It has been some time since it was pointed out here that although Cork Harbour may have been the world leader in creating the concept of the sailing club, and Dublin Bay led the way in pioneering the development of yacht racing systems and the One-Design ideal which was then expanded at warp speed in Belfast Lough, it was the Shannon Estuary which actually came up with the greatest number of key performers of international significance afloat.
For in two months time, we will be celebrating the Centenary of the completion of the first ever small yacht global circumnavigation by Conor O'Brien of Foynes Island in the Shannon Estuary aboard Saoirse. And that same Shannon Estuary lays valid claim to three America's Cup challenges.
'THE MAN WHO INVENTED HIMSELF'
For although Belfast Lough very rightly claims the five America's Cup challenges by Thomas Lipton through the Royal Ulster YC between 1899 and 1931, there's no way Lipton could claim to be a Belfast Lough sailor in origination. In fact, there were so many unanswered questions about his background that one Lipton biography was titled "The Man Who Invented Himself."
Kilrush Marina when newly opened. The gap between the town centre and the marina is gradually being closed, while the boatyard (middle-right) offers some of the most comprehensive services on the west coast.
Yet the three Shannon Estuary Challenges were from people whose ancestral homes were on Shannonside, and had been for a long time. But while Lord Dunraven of Adare's two challenges with Valkyrie II and Valkyrie III in 1893 and 1895 were very much from a first base in the Solent, with neither yacht ever seen in the Shannon Estuary, the 1886 challenge was by Lt William "Paddy" Henn and his wife Susan, with their cutter Galatea finding a home berth in a pool in the the Fergus Estuary on the north side of the Shannon, where their house was called Paradise.
ENNISKILLEN-BORN DESIGNER
Galatea was even Irish-designed, a creation of the Enniskillen-born J Beavor-Webb, and the Henns reputedly insisted that half the professional crew be recruited from the Ballynacally region – we've a story here about the links.
But what has somehow slipped under the radar was that when Paddy Henn was taken ill during the series itself in 1886, Susan took over command as racing skipper, and made a fine job of it even if the notably comfortable cruiser-racer Galatea was seldom in serious competition despite a rather fine suit of racing sails.
Susan Henn was a popular and effective skipper, but one didn't smile for portrait photos in the 19th Century
Be that as it may, Susan Henn impressed with her sailing, and now – 139 years later – it has received the recognition it deserves with her induction into the America's Cup Hall of Fame. So when an offer came up for a magic carpet there-and-back with Howth 17 owners Ian Malcolm and Donal Gallagher to the boatyard at Kilrush where there is always something going on in the wider Steve Morris creative ambit, it was in the hope of adding a visit of respect to Ballynacally to the programme.
BEYOND IMMACULATE
It almost didn't make it on to the schedule, for in its dispersed way, Kilrush was hyper-busy. The Dublin Bay 21 Naneen was the first of the DB21s to be restored under the Hal Sisk/Fionan de Barra scheme back in 2019, and she was back being refitted by James Madigan to a really breathtakingly high standard – she was beyond immaculate.
"Beyond immaculate" – six year after her restoration, a touch of refreshing has the DB21 Naneen "beyond immaculate". Photo: W M Nixon
ORIGINAL FIVE
Steve Morris himself had the re-framing of Ian Malcolm's Howth 17 Aura under way, with new garboards being added. She's special, being one of the original five back in 1898. But of course in Kilrush all this acquired an extra depth of meaning, as she was sharing the shed with a replica of Slocum's Spray built by the Lowestoft Boat Building School. In 1898, when the Howth 17s were having their first successful season, Slocum and the Spray returned to Newport, Rhode Island, their pioneering circumnavigation completed.
Re-framing and re-fastening in the 127-year-old Aura. Photo: Donal Gallagher
Slocum's eternal Spray – this version was built in Lowestoft Boat-Building School. Photo: W M Nixon
Long shed, long memories. When Slocum's Spray completed her circumnavigation in June 1898, the Aura (at far end of shed) was in the midst of her first season. Photo: W M Nixon
SUPERB CONSTRUCTION
As for the construction of Donal Gallagher's completely new Howth 17, that is simply breathtaking. All I can suggest is that, save for white antifouling, the new boat be finished completely in varnish, as everyone deserves to see as much as possible of this.
Meeting of minds – Steve Morris & Donal Gallagher. Photo: W M Nixon
The new hull takes shape in painstaking detail. Any errors at this stage cannot be easily rectified much further down the line Photo: W M Nixon
Exquisite workmanship. It is unlikely that any Howth 17 has ever been built to this standard. Photo: W M Nixon
SOURCING GOOD TIMBER
Meanwhile Steve was revealing that, while other boatbuilders were complaining about difficulty in sourcing good timber, he'd discovered that back in the early 19th Century at a time when Denmark was more belligerent than it is now, the King ordered the planting of vast acreages of timber to give his successors the materials to build many wooden sailing warships. But by the time the new forests matured, everyone was driving around in steam-driven iron or steel ships of war, so now they've good boat-building timber to spare.
"Because she's worth it." The much-sailed Aura in the soothing ambience of a classic boatyard. Photo: W M Nixon
Don't ask….perfect varnishwork in Kilrush. Photo: W M Nixon
THE GALWAY MEN
In another shed, boat-building of another kind was proceeding apace with Dan Mill of Galway – the virtually solo builder of John Killeen's really remarkable 70-footer Nimmo – building himself a proa, the Pacific island hopper which, instead of tacking, simply changes ends.
An astonishing achievement – the 70ft Nimmo in Galway Docks
It can be a difficult concept to genuinely comprehend, so we'll devote a much fuller article to it another day. But meanwhile as Dan was being assisted by Yannick Lemonnier and his son Sean, the cheerful Kings of the Cong Race on Lough Corrib, the mood lightened and serious discussion was put aside.
Proa People. Dan Mill with Sean & Yannick Lemonnier. Photo: W M Nixon
And then it became other-worldly, as it was time to go and anyway the Donal-mobile had to be moved to enable Paul French to launch is Sun Odyssey 45 Embla. Embla indeed. She is named for his famous sailing great aunt Daphne's far-sailing gaff ketch Embla. This also of course means that Paul is distantly related to Admiral Tom French of the Royal Cork YC who invented modern passage racing with the Dublin Bay-Cork Harbour Race of 1860.
THE PERCY FRENCH CONNECTION
And further, it means he's related to Percy French, currently in re-assessment for the sheer brilliance of his comic songs, not least of which is "Are You Right There, Michael, Are You Right?" about the persistent tardiness of the West Clare Railway that serves Kilrush.
The Directors were so peeved that they sued him in Court in Ennis. But Percy French won effortlessly as he was late in the witness box, owing to his West Clare train from Limerick being late.
THE GHOSTS OF GALATEA
With our minds imploding from an excess of everything, we took off down the road to meet with the Ghosts of Galatea in Paradise. Let's just say that in its present state, it isn't somewhere you'd plan to be on a dark and stormy night. But it makes Susan Henn's induction into the America's Cup Hall of Fame into even more of a bright and shining light in a situation which could surely do with some healthy illumination.
Paradise House was swept by a fire in 1970, and though some of the strangling undergrowth has been cleared, it is still a decidedly spooky place.
