Preparations for WIORA Sailing Week Continue with Carrigaholt Yacht Race

18th June 2012

#foynes – On Sunday next Foynes Yacht Club willl be hosting the annual Carrigaholt race, where all classes will participate in racing writes Gerry Ryan. Classes 1, 2, White Sails and the Mermaid fleet will be competeing for the Carrigaholt trophy. It is anticipated that racing will start at 10am from the club line.

It is nearly time now for the West of Ireland Championship's that the club is hosting in early July. Preparation is going according to plan and an entry of 40 yachts have signed up for the event. Of course, as member's are aware this is one of the biggest sailing events in the West coast calendar this year.

Last Saturday the second leg of the Estuary Bell, where the Officer of the Day, Conor Roche chose east of Foynes Island for racing. The conditions for racing was a west-northwest wind force 5.

Leading from the first leg, which took place place on Saturday, June 9 and Sunday, June 10 in Kilrush Dis-A-Ray in Class 1 in IRC.

Class 1 were sent off on longer beats and had to deal with very testing conditions with flying spinnakers. In race 1 Dexterity ran into difficulty on the last leg and had an alarming Chinese gybe in front of the committee boat just short of the the finish line, which cost them line honours. Unfortunately, they had to retire because of this.

Dis-A-Ray and Hero battled it out for both races and only seconds separated them at the finish. In race 1 Dis-A-Ray took the laurels more than half a minute ahead of Hero, while in race two Hero finished ahead of Dis-A-Ray on corrected time.

However, on corrected time, Hero, with the much higher handicap were placed behind Dis-A-Ray each time. John Conway on Golden Kopper put in a great performance to take a place in race 2 on corrected time.

In the White Sails division courses set had more reaching than beating, which were fine judging from the weather conditions.

Skippers made the decision to reef the mains and sail with a smaller headsail. The wind abated from 30 knots to 25 for race 2.

In race 1 Pat Finucane on Marengo and Brian O'Donnell on Whyte Dolphin were neck and neck for most of the race, O'Donnell on Whyte Dolphin pulled away on the final leg to decorate the mahogany.

Results: Race 1 IRC, 1st Ray, (Ray McGibney); 2nd Hero (Adrian O'Connell); 3rd Golden Kopper (John Conway), and 4th Dexterity (Foynes Team).

Race 2 IRC: 1st Dis-A-Ray. 2nd Golden Kopper. 3rd Hero.

White Sails: 1st Whyte Dolphin (Brian O'Donnell); 2nd Marengo (Patrick Finucane), 3rd Battle (Elaine O'Mahoney.

Race 2: Battle was first across the line but were beaten on corrected time. 1st Whyte Dolphin. 2nd Battle. 3rd Marengo.

Thanks to Ger Reidy on the use of his vessel for the committee boat.

Published in Shannon Estuary

Tagged under

Foynes
WIORA

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Shannon Foynes Port Information

Shannon Foynes Port (SFPC) are investing in an unprecedented expansion at its general cargo terminal, Foynes, adding over two-thirds the size of its existing area. In the latest phase of a €64 million investment programme, SFPC is investing over €20 million in enabling works alone to convert 83 acres on the east side of the existing port into a landbank for marine-related industry, port-centric logistics and associated infrastructure. The project, which will be developed on a phased basis over the next five years, will require the biggest infrastructure works programme ever undertaken at the port, with the entire 83 acre landbank having to be raised by 4.4 metres. The programme will also require the provision of new internal roads and multiple bridge access as well as roundabout access.