Kinsale Yacht Club and the Kinsale Squib fleet are hosting the 2020 Squib National Championships 21st to 26th June 2020 and registration opens online on Tuesday, 1st October here

Racing will be in the waters between the Old Head of Kinsale and the Sovereign Islands with 8 races planned over 6 days.

Entrants are expected from all across the UK and Ireland with very competitive racing in the Gold, Silver and Bronze Fleets.

The Social Programme will include a number of specially themed evenings in Kinsale Yacht Club culminating in the Gala Dinner on Friday 26th June 2020.

The International 2.4mR one-person keelboat Irish National Championships was cancelled this morning in Kinsale, County Cork writes Bob Bateman

It was initially postponed by Race Officer Jack Roy by one hour but after going to sea and observing the sea state in the ebb tide a further decision was taken to cancel for the day.

The 10-boat fleet will have a first gun tomorrow at 0955 with a four-race schedule.

The boat is primarily used for racing and the class holds highly competitive national events in many countries. In some countries, it features mainly as a class for sailors with a disability.

The 2.4mR is ideal for adapted sailing since the sailor does not move in the boat, and everything is adjustable from right in front of the sailor. Both hand-steering and foot-steering are possible.

A cow named Ghost was saved from Kinsale Harbour at the weekend after slipping down a cliff from the field above — in what also marked a second animal rescue this year for Kinsale RNLI.

Kinsale’s lifeboat volunteers launched on Saturday afternoon in Force 7 winds and choppy seas to the scene, where the year-old Holstein Friesian cow had dropped some distance and was in an agitated state, Kinsale RNLI says.

Attempts to lasso the cow from the inshore lifeboat failed as the animal panicked and resisted the lifeboat crew’s efforts.

But after bringing out the cow’s owner — local farmer Brian Hayes — to assist, they were able to fit a halter and tow Ghost back to shore.

“She’s always been hyper since she was a calf,” Hayes said back on the farm. “She’s out in the shed now drinking and eating normally, thankfully. The lads were great and I really am fierce grateful to the RNLI.”

This is the second animal rescue for the Kinsale crew in 2019. In February, they assisted a horse that had become trapped in local oyster trestles.

“While we are delighted to save animals, our primary concern is always for human life,” lifeboat helm Jonathan Connor says.

“We were eager to prevent the farmer, who was a non-swimmer, and other bystanders from entering the water and attempting the rescue themselves, and were also conscious of a number of people on the nearby beach who could have been put in danger.”

If you see anyone in danger on or near the water, dial 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard.

Oh to be in Kinsale on a sunny Saturday with a breeze watching the wonderfully named Fagin, Outlaw, Slipstream, Allegro, Nimble and Kanaloa zipping around offshore marks battling like gladiators in Squibs for best positions at windward and leeward buoys, ducking and diving under the eagle eye of Race Officer Tony Small and his team aboard Destiny who got three races in… what a great first day reports Dave O'Sullivan.

The Championships was sponsored by Fusco Artisan, CH Marine and Mamuko.

Sunday turned out to be tougher for all with an overcast start followed by a sea mist later. Three races were once again sailed over a long day with boats finally alongside at 1600 with a crane awaiting to lift visitors ashore.

The nineteen boat fleet saw great competition with only four points separating first and fourth in the end after a discard.

Gold Fleet Results 

Fagin (Royal NIYC – G. Patterson & R .Nolan) were overall winners by one point to Outlaw (Kinsale YC – I. Travers & K. O’Riordan) with Slipstream (Killyeagh YC – R. Marshall & B. Kelly) third, just ahead of Allegro (Kinsale YC – C. Dunne & F. Ward).

Silver Fleet Results 

First place went to Sensation (Kinsale YC - B. & D. Cudmore) with Nebulette (Kinsale YC - M. Barry & L. Bond) second and Flora (Kinsale YC - B. Nash & D. Ross) third.

All agreed that it was a great test run for the Squib Nationals due to be held in Kinsale in late June 2020

Results here

If Kinsale Port wasn't treated to enough on Saturday with the climax of the 95-boat Sovereign's Cup Regatta at Kinsale Yacht Club, the West Cork Town also had a visit from the Celtic Steam Engine Association writes Bob Bateman. It evoked great memories of times past with the smell from the smoke and coal and the noise and steam from the whistles from the parade of over a dozen engines big and small through the town.

With names such as 'Leanb', 'Diane', 'Patricia' and 'Scrumpy' the preserved steam engines were participating in a three-day West Cork road run in aid of the RNLI that started on Friday, June 27 at Jacob's Bar in Baltimore.

Passing through Leap, Roscarbery and Clonakilty and Baillinspittle, the run tooted their whistles as they came past Kinsale Yacht Club at prizegiving time before finishing at the Spaniard Pub at 5 pm on Saturday to great applause.

The local Kinsale RNLI lifeboat 'Miss Sally Anne (Baggy)' that bears the sign on her stern: "Never Fear Baggy’s Here" Photo: Bob Bateman

The Kinsale Yacht Club crew that were rescued from their 40-foot yacht 'Loa Zour' off the Spanish coast last Thursday have rejoined the vessel and are heading for the port of A Coruña with an ETA this evening of 2300hrs.

Afloat previously reported the crew were safe after being rescued 80 miles off the coast of northwest Spain.

Kinsale Yacht Commodore Dave O'Sullivan told Afloat this evening "the sailing vessel has been recovered by its crew and is making its way to La Coruña under its own power". 

The Cork yacht 'Loa Zour', a Bavaria 40 type, under skipper Ger Grant departed Kinsale bound for A Coruña on June Bank Holiday Monday.

O'Sullivan has described the crew and skipper as 'very experienced' and that they have 'extensive cruising experience'. He also said the boat was 'very well equipped' for such a voyage.

Recovering from the baptism of fire that was leg one of the 50th La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro race into Kinsale on Thursday, both Irish entrants, Tom Dolan and Joan Mulloy, attended the Skipper's briefing in Kinsale this afternoon as the south coast town greeted the international fleet.

From what is considered the most competitive fleet ever, Yoann Richomme won the opening stage of the 50th La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro. The open, strategic 545-nautical mile leg from Nantes across the Celtic Sea to Kinsale in Ireland proved to be an appropriately testing introduction of the new Figaro Beneteau foil assisted one design yacht.

Tom Dolan (left) with Joan Mulloy and her sponsor Enda O'Coineen of the Sunday Business Post

Predominantly light and very changeable winds prevailed through the marathon four days and four nights of racing offering very little opportunity to rest. Expected to finish into the picturesque Irish haven on Wednesday, the stage overran by a full 24 hours.

The Skippers Briefing at Kinsale's White Lady night club

Tom and Joan give their impressions of the first leg at a public reception in Market Square

Jim Lyons of RCYC at the Figaro public reception in Kinsale's Market Square

Competitor Adrien Hardy, who is from Nantes is a former French 420 dinghy champion and Mini class racer

Kinsale Yacht Club Vice Commodore Mike Walsh (right)

Exactly one week after he was passed out as a helm on Kinsale’s Atlantic 85 lifeboat, Miss Sally Anne Baggy II, 21-year-old Jonathan Connor rescued a swimmer from the sea close to Sandycove Island in Co Cork.

Miss Sally Anne Baggy II was tasked by Valentia Coast Guard just after 8am yesterday (Wednesday 15 May) when three swimmers reported that the fourth member of their party was missing.

Jonathan — who, along with fellow volunteer Lenny Fourie, was passed out as an RNLI helm last Wednesday 8 May — knew time was of the essence as the swimmer had been in the water for a considerable length of time.

Using his RNLI training and local knowledge, Jonathan quickly located the swimmer and in under 15 minutes had brought him to safety.

The swimmer, who displayed signs of exhaustion and hypothermia, was treated by paramedics at the lifeboat station and was able to return home.

Jonathan, a student at CIT, is one of the youngest helms in the RNLI fleet but is already an experienced sailor and a qualified commercial diver.

Kinsale RNLI lifeboat operations manager Kevin Gould said: “Time was of the essence today and thankfully the swimmer is safe and well and we wish them a speedy recovery. It was a baptism of fire for Jonathan but he ran a textbook operation.

“As always in the RNLI, it was down to teamwork, but Jonathan showed great leadership. He worked very hard to earn his place as a helm, and his training has paid off. We are all very proud of him.”

Respect the Water is the RNLI’s national drowning prevention campaign. If you see anyone in trouble at the coast or get into difficulties yourself, dial 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard.

Calendars in Kinsale fill quickly and Sunday saw the annual Ecumenical service of Sea Sunday attract sailors and fishermen and first responders to the seaside town. The annual vintage car rally added character and colour and one mile South of Sandycove Island the second day of the Barry Ryan Civil Engineering sponsored open keelboat Regatta saw Dragons and Squibs sail in idyllic conditions.

Saturday’s racing had been testing for Race Officer Donal Hayes with a wind swing of over 100 degrees toward the end of the second race. It had been well forecast and planned for, and before the Dragons could finish their smashed avocadoes on toast, the seasoned mark layers of Kinsale Yacht Club had laid a whole new course. Fingers were crossed but the wind stayed fair and true. At the end of the day Cameron Good et’ al led the Dragons and Colm Dunne the squibs – but by small margins, and it was all to play for in day 2.

There was a particularly sweet win for Glandore’s Aphrodite in Race 2 as she spotted a line of wind no one else had and slipped away from the pack, winning a full leg ahead of boats half her age. The boat enjoyed it just as much as the crew.

On Day 2 the weather again delivered what was forecast and Grand Prix conditions provided three tough races. Sailing isn’t always enjoyable to watch but a Dragon Fleet, start-line scramble resulted in a number of recalls and a lot of open exchanges of opinion. The excitement continued with personal battles fought and marks being put down well into the afternoon. Wins were not easily come by.

The Squib fleet were just as contentious and the nip and tuck racing left no room for error. Race 2 was marred/enhanced by a number of boats protesting a single boat – but all for different reasons. The fleet appeared to self-regulate, the protested boat retired and protests were withdrawn. Asked about what happened the only answer was ‘That would be an ecumenical matter’. 

A stellar weekend, enjoyed by all. 

Results:

Squib

1 Allegro (C. Dunne & F. Ward)
2 Outlaw (I. Travers & K. O’Riordan)
3 Fifty Shades (C. Daly & M. Buckley)

Dragon

1 Little Fella (C. Good, H. Kingston & S. Furney)
2 Serefina (B. Goggin, D. Murphy & H. Lewis)
3 Tenacious (A. O’Neill, E. O’Neil & D. Horgan)

The US businessman owner of the Lusitania wreck off the West Cork coast has gifted it to a local heritage group planning a new museum around the historic vessel, as the Irish Examiner reports.

Gregg Bemis signed over the wreck to the operators of the Lusitania Museum and Old Head Signal Tower in Kinsale, in the hopes of continued efforts to discover what really happened when it was sunk by a German U-boat 104 years ago yesterday, 7 May.

The multi-millionaire had owned the Lusitania since the 1960s and used his own fortune to fund numerous exploratory dives over the years.

Many of these have been fruitful in recovering artefacts, such as two of the ship’s telegraphs in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

But the 91-year-old businessman believes the question of what caused a mysterious second explosion on the ship when it went down still needs to be solved — contrary to allegations made in a National Geographic documentary in 2012.

Bemis has also been at odds with the State over its strict licensing rules for wreck dives — and the Lusitania’s new owners hope the Government will relax these rules to encourage their own planned research and recovery efforts.

It’s intended that many items recovered from the Lusitania will take pride of place in a ‘living museum’ in the area dedicated to the ocean liner’s remarkable story.

Dungarvan diver Eoin McCarry, a friend of Bemis, said: “It’s like as if the Lusitania is coming home.”

The Irish Examiner has more on the story HERE.