Kinsale RNLI’s inshore lifeboat was launched on Friday afternoon (25 June) to help an injured sailor on a racing yacht competing in the Sovereign’s Cup.

Volunteers were paged before 2pm following a report to the Irish Coast Guard that a crew member had sustained a head injury after being struck by the boom.

The yacht was met by the Kinsale lifeboat just off Charles Fort, where an RNLI volunteer boarded the Class One vessel to carry out a medical assessment.

As the casualty was bleeding heavily from a head wound, lifeboat helm Jim Grennan decided the safest course of action was to transfer him to the lifeboat and bring him to Kinsale for immediate medical attention. The casualty was accompanied by the yacht skipper who was deeply concerned for his welfare.

Emergency medical personnel had been alerted before the lifeboat launched and the RNLI crew handed the man into their care, where he received stitches to his head wound.

Lifeboat helm Jim Grennan said: “These accidents can happen to even the most experienced sailors and the crew on board the racing yacht remained calm and followed the correct procedures to the letter.

“They had dressed the casualty’s wound and the yacht skipper stayed with him throughout his ordeal until he received the all-clear from the medical team in Kinsale.

“We were happy to be able to bring him back safely and commend the yacht crew for their swift reactions.”

After the first two races in IRC Class One, Pat Kelly's Storm from Howth Yacht Club and Rush Sailing Club leads the 14-boat division of the O'Leary Insurances Sovereign's Cup Regatta at Kinsale. 

Kelly is five points clear at the top after two races sailed in light to medium winds on the first day of the biennial event that has attracted a total fleet of 62 boats for the four-day event.

Close combat - J109s make up ten of the 14 boat IRC of fleet at the 2021 Sovereign's Cup Photo: Bob Bateman

Dominating the top three places overall after day one, J109s also sit in second and third places in that division too. Kelly's clubmates Richard Colwell and John Murphy are second in Outrajeous with Royal Cork's Jelly Baby skippered by Brian Jones in third but tied on points.

Olson 30 leads IRC Two

In five boat Division Two IRC, Royal Cork's Olson 30 Coracle VI skippered by Kieran Collins leads from two half tonners on three points. David Kelly's Half Tonner King One is one point behind in second place with Cove Sailing Club's Cortegada on five points in third overall. 

The Olson 30 Coracle VI skippered by Kieran Collins

Quarter Tonner leads IRC Three 

A Royal Cork Quarter Tonner leads a five boat IRC 3 Division with Dave O'Regan, Denise Phelan and Tony Donworth's Supernova on top from David Lane's YaGottaWanna. In third place is Rob O'Reilly's BonJourno! Part Deux from Monkstown Bay Sailing Club.

Twomey takes White Sail win

A combined fleet of almost 20 White Sails entries racing in two Divisions enjoyed a single race that started and finished inside Kinsale Harbour off the historic Charles Fort saw veteran paralympian and former Kinsale YC Commodore John Twomey take the opening race bullet both on the water and under ECHO handicap.

White Sails principal race officer Donal Hayes sent both fleets off on different courses yet still managed to have the last boats in both finish within one minute of one another.

Sovereign's Cup provisional results after day one here 

Sovereign's Cup Day One Photo Gallery By Bob Bateman

The largest boat currently racing in the Sovereigns Cup series at Kinsale is Conor Doyle's locally-based Xp50 Freya. For most of us, she's a biggy, and an elegant one at that. But if you were to exit Kinsale Yacht Club through its venerable original front door and amble town-wards along O'Connell Street, you'd soon reach the office of Rob Doyle Design, and find yourself grappling with decidedly abstruse concepts of big boat size several multiples of Freya.

For if you could inveigle your way therein, you'd find that one of the ideas they're working on is Project Fury, a concept 63-metre sloop-rigged superyacht which they're developing in tandem with Van Geest Design, with whom they're already working on two 52 metre sailboats under construction in The Netherlands.

He's used to dealing with big numbers – Rob Doyle in his Kinsale design office.

It boggles the mind as to why they've selected a name like Project Fury, but to get a notion of the proposed boat's size, there's some basis in the fact that 63 metres is 206ft, and therefore simple souls will latch onto the fact that she's more than four times longer than Freya. But that's only a distraction. Boat size increases volumetrically, and the figures zoom up exponentially. 

It all looks clean and simple, but there's an enormous design challenge in having all sail controls effective yet invisible, while incorporating features whereby the stern area opens up to become an on-board lido.

Thus as Project Furey's beam is envisaged as being 43ft, while her substantial and several-decked hull depth is augmented by a large multi-storey coachroof, it could be argued that she's all of twenty-fives times larger than Freya, and it wouldn't surprise us at all to hear that the factor is much greater then that.

Either way, it's an awful lot of boat. Yet the two design teams are determined to optimise her performance, so there's a certain creative dynamic tension between the Kinsale team's tradition of elegance and comfort, and the Dutch group's fondness for lightweight yet hyper-strong austerity. Either way, some very advanced construction techniques and special materials are involved at every level.

For the rest of us, it all looks entirely off the wall. But in this even-more-crazy-than-usual world of ours, Superyachts are currently one of the happening areas of economic activity and realisation.

But whether we'll ever see her in Kinsale is another matter. Even if the draft can be adjusted to suit the available depths, the masthead will be scraping expensively against the cloud-base……

Imagine being on the helm of a machine like this – even the Masters of the Universe will have to form an orderly queue…..

A busy weekend for Kinsale RNLI continued on bank holiday Monday (7 June) when the inshore lifeboat launched twice to assist boats in difficulty.

Miss Sally Anne Baggy II - Never Fear, Baggy’s Here launched at 2.45pm to assist the 20ft sailing boat with two people on board, which was taking on water and in danger of sinking off the Old Head of Kinsale.

After assessing the situation, the lifeboat crew transferred one of their number onto the bow of the stricken vessel to raise the hull and slow the ingress of water.

This stabilised the boat, which was taken under tow and brought safely to Kinsale’s main pier.

Lifeboat helm Jonathan Connor said: “The two people on board played it by the book and were able to give the coastguard the necessary information to enable us to quickly find them.

“One had radio training and both were wearing lifejackets, which are essential if you are going on the water.”

A few hours later, the volunteers answered their fourth emergency callout of the bank holiday weekend when the lifeboat was tasked to assist a yacht that had lost its mast.

The inshore lifeboat was on the way at 6pm to assist the 26ft vessel with two people on board just south of the harbour mouth.

After ascertaining that the passengers were uninjured, two lifeboat crew members boarded the yacht and secured the mast before it was safely towed back to Kinsale Harbour.

Kinsale RNLI’s Connor, who was helm on all four callouts over the weekend, added: “We expected the sunny weather and easing of restrictions to bring more people to the Kinsale area, but we were quite surprised to be called out four times in such a short period.”

Kinsale RNLI’s inshore lifeboat took part in a multi-agency rescue yesterday morning (Saturday 5 June) after a crew member spotted a man in the sea in a remote area close to the Old Head of Kinsale.

The lifeboat was on a routine training exercise off Garretstown beach at 9am when crewman David Carter saw the exhausted casualty being repeatedly swept back off the rocks.

Volunteer lifeboat helm Jonathan Connor immediately alerted Valentia Coast Guard to request helicopter assistance as sea conditions prevented the lifeboat from reaching the casualty.

RNLI volunteers Jon Hynes and Colum O’Sullivan entered the water and swam in to help the man to safety and assess his medical condition, with the Old Head coastguard unit and Kinsale Garda also on the scene.

The Irish Coast Guard’s helicopter Rescue 115 was tasked from Shannon and winched the man aboard to take him for further medical treatment.

Kinsale lifeboat volunteer David Carter who spotted the casualty on the rocks | Credit: RNLI/Kinsale

Lifeboat helm Jonathan Connor said: “He is a very lucky man as David spotted him by pure coincidence. We have no idea how the man entered the water, but he was alone in a fairly remote area so it is unlikely anyone else would have seen him and raised the alarm.

“We are all relieved that we decided to train in that area this morning, and that we were able to work with the other emergency services to bring the casualty to safety.”

Shortly after returning to Kinsale lifeboat station, the crew launched for a second time in response to concerns for the safety of a person on board a small inflatable RIB who had been at sea for longer than expected in the area of the Sovereign Islands.

Rescue 115 was also tasked, along with members of Oysterhaven and Summercove Coast Guard units. The vessel was located and escorted back to the safety of Oysterhaven.

Connor added: “We urge everyone who is going on or near the water this Bank Holiday weekend to exercise extreme caution as the water is treacherous, despite the sunshine.”

It was exactly fourteen months ago – precisely on January 21st 2020 – that we featured the intriguing story of how Stephanie Lyons of Kildare had come to be in a role of active sailing prominence in Australia via training cruises on Asgard II and offshore racing from Kinsale. It's a story worth reading again here

If nothing else, it certainly makes you realise that in January 2020, we were living on an entirely different planet. The light-hearted optimistic expectations for the season of 2020 which permeate that piece are now almost heart-breaking to contemplate.

But in Australia as elsewhere, they've done what sailing they could, and even though the annual Sydney-Hobart Race on December 26th had to be cancelled just a week in advance of the start, as they moved into 2021 there was some semblance of normality in more local events. Thus Steph found herself in her familiar role of working the bow on Wild One in the 2021 Sydney 38 OD New South Wales Championship.

And meanwhile, the combination of her in-depth sailing experience, coupled with the high level of professional expertise required in her onshore position as Chief Risk Officer of major fund EISS Super, was to provide Australian Sailing with an ideal personal profile as they actively implemented their ongoing SheSails initiative, which is designed to get more female sailors involved at every level of the sport, both afloat and ashore.

Steph Lyons working the bow on the Sydney 38 Wild One in the recent 2021 New South Wales Championship

In line with this, Stephanie became a valued member in the general Australian Sailing organisation. This was in addition to still being a member of Kinsale YC, which she combines with her local club Balmain SC in Sydney, and the high-powered Cruising Yacht Club of Australia. But the Australian Sailing link has now led on to international connections, as she has been appointed to World Sailing's Audit Committee, where a fellow-member is WS Vice President Marcus Spillane of Irish Sailing.

However, as she has been Australia-based for nearly twelve years now, it is Australian Sailing which deserves most credit for recognizing just how much Stephanie Lyons can bring to the party, and their exuberant press release – issued on Friday 19th March – deserves to be quoted in full:

Australian Stephanie Lyons is making her mark on the global sailing scene with her election to World Sailing's Audit Committee.

A native of Ireland, Lyons moved to Australia eleven years ago and brought her love of sailing with her. She is a member of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, Balmain Sailing Club and Kinsale Yacht Club (Ireland), with two Sydney Hobart races as bow woman to her name.

Off the water, Lyons is the Chief Risk Officer of the major super fund EISS Super, with strong experience in strategy, project management, financial management, risk management and compliance.

The Sydney 38 OD Wild One going sweetly in home waters 

"I am incredibly excited and honoured to have been appointed to this role at World Sailing," said Lyons today. "I am looking forward to combining my professional experience in finance, compliance and risk with my passion for the sport I love – sailing."

Lyons joins a growing group of Australian females in roles at World Sailing, following on from the election of Sarah Kenny as Vice President last year.

"Australian female sailors are doing amazing things both on the water and in posts that matter," said Australian Sailing President Daniel Belcher on Lyons' appointment.

"We have seen a huge increase in female participation in our sport across the board over the past three years. Locally we have seen over 20% growth in female membership in clubs around Australia. Internationally we have Rio Olympic

Silver Medallist Lisa Darmanin breaking barriers on the water and the likes of Sarah and Stephanie making their mark at World Sailing.
"It truly is a time to be excited about what women are doing in our sport."

Australian Sailing launched its female participation initiative SheSails in 2018.

SheSails is designed to recognise all the female contributors to our sport, and to encourage women of all ages to enjoy sailing through organised activities at their local sailing club. There are now SheSails representatives at 141 clubs all around the country who work to ensure a safe and inclusive space for all members and participants.

Lyons is ready to bring a fresh set of eyes to the global governing body for the sport of sailing.

"I am here to make a difference at World Sailing. My focus is on audit and risk, but I will be bringing fresh ideas and my own thoughts and experience on revenue generation to the Audit Committee" added Lyons.
Stephanie will serve a four-year term on the Audit Committee, concluding in 2024.

W M Nixon adds: They say that if you want anything done, then you should ask a busy person to do it. In a very recognisable combination of interests, Steph Lyons is also a Non-Executive Director of Equestrian Australia. You may well take the girl out of Ireland, but you can never entirely take Ireland (and particularly Kildare) out of the girl…..

It could only be Kildare……a vibrant equestrian heritage from Kildare and a maritime outlook from Kinsale have enabled Stephanie Lyons to bring a remarkable combination of skill sets and experience to Australian sport.

Like every other RNLI station, lifeboat volunteers at Kinsale RNLI have been unable to pursue their normal fundraising activities due to Covid-19 restrictions.

So they were surprised and delighted to receive a cheque recently for over $5,000 from a group of Irish expatriates in the USA.

McCarthy’s Bar in San Francisco — owned by Eileen McCarthy from Drinagh, West Cork — became an unlikely outpost for the lifeboat thanks to Kinsale native John Farley, who has lived in the Californian city for the past 30 years.

John is a lifelong supporter of the RNLI, with first-hand experience of their work after he, his sister and niece were rescued a number of years ago when their boat broke down off the Old Head.

Towards the end of the American NFL season, John organised a football pool with 25 friends, many from West Cork, for the final four San Francisco 49er games. They raised an incredible $5,200.

This is the largest single donation received by Kinsale RNLI since lockdown was introduced in March last, and the station says it will go a long way towards funding an essential service that has remained on call throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eileen and John have now installed an official RNLI collection box in McCarthy’s bar so fundraising can continue into the future. “We all appreciate that that RNLI is there for us when we need them, so we wanted to be there for them in their hour of need,” John said.

Kinsale RNLI lifeboat press officer Tricia Tyson commented: “John has been a great supporter down the years, and tells me their next big fundraiser will be for the RNLI in the Aran Islands as one of his group, Ronan Concannon, is from Aran Mor.

“We are delighted they are sharing their generosity with hardworking stations around Ireland. Our RNLI collection box only arrived in San Francisco a few weeks ago and John tells me it is almost full already.

“On behalf of all our RNLI volunteers, I wish to sincerely thank John, Eileen and all the McCarthy’s bar customers for remembering the RNLI back home. It just goes to prove the old adage that you can take a man out of Ireland, but you can’t take Ireland out of the man.”

The other Kinsale fundraisers in San Francisco are Fergus O’Shea, Derek Lovell, Polo Crosbie, Jason Davenport, Richard O’Keeffe, with John Farley and Kathleen Barry in Boston, Gertie O’Shea in Vancouver and the Callanan family, related to John Farley, who live in Kinsale.

The Courtmacsherry All-Weather Trent Class RNLI Lifeboat was called out at 7 am this Sunday morning to go to the aid of a 50 ft-yacht with three people on board which had got into difficulties four miles east of the Old Head of Kinsale in West Cork.

The Courtmacsherry Lifeboat under Coxswain Mark Gannon and crew of 6 were underway within minutes and in the cover of darkness, the Lifeboat proceeded at top speed to the area of the causality. Winds were blowing force 4 to 5 in freezing conditions this morning and the stricken vessel, which was on passage from Salcolme in the UK to Kinsale, had encountered heavy weather over the past 24 hours.

They lost complete power off the Old Head of Kinsale and requested immediate assistance.

The Lifeboat reached the yacht at 7.29 am and the Lifeboat crew assessed the situation and quickly proceeded to attach a tow line to secure the vessel. Two Lifeboat crew members Kevin Young and Paul McCarthy were also put on board the yacht to help those on board and the Lifeboat then proceeded at slow speed to the safe surround of the inner Kinsale Harbour. Both vessels docked safely at the Kinsale Yacht Club Marina at 9.05 am and the crew on board the yacht were very glad to be on safe ground again after an eventful morning.

Courtmacsherry RNLI Lifeboat crew after today's call out

Commenting on the callout, the Courtmacsherry RNLI Voluntary Lifeboat Operations Manager Brian O'Dwyer thanked all the Lifeboat crew members for their quick response from their beds early this freezing morning when the Coastguard activated the distress bleepers. He praised the great dedication of the seven volunteer Crew members and others who arrived, and put the interests of others as a priority in these difficult Covid times. He again reiterated that it is so important to call the rescue services at 112 or 999 quickly once any incident occurs.

The Courtmacsherry Lifeboat crew involved in this morning’s callout were Coxswain Mark Gannon, Mechanic Tadgh McCarthy and crew Ken Cashman, Kevin Young, Paul McCarthy, Peter Noonan and Denis Murphy.

The Lifeboat has now returned to its base in Courtmacsherry at 10 am and has refuelled and restocked, in readiness of whenever the next call to action may occur.

Cork Beo reports that a body was recovered off the West Cork coast in a multi-agency operation for a missing person on Sunday (27 December).

Thermal imaging was used to locate the remains in the area of the Old Head of Kinsale.

The crew of the Irish Coast Guard’s Waterford-based helicopter Rescue 117 were praised on social media for their bravery in recovering the body amid severe winds ahead of Storm Bella.

The incident came within days of the discovery of a body in the water at Dun Laoghaire’s Coal Harbour pier, which is being investigated by gardaí.

Like most other charities, the volunteers of Kinsale RNLI have had their fundraising activities curtailed due to Covid-19 restrictions.

So it came as a welcome surprise to learn that local steam engine enthusiast Rory Nagle had launched a special mission to help replenish the lifeboat station coffers.

Accompanied by two young assistants, Frank Sullivan and Billy Twomey, Rory embarked on a tour of the town aboard Old Mac, Ireland’s oldest surviving steam engine, which was built by McLaren in Leeds and lovingly restored by Rory.

Despite the inclement weather over the weekend (Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October), they raised donations of €440 from members of the public eager to have their photographs taken alongside the historic engine.

Rory said: “The RNLI have been on duty throughout lockdown and are there day and night when we need them. It’s a pleasure to be able to do something for people that really deserve support, especially at this difficult time. I believe that we all need to remember the people that look after us.”

Old Mac on the pier in Kinsale | Photo: RNLI/Nuala McAloon

Photographs of Rory’s expedition were widely shared on social media, with Niamh Henderson of the Kinsale Advertiser cheekily suggesting that some generous benefactor might round up the sum to €500.

Her appeal was immediately answered by John Farley, a Kinsale man who has been living in San Francisco for the past 30 years.

John said: “I always hit the lifeboat boxes when I’m home, but I didn’t make it back this year, so this makes up for it. The lifeboat lads rescued my sister, my niece Rachel and me off the Old Head about eight or nine years ago when our engine died. I also know Rory well and he’s a great guy, so this is a good opportunity to show my support.”

Kinsale RNLI’s press officer Tricia Tyson added: “This is not the first time Rory has raised funds for us. Last year he took part in the Celtic Steamers run from Baltimore to Kinsale, a spectacular cavalcade of vintage engines that raised over €5,000 for the RNLI, the charity that saves lives at sea.

“We also appreciate all the hard work of Billy and Frank who helped him both days, and the generosity of the public who filled the buckets. The RNLI relies on the support of the public, and that is one thing that is never lacking in Kinsale.”