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Displaying items by tag: spring Chicken

Multiple championship-winning J109 Joker II of the Royal Irish Yacht Club won the first race of the DBSC Spring Chicken Series on Sunday.

The results are downloadable below.

As Afloat reported previously, strong westerly winds reduced the fleet to 17 boats as winds gusted to over 20 knots on Dublin Bay. 

Second was the recent winner of the 2023 Turkey Shoot Series, the 1720 Optique with third place, on modified ECHO handicap, going to the quarter tonner Snoopy from Courtown Sailing Club in County Wexford.

Racing in the six races series hosted by the National Yacht Club continues next Sunday.

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Dublin Bay Sailing Club has published the Notice of Race for its AIB 2024 Spring Chicken Series.

Six races will be held on Sunday mornings from 5 February to 10 March (first gun 1010 hrs), using a progressive handicap on a time-to-time basis.

Download the Notice of Race below.

The 2023 Series attracted a fleet of nearly fifty boats, and organisers are expecting a similar fleet next month. 

Cruisers, cruising boats, one-designs and boats that do not normally race are “very welcome”, DBSC adds. After the sailing, prize draws, food and more will be kindly hosted by the National Yacht Club.

The entry fee is €60, which includes temporary membership of DBSC and the NYC. Entries can be made online at dbsc.ie.

Anyone experiencing issues with their entries is invited to contact Rosemary Roy, Hon Sec, at 087 7626976 or Fintan Cairns at 087 2439208.

Sailing instructions will be available on Sunday, 4 February and will be emailed to entrants beforehand.

DBSC advises that the last date for entries is Wednesday, 31st January, and warns that handicaps of late entries will be adjusted accordingly! 

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The AIB-sponsored DBSC Spring Chicken Series 37-boat cruiser-racer fleet heads into its fourth race on Dublin Bay this Sunday (26th February).

After three races sailed, John O'Gorman's Hot Cookie from the National Yacht Club continues to lead overall on 33 points, but results are due to get a shake-up when a discard is applied after the fourth race is sailed.

Second is the J80 Derry Girls on 37, and another J80, Sea Jade, is third.

Six races are being held on Sunday mornings from 5 February to 12 March (first gun 1010 hrs), using a progressive handicap on a time-to-time basis.

DBSC Race organiser Fintan Cairns has released handicaps and starts for the fourth race and these are downloadable below.

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Dublin Bay Sailing Club has published the Notice of Race for its AIB 2023 Spring Chicken Series.

Six races will be held on Sunday mornings from 5 February to 12 March (first gun 1010 hrs), using a progressive handicap on a time-to-time basis.

Download the Notice of Race below.

The 2022 Series attracted a fleet of fifty boats, and organisers are expecting a similar fleet next month. 

Cruisers, cruising boats, one-designs and boats that do not normally race are “very welcome”, DBSC adds. And after the sailing, prize draws, food and more will be kindly hosted by the National Yacht Club.

The entry fee is €60, which includes temporary membership of DBSC and the NYC. Entries can be made online at dbsc.ie.

Anyone experiencing issues with their entries is invited to contact Rosemary Roy, Hon Sec, at 087 7626976 or Fintan Cairns at 087 2439208.

Sailing instructions will be available on Sunday, 5 February and will be emailed to entrants beforehand.

DBSC advises that the last date for entries is Wednesday, 1 February, and warns that handicaps of late entries will be adjusted accordingly! 

There is special advice for charterers and school boats to ensure you enter with the correct sail numbers. 

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A final race win in the four-race DBSC Spring Chicken Series handed the 2022 trophy to the George 5 J/80 crew (Fred Tottenham, Will Prendergast, Joe Doyle and Ian Croxon) who won by three points overall. 

There was a joint second finish in the 50-boat fleet with the J/109 Dear Prudence and the Jeanneau 36 Sirocco who both tied on 20 points.

The final race (that doubled as a #Ukrainian fundraiser at the National Yacht Club) got away despite some early strong southeasterly breezes on Dublin Bay on Sunday morning.

Download the overall and race four results below

UPDATE (17/3/22)DBSC Spring Chicken Feathers Ruffled But Now Reset And Smoothed In Final Results

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Sunday may bring a breezy conclusion to the DBSC Spring Chicken Series if current forecasts are anything to go by.

With 48 hours to the final race, strong southeasterly winds are forecast for the 50-boat mixed cruiser fleet currently led by the 1720 Optique.

Handicaps and Starts for the final race of the AIB sponsored series are downloadable below. 

Each boat of the 50-boat fleet is expected to fly a Ukrainian flag for the final race. Flags are available from Viking Marine who are supporting the appeal. Ukraine flags (backstay size) are in stock and all proceeds to the Ukraine Red Cross at €15 are available from the shop or over the phone 01-280 6654

DBSC Race organiser Fintan Cairns admits "the weather is a bit changeable at moment but it looks like we will hopefully get sailing on Sunday". 

Overall and race winner prizegivings and weekly draws will be held after sailing on Sunday in the National Yacht Club.

"If, for any reason, we do not get racing on Sunday an extra series race and prizegiving will be scheduled for Sunday 27th March, Cairns told competitors.

 

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The 1720 sportsboat entry Optique leads Lindsay Casey and Denis Power's J/97 Windjammer into the final race of the DBSC Spring Chicken Series for mixed cruisers on Dublin Bay.

Three races have been sailed in the weather-hit series with the final round scheduled for this Sunday morning off Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

Full results of the race and overalls are downloadable below.

Ukraine appeal

Meanwhile, Fine Gael Senator Barry Ward has applauded the Spring Chicken sailors' Ukrainian Humanitarian appeal that raised nearly €5,500 last weekend after racing at the National Yacht Club.

The Senator tweeted "Congratulations to @DBSC_1884 and all competitors on this scheme to support #Ukraine by buying and flying a Ukrainian flag during the #SpringChicken races. Great idea made possible through @vikingmarine

Each boat of the 50-boat fleet is expected to fly a Ukrainian flag for the final race. Flags are available from Viking Marine who are supporting the appeal. Ukraine flags (backstay size) are in stock and all proceeds to the Ukraine Red Cross at €15 are available from the shop or over the phone 01-280 6654

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DBSC Spring Chicken Series competitors raised €2735 in donations for the Red Cross in Ukraine after yesterday's fifth race on Dublin Bay.

Event supporter Viking Marine will match the amount raised. 

Next weekend, following an initial idea from DBSC champion and Spring Chicken sailor Lindsay Casey, the 50-boat fleet will fly Ukrainian flags (courtesy size) for people to purchase before sailing in the last race of the series.

All proceeds from the flag sale will again go to the Red Cross.

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Handicaps and start times have been published for the weather-hit DBSC Spring Chicken Series.

Two of a possible four races have been sailed so far due to strong winds in the six-race series but weather conditions look 'kinder' this weekend, according to race organiser Fintan Cairns.

As Afloat reported earlier, the J109 Dear Prudence leads overall by three points from the 1720 sportsboat Conor K.

Lying third overall in the 50-boat fleet is DBSC's best-performing yacht on handicap over the last two seasons, the Royal St. George J/97 Windjammer jointly skippered by Lindsay Casey and Denis Power.

Handicaps and Starts for the next race are downloadable below.

Racing continues each Sunday at 10.10 am until 13th March 2022 inclusive.

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The 1720 sportsboat 'Conor K' was the winner of the first race of Dublin Bay Sailing Club's Spring Chicken Series in Seapoint Bay last Sunday morning.

Second in the 37-boat fleet was the Jeanneau 36, Sirocco. Third was the Royal St. George Yacht Club J80, George 7.

Racing for a mixed cruiser-racer fleet will continue each Sunday at 10.10 am until 13th March 2022 inclusive. 

Download results below

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Marine Institute Research Vessel Tom Crean

Ireland’s new marine research vessel will be named the RV Tom Crean after the renowned County Kerry seaman and explorer who undertook three major groundbreaking expeditions to the Antarctic in the early years of the 20th Century which sought to increase scientific knowledge and to explore unreached areas of the world, at that time.

Ireland's new multi-purpose marine research vessel RV Tom Crean, was delivered in July 2022 and will be used by the Marine Institute and other State agencies and universities to undertake fisheries research, oceanographic and environmental research, seabed mapping surveys; as well as maintaining and deploying weather buoys, observational infrastructure and Remotely Operated Vehicles.

The RV Tom Crean will also enable the Marine Institute to continue to lead and support high-quality scientific surveys that contribute to Ireland's position as a leader in marine science. The research vessel is a modern, multipurpose, silent vessel (designed to meet the stringent criteria of the ICES 209 noise standard for fisheries research), capable of operating in the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The Tom Crean is able to go to sea for at least 21 days at a time and is designed to operate in harsh sea conditions.

RV Tom Crean Specification Overview

  • Length Overall: 52.8 m
  • Beam 14m
  • Draft 5.2M 

Power

  • Main Propulsion Motor 2000 kw
  • Bow Thruster 780 kw
  • Tunnel thruster 400 kw

Other

  • Endurance  21 Days
  • Range of 8,000 nautical miles
  • DP1 Dynamic Positioning
  • Capacity for 3 x 20ft Containers

Irish Marine Research activities

The new state-of-the-art multi-purpose marine research vessel will carry out a wide range of marine research activities, including vital fisheries, climate change-related research, seabed mapping and oceanography.

The new 52.8-metre modern research vessel, which will replace the 31-metre RV Celtic Voyager, has been commissioned with funding provided by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine approved by the Government of Ireland.

According to Aodhán FitzGerald, Research Vessel Manager of the MI, the RV Tom Crean will feature an articulated boom crane aft (6t@ 10m, 3T@ 15m), located on the aft-gantry. This will be largely used for loading science equipment and net and equipment handling offshore.

Mounted at the stern is a 10T A-frame aft which can articulate through 170 degrees which are for deploying and recovering large science equipment such as a remotely operated vehicle (ROV’s), towed sleds and for fishing operations.

In addition the fitting of an 8 Ton starboard side T Frame for deploying grabs and corers to 4000m which is the same depth applicable to when the vessel is heaving but is compensated by a CTD system consisting of a winch and frame during such operations.

The vessel will have the regulation MOB boat on a dedicated davit and the facility to carry a 6.5m Rigid Inflatable tender on the port side.

Also at the aft deck is where the 'Holland 1' Work class ROV and the University of Limericks 'Etain' sub-Atlantic ROV will be positioned. In addition up to 3 x 20’ (TEU) containers can be carried.

The newbuild has been engineered to endure increasing harsher conditions and the punishing weather systems encountered in the North-East Atlantic where deployments of RV Tom Crean on surveys spent up to 21 days duration.

In addition, RV Tom Crean will be able to operate in an ultra silent-mode, which is crucial to meet the stringent criteria of the ICES 209 noise standard for fisheries research purposes.

The classification of the newbuild as been appointed to Lloyds and below is a list of the main capabilities and duties to be tasked by RV Tom Crean:

  • Oceanographic surveys, incl. CTD water sampling
  • Fishery research operations
  • Acoustic research operations
  • Environmental research and sampling operation incl. coring
  • ROV and AUV/ASV Surveys
  • Buoy/Mooring operations