly returns to action after repairs to 'Jibberish' following a serious collision before the Lambay Race back in June.

With HYC hosting the J/24 European Championships next year, this weekend's event is an ideal opportunity for the inland lake sailors in particular to familiarise themselves with Howth's tidal conditions.

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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.”