Displaying items by tag: Dublin Bay Sailing Club
#DBSC – Kevin Glynn's Hanse 301 Grashopper made the most of breezy north-westerly conditions to win the first race of the 2012 Dublin Bay Sailing Club season this afternoon in the Club's biggest class, the 43-boat combined Class Three. Second was the Superseal 26 Gung Ho (G & S O'Shea) and third was the First 28 Chouskikou (R.Sheehan/R.Hickey).
In the Beneteau 31.7 class Chris Johnston' s Prospect resumed her Dublin Bay campaign in her normal top slot. The Johnston entry beat Bluefin Two (M & B Bryson) on scratch. Third was Attitude (T Milner J Sugars M Branigan). In 2011 Prospect from the National Yacht Club won the Feanor trophy for the most successful one design performance in Thursday racing.
Full results below:
Paddy Maguire's Gwilli Two leads Tim Goodbody's White Mischief dowwind in the Sigma 33 race
Derek Martin's Lively Lady was second on ECHO in Cruisers Zero
DUBLIN PORT Dublin Bay Sailing Club Results for 21 APRIL 2012
BENETEAU 31.7 Echo- 1. Kernach (Eoin O'Driscoll), 2. Extreme Reality (P.McSwiney/E.O'Rafferty), 3. Fiddly Bits (Kevin Byrne et al)
BENETEAU 31.7 - 1. Prospect (Chris Johnston), 2. Bluefin Two (M & B Bryson), 3. Attitude (T Milner J Sugars M Branigan)
CRUISERS 0 Echo- 1. Tsunami (Vincent Farrell), 2. Lively Lady (Derek Martin)
CRUISERS 1 Echo- 1. Something Else (J.Hall et al), 2. Indecision (Declan Hayes et al), 3. Gringo (Tony Fox)
CRUISERS 1 - 1. Something Else (J.Hall et al), 2. Xtravagance (Colin Byrne), 3. Jalapeno (Dermod Baker et al)
CRUISERS 2 - 1. Peridot (Jim McCann et al), 2. Bendemeer (L Casey & D Power), 3. Antix (D Ryan)
CRUISERS 2 Echo - 1. Red Rhum (J Nicholson & C Nicholson), 2. Bendemeer (L Casey & D Power), 3. Peridot (Jim McCann et al)
CRUISERS 3 - 1. Grasshopper 2 (K & J Glynn), 2. Gung Ho (G & S O'Shea), 3. Chouskikou (R.Sheehan/R.Hickey)
CRUISERS 3 - 1. Gung Ho (G & S O'Shea), 2. Asterix (Counihan/Meredith/Bushell)
CRUISERS 3B Echo - 1. Syzrgy (R Fogarty), 2. Maranda (Myles Kelly), 3. Wynward (W McCormack)
Combined Classes 3- 1. Grasshopper 2 (K & J Glynn), 2. Gung Ho (G & S O'Shea), 3. Chouskikou (R.Sheehan/R.Hickey)
DRAGON - 1. Phantom (D.Williams), 2. Diva (R.Johnson/R.Goodbody), 3. Susele (Michael Halpenny)
FLYING FIFTEEN - 1. The Gruffalo (Keith Poole), 2. Rollercoaster (Tom Murphy), 3. Hi Fibre (Michael McCambridge)
FLYING FIFTEEN Race 2- 1. The Gruffalo (Keith Poole), 2. Hi Fibre (Michael McCambridge), 3. Ash (Joseph Coughlan)
GLEN - 1. Glendun (B.Denham et al), 2. Glencorel (B.Waldock/K.Malcolm)
RUFFIAN 23 - 1. Ruff N Ready (Ann Kirwan et al), 2. Alias (D.Meeke/M.McCarthy), 3. Ruff Nuff (D & C Mitchell)
SHIPMAN - 1. Jo Slim (J.Clarke et al), 2. Curraglas (John Masterson), 3. Whiterock (Henry Robinson)
SIGMA 33 - 1. White Mischief (Timothy Goodbody), 2. Gwili Two (D.Clarke/P.Maguire), 3. Rupert (R & P Lovegrove)
SQUIB Race 2- 1. Femme Fatale (V Delaney), 2. Nimble (Brian O'Hare), 3. Tears in Heaven (M Halpenny & G Ferguson)
SQUIB - 1. Nimble (Brian O'Hare), 2. Femme Fatale (V Delaney)
WHITE SAIL CRUISERS Echo - 1. Act Two (Michael O'Leary et al), 2. Calypso (Howard Knott), 3. The Great Escape (P & D Rigney)
WHITE SAIL CRUISERS - 1. Act Two (Michael O'Leary et al), 2. Calypso (Howard Knott), 3. Arwen (Philip O'Dwyer)
The DBSC Committee Vessel Mac Lir returns to base
Dublin Bay Sailing Club Fires the First Gun for 119th Season
#DUBLIN BAY SAILING CLUB – There are a number of key changes to the 2012 Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) racing programme this year that reflect the times we live in but recession isn't going to hold back this club. After all DBSC has survived two World Wars, the War of Independence, the Civll War and the Great Depression to boot!
Ten to 15-knot north westerly winds are expected for tomorrow's first race. 360 boats will be competing in 19 classes with over 3,000 sailors for the first gun at 2pm. Dublin Port Company is on board again as Club sponsor for the season.
There has been a merger of cruiser classes three and four and classes zero and one will start together this season. And in a further contraction of cruiser class activity the country's biggest yacht club has decided not to run its annual cruiser challenge for 2012 at least.
And in a further departure from the norm the club has introduced a coastal race this July, something it has not done for many years.
These changes might indicate a drop off in interest but on the contrary the club's honorary secretary Donal O'Sullivan reports no drop in numbers for the first race of the 2012 DBSC season tomorrow.
Instead the changes this season are much needed tweaks to a durable race programme that has 90 perpetual trophies as well as 509 pieces of glassware up for grabs for what is the club's 119th season.
Handicap Classes
Nineteen classes will be racing tomorrow representing a mix of cruiser, one design and dinghy fleets.
Colin Byrne, the winner of one of the top awards in 2011 becomes the class captain of Cruisers 1, now an 18 boat fleet that counts among its numbers at least one new arrival this season. Ruth, a J109 yacht from the National Yacht Club will be skippered by Liam Shanahan and it is one of five 109s racing in DBSC class one.
Byrne who skippers the X-34 Xtravagance won the Waterhouse Shield and also sailed to overall IRC handicap racing victory on Saturdays and Thursdays in 2011. Byrne also took the overall Thursday Echo trophy (although the Royal Irish entry failed to make a clean sweep by two points in Saturday Echo).
Last year's Irish Cruiser Racer annual conference in Dun Laoghaire tried to tackle long festering issues such handicapping and perhaps there is nowhere more pertinent than in Dublin Bay Sailing Club where some class changes are long overdue.
For example, is it equitable for modern designs such as J109s or A35s to be racing with older Sigma 38s or X-332s? A realignment of handicap bands across all fleets could bring about better racing and, as ICRA Commodore Barry Rose conceded last November, such reform is long overdue.
Handicapping is something that ICRA should be empowered to tackle rather than tinker with. 'It's time to flush this out and get it sorted', Rose has promised.
In a DBSC context, with the country's largest handicap fleets there is little doubt that more handicap tweaks remains to be done but in a Cruisers III context at least the solution to the quandry for 2012 has been to split the 43-boat fleet in to alpha and beta divisions for the first time.
Last year's Bay champion Supernova is back in action tomorrow racing in the new class III alpha division
The view of the Committee is that it will produce better racing because Cruisers 3, to which Cruiser 4 were joined last year has a very wide handicap band.
It is a big task where yachts ranging in length from 23–foot to 29–foot are competing together and with handicap bands stretching from .760 to .820.
The beta division is made up of the old class IV boats and Beneteau 211s plus some others who have been to join.
Combined and separate results will be provided. This will be true also of Cruiser 0 and Cruisers 1, who will start together, both on Thursdays and Saturdays.
Ensign class
Last season the 350-boat club tackled the long standing problem of crew shortages. Together with Dun Laoghaire's waterfront yacht clubs, DBSC introduced an 'Ensign Class' to extend the possibility of bay racing to a greater number of people, many of whom are novices.
Up to 1,500 sailors race each Thursday and Saturday during the Summer but typically cruiser classes which represent the bulk of the fleets always run short of a crew. A typical 30 foot boat can require a crew pool of 15 or more.
People with no experience are now being taken afloat in a cosseted fashion by the club and introduced to the rudiments of sailing.
The idea has proved so successful the National Yacht Club now operates a waiting list for its club 1720 sports boats, the Ensign class of choice.
The hope is that racing skippers, who rarely want complete novices onboard but who are nevertheless short of crew will be encouraged to pick from those graduating from the Ensign class.
There was some concern earlier that the ISAF Youth Worlds, which will be held in Dublin Bay in July, would seriously impact on DBSC racing. The event will certainly have an effect on dinghies, which will have to vacate the club forecourts for the best part of a fortnight. Keelboats, not so much or hardly it all.
Many of the DBSC committee boat personnel will be tied up with the ISAF event but the club intends to start races from the Hut and they plan to run a coastal/ distance race in the Sth Burford direction, something we have not done for some years. The SB3s will be racing on away events at this time and will not be affected.
Though boat entry numbers have been down a bit since they peaked in 2009, all indications for this year are that DBSC's unique attractions – regular, consistently well-managed racing in a splendid sailing area within easy reach of members' home or workplace - will continue to exercise their perennial appeal. This is after all the 119th DBSC season!
The cover of the new yearbook features Supernova
Other DBSC posts
First 36.7 and Jezebel 116 Share 'Spring Chicken' Lead
#DBSC – After four races sailed and one discard applied a Jezequel 116 and a Beneteau First 36.7 share first place in the popular Dublin Bay Sailing Club Spring Chicken series, the first racing of the 2012 season.
The club's only Jezequel 116 marque, Cri-Cri is skippered by Paul Colton who last November picked up the trophy for 'the best new boat on the DBSC racing scene' at the annual DBSC prizegiving.
Colton now shares the lead with Lula Belle, a First 36.7 that has had success offshore. Last season the Dun Laoghaire yacht won an ISORA overnight race to North India buoy.
Full fleet results for the 40-boat Viking Marine Spring Chicken results are available for download below.
Dublin Bay Sailing Club Kicks off 2012 with Spring Chicken Series
#DBSC – Dublin Bay Sailing Club will kick off the 2012 sailing season with a Spring Chicken series starting in two week's time on Sunday, February 5th.
A series of six races will be held on Sunday mornings under a modified ECHO handicap. Cruisers, cruising boats, one-designs and boats that do not normally race are very welcome. The event is sponsored by Boatshed.com.
The Entry fee of €60.00 includes temporary membership of Dublin Bay S.C. and National Y.C.
Entry forms are in Dun Laoghaire's waterfront clubs or are available to download here.
Sailing instructions will be available on Sunday 5th February and will be emailed to entrants beforehand.
After sailing, food will be available to competitors in the National Y.C.
Entries should be sent to Donal P. O'Sullivan, 72 Clonkeen Drive, Foxrock, D.18 before Tuesday 31st January.
Maguire's 'Gwili Two' Wins Penultimate Sigma Race
BENETEAU 31.7 Echo - 1. Kernach (Eoin O'Driscoll), 2. Fiddly Bits (Kevin Byrne et al), 3. Magic (D.O'Sullivan/D.Espey)
BENETEAU 31.7 - 1. Prospect (Chris Johnston), 2. Bluefin Two (M & B Bryson), 3. Magic (D.O'Sullivan/D.Espey)
CRUISERS 0 - 1. Lively Lady (Derek Martin), 2. Tsunami (Vincent Farrell)
CRUISERS 0 Echo - 1. Tsunami (Vincent Farrell), 2. Lively Lady (Derek Martin)
CRUISERS 1 Echo - 1. Something Else (J.Hall et al), 2. Adrenalin (Joe McDonald), 3. Xtravagance (Colin Byrne)
CRUISERS 1 - 1. Something Else (J.Hall et al), 2. Jalapeno (Dermod Baker et al), 3. Indecision (Declan Hayes et al)
CRUISERS 2 - 1. Jawesome 11 (V.Kennedy/M.Dyke), 2. Peridot (Jim McCann et al), 3. Bendemeer (L Casey & D Power)
CRUISERS 2 Echo - 1. Peridot (Jim McCann et al), 2. Frolix (Noreen Tighe), 3. Graduate (D O'Keeffe)
CRUISERS 3 Echo - 1. Saki (Paget McCormack et al), 2. Cri-Cri (P Colton), 3. Pamafe (Michael Costello)
CRUISERS 3 - 1. Supernova (K.Lawless et al), 2. Cri-Cri (P Colton), 3. Asterix (Counihan/Meredith/Bushell)
DRAGON - 1. Phantom (D.Williams/P.Bowring), 2. Susele (Michael Halpenny), 3. Scorcher (G Purcell)
FLYING FIFTEEN Race 1- 1. Rollercoaster (Tom Murphy), 2. The Gruffalo (Keith Poole), 3. Fflogger (Alan Dooley)
FLYING FIFTEEN Race 2- 1. The Gruffalo (Keith Poole), 2. Rollercoaster (Tom Murphy), 3. Snow White (Frank Burgess)
GLEN - 1. Pterodactyl (R & D McCaffrey), 2. Glenroan (Terence Moran), 3. Glenshesk (L.Faulkner et al)
IDRA 14 FOOT Race 1- 1. Dunmoanin (Frank Hamilton), 2. Dart (Pierre Long), 3. Doody (J.Fitzgerald/J.Byrne)
IDRA 14 FOOT Race 2- 1. Sapphire (Lorcan O'Sullivan), 2. Dunmoanin (Frank Hamilton), 3. Dart (Pierre Long)
MERMAID Race 1- 1. Jill (P.Smith/P.Mangan), 2. Kim (D Cassidy), 3. Aideen (B.Martin/D.Brennan)
MERMAID Race 2- 1. Jill (P.Smith/P.Mangan), 2. Kim (D Cassidy)
RUFFIAN 23 - 1. Diane ll (Bruce Carswell), 2. Ruff N Ready (Ann Kirwan et al), 3. Ruffles (Michael Cutliffe)
SHIPMAN - 1. Whiterock (Henry Robinson), 2. Invader (Gerard Glynn), 3. Macro One (Joseph Murray)
SIGMA 33 - 1. Gwili Two (D.Clarke/P.Maguire), 2. Pippa lV (G.Kinsman/K.Blake/M.O'Brien), 3. White Mischief (Timothy Goodbody)
SQUIB Race 1- 1. Kookaburra (P & M Dee), 2. Little Bird (N Barnwell), 3. Why Not (Derek & Jean Jago)
SQUIB Race 2- 1. Why Not (Derek & Jean Jago), 2. Nimble (Brian O'Hare), 3. Tais (Michael O'Connell)
WHITE SAIL CRUISERS Echo- 1. Coumeenole (Bill Kavanagh), 2. The Great Escape (P & D Rigney), 3. Act Two (Michael O'Leary et al)
WHITE SAIL CRUISERS - 1. Act Two (Michael O'Leary et al), 2. Calypso (Howard Knott), 3. Zephyr (R Cahill-O'Brien)
DBSC First Series Likely Winners Announced
Dublin Bay Sailing Club has published the provisional results of its 2011 first series results up to Juyl 2nd showing the Commodore's yacht Gringo as the Class one likely winner on Saturday's under ECHO Handicap. The top performing cruiser one to date in IRC is Colin Byrne's Extravagance. Overall results will be confirmed after next Saturday's (July 16) final keelboat result for series one. The full list of likely trophy winners across the 17 classes is below:
| CLASS | Yacht | 1ST NAME | SURNAME | SERIES |
| Cruisers 0 | Tiamat | Denis | Hewitt et al. | Saturday IRC Series 1 |
| Cruisers 0 | Lively Lady | Derek | Martin | Thursday Series 1 Echo |
| Cruisers 0 | Lively Lady | Derek | Martin | Thursday IRC Series 1 |
| Cruisers 1 | Gringo | Tony | Fox | Saturdays Echo Series 1 |
| Cruisers 1 | Xtravagance | Colin | Byrne | Saturdays IRC Series 1 |
| Cruisers 1 | Joker 2 | John | Maybury | Thursday IRC Series 1 |
| Cruisers 1 | Joker 2 | John | Maybury | Thursday Series 1 Echo |
| Cruisers 2 | Smile | O'Connell | healy & O'Sullivan | Saturdays Echo Series 1 |
| Cruisers 2 | Jawesome 2 | Mervyn Dyke & Basil Darcy | Saturday IRC Series 1 | |
| Cruisers 2 | Jawesome 2 | Mervyn Dyke & Basil Darcy | Thursday IRC Series 1 | |
| Cruisers 2 | Jester | Declan | Curtin | Thursday Series 1 Echo |
| Cruisers 3 | Small Wonder | Henry | Kelly | Thursday Echo Series 1 |
| Cruisers 3 | Supernova | K.Lawless. | P.Shannon, S.McCormack | Thursday IRC Series 1 |
| Cruisers 3 | Gung Ho | Grainne & Sean | O'Shea | Saturday IRC Series 1 |
| Cruisers 3 | Gung Ho | Grainne & Sean | O'Shea | Saturdays Echo Series 1 |
| Cruisers 5 | Eden Park | Liam | Farmer | Thursday Echo Series 1 |
| Cruisers 5 | Calypso | Howard | Knott | Thursdays IRC Series 1 |
| Cruisers 5 | Arwen | Philip | O'Dwyer | Saturdays Echo Series 1 |
| Cruisers 5 | Arwen | Philip | O'Dwyer | Saturdays IRC series 1 |
| Sigmas 33 | Rupert | R.Lovegrove & | P.Varian | Thursday Series 1 |
| Sigmas 33 | White Mischief | T.N | Goodbody | Saturday Series 1 |
| 31.7s | Attitude | David | Owens | Thursday Series 1 (Echo) |
| 31.7s | Bluefin Two | Bryson | Ml. & Bernie | Saturday Series 1 Echo |
| 31.7s | Prospect | Chris | Johnson | Saturday Series 1 One-Design |
| 31.7s | Prospect | Chris | Chris Johnson | Thursday Series 1 (One-Design) |
| Dragons | Phantom | David J.H | Williams | Saturdays Series 1 |
| Dragons | Diva | R.Johnson & | R.Goodbody | Thursday Series 1 |
| Glens | Glenshesk | Liz Faulkner & | Gena Walker | Saturday Series 1 |
| Glens | Glendun | Brian Denham & | Derek Freedman | Thursday Series 1 |
| Ruffians | Diane II | Bruce | Carswell | Saturday Series 1 |
| Ruffians | Ruff n' Ready | A.Kirwan, C.Brown | & B.Cullen | Thursday Series 1 |
| Shipmans | Curragals | John | Masterson | Thursday Series 1 |
| Shipmans | Curraglas | John | Masterson | Saturday Series 1 |
| SB3 | Odin | James | Gorman | Sunday Series 1 |
| SB3 | Flutter | Andrew | Algeo | Thursday Series 1 |
| Flying 15 | Hi Fibre | Michael | McCambridge | Thursday Series 1 |
| Flying 15's | Snow White | Frank | Burgess | Saturday Series 1 |
| Mermaids | Jill | Paul Smith & | Pat Mangan | Saturday Series 1 |
| Squibs | Kookaburra | Peter & Marie | Dee | Saturday Series 1 |
| Squibs | Glassilaun | Dermot | O'Neill | Thursday Series 1 |
| IDRA 14 | Dunmoanin' | Frank | Hamilton | Saturday Series 1 |
| PY | laser no. 153827 | P. | Keane | Saturday Series 1 |
Supernova Does the Double on Dublin Bay
Ken Lawless's Supernova was a double winner in last night's Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) race, a result that sets up the Dubois Starflash design as a favourite in the biggest fleet of next week's Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta at the same venue. Our Dublin Bay Correspondent Reports.
On IRC handicap Huggy Bear (S.Doyle/G.Byrne) was second to Supernova and third was the Bolero 26, Two Step (Ross Doyle). On ECHO, Huggy Bear took second too but third went to the club's only Jezequel 116 design, Cri-Cri skippered by Paul Colton.
DBSC are celebrating the success of course changes introduced this year that have received widespread approval across the 17 fleets. The new courses are producing tight racing, a situation very much in evidence last night across the bay but particularly noticeable in the one design classes. Good turnouts from the Ruffian's, Fifteens and SB3s were treated to good courses and some of the closest racing of the season.
Royal St. George crews fared well with Derek Mitchell coming out on top in a 19-boat Ruffian fleet and Andrew Algeo at the helm of Flutter the SB3 winner. Tom Leonard's Mellifluence from the National Yacht Club was the winner of the 16-Flying fifteens. The full results are below:
BENETEAU 31.7 - 1. Bluefin Two (M & B Bryson), 2. Levana (Jean Mitton), 3. Prospect (Chris Johnston)
BENETEAU 31.7 Echo- 1. Extreme Reality (P.McSwiney/E.O'Rafferty), 2. Attitude (D.Owens/T.Milner), 3. Bluefin Two (M & B Bryson)
CRUISERS 1 Echo - 1. Adrenalin (Joe McDonald), 2. Xtravagance (Colin Byrne), 3. Axiom (M.O'Neill)
CRUISERS 1 - 1. Xtravagance (Colin Byrne), 2. Joker 11 (John Maybury), 3. Something Else (J.Hall et al)
CRUISERS 2 - 1. Jawesome 11 (V.Kennedy/M.Dyke), 2. Red Rhum (J Nicholson), 3. Bendemeer (Lindsay Casey Power)
CRUISERS 2 Echo - 1. Red Rhum (J Nicholson), 2. Jawesome 11 (V.Kennedy/M.Dyke), 3. Peridot (Jim McCann et al)
CRUISERS 3 Echo - 1. Supernova (K.Lawless et al), 2. Huggy Bear (S.Doyle/G.Byrne), 3. Cri-Cri (P Colton)
CRUISERS 3 - 1. Supernova (K.Lawless et al), 2. Huggy Bear (S.Doyle/G.Byrne), 3. Two Step (Ross Doyle)
DRAGON - 1. Susele (Michael Halpenny), 2. Diva (R.Johnson/R.Goodbody), 3. Phantom (D.Williams/P.Bowring)
FLYING FIFTEEN - 1. Mellifluence (Tom Leonard), 2. Snow White (Frank Burgess), 3. Fflogger (Alan Dooley)
GLEN - 1. Glenmarissa (F.Elmes/W.Higgins), 2. Pterodactyl (R & D McCaffrey), 3. Glenroan (Terence Moran)
RUFFIAN 23 - 1. Ruff Nuff (D & C Mitchell), 2. Diane ll (Bruce Carswell), 3. Ruff N Ready (Ann Kirwan et al)
SB3s - 1. Flutter (Andrew Algeo), 2. Defiant (R.Hudson/J.Hooper), 3. Alert Packaging (Justin Burke)
SHIPMAN - 1. Curraglas (John Masterson), 2. Therapi (Alan McCarthy et al), 3. Malindi (B.Smith/A.Gray)
SIGMA 33 - 1. White Mischief (Timothy Goodbody), 2. Gwili Two (D.Clarke/P.Maguire), 3. Pippa lV (G.Kinsman/K.Blake/M.O'Brien)
SQUIB - 1. Little Bird (N Barnwell), 2. Anemos (Pete & Ann Evans), 3. Chillax (Mary McLoughlin)
WHITE SAIL CRUISERS Echo - 1. Katie (Tom Dunne et al), 2. Nirvana (Bernard Neeson), 3. Edenpark (Liam Farmer)
WHITE SAIL CRUISERS - 1. Persistence (C. Broadhead et al), 2. Act Two (Michael O'Leary et al), 3. Calypso (Howard Knott)
Cheering Sailing Corinthians on Dublin Bay
Donal O'Sullivan of Dublin Bay Sailing Club writes on cheering the winner.
This is an old sailing custom whereby the winner is applauded by the loser - is not much practiced nowadays in Dublin Bay. The Dragons do it, or used to up to lately, and the Shipmans most certainly. The Wags, too, and no doubt the Glens
When boat were on adjoining moorings, cheering the winner was something people did automatically, almost perfunctorily. There was nothing unusual or self-conscious about it. Finished racing, you sailed up to the winner, gave him three hearty cheers and – be it noted - he was expected to reply in similar fashion. Dixon Kemp, the author of a well-regarded Victorian manual on sailing (Google it) says that the first boat then adds one more cheer – to sign off, so to speak – but I can't recall ever having noticed this latter part of the ritual being observed in these parts
Kemp (1839-1899) was one of those protean Victorian personalities, multi-gifted in all sorts of activities, who in its early days devised the format and the procedures for yacht racing that most of which we still observe to this day. He was an architect, newspaper editor, designer of yachts and steam vessels, author of a number of books on sailing, yachting editor of The Field, a founder member and first secretary of the YRA and also established Lloyd's Yacht Register.
Keeping tradition alive, Waterwags sailing on Dublin Bay
His remarks on cheering read: The loud, deep and sonorous "hip, hip, hurrahs" which the crew of a vanquished yacht greet the victrix with. A custom much honoured. The crew of the vanquished yacht line the bulwarks and give three consecutive "hip, hip, hurrahs", the winning crew does the same; the vanquished then give a single "hip, hip, hurrah to "come up with" or
finish off.
He was interesting, too, on how the custom originated – the practice in the British navy of mustering the crew along the bulwarks to part company or meeting another ship.- derived, unlikely as it may seem, from the custom in "fighting days" of one war ship cheering another which was an enemy.
Corinthian Sailing
This was the theme of an interesting symposium of yachting historians organised in Dun Laoghaire last year by Hal Sisk. The term, simply defined, means sailing by amateurs. It was much in vogue in Victorian and Edwardian times and, unsurprisingly, in Dublin Bay, where amateur sailing was very much the thing..
The Royal Alfred, indeed, feeling the need to define exactly who was an amateur and who wasn't, in its 1895 constitution, described this individual as follows:
"A person shall not be considered an amateur who is, or has been employed for pay in any capacity on board a yacht or other vessel, commissioned officers of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Naval Reserve excepted; also officers of the Mercantile Marine if they have never served for pay on board a yacht and are members of a recognised yacht club, but not anyone who is by trade or employment for wages a mechanic, artisan, labourer or servant".
Dixon Kemp points out that the term Corinthian "half a century ago was commonly applied to the aristocratic patrons of sports , some of which such as pugilism, are not now the fashion. The name was adopted in consequence of the similarity between the fashionable young men of Corinth who emulated the feats of athletes &c and their modern protypes".
The term, indeed, has always had a certain ring about it, a throwback, perhaps, to a code of honour or behaviour such as was presumed to exist in a bygone age between gentlemen of rank.
On a personal level I had direct experience of the force of tradition in this area some time ago during a protest hearing after a Dublin Bay race. As can sometimes happen, there was a flaw in the procedure, a fault seized upon with relish by the protestee. "Even if I were at fault, " he told us triumphantly "you can't do anything about it because this committee is illegally constituted". This was true enough because the race was a joint Alfred-DBSC affair and the committee, of course, should have made up of members of both clubs. Which is wasn't.
All we could do was grind our teeth in frustration until the senior member present solved the problem. "Mr So and So" he enquired, fixing the culprit with steely glance, " is this conduct proper to a member of a Corinthian yacht club? ". The effect was most gratifying. The offender sat up, reflected a bit - and thinking perhaps of all sorts of unpleasant letters directed to his club Commodore - conceded that perhaps he was in the wrong and in the circumstances thought it best to retire from the race.
Coming back to the historical Corinth, some years ago our late local parish priest, a very learned and by all accounts very saintly man, discussing St.Paul's Epistles to the Corinthians in one of his Sunday morning homilies, suggested that the word Corinthian has certain pejorative associations - that St. Paul, in his efforts to keep the inhabitants of that city on the steep and narrow, had, in effect, his job cut out for him.
Meeting him afterwards, I asked about this – in the sailing world, I told him that (stretching it a bit) a Corinthian was person of integrity and of the highest standards. The PP was unimpressed. In St. Paul's time, he averred, the Corinthians were no better than they ought to be. "Everyone knows that the Corinthians were a bad lot" seemed to be his view .
An interesting sidelight on what the PP might have had in mind - but perhaps was of too retiring a disposition to say so - appeared a while ago in a splendid volume, Some Talk of Alexander, by Frederic Raphael on myth and history in the ancient world. Raphael quotes a well-known Latin tag non cuivis homini contingit adire Corinthum, which, roughly translated, means "it's not everyone's luck to get to Corinth".
The city, it seems, was famous in antiquity for what Raphael delicately refers to as its erotic bazaar, an institution that had made Corinth into a world-class tourist attraction. And the luck in question referred to access to the delectable ladies who earned their living there.
Perhaps with this in mind it might be well if we were to use the word a bit sparingly?
Donal O'Sullivan
Watch Out for Dolphins in Dublin Bay!
Racers in Dalkey and Killiney Bay have been enjoying the sight of three bottlenose dolphins who have taken up residence in the area.
The trio has attracted much attention in recent weeks due to their playful antics, but the Dublin Bay Sailing Club reminds sightseeing boat owners to be careful not to crowd them.
For guidelines on the correct procedures when encountering dolphins see the relevant DTTAS Marine Notice HERE.
