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Displaying items by tag: Voyages: July

Here’s a chance for teenagers in Cork with an interest in life at sea to give it a go on board and experience a replica of a 19th-century sailing tall ship.

As CorkBeo writes, the youth sailing charity Sail Training Ireland is looking for those aged between 14 and 17 to take part in a 'training voyage' aboard the 91-foot Spirit of Falmouth between Monday, July 1, and Friday, July 5.

A second similar training voyage for adults aged between 18 and 30 is also to take place for the following week between Monday, July 8, and Friday, July 12.

Both of the voyages will be departing and returning to Cork Harbour.

The trainee sailors on the voyage will take the 1985-built timber-constructed ‘Spirit’ along the south coast to get to grips with life on the open sea. The vessel is based on the design of a traditional Mersey pilot schooner built using traditional methods in Liverpool.

The 88-ton schooner has a core crew of six with the capacity to carry 12 trainee passage crew, according to its operator, Turn to Starboard, based in the schooner’s homeport of Falmouth, Cornwall.

The voyages say Sail Training Ireland is designed to get "young people undertaking voyages on tall ships, effectively as part of the working crew."

Successful applicants will be able to undertake several tasks, including setting the sails, navigation, and climbing the rigging and masts. Accommodation is based on 18 bunks and two cabins, along with two ‘heads’ (toilets) and a purpose-built galley and saloon.

The schooner has the capacity for 12 trainees, and the fee for both the teen and adult voyages is €280.

Published in Tall Ships

Dublin Bay Sailing Club Turkey Shoot Winter Series

Dublin Bay Sailing Club's Turkey Shoot Series reached its 20th year in 2020.

The popular yacht series racing provides winter-racing for all the sailing clubs on the southside of Dublin Bay in the run-up to Christmas.

It regularly attracts a fleet of up to 70 boats of different shapes and sizes from all four yachts clubs at Dun Laoghaire: The National Yacht Club, The Royal St. George Yacht Club, The Royal Irish Yacht Club and the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club as well as other clubs such as Sailing in Dublin. Typically the event is hosted by each club in rotation.

The series has a short, sharp format for racing that starts at approximately 10 am and concludes around noon. The event was the brainchild of former DBSC Commodore Fintan Cairns to give the club year-round racing on the Bay thanks to the arrival of the marina at Dun Laoghaire in 2001. Cairns, an IRC racer himself, continues to run the series each winter.

Typically, racing features separate starts for different cruiser-racers but in fact, any type of boat is allowed to participate, even those yachts that do not normally race are encouraged to do so.

Turkey Shoot results are calculated under a modified ECHO handicap system and there can be a fun aspect to some of the scoring in keeping with the Christmas spirit of the occasion.

As a result, the Turkey Shoot often receives entries from boats as large as Beneteau 50 footers and one designs as small as 20-foot flying Fifteens, all competing over the same course.

It also has legendary weekly prizegivings in the host waterfront yacht clubs immediately after racing. There are fun prizes and overall prizes based on series results.

Regular updates and DBSC Turkey Shoot Results are published on Afloat each week as the series progresses.

FAQs

Cruisers, cruising boats, one-designs and boats that do not normally race are very welcome. Boats range in size from ocean-going cruisers at 60 and 60 feet right down to small one-design keelboats such as 20-foot Flying Fifteens. A listing of boats for different starts is announced on Channel 74 before racing each week.

Each winter from the first Sunday in November until the last week before Christmas.

Usually no more than two hours. The racecourse time limit is 12.30 hours.

Between six and eight with one or two discards applied.

Racing is organised by Dublin Bay Sailing Club and the Series is rotated across different waterfront yacht clubs for the popular after race party and prizegiving. The waterfront clubs are National Yacht Club (NYC), Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC), Royal St George Yacht Club (RSGYC) and Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC).

© Afloat 2020