Weather & Sailing Conference Will Provide Answers for Irish Boat Enthusiasts

20th September 2018

Extreme conditions during the Sydney-Hobart Race, one of the topics scheduled for the Weather & Sailing Conference in Dun Laoghaire on Friday November 23rd

Ireland’s weather fascinates everyone. But for boat enthusiasts, an informed insight into the workings of maritime meteorology anywhere in the world has many practical and often vital applications writes W M Nixon. With this in mind, Darryl Hughes (best known as owner-skipper of the superbly-restored classic Tyrrell of Arklow-built ketch Maybird) had donned his other hat as co-ordinator of the Royal Institute of Navigation’s Small Craft Group, and together with the Irish Meteorological Society with sponsorship by Dublin Port Company, he is organising a day-long Weather & Sailing Conference at the Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire on Friday November 23rd 2018 from 9.00am until 5.30pm.

The line-up of speakers draws on highly-qualified experts from both sides of the Irish Sea, and though much of the emphasis will be on weather conditions in Ireland, the conference is notably broad in its scope and variety of topics. Thus while we’ll have Evelyn Cusack of Met Eireann and current Sailor of the Year Conor Fogerty to provide two complementary views of marine meteorology, we’ll also have specialists such as Jessica Sweeney who is lead met adviser to the Ineos Americas Cup Challenge, and Dag Pike who has been navigator to several successful major transoceanic record challenges.

evelyn cusack2 Evelyn Cusack of Met Eireann will be among the speakers

WEATHER & SAILING CONFERENCE (IMS & RIN) Royal Irish YC Dun Laoghaire, Friday 23rd November 2018

SPEAKERS & TOPICS

EVELYN CUSACK (Met Eireann) “Exactly How Do We Forecast The Weather”

CONOR FOGERTY (Sailor) “Weather & The Single-Hander : The 2017 OSTAR”

RICHARD FALK (RYA) “A Glimpse Into Weather and Navigational Challenges of the Sydney-Hobart Race”

CHRISTIAN DUMARD (Professional Sailor) “Squib Software and Weather Routing for the Volvo Fleet”

CAPT. ROBERT McCABE (Irish Lights) “The Met Ocean Data Buoys Project”

CAPT. COLM NEWPORT (Dublin Port) “Weather and the Dublin Port Pilot”

JESSICA SWEENEY (Team Ineos UK) “Weather and the America’s Cup”

DAG PIKE (Tactician & Maritime Journalist) “Weather Forecasting for Breaking Records”

LIBBY GREENHALGH (Professional Sailor) “Weather and the 2017/2018 Volvo Race”

Booking for the Conference is open to all on a first come, first served basis, and the fee of €30 includes lunch in the RIYC. Details for registering here

conor fogerty 3 OSTAR 2017 winner Conor Fogerty will be drawing on his intense experience of getting on the winning side of an extreme Atlantic storm

Published in Weather

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Royal Irish Yacht Club

About The Author

WM Nixon

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William M Nixon has been writing about sailing in Ireland for many years in print and online, and his work has appeared internationally in magazines and books. His own experience ranges from club sailing to international offshore events, and he has cruised extensively under sail, often in his own boats which have ranged in size from an 11ft dinghy to a 35ft cruiser-racer. He has also been involved in the administration of several sailing organisations.

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