After four races sailed in Cork Harbour, a resurgent 505 fleet leads Class One of the Monkstown Bay Sailing Club October League 2021.

Racing is for mixed dinghies under the Portsmouth Yardstick handicap rule.

Heading a 34-boat Class One, Ewen Barry and David Barry have a one-point margin over Laser sailor Ronan Kenneally in second place on eight points. Laser sailor Richard Harrington lies third on nine.

Race Officer Ciaran MacSweeney set a triangular course in a southwest wind of up to 12/15 knots for Saturday's racing.

Robyn Barry and Hazel Barry lead a 15-boat class two by a point in an RS Feva. Second is Amy and David Doherty with Isabelle McCarthy and Bella Clarke Waterman in third, all sailing Fevas.

As Afloat's Tom MacSweeney reported recently in a podcast here with MBSC Commodore Sandy Rimmington, the club scene is 'buzzing with dinghies'. 

Rimmington says there is a revival of the 5O5 fleet in advance of next year's world championships being held in the harbour and a plan to expand the teaching of sailing through schools.

 Full class one October league results are here, and class two here

Monkstown Bay Sailing Club October League Photo Gallery By Bob Bateman

Monkstown Bay Sailing Club is based in the inner part of Cork Harbour and is buzzing with the start of its October League and, says Club Commodore, Sandy Rimmington, a revival of the 5O5 fleet and a plan to expand the teaching of sailing through schools.

A 5O5 owner himself, he puts the revival of interest in the fleet to focus on holding the 5O5 World Championships in Cork next year. For the fourth time, they will be held at the RCYC in Crosshaven around the harbour from Monkstown, from August 3-13.

“This has led to the rejuvenation of the 5O5 fleet, which had always been strong in Monkstown,” the MBSC Commodore says.

Alex Barry (right) helming a 505 at RCYC's 'At Home' Regatta Photo: Bob Bateman

Support for dinghy racing is strong, with the club having successfully staged the Munster Optimists Championships at the start of the month and being assigned the Southern Feva Championships for April next year and, in the week before the 5O5 Worlds next August, Monkstown will host the Irish Championships for the class.

The Munster Optimists Championships were staged by MBSC Photo: Bob Bateman

The club’s committee is putting together a busy programme for next season.

“We are planning to push dinghy sailing even more next year especially Laser, RS dinghies, the 5O5s and the Oppies, with Laser Frostbites in February when we hope for up to 20 boats taking part, the RS Southerns for Feva/200s/400s in April, Prep for 5O5 Worlds Winter Sprint Series. We are trying to make sailing accessible to all by working with schools that may not get the opportunity to use the water and teach teenagers how to sail. We are currently fundraising to buy more boats for this. The Optimists event was a massive success and will allow us to build interest in sailing and take on more events.”

"The club bought a 1720 which has been used for adult training"

The club bought a 1720 sportsboat which has been used for adult training, and purchased two new rescue boats. “This allows us to increase the numbers we can train.”

Consideration is being given to putting the 1720 into its first competitive event next season, possibly at Cork Week at the RCYC.

The Commodore leads the club’s October Saturday morning dinghy league in Class One, sailing an RS 400, crewed by Alex Barry. In second place is Richard Harrington in a Laser and third Ronan Kenneally, also in a Laser.

Three RS Feva XLs are the leading boats in Class Two. Robyn Barry, crewed by Hazel Barry, are the leaders; 2nd Amy and David Doherty and third Isabelle McCarthy, crewed by Bella Clarke Waterman.

Monkstown Bay club dinghies are based on the Sand Quay in the middle of the village, and it was there I talked to Commodore Sandy Rimmington, my guest on this week’s podcast, which you can listen to here.

Monkstown Bay Sailing Club has cancelled its dinghy league racing tonight as the Cork Harbour village community will provide a guard-of-honour on the roadside when the body of Parish curate, Fr. Con Cronin, is taken to his native Bantry for burial tomorrow.

Fr. Cronin was killed on Tuesday in a traffic accident near the sailing club in the village. He was struck by a bus that went out of control when the driver suffered medical trauma.

Commodore Sandy Rimmington said the club will pay tribute as "Fr. Con leaves our parish for his final journey home."

Despite the impact of the pandemic Monkstown Bay Sailing Club in Cork Harbour has had a resurgence of numbers in dinghy league racing.

So outgoing Commodore Ciaran McSweeney told club members as he completed his two-year term in office.

New investment has been made in club facilities and there is a lot of hope in the village club on the edge of the harbour for next year.

It has bought a 1720 sportsboat, been donated a Drascombe Lugger, has more volunteers than before, more adults are seeking training and it also has put a new racing on the Sand Quay in the centre of the village, from where races are run. That is a short distance from the clubhouse at De Vesci Place. The hut has thrown "an invaluable light" on sailing history in Monkstown according to the outgoing Commodore. It makes Monkstown part of the history of the Royal Cork Yacht Club.

Monkstown Bay Sailing Club's new race hut

Completing his two-year term of office he told members that the club had received a collection of photos of the Sand Quay and the famous hut from member John Hegarty. One of these shows uniformed Race Officers during a starting sequence on the quay for a yacht race that is thought to predate 1922.

"According to historian Dr Alicia St.Leger, the original hut was put in place by the Royal Munster Yacht Club in 1905. It remained there after that club departed for Crosshaven in 1922."

The Royal Munster later amalgamated with the Royal Cork which club had been based in Cobh and moved to Crosshaven to join the Royal Munster under the name of the RCYC. According to MBSC the "hut" remained on the quay and survived well into the 1950s. It was moved around the quay area several times, but the remains of an original concrete base can be seen slightly to the north of the location of the present hut. There have been others, right up to the new one.

Sandy Rimmington has been elected the new MBSC Commodore. Jacqui O'Brien is Vice Commodore.

Now listen to the Podcast below where my guest this week is the new MBSC Commodore.

Monkstown Bay Sailing Club in Cork Harbour has cancelled the rest of its October Dinghy League series due to the imposition of Level 3 COVID-19 restrictions.

The series started last Saturday and attracted a buoyant fleet of mixed dinghies including Lasers, RS400s, Fevas and Optimists as Afloat reported here.

All Ireland Junior champion Chris Bateman leads Class One of Monkstown Bay Sailing Club October Dinghy League after the first two races sailed from a boat start in Cork Harbour on Saturday.

Second in Class One's 18-boat fleet is fellow Laser sailor Brendan Dwyer. Alex Barry and Sandy Remmington are third in an RS400.

Despite the Laser Munster Championships being sailed on the same weekend at nearby Kinsale, 11 Lasers opted for the popular MBSC League with a cash prize. 

A six boat Class Two is led by Laser 4.7 sailor Harry McDaid. 

Provisional results are here.

There was some great sailing breeze for a big weekend of dinghy racing at Monkstown Bay Sailing Club in Cork Harbour yesterday. MBSC is co-hosting the 1720 Munster Championships in the harbour as well as running its regular dinghy September League.

After eight races sailed in the club's September Open dinghy League 2020, Ronan Kenneally has a big lead in the Class One fleet counting six first places to lead by nine points from Brendan Dwyer also in a Laser. Philip Doherty in a Radial is third.

Lasers have a stranglehold on the leaderboard but an RS Aero (Emmet O'Sullivan) makes his presence known in the 22-boat fleet in fifth overall The first of several 505 dinghies (Brian Jones/Gary Frost) being raced at the club lies eighth overall.

In Class Two, Harry McDaid leads in a 4.7, from Tony Geraghty in an Optimist. Third is  Kyle Joyce in a Feva.

Results are here

Bob Bateman's MBSC September Series Photo Gallery below 

2020 was to be a year of special events in Cork Harbour. COVID 19 brought those plans to a crashing halt. The highest-profile hit was Cork Week and the events celebrating Cork 300, many of which are cancelled or in doubt at present. But tucked away in another part of the harbour lies a special club that had its very own anniversary this year.

Monkstown Bay Sailing Club came into being on Sunday, the 7th of June 1970. The six-strong committee of Mr Robert Cuppage, Mr Jack O’Driscoll, Mr Barry O’Connell, Mr Will O’Brien and Mr Dick Woodley was ably led by Mr Norcott Roberts.

Racing initially took place in Enterprises and other small dinghies on a handicap basis. The races were held in the evenings. The minimum subscription was 10/- which made you a founding member.

The village of Monkstown has always featured a strong sense of community and no place exemplifies this more than Monkstown Bay Sailing Club. Many families of founding members are still actively involved in the running of the club and as the club has grown in stature a full programme is conducted every year with no one left out. Class 1 and 2 dinghies still race of an evening and an active cruiser fleet races also.

Monkstown Bay's first sailing course

One of the first events organised by the club was an IYA sailing course. 40 aspiring young sailors attended, and the course was run by Mr Neville Eames.

To this day the courses have run introducing countless sailors to the pleasures and delights of sailing on Cork Harbour. In another consequence of the current pandemic, for the first time, in living memory, the sailing course has been cancelled. The sight of boats being rigged on a sunny morning by enthusiastic sailors will be sorely missed on the daily commute to work.

By way of compensation for the loss of the celebratory weekend, Monkstown Bay Sailing Club has commemorated their anniversary with a series of posts and commentary on their Facebook page and a series of WhatsApp messages to those members who are signed up to the various club groups.

In one of the initial posts, the twenty-seventh Commodore, Mr Ciarán Mc Sweeney greeted the membership with a wonderful letter commemorating the club’s anniversary and went on to announce the re-commencement of racing within guidelines in July for class 1 and a slightly restricted version for class 2.

It is also intended to run some training for level 3 and 4 junior sailors to complete their certificates.

Looking further ahead the club will exhibit items of historical interest in the Passage West Maritime Museum later in the year when it reopens. It is also noted that the anniversary celebrations have merely been postponed and an opportunity to celebrate will be taken later in the year as circumstances permit.

“For the first time since1972 we must sadly announce that we are unable to run our Junior Sailing Course this year as planned,” Monkstown Bay Sailing Club announced this week. “After completing a risk assessment in line with Irish Sailing’s guidelines and in keeping with government advice we feel that, for the safety of club members, families and the wider community, this decision had to be taken.”

The popular Cork Harbour courses which introduce young people to the sport have been run annually in the summer months, June-July.

“We are looking at possible options to complete some courses towards the end of the summer for some of the levels,” the club said.

It is hoping to run a July dinghy league, though a format has not yet been decided.

It was February 1st, and the hardy band of Cork Harbour Laser sailors regrouped for day three of the Monkstown Laser Frostbite League, in beautiful racing conditions. 

A low sun arose over Cork Harbour in the early hours of the morning. A slight chill in the air was enough to inflict a bite, but not enough to stop thirteen enthusiastic sailors from arriving on the Sandquay at 9 am. A windy forecast was on the cards and gusts of up to 27 knots were due later in the morning. The sky was cloudless and Monkstown Bay looked promising. 

A south-westerly breeze blew across the bay, peaking at a low 10 knots of wind. The tide was high and weak. The competitors launched their Lasers off the Sandquay, to join the race committee.

A windward/leeward course had been set, with a windward mark situated in the creek near Raffeen. The 10:10 am scheduled start was right on time and the thirteen Laser sailors found their positions on the small start line. Three minutes went by and race one was underway.

Sailors in shot (Left to right) Fionn Lyden, Chris Bateman, James Long, Alex Barry (IRL)

Launching off the line was MBSC’s Ronan Kenneally, who crossed the fleet with a spectacular port tack flyer. This put him into the lead just ahead of the fleet. Conditions were tough, with a gusty wind mixing things up. Kenneally held his lead around the windward mark just in front of BSC’s Fionn Lyden MBSC’s Chris Bateman. But things were not all as they seemed and the ace Finn sailor (Lyden) sailed past Kenneally using his downwind skills. The breeze was increasing slowly as they sailed downwind. Bateman chose the opposite side of the course and managed to round the leeward mark just ahead of Lyden and Kenneally. Paths were chosen carefully as the competitors travelled upwind, working through the shifty wind. All remained vigilant and two rounds later, your correspondent took first place. Taking the second position was Lyden, with Kenneally following just behind in third.

In the Radial category, MBSC’s Harry Pritchard took first place, with MBSC’s Philip Doherty following up in second place.

Race two began with much more wind. There was now a steady 13-knot wind gusting up over 16 knots. The high tide was still weak and the competitors had no trouble beating up to the mark. Pulling away into the lead was Sunday’s Well sailor Paul O’Sullivan, followed by radial sailor Philip Doherty in second. The top mark was seeing heavy wind and a wild gust caught out O’Sullivan, as he spun into an almost-saved death roll. This capsize let Doherty pull into the lead, with Bateman just behind. Doherty blasted away from the fleet in the high wind and rounded the leeward mark in first. As they continued on the upwind leg, Doherty’s radial rig lacked the extra ‘grunt’ in the lulls, allowing your correspondent to sail through in the full rig. The last downwind leg saw Fionn Lyden sail through the radial sailor, followed up by MBSC’s Alex Barry. Taking first place was Bateman and in second place was Lyden. Light-weight sailor Alex Barry managed the heavy weather well and took third place.

In the Radial category, MBSC’s Phil Doherty showed heavy weather speed and took a comfortable first place. MBSC’s Harry Pritchard followed up in second, having struggled in the big breeze.

The wind had piped up for race three, the last race of the day. A strong, gusty wind blew across the land from the west. These are tricky conditions at best, with rogue wind shifts threatening to capsize the laser dinghies. The competitors set off and immediately started to work their boats to maximum speed. Leading around the windward mark was O’Sullivan, with Kenneally in second. A heavy gust of over 22 knots let Kenneally sail through O’ Sullivan. As the competitors planed towards the leeward mark, the wind was gusting over 25 knots. Your correspondent sailed around the leeward mark just ahead of Kenneally, with Lyden closing in. The wind whipped across the water, making the windward mark rounding a task. Lyden and Kenneally battled it out, with Kenneally sailing over the top of Lyden. The heavy wind was of no moment to the fleet as they all blasted downwind to the finish line. Taking first place was your correspondent. In second position was Kenneally, with Lyden sailing through into third. 

In the Radial fleet, Heavy weather specialist Phil Doherty took another win. Harry Pritchard finished up in second place.

So, a great end to what was an epic morning on the water. The sailors headed for shore, whipped with wind and spray. Warmth and rest awaited on shore, all the that was needed to relax after a hard morning’s sailing. 

Join us next week on the water, where the stellar race committee and mark layers will make sure you get the most out of your Saturday morning, and will never disappoint!