Displaying items by tag: Dublin Bay
Moth Dinghy Makes its Dublin Bay Sailing Club Debut
Making its debut for the first time under the club burgee was an International Moth dinghy. The ultra fast hull was airborne at just eight knots of breeze, making even the trapezing Fireballs look slow. But despite the pace the new fangled dinghy did not feature in the overall Portsmouth Yardstick (PY) results. See below.
A healthy turnout of six 'balls, urged on by the fact that the class World Championships is in Sligo in 46 days time, got some trapezing gusts and some planing waves downwind in a north-easterly breeze of 6-8 knots. S. Oram took the winning gun from Louis Smyth sailing Licence to Thrill.
Single handed Lasers boasted twice the Fireball turnout to be the biggest class racing in Scotsman's bay tonight. It's a show of strength from a class surely worthy of its own start if this kind of turnout can be maintained.
Sean Craig won the Laser race from Peter Craig but the overall PY result went to E. Ryan's RS400.
Two Dublin Bay Mermaids and disappointingly, a single IDRA 14, No.124, Squalls also competed.
DUBLIN PORT Dublin Bay Sailing Club Results for 26 APRIL 2011
FIREBALL - 1. nn (S Oram), 2. Licence to Thrill (Louis Smyth), 3. Incubus (C Power/M Barry)
MERMAID - 1. Lively Lady (G O'Neill & M Hanney), 2. Jill (P.Smith/P.Mangan)
PY CLASS - 1. E Ryan (RS400), 2. Sean Craig (Laser), 3. Peter Craig (Laser)
BENETEAU 31.7 - 1. Extreme Reality (P.McSwiney/E.O'Rafferty), 2. Magic (D.O'Sullivan/D.Espey)
BENETEAU 31.7 - 1. Magic (D.O'Sullivan/D.Espey), 2. Extreme Reality (P.McSwiney/E.O'Rafferty)
CRUISERS 2 - 1. Cor Baby (Keith Kiernan et al), 2. Red Rhum (J Nicholson), 3. Free Spirit (John O'Reilly)
CRUISERS 3 - 1. Grasshopper 2 (K & J Glynn), 2. Pamafe (Michael Costello), 3. Papytoo (M.Walsh/F.Guilfoyle)
CRUISERS 4 - 1. Maranda (Myles Kelly), 2. Ghrazel (Charles Pearson), 3. Artemis (J.Giles)
RUFFIAN 23 - 1. Diane ll (Bruce Carswell), 2. Icicle (C & J Murray), 3. Alias (D.Meeke/M.McCarthy)
SIGMA 33 - 1. Rupert (R.Lovegrove/P.Varian), 2. Pippa lV (G.Kinsman/K.Blake/M.O'Brien)
SQUIB - 1. Tais (Michael O'Connell), 2. Periguin (N.Coakley/J.Redahan)
More DBSC News here.
300 Top Junior Sailors Bound for Dublin Bay
Over 300 sailors will compete in Dublin Bay in seven different classes (Laser Radial, Laser 4.7, 420, Feva, Topper, SL16 and Optimist). For youth sailors, this event is the most important in the annual calendar as it is the decider for the top Irish sailors to compete internationally during 2011 and is the pathway for future Olympic sailors. Podcast with Olympic Team Manager James O'Callaghan here.
The 420 fleet is already in situ as the Leinster Championships were held over Easter and the girls team Emma Geary and Niamh Connolly won the event in style. This team is the only 420 crew to qualify internationally for a place on the Irish team to compete in the ISAF Youth Worlds in Zadar, Croatia and will be looking to win next weekend to secure this honour.
Dublin Bay will host the 2012 ISAF Youth World Championships and this year's ISA Mitsubishi Youth National event is an important test event with representatives from the international sailing authority visiting Dun Laoghaire to view plans and test logistics.
In addition to the 420 fleet the Laser radial fleet will also be competing to qualify to represent Ireland in Croatia. Philip Doran aged 17 from Courtown in Wexford is the current former under 17 World Champion in the Laser Radial fleet although the National title has eluded him so far. In the girls fleet it will be a toss up between Saskia Tidey (RIYC) and Sophie Murphy (Quoile YC) as both already have a national title each under their belts.
A fleet of top Optimists are expected. Photo: Bob Bateman
The younger Optimist fleet is also celebrating this week after two top 5 positions at the Easter Regatta in Braassemermeer, the Netherlands. In fact an Irish team has competed at this event for 23 years and this is the first time that Ireland has won the country prize. Sean Donnelly from Dun Laoghaire who finished fourth in Braassemermeer is also leading the Optimist fleet in the trials and will be anxious to hold on to first position during the ISA Mitsubishi Youth Nationals.
In other fleets, the laser 4.7 fleet is enjoying record numbers with many ex-Optimist and Topper sailors choosing this boat. Finn Lynch from Blessington and Seafra Guilfoyle from Cork will be firm favourites to win the class.
Overall Dublin Bay will be a spectacle of sail over the May Bank holiday weekend with light winds forecast.
Mitsubishi Motors have been a proud supporter of junior sailing in Ireland for the last 7 years. In recent years Ireland has had successes at youth level with winner of the girls under 21 Laser World Championships and a top 10 at the 2010 ISAF Youth Worlds and wins at the British National Optimist Championships.
Cork Girls take 420 Dinghy Leinster Title
The National Yacht Club hosted the 420 dinghy Leinster Sailing Championships over the Easter Weekend, attracting twelve boats and visiting crews travelling from Crosshaven, Kinsale, Malahide, Spiddal, Tralee and Wexford.
Emma Geary and Niamh Connolly from Royal Cork YC counted four wins and a second place in the six-race series to win the event convincingly. The girls will be aiming to repeat their success next weekend at the ISA Mitsubishi Youth Nationals in Dun Laoghaire in order to secure a nomination to the 2011 ISAF Youth Worlds, which will be held in Croatia.
Fiona and Patrick Daly of Tralee Bay SC finished second overall with a very consistent four 2nds and two 3rds Aodh Kennedy/Daniel Browne (Kinsale YC) who were third overall and Richard D’Esterre/Peter Stokes (CYS/Royal Munster) also recorded race wins.
Alanna Lyttle and Cian Guifoyle (Royal St.George YC) narrowly defeated fellow newcomers Emily Jones and Liadh Conway (Wexford Harbour BC) for the Silver Fleet Trophy.
PRO Larry Power and his mark laying teams provided excellent racing in sometimes challenging wind conditions while Sandra Moore ran the race office throughout the weekend.
Full results available here.
Cruising Association Holds First 2011 Meeting on Dublin Bay
Dinner will be served at 8pm at a reduced cost of only €20 per person, Drinks in the bar, wine available @ €18 per bottle.
The is rally open to all cruising sailors, and there will be a brief presentation of the Strangford Lough cruise in late July.
The Cruising Association AGM will be held in a private room from 1900 – 1930 for CAI members interested in attending.
Latest Cruising news
Dun Laoghaire RNLI Station Names New D Class Lifeboat
One of the buisest RNLI lifeboat Stations in the country names its new D class Lifeboat 'Realt na Mara' next Saturday, April 30th.
The Dublin Bay based Dun Laoghaire lifeboat station was in action as recently as Sunday 17 April 2011 when RNLI lifeboat volunteers saved two men and two women after their speedboat hit rocks on Killiney Bay. More on that Dun Laoghaire Lifeboat rescue here.
The new lifeboat will be named at 12 noon at the lifeboat station on Dun Laoghaire's East Pier and there will be celebrations afterwards at the National Yacht Club.
The lifeboat is to be named by Mr and Mrs Pat & Kathy Kenny. RTE presenter Pat Kenny and his wife Kathy have been long-standing supporters of the Dun Laoghaire RNLI lifeboats.
The €35,000 inshore lifeboat has been largely funded through a contribution made locally. Stephen Wynne, Dun Laoghaire RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager will be accepting the lifeboat into the care of the lifeboat station during the ceremony says; “ The naming of our lifeboat is a very special occasion for the station. It is our way of thanking the public for their generous support and how the funds raised are used.
We are very proud to be the custodians of a brand new lifeboat and we will honour the trust and investment that has been placed in us. Our new vessel will carry our volunteer lifeboat crew out to sea to save lives and bring those in trouble safely home.”
The D class lifeboat is part of the RNLI’s inshore fleet. It measures five metres in length and can carry three crewmembers onboard. It is a fast, light weight inflatable that is small and highly manoeuvrable, making it ideal for rescue close to shore. It can also be righted by the lifeboat crew in the event of a capsize. All are welcome to attend the naming ceremony.
There will be a special service of dedication and blessing and the lifeboat will put to sea after the ceremony. Réalt na Mara will be on service along with the Dun Laoghaire All Weather lifeboat Trent class lifeboat Anna Livia. Last year Dun Laoghaire lifeboat launched fifty times and brought sixty people to safety.
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Dublin Bay Mudflat Rescue Caught on Video
A Dubliner had a lucky escape after being stranded on mudflats between Baldoyle and Sutton Point, on Dublin Bay last week.
The man had sunk waist-deep in mud on a low tide and was unable to free himself. Dublin Fire Brigade was tasked to the scene along with the Howth Coast Guard unit. The Youtube clip of the entire incident is below.
Rescue helicopter 116, which was already on the ramp at Dublin Airport in preparation for a training exercise, was also tasked at 16.18pm according to a report on the the SAR Ireland blogspot.
After obtaining permission to cross the 'Live' runway at Dublin airport, R116 was on scene within minutes and quickly identified the man who was described as wearing 'dark clothing'. He was quickly winched to safety and returned to Dublin Airport at 16.36pm, where he availed of crew facilities to clean himself down and arrange transport home.
More on Dublin Bay here
North Bull Island Springs to Life
Dun Laoghaire Lifeboat Rescues Four as Speedboat Hits Rocks
Four people were rescued by the Dun Laoghaire RNLI lifeboat earlier today when their small powerboat hit rocks off Killiney Beach in south county Dublin. Nobody was injured in the incident that occurred shortly after 11am while the two men and two women were enjoying a pleasure outing.
The 22-foot open powerboat hit the submerged rocks two hours after low-tide and the collision caused damage to the engine. The crew contacted the Irish Coastguard who alerted the RNLI at Dun Laoghaire and the all-weather lifeboat (ALB) launched within ten minutes.
The casualty vessel dropped anchor close to the rocks to avoid being driven onto the beach by the fresh breeze and flood tide. On arrival, the ALB launched its daughter boat with two crew that passed a tow-line to the casualty that was then brought to Dun Laoghaire.
"Before taking a boat-trip, its important to check for local knowledge that will help avoid significant hazards," commented Stephen Wynne, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Dun Laoghaire. "The four people rescued were all wearing life-jackets and followed the correct procedure in calling for assistance."
Dublin Bay World Youth Championships to Boost Irish Sailing
When the ISAF World Youth Sailing Championships are hosted on Dublin Bay in 2012 the regatta should be representative of the best of Irish sailing, organisation and hospitality and ignite an immediate but lasting legacy for youth and the future of Olympic sailing in Ireland writes Andi Roberston.
It is nearly two years since the prestigious global annual championships were awarded to Ireland and the organisation of the event has now developed substantial momentum. Already a core group of around 50 volunteer officials are working on the delivery of the regatta which, with up to 450-500 sailors and coaches from as many as 60 different nations, in terms of size, logistics and delivery stands as one of ISAF's big three major multiclass events alongside the four yearly Olympic regatta, and the ISAF Sailing World Championships.
At the helm of the organisation is Brian Craig, a former flag officer of the Royal Saint George YC on Dublin Bay, who for ten years has been instrumental in attracting, developing and running major regattas on these expansive world class racing waters, including the huge success that has been Dun Laoghaire Week. In particular a recent success has been pooling the resources of the Bay's major clubs to attract and manage big events.
"I think we are really in pretty good shape. There is a big groundswell of enthusiasm and excitement and we are drawing on that to develop a really first class, memorable event." Craig comments.
An advisory group composed of renowned experts who have many years of experience of the event in particular is at the core of organisation just now, including Bill O'Hara, International Judge and Volvo Ocean race officer, Jim Saltonstall the British coach who has attended almost all of the ISAF/IYRU Youth World Championships and helped develop a galaxy of Youth Worlds and Olympic medallists, Ken Ryan – a former ISAF Vice President who has more than 25 years of experience with ISAF and major events and Paddy Boyd, formerly Irish Sailing CEO and now Director of Canadian sailing's national governing. body.
It was a visit to the Youth World Championships in 2008 which convinced Craig that after ten years of development of the Clubs and infrastructure on Dublin Bay, the time was right for them to step up and land a major world class event.
"Now we have plenty of support for the event. We have government backing, the three major clubs, the Royal St George, the National Yacht Club and the Royal Irish are all behind us, the waterfront organisations, the tourist boards and the town itself. The support is great." Craig explains.
A delegation were in Istanbul at the last ISAF Youth World Championships in 2010 and in Croatia this coming summer, as well as a team observing and learning, several members of the race teams will be hands-on on the race courses this getting first hand experience to ensure good continuity in to next year.
"We have a fantastic site. A massive 700-800 metres of frontage with the three clubs all within five minutes of each other. We will create a central sailing village feature which will have an immediate public access so that there will be maximum interaction with the public, but where the sailors can still preserve their essential privacy in competition mode. We intend to absolutely preserve the competitive integrity of the event, but to make sure it works for public access."
To create a regatta which emphasises the cosmopolitan, international flavour of the regatta, but which also fully ensure the competitors enjoy the full experience of Irish culture, race days will themed for the public around many of the key nations – so there will be a French, Australian, Spanish, Chinese days as well as the underlying Irish hospitality and craic.
And while it is inevitable that only a few Irish sailors will compete at the ISAF World Championships on their home waters, in the interim period a ISAF Youth World Championships Road Show will visit Irish Sailing Clubs to stimulate interest and awareness of the event.
"We are determined that hosting the ISAF Youth World Championships will produce a lasting legacy for Irish sailing, perhaps seeding the future for Irish Youth Worlds or even Olympic medals. And at the same time we are determined to deliver a memorable, top class event with a distinctly Irish flavour." Concludes Craig.
The 2012 ISAF Youth World Championships are scheduled for the period 12th -21st July 2012. Around 350 sailors and 100 coaches from about 60 nations are expected to attend, composing a fleet of 250 boats. The race programme will last ten days. Classes will be the Laser Radial Boys and Laser Radial Girls, 420 Boys and 420 Girls, RS:X Boys and RS:X Girls. 29er Open Skiff, and the Open Formula 16 Catamaran. Boats or boards are supplied by Laser, Nautivela, Neil Pryde, Ovington and Serena.
In recent years Dublin Bay has hosted the Topper World Championships, the Star European Championships, the 500 boat Dun Laoghaire Regatta, the Laser 4.7 Europeans, Dragon World Championships, the Etchells World Championships (Howth), the SB3 World Championships, the 470 European Championships, the Flying 15 World Championships and the 420 Junior World Championships.
Two Committee Boats Go on Duty for Dublin Bay Sailing Club
In a break away from traditional 'hut' starts on the West Pier this season Dublin Bay Sailing Club's Thursday night sailing will feature two committee boats on duty. The new procedures are detailed in the 2011 Dublin Bay Sailing Club Annual published this week.
The DBSC summer season starts in two weeks time. The first Tuesday race is April 26th. The first Thursday race is on April 28th and the first Saturday race is April 30th.
Thursday night racing brings some of the biggest turnouts of the season, some evening boasting up to 200 boats for the mid-week round the cans racing.
The club's own MacLir committee boat will be servicing the Blue Fleet in the northern section of the racing area of Dublin Bay. The Royal Irish Yacht Club's Spirit of the Irish vessel will service the Red Fleet in the south-east section.
Unless weather conditions dictate otherwise, there will be no racing at the Hut but the format of Tuesday and Saturday racing will remain unchanged from previous years.
Writing in the 2011 yearbook, DBSC commodore Tony Fox refers to the course layouts:
"Inevitably, the changes have required re-drafting of courses and some re-location of marks. Omega has moved from its original position not far from the West Pier to serve as a hub for the Red Fleet marks which, with the addition of a new Bay Mark, form a natural circle. Similarly, Middle mark becomes the hub of the Blue Fleet circle. Some shifting of mark positions has ensued ‚ the only radical change is that of Poldy, which was situated too close to the shipping lane for comfort; it will now be stationed roughly between East and Island Marks. Martello Mark is now redundant."
