#national18 – The National 18 Class has adopted the exciting new Phil Morrison designed hull and production has started with twelve hulls already on order for 2015. News of the new N18 hull design story broke on Afloat.ie just over a year ago when the prototype was first sailed in Cork Harbour by Royal Cork sailors.

A prototype N18 named 'Odyssey' was launched in October 2013 and she has been trialled by upwards of 150 people as she has moved around England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. There have been rave reviews. She is sleek, responsive and a joy to sail in all conditions. She is lighter, faster, safer and more comfortable to crew than current 18s. She is easy to launch and bring ashore and capsize recovery is no longer an issue.

The N18 remains the only 3 person centreboard dinghy, and the single trapeze allows a wide range of weight, experience and age to be competitive. She is spacious, and while three is the normal racing crew, two can manage or there is room for the whole family. The N18 Class is thriving and has a long history of competition and bonhomie.

At the AGM in Abersoch in July 2014 the Class voted overwhelmingly to accept the Morrison design as the new National 18. The Class is now delighted to announce the selection of White Formula of Brightlingsea, Essex, UK as our exclusive build partner.

Construction of the tooling for the class moulds has begun with completion expected by the end of 2014. As part of this deal the Class has worked with White Formula to agree attractive pricing for a range of options from bare hull to fully fitted complete boat ready to sail.

Current owners will be able to transfer spars and sails, thereby reducing cost. There is also an enormous range of styling options for anyone wishing to apply a splash of colour.

In the mean time the development team have been working with Phil Morrison to incorporate all the feedback following the Odyssey trials. She has proved absolutely invaluable in getting us to this point and will continue to serve us well. Our thanks again to all of the private contributors and The Boat Yard at Beer who helped deliver the prototype. She will be hitting the campaign trail this winter in the 2014/15 SailJuice series and the Class welcomes any existing or potential members interested in participating as helm or crew.

Moving on to 2015, the first production boat will be launched in early February with a display planned at the RYA Dinghy Show at Alexandra Palace over the weekend 28 Feb/1 Mar. White Formula aim to deliver all currently ordered boats by end of May 2015.

A complete boat with carbon spars, foils and sails will be £15995 inc VAT, a complete hull ready to accept current spars and sails will be £9450, and a bare hull £6240.

The Class is determined to remain inclusive of all the generations of N18s which started with the classic Uffa Ace of 1938, then the Proctor GRP hull of the 1970s and subsequent lighter, faster derivatives.

#topper – Throughout the summer season at the Royal Cork Yacht Club some new brightly coloured red, blue and white sails have been making their presence felt on the waters of Cork Harbour writes Claire Bateman.These are the sails of the Topper Class that is attracting new support very quickly.

Moving up from the Optimist Class has long been a bone of contention for both sailors and their parents as to what would be a suitable step up or follow on boat. This was also a topic with the Irish Sailing Association even going back to the days when it was the Irish Yachting Association.

Young sailors and their parents now have an extra choice with the addition of the Topper Class, that appears to be winning favour very quickly, and has grown to 13 boats in a very short period of time under the guidance of Class Captain Imelda D'Arcy. Sailors in the Topper fleet have enjoyed considerable success throughout the season and we now have sailors in the Club enjoying follow on boats consisting of 420s, Laser 4.7s, Fevas and Toppers.

At the recent Junior Laying Up Supper a new specially commissioned trophy was presented to the winner of the October League. This trophy was designed by Artist Paddy McCormack, at the behest of Mary and Brian Jones, and is to honour the memory of the late Bill Jones, The winner of the first time presentation of this prestigious perpetual trophy was Tom Keal who has very recently moved from the Optimist Class to the Topper Class.

Irishsailing – After the remarkable across-the-board success of the 2014 Irish sailing season, 2015 will have to be very special indeed to be remembered with such enthusiasm. But it's a special year in any case, as two major sailing Bicentenaries – one in the Irish Sea, the other in the Solent – will have added and poignant meaning, as the Centenaries a hundred years ago could not be celebrated because of the First World War.

As for Irish sailing generally, life moves on, there are new sailors on the water, successful young sailors are graduating to the next stage of their rapidly developing careers, and established stars continue to plan fresh campaigns, for sailing is indeed a sport for life.

Then too, new fixtures successfully introduced in 2014 will require nurturing, tuning and encouragement if they are to fulfil their potential in the coming year, while at the same time there's always extra effort needed to give proper support to established fixtures, which have to live with the reality that they might wilt through being taken for granted. Both new and longer-established boat classes will need continued enthusiastic involvement, and our well-loved classics and traditional craft must be cherished and sailed, for lack of use is the real enemy of boats, whether old or new.

As for the major administrative initiatives introduced in 2014, they will need constant monitoring, but deserve full support from the sailing and boating community at large, for it was in response to a grass-roots initiative that the radical and very necessary reforms of the Irish Sailing Association were undertaken. Those appointed to undertake the root-and-branch reform of the national authority have done so with commendable dispatch, so it is now the duty of the rest of us to support their continuing efforts. And we can best do that by enjoying our boats and our sailing and time afloat in its myriad of interests, while encouraging others to do the same. W M Nixon outlines on what the coming year may bring.

One thing at least is certain for the coming season afloat during 2015 in most of Europe. It will not mark any significant sailing Centenaries. Instead, we are immersed in four years of remembering the Great War of 1914-1918 a hundred years on, with all the added twists of that period's longer historical narrative in Ireland. In such a context, it may seem frivolous to point out that sports like yachting have no great Centenaries to mark at all in 2015. But this minor off-screen fact is a reminder of the all-involving horror and obscenity of total warfare on an industrial scale. It obliterated anything like normal life.

Yet as recreational sailing had been going on in some sort of organised form for hundreds of years – albeit in a fairly rudimentary way in its earliest years in the 16th Century – there may well have been several important dates to be marked during the time of the Great War itself, but they were allowed to pass as there was no sport afloat, while civilian life ashore was very subdued.

And in Ireland, with the Troubles persisting for four years after the end of the Great War until 1922, the Bicentenary of the Royal Cork Yacht Club in 1920 was to be a muted affair – the official History of the Royal Cork Yacht Club (published 2005) tells us: "Plans for a special dinner to celebrate the club's bicentenary in 1920 had to be cancelled, probably because of the disturbed conditions in the country"

So the idea of celebrating the Centenary of the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes in 1915 at the height of the international war - other than in a rather solemn shorebound way - would have been unthinkable. But that in turn fuels the celebrations when the peacefulgood times roll again. Thus the Royal Cork Yacht Club, having been unable to celebrate its Bicentenary in 1920, went on to have a fabulous two-year Quarter Millennium celebration in 1969-70. And as the RYS couldn't have a proper party in 1915, there's no doubt that the up-coming Bicentenary in 2015 will be the nucleus of international sailing's megafest-of-the-year.

There are of course several clubs which pre-dated the Squadron when it was founded in 1815. And there are many whose members outshine the small membership of the RYS in the breadth and energy of their sailing. But for 2015, let's just acknowledge that the prestigious Squadron has been at the heart of sailing history for a very long time, while their clubhouse's location right on the Solent at Cowes is so central that when any great Solent-related events are under way, the Squadron is in the middle of the story.

Thus it was on the Squadron lawn that in July that the Irish team celebrated their epic Commodore's Cup victory at the end of July 2014. And it will be towards the Squadron and its Bicentenary that the fleet will be racing in 2015's west-east Transatlantic Race. And then it will be the firing of the cannons from the historic Squadron battery which will signal the start of the 46th Fastnet Race on 16th August 2015.

Party time at the Royal Yacht Squadron – the Irish team and their management gather to celebrate victory in the Commodore's Cup at the Squadron Castle in Cowes on August 1st 2014

There'll be many Irish boats involved, and the best-placed of them at the finish will be the winner of the Gull Salver, currently held by Martin Breen's Reflex 38 Lynx from Galway Bay SC, which was skippered to success by Aodhan FitzGerald in 2013's race. It's a coveted trophy, instituted to honour the memory of Harry Donegan of Cork and his famous cutter Gull, which was one of seven boats which inaugurated the Fastnet Race in 1925, and placed third. Since then, Irish Fastneteers have frequently been in the great race's top places, and best of all was in 2007 when Ger O'Rourke's Cookson 50 Chieftain out of Kilrush, sailing under the burgee of the revived Royal Western of Ireland YC, came sweeping in to the finish line at Plymouth to win the Fastnet Race
overall.

One of the greatest moments in Irish sailing history – Ger O'Rourke's Chieftain sweeps towards the finish line to become the overall winner of the Rolex Fastnet Race 2007. Photo: Rolex

Just the spot for a great Tricentenary celebration - the very complete sailing facilities provided jointly by the Royal Cork Yacht Club and Crosshaven will become a world focus in 2020 with the Club's 300th anniversary. Photo: Bob Bateman

The realisation that 2015 sees this significant RYS Bicentenary is a timely reminder that the Royal Cork's Tricentenary is only five years down the line. They're five years which will be gone in a flash, and already behind-the-scenes moves are afoot to ensure that the national sailing programme will properly facilitate the extraordinary anniversary being celebrated in Crosshaven in 2020.

But meanwhile other Irish sailing centres have their own regular programmes to operate in the intervening four years, and in terms of numbers and scale there's no doubt the top event in Ireland in 2015 will be the biennial Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta from 9th to 12th July.

Anyone – and there were many - who took part in this unique "suburban sailfest" in 2013 will know that the VDLR has come of age. It's an event which is comfortable with itself while at the same time being always in development and evolution mode. Each staging of this remarkable Dublin Bay happening sees lessons being learnt and implemented even while the multi-class racing is under way on several courses. And in the two year gap before the next staging, the experience gained is closely analysed and the programme refined to further improve the sport in every area.

You get some idea of the sheer depth of racing experience in Dun Laoghaire by noting that the Chairman of the 2015 Committee is Tim Goodbody, with Martin Byrne as Vice Chairman while the Race Director is Con Murphy. And those three sailing megastars are just the peak of a mountain of race administration experience which is being drawn in from all over Ireland to ensure that the fleet of 400-plus boats gets the best sport possible.

The first regatta in 1828 at the new harbour at Dun Laoghaire, which will be the setting for Ireland's biggest event in 2015, the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta from 9th to 12th July.

While there'll be keenly participating boats from all over Ireland as well as Scotland, England and Wales, the setup of Dublin Bay being right on the city's doorstep means that it's the locals who would pose an administrative problem for a less experienced team. As the dates for the VDLR approached in 2013, the weather forecast steadily improved, and thanks to the Regatta's "extra long weekend" format, the sudden arrival of summer meant that a host of boats from the greater Dublin area came in as last minute entries, their owners and crews managing to scrape the extra day-and-a-half needed off work. It's a scenario which would put an overstretched administration off course, but the VDLR team took it calmly in their stride, and the result was a successful summer festival of sunlit sails and great sport, with maybe two thousand taking part.

This year there's a more structured cross-channel involvement, as the venerable Royal Dee YC in Cheshire has leapt to life to celebrate its Bicentenary. Founded as the Dee Yacht Club in 1815 with the end of the Napoleonic Wars, it didn't get the Royal seal until 1947, but nevertheless claims to be older than the RYS. With growing fleets in North Wales and the Mersey, it has put together a Bicentennial Royal Dee Irish Sea Offshore Championship linked closely to ISORA, which will bring the fleet across to Ireland to take in four offshore day races sailed as part of VDLR 2015.

Irish National Championships which will be part of the VDLR 2015 programme include the J/109s, the RS Elites, the Beneteau First 21s, and the Wayfarers, while the Leinster GP 14 Championship is also included as an integral part of the Regatta.

Party time in Dun Laoghaire – the Royal Irish YC during VDLR 2013. Photo: W M Nixon

As for Ireland's classic clinker-built vintage classes, one of the pleasantest surprises in VDLR 2013 was the large turnout of Mermaids, which had superb racing on the course area in the northwest corner of Dublin Bay. Despite having been born as the Dublin Bay SC Mermaid in 1932, this class of 17ft super-dinghies is no longer included in the regular DBSC programme owing to shortage of numbers for weekly turnouts. But it seems that as far as the VDLR is concerned, the Mermaid is now an event boat, and the fleets still thriving at other centres, together with some of the dormant Dublin Bay craft, bestirred themselves for the four days to enjoy good sailing for more than three dozen boats, something which is highly likely to be repeated in 2015.

The even more venerable Water Wags, founded 1887 with the current boats dating from 1903, continue to thrive in Dun Laoghaire, and the word is they expect to have at least twenty boats in action, while another wooden classic, the Mylne-designed 25ft Glen keelboat, is 50 years and more in Dun Laoghaire, and looks forward to having at least twelve boats racing in 2015.

All these specialized and historic classes are in addition to the numerous cruiser-racers which continue to be the backbone of Dublin Bay sailing. And while many of them will see the VDLR 2015 as a highlight of the year, in turning to consider the overall national programme, we find a sport which is shaking off economic recession to get on with an extraordinary plethora of local, national and international sailing events.

The problem is that most events of significance hope to locate themselves in the peak sailing period from late May to early September, so clashes are almost inevitable, and if you're interested in several different kinds of sailing, the overall choices can be bewildering in their complexity and logistical challenges.

The Baltimore Wooden Boat Festival attracts an eclectic fleet – included here are a Shannon Gandelow, a West Cork Mackerel Yawl, the ketch Sile a Do, and an Heir Island Lobster Yawl (left).

For instance, the variety of events now available for the traditional and classic boats – usually but not necessarily under the Old Gaffer umbrella – would keep anyone busy for most of the summer. It starts with the Baltimore Wooden Boat & Seafood Festival from Friday 22nd May to Sunday 24th May, which you'd think very early
in the season for someone faced with fitting out an old wooden boat in Ireland's climate, but somehow they do it.

Then on the East Coast for the early summer Bank Holiday Weekend from May 29th to June 2nd, there's the Old Gaffer gathering in Dublin Bay at Poolbeg Y&BC with the annual race for the Leinster Trophy in the bay on Saturday May 30th, the event then morphs into the Dublin Port Riverfest in the Liffey on Sunday May 31st, and finally it all concludes with the race for the Asgard Trophy back in the bay on Monday June 1st.

The annual Lambay Race at Howth, a regular fixture since 1904, has seen its course becoming increasingly complex in modern times in order to satisfy the desire of modern racers for competition on every possible point of sailing. But in 2014, to celebrate the Centenary of the Lynch family's Echo, the venerable Howth Seventeens were sent on the traditional course north from Howth Harbour through the sound inside Ireland's Eye, then on round Lambay leaving it to port, and then back south inside Ireland's Eye again to the finish at Howth pierheads.

This was such an attractive proposition for Old Gaffers and Seventeens alike that on the day an extra Classics Division was added to cater for ancient craft, and it hit the spot. This option will be offered again for 2015's Lambay Race (it's on Saturday June 6th), and the word is that Dickie Gomes's 1912-built 36ft yawl Ainmara will be coming down from Strangford Lough to defend her title after 94 years. 94 years? Yes indeed - she won the Lambay Race in spectacular style in 1921 when still under the ownership of her designer-builder John B Kearney.

After 94 years, Dickie Gomes's 36ft 1912-built yawl Ainmara (seen here on her home waters of Strangford Lough) hopes to return to defend the title in Howth's Lambay Race, which Ainmara won in 1921 while still in the ownership of her designer-builder John B Kearney. Photo: W M Nixon

The Old Gaffers attention then swings north as the Tall Ships are coming to Belfast from Thursday 2nd July to Sunday 5th July. This is going to be a serious biggie with those ships already signed up including a significant turnout of Class A vessels, which are square riggers and others of more than 40 metres in length. Belfast Lough lends itself particularly well to the Parade of Sail which follows a Tall Ships gathering, and in 2009 when they were last in the port they put in in a virtuoso display with the Dutch ship Europa in particular going to the trouble of getting herself over towards Whiteabbey in the northwest corner of the lough to allow her time get every stitch of sail set before proceeding seawards down-lough in colossal style, a much more impressive display than we've become accustomed to in Dublin, where the shape of Dublin Bay is such that it doesn't really provide the space for square riggers to set all cloth before getting out to sea.

The Tall Ship Europa shows how it should be done in Belfast Lough in 2009, taking time out to set full sail before she starts to gather power to make the proper input into the Parade of Sail.

Like Dublin, Belfast has shown it can be hospitable to Old Gaffers, and it was a very welcoming main port during the OGA Golden Jubilee Cruise-in-Company in 2013, so for 2015 the OGA National President Sean Walsh hopes to up the ante by persuading his members from all round the Irish Sea to gather in Belfast, and to add spice to the mix, he hopes to persuade the Howth 17s to put in an appearance as well, to sail with local one designs like the 1903 Belfast Lough Waverley Class, which have been experiencing a revival in recent years.

Old Gaffers in Belfast for their Golden Jubilee in 2013. The Irish Sea classic and traditional fleet will return to the same venue for the Tall Ships gathering in July 2015. Photo: W M Nixon

The Belfast Lough Waverley Class Lilias (built 1903) sailing at the Titanic Centre in Belfast. In 2015, the Waverleys will be joined by some of the 117-year-old Howth 17s to participate in the visit of the Tall Ships. Photo: W M Nixon

The Seventeens have made long treks as a class before – in 1998, five of them were road-trailed to Carrickfergus to mark the class's Centenary, with the first five boats built by Hilditch of Carrickfergus. So though they'd trailed there, they then sailed the 90 miles back to Howth, just as the first boats had done a hundred years earlier. Then in July 2003, fifteen of the Seventeens took part in the Glandore Classics Regatta thanks to a brilliantly organised exercise in logistics using a flotilla of low loaders which could take three boats apiece.

For all of Ireland's classic and traditional boats in 2015, and an international fleet too, Glandore is very much up on the radar again, as a special effort is being made by a GHYC team led by Donal Lynch to encourage increased numbers in the CH Marine Glandore Classic Regatta from Saturday July 18th through Friday July 24th. It's a date which certainly allows Old Gaffers plenty of time to get down from Belfast, indeed some may even consider the option of making the voyage northabout to take in a round Ireland cruise while they're at it. And as that great magnet of the Irish Sea classic and traditional scene, the Peel Traditional Boat Weekend, isn't until Friday 31st July to Sunday 2nd August, it's just about possible to factor that in as well.

Everything happening at once – the famous Pilot Cutter Jolie Brise was the star of the Glandore Classics in 2013, and as it was her own Centenary she celebrated by sailing round the Fastnet Rock – she has been a successful Fastnet Race participant several times. Photo: Brian Carlin

The Glandore Classics attracts an international fleet, and 2013's regatta included a class of Fife One Designs from the Menai Straits, all of them keen to party and showing it. 2015's Glandore Classics is from July 18th to 24th. Photo: Cormac O'Carroll

All this is already happening for the oldies with August barely under way, yet for modern cruiser-racers the potential programme for any keenly-sailed Irish boat is equally complex, attractive and challenging. The season starts as usual with the Scottish Series from Friday 23rd May to Monday 26th May – there'll probably still be snow on the mountains of Arran. They've gone back to their roots by starting with a feeder race from Gourock to the main regatta centre at Tarbert on Loch Fyne. "Going back to the roots" is something of a theme for this year's staging of the Clyde Cruising Club's main racing event, as this is the 40th Scottish Series. Come to think of it, there are so many important 40th anniversaries happening in sailing these days that we have the admit that the decade which brought us the full horror of wide lapels and flared trousers also contributed some lasting elements of the international sailing scene, indeed it could be said that the modern era in sailing really began about forty years ago.

Back in Ireland, the ISORA programme will be well under way by June, while the Lambay Race on June 6th can be looked at with more interest by several boats, as the biennial National YC Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race doesn't start until Friday June 12th . Last time round, there was a total fixtures clash between the two events, but in times before that hyper-keen sailors such as the Tyrrells of Arklow with Aquelina have been able to fit in both, indeed one year they did it so well they won both too, and were rightly acclaimed as the Afloat "Sailors of the Month" for their success.

For 2015, defending champion in the Dingle Race is Brian O'Sullivan of Tralee with the veteran Oyster 37 Amazing Grace, which came good in the end in 2013 with a new breeze which knocked pending leader Antix (Anthony O'Leary) off the winning perch. But with the 2015 Dingle Race acting as a useful if rather indirect feeder for the Covestone Asset Management Sovereigns Cup in Kinsale from June 24th to 28th, there could be all sorts of sharp boats lining up to take the prize, for the Sovereigns Cup 2015 includes the all-singing all-dancing ICRA Nats 2015. 

The welcoming port – Kinsale is one of Ireland's most popular destinations, and in 2015 its hosts the combined Sovereigns /ICRA Nationals from June 24th to 28th.

Perfect sailing – racing in the Sovereigns at Kinsale in June 2013. Photo: Bob Bateman

Yet the timing of the combined Sovereigns/ICRA Nats is such that there's still plenty of time and space to get back to the Irish Sea for the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2015 from July 9th to 12th, a reminder that much of the cruiser-racer programme for 2015 is in a neatly balanced and user-friendly timescale for everyone except perhaps those who wish to do either the entire ISORA or SCORA programme as well, so the problem mostly is going to be getting time off work.

And for the hyper-keen cruiser-racers, particularly those whose boats are small enough to be conveniently trailerable, further temptation looms in 2015 with the WIORA Championship at Galway Bay Sailing Club from July 22nd to 25th. For the fleets in the Shannon, on Tralee Bay, and in Clew Bay, it's a bit more than a day's sail away, but they'll be there to challenge Liam Byrne of the home club who won it in 2014 with his Corby 25 Tribal at Mayo SC in Clew Bay, while some top boats from more distant centres are expecting to trail to Galway Bay to spice up the competition.

By this stage of the season a more relaxed pace might be welcome, but the lively turnout of 80 boats in 2014 for the new-style four day Cork Dry Gin Calves Week out of Schull in early August (Tuesday 4th to Friday 7th August in 2015) suggests that for racing sailors, the best relaxation is more racing, but in a holiday setting. And yes, it has been noted that a true West Corkian sailing nut could indeed do all of Calves Week 2015, and still be on the Squadron line for the start of the Fasnet Race nine days later.

For dinghies in 2015, the big story is the debut of the newest version of the National 18, and just how popular will the Bray-bult foiling Moths become, while established classes will frame their programmes to accommodate sailors whose time is limited, also having to fit in with a national scene where the number of Race Officers with the necessary skills is inevitably a finite amount.

The big stories in Irish dinghy racing in 2015 will be the arrival of the new National 18s at Crosshaven, and the revival of Dinghy Week there in late August. Here, in the Autumn of 2013, To Dwyer and Nin O'Leary test sail the prototype of the new 18 on Cork Harbour. Photo: Bob Bateman

The new Third Generation (or maybe it's fourth or fifth generation) National 18 may have been designed in England by Phil Morrison, and is being built there too. But it was the very active Crosshaven fleet with the Royal Cork Yacht Club which led the charge towards a new boat, and when it came to stepping up to the plate to pay twelve substantial new boat deposits to move it all along after the prototype had been rigorously tested in Cork harbour last Autumn, it was the Crosshaven fleet that provided eight out of those twelve cheques.

So it's entirely appropriate that in August 2015, the dinghy focus will swing big time towards Crosshaven and a short form "Dinghy Week" from August 21st to 23rd. The old style Irish Dinghy Weeks – the last one was in 1970 – became victims of their own success, they just got too large. But the different classes became over-optimistic about their continuing individual growth prospects. Then the pendulum swung too far the other way, and dinghy classes were alone and their events shrinking. But a resurgence of club and championship dinghy sailing in Crosshaven during 2014, and a growing realization that over-reliance on single-handed dinghy classes does not necessarily produce a socially-adjusted national squad of junior sailors, resulted in some clear and creative thinking about developing two-handed boats, and reviving some old classes such as the Mirrors.

The form of this new Dinghy Week is still in the melting pot, but at least eight classes have responded with enthusiasm. Meanwhile, the National 18s in Crosshaven will be such a focus of interest during 2015 with the first of the new boats making their debut that we'll have a season-long dinghy narrative developing on Cork Harbour, and the revived Dinghy Week will be just part of it.

As for inshore keelboats, the big one in terms of number is the combined British and Irish Championship Squib Championship at Howth from 27th June to 3rd July. The handy little Squibs are something of an oddity, as they serve so well as a cherished local class in so many Irish sailing centres that many owners see them as that, and nothing more – handy little club sailors to be raced on home waters a couple of times a week.

This means that when a major regional or national event is held, the number taking part will often only be a fraction of the total Irish Squib fleet. But for those who do make the trek, the competition is fierce and the racing great – in Howth, the high point was in 1996, when this "Nationals" event attracted a fleet of exactly a hundred boats, and on one never-to-be-forgotten morning, there they were, every last one of them on the starting line.

A hundred Squibs all in a row at Howth on Tuesday July 25th 1996. Photo: Mandy Murnane

The most recent Squib event of national stature was the Freshwater Keelboat Regatta at Dromineer on Lough Derg on the weekend of October 18th-19th, and the battle for the top places was between the Kinsale and Belfast Lough fleets, with James Matthews and Rob Jacob of Kinsale rounding out their year in style with a good win.

But with the Squibs in England undergoing a revival – they were the second-biggest One Design fleet in Cowes Week 2014, bested only by the legendary XODs – there's no doubt there's a strong challenge coming across channel, and any Irish boat getting into the top ten will be doing well.

As for that annual Autumn Freshwater Keelboat Regatta at Dromineer, while it may have been much hampered by the spinoff from some ferocious weather out in the Atlantic with frustration for some of the sixty boats hoping to take part, it's an event of enormous potential, and the many who wish it well and have enjoyed it in the past will be ready and willing to do their part to make 2015's regatta a success.

The Squibs enjoying a lull in the strong winds during the Lough Derg Freshwater Regatta 2014. Overall winner was Mucky Duck (no 51, James Matthews & Rob Jacob, Kinsale YC). Photo: Gareth Craig

All these specialised and localized events planned for 2015 will be the continuing background music to the usual events of national sailing focus, everything from the selection of the Irish team for the Student Yachting Worlds to the Helmsmans Championships to the steady increase in pace while 2015 develops as the pre-Olympic year. As the year rolls along, other stories will develop too. So perhaps it's appropriate that we exit this review as we entered it. Just pause to remember now and again that, a hundred years ago, you simply couldn't have gone freely afloat like this for sport and recreation at all.

But we can't close on such a solemn note. Seasoned Solent sailors may have noted our header photo from Guido Cantini at the Panerai Classics Regatta was looking just slightly odd, for some reason difficult to pin down. Well, as it happens, the photo was sent to us back in September just as we were contemplating the excellent cleanup up done by Jason Hurley of Jason Hurley Design on the Mercedes-sponsored billboard photo of Howth 17s on the end wall of Howth Yacht Club. As with many photos taken over the RYS starting cannons, the Cantini pic included an obtrusive part of the Fawley Oil Refinery across on what Isle of Wight people call "the north island". Though Fawley has been there for yonks, it still has the look of a temporary structure. So we got Jason to treat as just that. But here for your edification is the true picture. You could get a taste for this sort of thing. What about brushing out Whitegate, lads? And as for Milford Haven.........

The unvarnished truth. In real life, the view from the RYS battery at Cowes can be slightly marred by the clutter of Fawley Refinery across the Solent on "the north island". Photo: Guido Cantini/Panerai

Read also: 2015 Irish Sailing Fixtures List (provisional)

#royalcork – ISAF Youth Silver Medallist Séafra Guifoyle has won the Pyewacket Cup for the fourth time at Royal Cork Yacht Club writes Claire Bateman. Royal Cork's Guilfoyle has topped off a magnificent period of sailing and received the well deserved accolade of being awarded the Pyewacket Perpetual Cup. His silver medal achievement at the ISAF Youth world Championships at Tavira, Portugal in July was well recognised by the Munster club's adjudicating Committee. He showed true grit in producing a final race win in the series, his seventh top ten placing resulting in the silver medal, Ireland's second in as many years.

He had got off to a great start in the light wind series and scored an opening race win plus a fifth in race two and held this lead until the half way stage. "I nearly had gold but at the last minute Joel Rodriquez moved to finish fourth." This was enough for Rodriquez to take the gold and, to quote Séafra again, "I tried my best and am still thrilled with the result."

At Optimist level Séafra was National Champion in 2008 and 2009 and in 2011 he moved to a Laser 4.7 and became Class National Champion in that year.

In October 2001 the late Roy Disney, widely known American Sailing Enthusiast who had a home in West Cork, had strong ties with the Royal Cork Yacht Club, and participated in many Ford Cork Week Regattas, presented the club with the Pyewacket Perpetual Cup at a dinner in the club hosted by the then Admiral, Anthony O'Leary.

The Pyewacket Trophy is presented each year to the youth sailor, who in the opinion of the Adjudicating Committee , has achieved the best results overall in his or her class. and took place on November 14th at the highly successful and enjoyable Junior Laying Supper at the Royal Cork Yacht Club.

#royalcork – There were 23 entrants yesterday for Royal Cork YC's 'O'Leary Insurances' Winter league. An all–in start featured cruisers and 1720s. Also running from Royal Cork was a Laser and 4.7 dinghy series from Cork Harbour's Grassy race area. Gusty westerly winds produced some lively sailing conditions. The fleets were joined by a number of Topper sailors, already in training for 2015! Scroll down for photos below by Bob Bateman

 

#optimistworlds – After eight races sailed of the Optimist World Championship at Club Nautico San Isidro, Argentina, Royal Cork's Harry Durcan is lying 22nd from 70 in his red flight of a massive 210–boats. The Munster youth had a difficult start to his regatta counting two starting penalties in his first two races but by race eight had bounced back to take a ninth, his best result so far. Durcan's scores to date: (70.0 UFD) 70.0 BFD 54.0 53.0 12.0 39.0 9.0. Full score–sheet here.

Six races were sailed last week and the fleet was divided into Gold, Silver and Bronze. Each fleet has 70 sailors. This first part of this championship had light winds, lot of current and little waves but today it changed completely: The wind gauge marked 23Knts on the race area, the waves were high and short, there were current and it was cloudy. The changes made a turn on the results. The Gold Fleet had two races: The Brazilian sailor, Gustavo Abdulklech won the first race and then Voravong Rachrattanaruk from Thailand won the second race.

The Silver fleet made two races also and the bronze fleet only made one because of the strong winds. The final results: 1st Nicolaz Rolaz from Switzerland, 2nd Dimitris Papadimitriou from Greece and third place Gustavo Abdilklech from Brazil. Mara Turin who was winning the OptiWorld is 8th after a very hard day.

Top five, Gold fleet after Tuesday's racing:

1. Nicolas Rolaz, SUI, 28.0 points
2. Dimitris Papadimitriou, GRE, 31.0
3. Gustavo Abdulklech, BRA, 43.0
4. Jelmer Velds, NED, 45.0
5. Aina Colom, ESP, 55.0

#royalcork – Another great day of sailing on Saturday wrapped up the finale of the CH Marine Autumn Series at the Royal Cork Yacht Club writes Claire Bateman.

The forecast wind was W/SW 14 to 24knots and nobody could dispute that it was incorrect. Whitesail 1 and 2 and Class 4 were with RO David O'Brien and team who set up a line down off Whitegate and sent off Class 4 first, having waited while the Brittany Ferries Bretagne passed inward bound on her way to Ringaskiddy. The Class were a little bit unfortunate that an anchored vessel decided to up anchor and do a 360 degree turn leaving the fleet to get out of her way which they did with alacrity. Simultaneously WS2 were also starting and they two had to get out of the ship's way,

Class 1 then went for their start. Indulgence went for a pin end start but wasn't quite fast enough and got caught on starboard by the wily Michael Wallace sailing Felix. The first mark was No. 10 and Yoshi made a mistake and overstood the mark by a good distance and had to return.

Your scribe's researcher then went out to watch the 1720s sailing. They were doing windward/leeward courses across the harbour at great speed so much so that the third race had a yellow flag flown to indicate they would use smaller JIbs and small spinnakers.

Meanwhile Classes 1, 2 and 3 sailed outside the harbour. The first race was a windward/leeward course. The second race was windward/leeward with a two sail reach into Western mark and then into the harbour where Sparetime was anchored off the Cage to finish the fleet.

All in all a splendid day of racing that left the sailors exhausted but exhilarated and in fine fettle coming ashore for the presentation of the day prizes and later to the overall prize giving dinner which proved to be a total sell out, a resounding success, and a great end to this superb Autumn series. Another great day of sailing (yesterday) to wrap up the finale of the CH Marine Autumn Series at the Royal Cork Yacht Club

The forecast wind was W/SW 14 to 24knots and nobody could dispute that it was incorrect. Whitesail 1 and 2 and Class 4 were with RO David O'Brien and team who set up a line down off Whitegate and sent off Class 4 first, having waited while the Brittany Ferries Bretagne passed inward bound on her way to Ringaskiddy. The Class were a little bit unfortunate that an anchored vessel decided to up anchor and do a 360 degree turn leaving the fleet to get out of her way which they did with alacrity. Simultaneously WS2 were also starting and they two had to get out of the ship's way,

Class 1 then went for their start. Indulgence went for a pin end start but wasn't quite fast enough and got caught on starboard by the wily Michael Wallace sailing Felix. The first mark was No. 10 and Yoshi made a mistake and overstood the mark by a good distance and had to return.

Your scribe's researcher then went out to watch the 1720s sailing. They were doing windward/leeward courses across the harbour at great speed so much so that the third race had a yellow flag flown to indicate they would use smaller JIbs and small spinnakers.

Meanwhile Classes 1, 2 and 3 sailed outside the harbour. The first race was a windward/leeward course. The second race was windward/leeward with a two sail reach into Western mark and then into the harbour where Sparetime was anchored off the Cage to finish the fleet.

All in all a splendid day of racing that left the sailors exhausted but exhilarated and in fine fettle coming ashore for the presentation of the day prizes and later to the overall prize giving dinner which proved to be a total sell out, a resounding success, and a great end to this superb Autumn series.

#royalcork – The penultimate Day of Royal Cork Yacht Club CH Marine Autumn Series provided plenty of exhilarating sailing writes Claire Bateman.
Yesterday was the penultimate day of the Royal Cork CH Marine Autumn Series and such were the conditions a decision was taken to cancel Whitesail 1, 2 and Class 4. However, the 1720s had a fantastic day and as the 1720 Race Officer, Anthony O'Leary commented, they got good value for money as they got in three races and they were competitive right throughout the fleet. Sailing with smaller jibs and threequarter spinnakers they sailed windward/leeward courses and many a 'Yahoo' was heard as they went downwind at high speed. At the top end of the fleet Nicholas O'Leary, four times in a row winner of the Irish Helmsman's Championship, and sailing T Bone, had keen competition from David Kenefick sailing Wet 'N Ready and just back from two years sailing the Figaro circuit. At the end of the day T Bone is top of the leaderboard for the class and the final day of racing next Saturday will be interesting to watch.

Meanwhile, further in the harbour RO Peter Crowley for Classes 1, 2 and Three set up Sparetime using No. 13 as the Pin End and sent Classes 1 and 2 on a windward/leeward course up to Whitepoint and on their way they passed the original home of the Royal Cork Yacht Club at Haulbowline where the club was founded in 1720.

Class Three were sent on a shorter windward/leeward course to No. 20 off Cobh. For their second race things got more interesting . They went on a beat to No. 20 again but this time they had a run to No. 11 then to No. 10, back to No. 11 and finished at the Cage.

Classes 1 and 2 for their second race also went to No. 20, a run to No. 11 on to 10, back to 11, back to 10, back to 11 and finished at the Cage. This proved to be quite a challenging race for the crews.

Also in the harbour today, and having an absolute ball in the conditions, were the hardy youngsters competing in their October 'Cobbler' League and here again it should be remembered that CH Marine were the sponsors of the Optimist National Championships at the Royal Cork this year.

The final race of the series will be held next Saturday with the prize giving dinner taking place that evening.

 

#rcyc – Royal Cork Yacht Club (RCYC) is eyeing up a return to the celebrated 'Dinghy Weeks' of thirty years ago after buoyant turnouts this season for a number of key open events including September's RS class Open and the CH Marine Optimist National Championships at the Munster Club.  Afloat.ie reported on the prospect of the return of the famous format a month ago when a fleet of more than 40 RS400s, 200s and Fevas rounded off their season in Crosshaven on a high note with brilliant conditions for downwind surfing and upwind tactics that set a benchmark for the rekindled Dinghy Week idea.

According to a report in this morning's Irish Times, the Cork Harbour club has named the 2015 date and has interest from eight classes so far. RCYC Rear Admiral Kieran O'Connell told the newspaper 'The response has been massive in every fleet we've spoken to'. 

It is understood August 21 to 23 are the dates selected and the event will be organised to national championship standard.

#royalcork – Today was another wonderful October day for the CH Marine Autumn Series writes Claire Bateman. There was bright sunshine after a night of dense fog that cleared exactly as had been forecast. The wind in the outer harbour was 10 to 14 knots from the east but in the inner harbour the Wind Gods were not quite so kind and the wind was a little bit softer about 5 to 7 knots.

Speaking of the lighter wind in the harbour, RO for Classes 1, 2 and 3, Peter Crowley, would have liked to finish his fleets inside but given the reports of light winds, opted instead for two triangle courses which as it turned out were rather exciting to watch and the racing was not without its moments. In Class 3 there was a coming together and both boats retired. For the second race there was an individual recall and Tom Roche's Meridian returned to restart. Also in the second race Ian Nagle's Jelly Baby was playing a blinder and came into the weather mark in the first round in second place. It was a 4.2m tide with low water about 3pm and there were a lot of alternative approaches to the beat. The J80, J92 and the Main Four seemed to be having a ding dong battle on the reach and a bit of a luffing match ensued.

However, inside the harbour David O'Brien's fleets were sent off from the committee boat, anchored near the No. 8 buoy, in what was the best order, Class 4 first, WS2 and then WS1. They were given a beat to the No. 11 buoy and then back to No. 8 where the course was then shortened. In the second race they were sent off on what was effectively a triangle course. Indeed one wag was heard to mutter that the fastest thing in the harbour for the afternoon was a ship coming through the fleet and indeed any yachts in the path of this ship were quickly shepherded away by Gavin Deane and Mark Ring.

Meanwhile Anthony O'Leary had his 1720 fleet down off Cuskinny and they looked quite interesting when the wind eventually filled in during the afternoon.

This series counts for SCORA (South Coast Offshore Racing Association) and we hope to have an update on this during the coming week.

Sunday next will be see the penultimate race of the series with the final race on the following Saturday followed by the prize giving dinner always a highlight of the season.