Displaying items by tag: Malahide Yacht Club
Malahide Yacht Club’s New Commodore Promises Bigger & Better In 2020
Malahide Yacht Club’s new commodore Daniel Flavin promises continued expansion of the north Co Dublin club’s training and development programme in the year ahead.
In addition, moves to improve facilities at both clubhouses will be part of an overall work plan being prepared alongside an ambitious sailing calendar for 2020, with further announcements to come at the club’s launching supper at a future date.
Celebrating the community spirit of the club’s strong social network, Commodore Flavin called on members who have not yet had the chance to rig out their boat, go for a sail or attend its events to get involved this year.
Commodore Flavin’s full address is included in the latest MYC newsletter, which also has information on junior and adult training courses, the upcoming events schedule and details of the new online membership renewals system.
Great Club Effort to Rescue Malahide Yacht
The spirit of Malahide Yacht Club (MYC) is very much alive and kicking after a big effort by a large team of volunteers help pull a club member's boat off the southern side of the Lower Estuary.
The boat had broken its moorings in the high winds and needed to be re-floated on the next high tide and then towed into the marina, especially with the prospect of Hurricane Lorenzo expected to hit us soon. The operation involved about a dozen MYC members.
Malahide 24–Hour Sail Raises Over €2,000
A 24-hour sail raised over €2,000 for the Ocean Cleanup organised by DCU and DIT sailing teams in Malahide Yacht Club.
The event called ‘DCU x DIT 24hr Sail’ consisted of the same two Topaz boats crewed by teams of two sailed from 5pm on 25th October to 5pm the next day.
"The event has gone from strength to strength each year” said Aaron Jones, Captain of the DCU Sailing Team, “the addition of DIT this year was a huge benefit to the cause and definitely helped us smash our goal of €1,500”.
“By joining the college’s together it greatly helped advertise the event and helped spread awareness to such an important issue facing out generation” said Louis Tate member of DIT Sailing who helped organise the event.
A huge network of support and shift work meant the same two boats were on the water for 24 hours while other land and water activities took place. Talks were given to junior and senior members of MYC on our sailor’s experiences including the Round Ireland Race, Olympic Sailing and team racing.
With winds reaching close to 30 knots at times, safety was always a priority, especially during the night time sailing. Certain measures were taken to ensure this including the decision to hold the event in Malahide’s closed estuary.
“I know the estuary inside out where you can sail safe, where you can stand and the fact it’s enclosed so if an issue arises you won’t get lost and can sail towards land in any direction you go” said Colm Roche, recent DCU graduate and instructor at MYC.
The boats were also equipped with a VHF each, PDFs, hi-visibility jackets, appropriate weather gear, lights and were constantly accompanied by a team on a powerboat.
The event finished with a raffle with prizes from some of the sponsors including Camille, SuperValu, Jamie Knox and DCU Surf N’Sail.
While the success of the event comes down to those in DCU and DIT organising it and those involved on the day, Colm Roche also feels it’s important to recognise his club’s contribution “when a club gives you so much you want to give something back”.
The event raised €2,294 through online and on the day donations but you can still donate to the Ocean Cleanup, a non-profit organisation developing technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. It is estimated they will clean up half the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 5 years.
You can donate through this link here
17 Fevas For Greystones Sailing Club Coaching Session
17 RS Feva dinghies participated in the latest round of coaching for the class at Greystones Sailing Club at the weekend writes Garett Donnelly. Conditions were perfect with coaching provided for all the sailors ranging in age from 11 to 17 years of age.
Sailors from Greystones, RStGYC, RIYC, Bray SC, Malahide YC and Howth YC took part.
Next up on the Feva 2017 calendar is coaching in Malahide Yacht Club from 8th to 10th April and then Howth Yacht Club for coaching on 19,20,21.
The Eastern Championships follow on 22 and 23 April. Entry for the Easterns is here.
Malahide 420 Sisters Cara & Gemma McDowell Off to Flying Start at World Championships
Wind finally arrived this afternoon at the 2016 420 Worlds in Sanremo, Italy. All three fleets, open, ladies and under 17, completed three races before the wind dropped again.
Malahide YC sisters Cara and Gemma McDowell set a high standard for the 7-boat Irish team with a second in race one, finishing the day in seventh overall.
Howth YC pairing Douglas Elmes and Colin O'Sullivan got off to a good start with an eighth in race one ending the day in 11th place.
Howth Yacht Club's Big Turnout for Gibney Classic Race
Strong winds only added to the enjoymen in this year's Howth Yacht Club Gibney Classic on Saturday writes Brian Turvey. One of the largest cruiser–racer fleets in many years contested this always anticipated annual event, where the race itself is matched by the wonderful hospitality shown by Tony and Barry Gibney in their famous hostelry in Malahide, with a barbecue and drinks reception for the many exhilarated and weather-beaten sailors.
The race was run by Susan Cummins and her team on board the Sea Wych in conditions that might be described as 'fresh' by some and 'challenging' for all. A consistent 20 knot south-westerly prevailed over the racecourse with gusts ready to flatten boats sailed by even the most experienced helms and trimmers. It was a day for fully-crewed keelboats, with lots of weight 'on the rail'.
After an hour's racing, the ever-competitive Class 2 saw the Bourke/McGirr/Ball owned X332 'Xebec' win on IRC and David Sargent and his team on his Elan 33 'Indulgence' win the ECHO prize. Class 3 was evenly competed by boats from Howth and Malahide with Vince Gaffney winning IRC on his 'Alliance II' and Brian McDowell winning ECHO on his J24 'Blue Jay'.
Fifteen boats entered the Non-Spinnaker class which certainly provided the majority of thirsty customers in the beer garden and sports bar after racing. Paddy Gregory and Don Breen's decision to enter their First 34.7 'Flashback' in the class proved a wise one and they took the IRC prize while Michael Fleming's 'Trinculo' took the ECHO honours.
The Howth 17s have made this event an important part of their calendar for the past few years and the strong winds didn't deter their determination to enjoy the day, with four boats sailing up the river into Malahide after racing and returning to Howth later in the evening (into a warm 30-knot southerly). First prize went to Turvey brothers Brian and Conor in their 17 'Isobel'. The handicap spoils were won by Bryan and Harriette Lynch in 'Echo'.
Hats off to MYC's Commodore Deidre Moore-Somers who organised the rescheduling of another event so that the MYC boats could take part. Their annual regatta follows in 2 weeks on the 23rd of July. Special thanks also to Maureen Muir who again did all the organising for the club and with the team at Gibneys.
Eleven teams of four sailors each took part in the IODAI–organised Optimist event on Friday 1st July at Malahide Yacht Club. Royal Cork Yacht Club and Monkstown Bay Sailing Club were well represented with five teams. The sailors completed 25 races in the group stages in very changeable but warm four knots to 30 knots, bright sunshine to heavy rain.
After two round robin flights, RCYC Pumas, Jaguars and Panthers teams were eliminated with MBSC Panthers being particularly unlucky, losing on count-back to a Royal St George team.
In the semi-final, RCYC Leopards were pitted against RCYC Cheetahs, ensuring one Cork team made it through to the final. The former won through and met the RStGYC counterparts who sailed well to even up the best of 5 series 1/1. In the third race, RCYC won narrowly in quite squally conditions but in the fourth race, with much less wind, Royal Cork proved quicker and comfortably won.
The Leopards, captained by Harry Twomey, with Diego and Alexandra Peletiero and Michael Crosbie, successfully defended the V-P trophy they won last year.
The Optimist Ulster Championships, hosted by Malahide Yacht Club, saw 120 young sailors compete on the Broadmeadow Water in mixed conditions over two days, with the honours in the Gold Fleets at both Senior and Junior levels going to Royal Cork YC entries.
The event, sponsored by the Grand Hotel, saw Harry Pritchard of RCYC sail consistently throughout to beat clubmate Harry Twomey by just 3 points in the Senior Gold fleet while two other Cork sailors, Michael Crosbie and Justin Lucas, headed up the Junior Gold fleet.
National Yacht’s Club’s Nathan van Steenberge and Jacque Murphy (RStGYC) won the Senior and Junior Silver fleets respectively.
The first day’s racing was notable for fresh westerly and south-westerly winds, with several heavy gusts which severely tested the sailors’ abilities. Conditions improved on the second day and PRO Neil Murphy was able to complete a full 6-race schedule.
New Dinghies, Sails For Malahide Yacht Club Thanks To Capital Grant
#MalahideYC - Malahide Yacht Club has put its Sports Capital Grant allocation to good use with the purchase of new dinghies and sails.
According to the Swords Gazette, the €44,000 grant was used to procure six new sailing dinghies, two windsurfing boards and rigs, and assorted sails for the club's fleet based at Broadmeadows.
The new dinghies will be used for adult and junior sail training, introductory courses for locals, and of course club racing.
Malahide Yacht Club's Dermot Cronin sailing with his son Paddy has won the double–handed division of the Rolex Middle Sea Race. The stand out international result for the Irish double–hander was achieved on his Beneteau 40.7 Encore.
Encore from Malahide on her way to overall victory in the double–handed class. Photo: Rolx/Carlos Borlenghi
Cronin is a regular competitor in the 600–mile race but this is understood to be the first time the Irish yacht has been sailed double–handed in the Mediterranean fixture.
The Irish duo, who finished 37th overall beat the UK based Neo 400 Banks Sails Racing by more than two hours on corrected time in a time of five days, 11 hours and 43 seconds.
Malahide YC commodore Graham Smith was one of the first to offer congratulations to the Cronins. 'It's great news, richly deserved and we are delighted for Dermot and Paddy, he said.
The father and son team took just over five days and night to complete the race. Paolo Semeraro's Neo Double Banks Sails Racing had led for much of the race but finished in second place after a strong finish from the Irish team. Beppe Bisotto & Manuel Polo racing Fast 42, Atame was third. This was Beppe's 11th Middle Sea Race and his fifth Double Handed.
Dermot Cronin competed with his First 40.7, Encore, in the last Rolex Middle Sea Race with a full crew but didn't finish the race due to rudder problems in heavy weather. Dermot and his son Paddy have raced double handed before but nothing like the Rolex Middle Sea Race.
“Last year watching the Prize Giving for the Rolex Middle Sea Race, I remember thinking that the only chance I have to get on that stage is with my son Paddy.” commented Dermott Cronin. “Paddy has been tremendously successful racing double handed and I was delighted when he agreed to team up with me this year. I have huge respect for Paddy, I get quite emotional just thinking about that, I call him my master and commander, unequivocally he is the skipper and I am the crew. We have sailed for years and for me it doesn't get any better than this.”
“Probably the stand-out memory of the race was when we approaching Malta.” Commented Paddy Cronin. “We could pick up the tracker again, we knew we were in contention but we had no idea we were leading the Double Handed Class. Initially we thought that would be easy but then we started doubting that, so we put up the spinnaker in strong breeze and the snuffer jammed at the top and we knew that like that we couldn't get it down. So I went up the rig, hoisted by my Dad. It was blowing 25 knots in a confused sea and I was bouncing around and I was thinking we had messed the race up. So to be honest, when we came through the line there was more feeling of relief than anything else. When you finish a race like that it is almost surreal, you are so wrapped up in the race and we only came back to reality when we had a lovely reception from Barry Hurley, who won the Two Handed Class in 2012.”
It will be an emotional moment for Dermot and his son Paddy, when they take to the stage tomorrow, for the Rolex Middle Sea Race Prize Giving Ceremony.
Other Irish sailors competing inlcuded David Kenefick sailing with Artemis in 75th place with Ireland's former Green Dragon, now in Austrian hands, in 76th.
Competing in class four on Xp–act Banks Sails Racing were Andrew Boyle, Philip Connor, Barry Hurley and Kenny Rumball who finished 21st overall.
Meanwhile, Vincenzo Onorato's Italian Cookson 50, Mascalzone Latino, with Northern Ireland's Ian Moore as navigator, corrected out to win the overall prize for the race rating under the ORC Rule. The top three yachts came from three different classes, 57 yachts entered the race under the ORC rating system, which rated the yachts by time over distance. In second place overall was Michele Galli's Italian TP52, B2 with Francesco de Angelis as tactician. In third place overall was Milan Hajek's First 40.7, Three Sisters with a crew all from the Czech Republic.
2015 Maxi 72 World Champion winning navigator, Ian Moore spoke about the Mascalzone Latino victory. “This is the first time we have sailed together as a team for over a year and we put in a great performance. Our team and the boat performed well over a broad range of conditions, and we especially made big gains in the light winds. B2 was always going to be quicker than us in a straight line and they did well in the transition zones at Stromboli and Capo San Vito. We did catch up 14 miles on the first night going past Mount Etna, which was a big gain for us. On the leg from Lampedusa to the finish, there were a lot of thunderstorms and we saw one wind shift of 50 degrees, which we got spot on. This was an exciting race for us and tactically extremely difficult.”
In ORC One, Michele Galli's TP52, B2 was the winner from Hungarian RP60, Wild Joe, skippered by Marton Jozsa. In third place was Vicente Garcia Torres' Spanish Swan 80, Plis play was third.
B2's navigator, Nacho Postigo commented ”I think the 50-52 feet is a good length for this race. The TP52 is an all-round boat, with very little weaknesses, a good compromise between rating and speed. For me this was a typical Middle Sea Race; you struggle to find the wind, and when you do, it happens in excess. This time it was more about managing the light than about strong winds. For me, this is one of the most challenging races in the world. In this race there is a strong association between land and sea, and this drives you to take many important decisions along the way; sometimes, mistakes are really expensive here.”
ORC Two featured three canting keel yachts. Mascalzone Latino was the winner and there was a close battle for second place. Franco Niggeler's Swiss custom 42, Kuka-light, had an epic battle with Guido Paolo Gamucci's Italian Cookson 50, Cippa Lippa 8. Kuka-Light crossed the finish line of the Rolex Middle Sea Race just eight minutes ahead on corrected time to take second place ahead of Cippa Lippa.
ORC Three was won by the Turkish Ker 40, Arkas Flying Box, skippered by Serhat Altay, Arkas Flying Box was also placed 10th overall in ORC. Bastiaan de Voogd young Dutch team racing Sydney 43 Coin Coin was second. Vittorio Biscarini's Italian Mylius 15, Ars Una was third.
“Our Code Zero was a real weapon this race, especially in the wind holes.” commented Martin Watts, Arkas Sailing Team Coach. “There was no end to the enthusiasm from the team in their first major offshore race. Morale was very high on board and the team sailed very well together, I must say they are a real treat to sail with. Our ultimate goal for this year was to win our class at the Rolex Middle Sea Race and our efforts have achieved that, so we are absolutely delighted.”
ORC Four produced a tense battle for the class win, Christopher Opielok's Corby 38, Rockall IV from Hong Kong, corrected out to win the class by under an hour from three Maltese yachts, Christoph Podesta's First 45, Elusive II BOV was second, Sonke Stein & David Anastasi's J/133, Oiltanking Juno was third. Josef Schulteis & Timmy Camilleri’s Xp-44, Xp-Act Bank Sails was fourth by less than five minutes after time correction.
“In the light conditions, we were up against it but once we got into the breeze, this was more advantageous for Rockall, as we have a superior righting moment with a deep heavy keel.” Commented Rockall IV crew, Simon 'Cake' McCarthy. “The team did a great job at Pantelleria, we must have passed about 20 boats with our Code Zero up and at Lampedusa, we knew we were going well. Then the breeze just built and built and in big waves, we were on the edge of control. It was an awesome finish to the race.”
ORC Five produced one of the closest battles of the race. Lee Satariano & Christian Ripard's Maltese J/122, Artie won the class and also placed fourth overall under ORC. Costantin Manuele's First 40.7, Canevel Spumanti from the Yacht Club Adriaco, Trieste was second. Jamie Sammut's Maltese Solaris 42, Unica was third and Laurant Charmy's French J/111 SL Energies Groupe Fastwave was fourth. All four yachts finished within an hour of each other on corrected time.
“Mentally that was a very tough race and at times very frustrating.” Commented Artie's Lee Satariano. “At many stages of the race, if we could have found more wind, we would have done. The crew agree that we probably sailed the boat better this year than we have ever done. We sailed every leg really well and made very few errors. We set out to win our class and we are very happy that we have achieved that.”
ORC Six was won by Three Sisters taking part in their seventh race, the team from the Czech Republic corrected out to beat Grand Soleil 37, Sagola-Biotrading, skippered by Peppe Fornich. The crew are from the Yacht Club Favignana, the Aegadian Island of Favignana marks the northwest corner of the course. Gherardo Maviglia's Beneteau Oceanis 430, Amapola representing Circolo Velico Fiumicino, Roma was third.