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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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Ferry & Car Ferry News The ferry industry on the Irish Sea, is just like any other sector of the shipping industry, in that it is made up of a myriad of ship operators, owners, managers, charterers all contributing to providing a network of routes carried out by a variety of ships designed for different albeit similar purposes.

All this ferry activity involves conventional ferry tonnage, 'ro-pax', where the vessel's primary design is to carry more freight capacity rather than passengers. This is in some cases though, is in complete variance to the fast ferry craft where they carry many more passengers and charging a premium.

In reporting the ferry scene, we examine the constantly changing trends of this sector, as rival ferry operators are competing in an intensive environment, battling out for market share following the fallout of the economic crisis. All this has consequences some immediately felt, while at times, the effects can be drawn out over time, leading to the expense of others, through reduced competition or takeover or even face complete removal from the marketplace, as witnessed in recent years.

Arising from these challenging times, there are of course winners and losers, as exemplified in the trend to run high-speed ferry craft only during the peak-season summer months and on shorter distance routes. In addition, where fastcraft had once dominated the ferry scene, during the heady days from the mid-90's onwards, they have been replaced by recent newcomers in the form of the 'fast ferry' and with increased levels of luxury, yet seeming to form as a cost-effective alternative.

Irish Sea Ferry Routes

Irrespective of the type of vessel deployed on Irish Sea routes (between 2-9 hours), it is the ferry companies that keep the wheels of industry moving as freight vehicles literally (roll-on and roll-off) ships coupled with motoring tourists and the humble 'foot' passenger transported 363 days a year.

As such the exclusive freight-only operators provide important trading routes between Ireland and the UK, where the freight haulage customer is 'king' to generating year-round revenue to the ferry operator. However, custom built tonnage entering service in recent years has exceeded the level of capacity of the Irish Sea in certain quarters of the freight market.

A prime example of the necessity for trade in which we consumers often expect daily, though arguably question how it reached our shores, is the delivery of just in time perishable products to fill our supermarket shelves.

A visual manifestation of this is the arrival every morning and evening into our main ports, where a combination of ferries, ro-pax vessels and fast-craft all descend at the same time. In essence this a marine version to our road-based rush hour traffic going in and out along the commuter belts.

Across the Celtic Sea, the ferry scene coverage is also about those overnight direct ferry routes from Ireland connecting the north-western French ports in Brittany and Normandy.

Due to the seasonality of these routes to Europe, the ferry scene may be in the majority running between February to November, however by no means does this lessen operator competition.

Noting there have been plans over the years to run a direct Irish –Iberian ferry service, which would open up existing and develop new freight markets. Should a direct service open, it would bring new opportunities also for holidaymakers, where Spain is the most visited country in the EU visited by Irish holidaymakers ... heading for the sun!