#optimist – The 2012 Irish Nationals ended in Kinsale Yacht Club yesterday with Douglas Elmes (RCYC) the overall winner, winning the Irish National and the Irish Open trophies. Douglas was the winner of the 2012 Trials, and has just returned from the Dominican Republic where he was part of the Optimist World's team.

Almost 200 sailors, from Ireland, the UK, India, Spain, Bermuda, Hong Kong, France and the USA competed for the Nationals trophy which took place over five days in Kinsale. Conditions were changeable; heavy winds meant that sailing had to be cancelled on day 2, and seas remained heavy during the event.

Championship winner Douglas Elmes going fast at the Optimist Nationals in Kinsale. Photo: Bob Bateman

In the Senior fleet, competition was intense, with top five places going to Douglas, Megan Parker (SSC), Rory Caslin (Bermuda), Jim Vincent (France) and Robbie King (UK), and Senior Silver fleet won by Dara Donnelly (NYC).

The UK Junior Optimist team attended the event and they dominated the Junior Fleet, with the Junior Open trophy going to Milo Gill-Taylor of the UK, and top five places won by UK sailors. The Irish Junior champion is Loghlen Rickard (NYC), and the Junior Silver trophy was won by Clare Gorman (NYC).

The Regatta Fleet, which is a training event for the youngest Optimist sailors, included daily racing which took place inside Kinsale harbour. Forty Regatta Fleet sailors launched each day in conditions that challenged their sailing abilities to the limits, and coped excellently, completing as many races as the Main Fleet. With sailors from 8 years upwards sailing at this level, the future looks bright for sailing in Ireland. The National Trophy for the Regatta Fleet was won by Robert Keal (RCYC).

Wednesday's Optimist National Action photos from Bob Bateman here

#optimist – The Irish National and Open Championship got underway in Kinsale Yacht Club on Tuesday but got off to a blustery and were scrubbed on Wednesday. Afloat's Bob Bateman captured the action from Thursday's 3 race day in the 200 boat fleet. See his gallery of shots below.

In the 47-boat Senior Fleet Douglas Elmes leads from Megan Parker after seven races sailed.

Milo Gill Taylor leads a group of five visiting British sailors at the front of the 96-boat junior fleet..

In the 34 boat regatta fleet local Jack McGrane leads.

#optimist – The Optimist World Championship has concluded in the Dominican Republic, and for yet another year, a girl has taken top place; Yukie Yokoyama of Singapore took first, while her team-mates took 2nd, 3rd and 5th; Bart Lambriex of Netherlands finished in 4th position.

RCYC's Harry Whitaker finished the event in style with a 2nd in the last race, and the entire Irish team – Harry Whitaker, Douglas Elmes (WHSC/RCYC), Megan parker (SSC), Harry Durcan (RCYC) and Sophie Browne (TBSC/ RCYC) ended the event in the top half of the fleet. They travel home today just in time to compete in the Irish Nationals at Kinsale Yacht Club next Tuesday, July 31st.

#optimist – Following on Sophie Browne's Gold Medal in the 2011 CIE (French Summer Championships) finishing seventh overall and first girl; last weekend Cliodhna ni Shuilleabháin (Kinsale Yacht Club) has achieved a Silver medal in the 2012 CIE, finishing second girl and eighth overall.

Cliodhna already represented Ireland earlier this summer in the Optimist European Championships in Italy.

#DIVING - The Sunday Independent recently highlighted a SCUBA cruise business in Kinsale that's going from strength to strength.

Scuba Addicts was set up by husband-and-wife team Graham and Anne Ferguson in the summer of 2009, initially on a whim after both lost their jobs when the credit crunch bit down hard.

Using their redundancy packages and a grant from the West Coast Development Partnership, they were able to purchase the boat they now use to take diving enthusiasts offshore.

And business is booming, with some 300 divers using their service in 2011 alone to explore coastal shipwrecks such as the infamous gun-running ship The Aud and the recently discovered German U-boat in Cork Harbour.

"We are making a big drive into Dutch, Belgian and German markets this year," says Anne. "There is huge potential for dive tourism from this area."

#rnli – Lifeboat crew at Kinsale RNLI saved a man this afternoon (Tuesday 3 July) following reports that a person was seen in difficulty in the water at Castlepark.

The lifeboat was launched at 4.30pm following a request from the Garda and the volunteer crew were on scene minutes later.  On arrival they spotted a man in the water in difficulty and recovered him onto the inshore lifeboat.

The lifeboat proceeded back to the station where the Lifeboat Medical Advisor Dr. Padraig McGillicuddy administered first aid, which was followed by the presence of a first responder.  The man was then transferred to Cork University Hospital by ambulance.

Commenting on the callout Kinsale RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager John O'Gorman said, "The lifeboat crew were on scene quickly and recovered the man from the water.  Due to their training they were able to administer first aid immediately.  He was extremely lucky that he was spotted in difficulty and that help was close by.  He was cold and badly shaken by the incident. In those situations every second counts."

Lifeboat crew on the callout were helm Nicky Searls and crewmembers Richard McKinlay and Ian Fitzgerald.

#kinsale – A final 20-minute postponement did little to deter the hardy crews who came out last Friday evening to do battle in the already twice postponed Kinsale Fastnet race, sponsored by CH Marine writes Peadar Murphy.  In what is now deemed seasonably gusty and lumpy conditions, just three boats made it out to take on the challenge of this overnight offshore classic – but it was definitely a case of quality, not quantity his year. Long-time offshore rivals Tom Roche on Meridian and Tony O'Brien's White Tiger squared off against each other again, with Olaf Sorensen's Dianna keeping them both honest.

The three ships headed off to the renowned waypoint initially in the lee of the Old Head, but soon were experiencing the lumpy sees that would test the perseverance and sea legs of many in the race. With 12 aboard, White Tiger had plenty weight on the rail and was able to overhaul less populous Meridian on the long tack out past the Old Head, in conditions that would normally have been advantageous to Roche's Salona 45. About two miles south of the Old Head, Meridian tacked onto port and west into Courtmacsherry Bay, having been overhauled by O'Brien's Beneteau 44.7, which continued south for another three miles. Dianna also went for the offshore option hoping to stay out of the tide.

As darkness fell, Meridian and White Tiger crossed a number of times off the Seven Heads, the Galley and south of High Island off Glandore. Meridian initially regained her lead, but O'Brien's crew, featuring a number of seasoned Fastnet campaigners, gradually reeled her in again. On the tack south to clear the Stag Rocks' cardinal buoy, White Tiger pounced in the patchy wind that had been backing all night, as forecasted, and soon stretched out into a comfortable lead.

White Tiger called in her rounding of the Fastnet to Bantry Radio soon after 04:50. The long beat down in the sloppy seas and the leaden skies meant there were few requests for what would normally be the obligatory souvenir photos with the legendary lighthouse in the background. Meridian rounded less than 20 minutes later and both ships soon had kites flying, and crews appreciating the relative comfort that came with running with the swell. Dianna called in her rounding within an hour of Meridian – a remarkable achievement considering that she was crewed by just three hardy souls, some of whom were distinctly under the weather!

Meridian opted to go offshore as a way to sail a hotter angle and possibly pick up a flyer, but the White Tiger team, which in last year's race had given up a lead of almost an hour to Meridian at this stage of the race, were alert to the move, and changed up to their masthead runner. Some excellent sailing was experienced by all on the leg back to Kinsale, with White Tiger never quite managing to break the 11-knot barrier despite some determined efforts to get her to surf past that threshold. Not to be outdone, Dianna also flew a kite – a fine display of short-handed seamanship in the conditions.

Interestingly, both Meridian and White Tiger will be sending torn kites to the sailmakers this week, with various manoeuvres going awry. However, as she headed for the finish line off Charles Fort White Tiger was well clear of Meridian, crossing the finish line at 10:23 after 14 hours 8 minutes of racing, with Meridian coming home just over 17 minutes adrift. Less than two hours after that Dianna glided past the Bostoon Buoy in Kinsale to close out the race.

Nick Bendon of CH Marine was on hand Sunday evening at the prize-giving which were received with great bonhomie by the skippers and crews. In both IRC and ECHO the finishing places reflected on the water placings, with White Tiger claiming the magnificent Fastnet trophy for the winner in ECHO, along with the cup for fastest boat in IRC. Meridian took second place in both divisions, with the determined Sorensen team coming home in a very respectable third.

The annual Cork Cruise sponsored by the Glendinning family takes place this coming Saturday with first gun at 10:25.

#KINSALE – Kinsale Yacht Club announced details of two major events for KYC this year at its clubhouse this week. The Davy Optimist National Championships (31st July – 4th August) and The Brewin Dolphin Dragon Gold Cup (8th-14th September) are due to attract huge number of sailors to Kinsale and, in turn, are expected to benefit the local economy.

Guests at the reception included Cllr Fred Treacy, Mayor of Kinsale, members of Kinsale Chamber of Tourism, the Kinsale Good Food Circle, local dignatories and members of Kinsale Yacht Club who will be involved in both events.

The Davy Optimist Nationals expect over 200 entries to Kinsale from all over Ireland. As participants are aged under 14, they will bring a family entourage and atmosphere to Kinsale as well as requiring accommodation and availing of all the amenities Kinsale has to offer as a premier tourist destination.

The Brewin Dolphin Dragon Gold Cup is considered the World Cup of Dragon Sailing and several world champions and ex-olympians have already entered from 15 countries as over 200 dragon sailors are expected to sail off Kinsale over six days in September. These include current world champion, Lawrie Smith, Marcus Wieser, Tommy Muller and Vincent Hoesch – all well known international sailors with many world-class titles between them.

"We are delighted to host these prestigious events at Kinsale Yacht Club this season and look forward to welcoming the best Optimist sailors in Ireland to Kinsale in July, as well as the International Dragon Fleet in September," said Cameron Good, Commodore, Kinsale Yacht Club. "We are grateful for the title sponsorship of Davy Stockborkers for the Optimist Nationals and that of private investment managers, Brewin Dolphin, official product partner Dubarry and the support of the Irish Sailing Association, Failte Ireland for the Dragon Gold Cup," he added.

A presentation was also made by Bobby Nash of Kinsale Yacht Club, outlining the benefit of Kinsale Marina to the local economy and how it may be developed in these challenging times.

#SQUIB – Marcus and Meagan Hutchinson sailing 'Sensation' won a heavy air South Coast Squib keelboat championships in Kinsale on Sunday. Big swells and 20–knot easterly winds led to many retirals in the 17-boat fleet. Second overall were James and Bruce Matthews followed by Peter Wallace and Kerry Boomer from Royal North Ireland Yacht Club.

Six races were sailed with one discard.

#KINSALE – The weather gods were not shining on the crews for the final series of races of the KYC Spring Series, sponsored this week by Mamukko and Ron Holland writes Peadar Murphy. The morning dawned bright and still with a touch of ground frost, but the forecasted 20 knot+ north easterlies, accompanied by leaden clouds, had filled in by the time the first flight of races was underway.

In the Class Zero, One and Two fleet, a short windward leeward course with the beat up to the vicinity of the Sovereigns put an emphasis on crew work and boat handling in the testing conditions. In Class Zero, the series came to a premature end for Kieran Twomey's Gloves Off when her main halyard snapped on the first beat, forcing her to retire while leading the fleet. Conor Doyle's Freya was quick to capitalise and though most boats tried to fly a kite on the first run, a more prudent approach was taken for the remainder of the day, as the short legs, gusts and a building swell made kite-handling difficult. Freya claimed both bullets on the day in IRC Zero, with John Godkin's Godot and Tom Roche's Meridian swapping second and third place in the two races. On both occasions, Godot cut it tight, having just 4 seconds on corrected time over Meridian in the first race and 10 seconds on Tony O'Brien's White Tiger in the second race. Overall, Freya claimed top spot in IRC, with Gloves Off's retirement costing her dearly as she had to carry a 6 point score from the final race, in which she did not compete, and lost out to Freya by just 3.5 points. Godot was somewhat adrift of the pacesetters in third on 24.5 points. In ECHO Zero, Meridian scored two bullets on Saturday, to nail top spot overall on 16.5 points, while Freya's consistency on the day saw her rewarded with two second place finishes and second overall on 20.5 points. White Tiger came in third on 23 points, the same as Godot, but with a better record on the count back.

The anticipated battle between Dave Scott's Eos and the Nagle and O'Malley team on Jelly Baby failed to materialise as the rough conditions forced Jelly Baby to retire from the first race and she did not come to the start area for the second race. Eos delivered on the day but was kept honest by clubmate Dan Buckley's Justus who kept within a minute of the X-362 in both races. Overall, Eos comfortably claimed Class One IRC on 11 points from Jelly Baby on 16 points and Justus on 21 points. In ECHO One, Eos claimed top spot overall from Justus by a single point with Jelly Baby just 3 points further in arrears.

Underlining the dominance of Eos in the series, she claimed a clean sweep of top spots coming home first in IRC Restricted too, with 10 points to spare over Jelly Baby, which tied with Freya on 24 points, but which had a superior track record of placings on the count back. It almost came unstuck for Eos in the second race when during a typical snappy tack, one of her younger crew slipped out under the guardrails as she dived across the coachroof. Quick hands and thinking grabbed the drenched sailor and then tacked the boat back onto port tack to haul her clear of the cold water. Within minutes Eos was back mixing it up at the head of the fleet as usual!

Eos wasn't the only boat almost losing things overboard. In Class Two, Brian Goggin's Allure seemed determined to part company with her kites, having to go back and retrieve a kite in the first race, and shredding a kite in the second. However, in a performance worthy of appreciative praise from fellow competitors, she had a second kite ready for hoisting in the second race even while the remains of the first kite were being hauled below - and still won both races comfortably in IRC despite the best efforts of the Desmond, Ivers and Deasy team on Bad Company and Clem and Wendy McElligott on Sea Hawk. In ECHO Two as it stands, Sea Hawk appears to have pipped the O'Regan, Salter and Minehan team on The Main 4 by a single point for overall honours. Bad Company is tied with The Main 4 on points, but loses out on the count back to finish in third overall. However, the outcome of last week's protest has been appealed, so these results are most definitely provisional as we go to press.

Class Three and Class Four enjoyed two round the cans races, with OD Tony Ireson in charge. The Marron and O'Connell team on Bandit came home with a further two bullets in IRC Three to go with their five others and won handsomely overall on 9 points from Finbarr Dorgan's No Half Measures, which was not out on the water on Saturday, and ended up on 18 points. Padraig O'Donovan's Chameleon claimed third overall with 22 points after a series of consistent turnouts. In ECHO Three, overall Chameleon claimed the top spot on the podium, with a bullet and a second on the final day. No Half Measures was once again second, three points behind, with Bandit in the final podium position, a further point astern.

In Class Four, Alan Mulcahy's Sundancer also claimed an astonishing 7 bullets in IRC to win overall from Richard Hanley's Saoirse by six points. Saoirse's valiant efforts on the final day were in vain as Sundancer continued her rampant form with comprehensive winning margins in both races. Michael Murphy's Shelly D claimed third overall, though was well off the pace, having missed the last two days of racing. In ECHO, the same two boats featured in the top two slots, separated by 4 points, with the Higgins and Morrison partnership on La Maraquita a further eight points behind.

The White Sail fleets had a long day out for their final day and were unusually among the very last back to the marina after another refreshing outing. In White Sail One, John Dowing's Samba claimed her second bullet in a row, with Stephen Lysaght's Reavra four minutes in arrears in second place. Dave Akerlind's Paragon came home third on the day, but claimed second overall, with Reavra claiming top spot by 3 points and the Murphy, Hennessy and Dann team on Val Kriss being awarded third place, with a points tally 3 greater than Paragon's. The top two boats benefitted greatly from being able to discard their worst scores, which were significantly higher than the remainder of their results.

In White Sail Two, Billy Joyce's Windrose claimed the overall prize, after a solid second in the final day's racing. Kevin and Celia Murray's Objection! swooped in to claim second place overall with a fine bullet in the final race, while the ladies on Guiness Kann claimed third on the day, but were beaten into fourth place by Dave Cullinane's Delos, which had 2 points to spare, despite not being on the water on Saturday.

Thanks to all who supported this year's event, either by competing, doing OD and Committee Boat duty, mark layers and not forgetting the team in the Race Office! A special word of thanks goes to our sponsors for their ongoing support of this event. Finally, we must express our gratitude to visitors who brought their boats and crews to Kinsale for the series, despite the testing conditions. We look forward to renewing friendly rivalries up and down the coast over the summer months. Safe sailing for the rest of the year!