Tralee Bay Sailing Club in Fenit may seem a long way from the established sailing centres in Cork, Dublin and Belfast Lough writes W M Nixon. But it is set in the heart of one of the most energetic and sports-mad areas in Ireland, and if it were to re-name itself as the Kingdom of Kerry Yacht Club, it might better express its key role in channeling the sailing spirit of Ireland’s largest and most characterful county.
With a proper marina well filled with serious boats and set within the shelter of Great Samphire Island where Fenit Harbour provides total shelter, the hospitable village is accessed by a causeway bridge. And at Fenit itself, Tralee Bay SC in its spectacular location above the dinghy park and slip provides a strong focal point to co-ordinate sailing at every level from a village which has the added advantage of being south-facing.
Optimists launching for a major championship at Tralee Bay SC
The marina at Fenit loking east
The Roll Call of historic sailing events – local, national and world level – which have been staged here in the club’s sixty years would put many a larger and longer-established club to shame. But such has been the hectic level of activity in every area of sailing that the club find their 60th Anniversary is roaring down the line for celebration on July 16th without a reasonably complete selection of historic material in place in order to do the TBSC story full justice.
In other words, if you’ve relevant sailing and sailing people photos going back to 1956 and even beyond, please get them to the club pronto, as they want to have a proper exhibition in place to tell the Tralee Bay Sailing Club Story on July 16th when a programme of special events afloat and ashore will celebrate three score years years of a great sailing club.
Big sailing winds - ICRA Nationals in Tralee Bay. Photo: Robert Bateman
