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Displaying items by tag: Katie McAnena

Four years after windsurfing off Sligo’s Mullaghmore Head, Katie McAnena took advantage of the right wind and weather conditions to catch the infamous surf break again.

As The Irish Independent reports, the Galway-born GP launched her windsurf board late last month off Mullaghmore harbour.

With her on jetski was Chris McGloin to provide tow support.

Galway-born GP launched her windsurf board late last month off Mullaghmore harbour Photo: Clem McInerneyGalway-born GP launched her windsurf board late last month off Mullaghmore harbour Photo: Clem McInerney

“It’s exhilarating, the might of it and the sound of the ocean rumbling and roaring in your ears and vibrating under your feet,” McAnena told the newspaper.

“You’re looking at Ben Bulben and Ben Wiskin and Classiebawn castle and there can be dolphins, and it is just such a buzz to feel the power of Mullaghmore,” she said.

Conditions need to include a low Spring tide and a south-westerly wind to ride record waves at MullaghmoreConditions need to include a low Spring tide and a south-westerly wind to ride record waves at Mullaghmore Photo: Clem McInerney

She explained that conditions need to include a low Spring tide and a south-westerly wind – as well as having to be “in the right frame of mind”.

McAnena became the world’s first woman to windsurf “Jaws”, the surf break at Pe’ahi in Hawaii that can generate waves of more than 18 metres high, during a gap year from her medical studies in 2013.

Four years ago, she and her husband Finn Mullen were among five people to windsurf a record wave at Mullaghmore, recorded by videographer Clem McInerney.

She secured her tenth national windsurfing title in the highly competitive national wave championships in Kerry’s Brandon Bay off Castlegregory, Co Kerry, last October.

Published in Surfing
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#Windsurfing - History has been made in Hawaii with the first Irish woman ever to have windsurfed the infamous 'Jaws' surfing break, as The Irish Times reports.

Twenty-six-year-old Katie McAnena, a doctor from Galway, demonstrated perfect timing as she leapt into the water from an overhanging cliff.

An experienced windsurfer with four Irish women's championships to her name, McAnena told the paper how she maintained caution on the wave and stayed on its shoulder to ride it out.

“The sound and the feeling of it going through my bones was extraordinary, an out-of- body experience,” she said. “I haven’t managed to sleep since.” The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

It's been an exciting time lately for Ireland's women waverers, as just six months ago northwest surfing scion Easkey Britton became the first woman ever to surf in the waters off Iran.

Published in Surfing

Esailing & Virtual Sailing information

The concept of e-sailing, or virtual sailing, is based on a computer game sailing challenge that has been around for more than a decade.

The research and development of software over this time means its popularity has taken off to the extent that it has now become a part of the sailing seascape and now allows people to take an 'active part' in some of the most famous regattas across the world such as the Vendée Globe, Route du Rhum, Sydney Hobart, Volvo Ocean Race, America’s Cup and some Olympic venues too, all from the comfort of their armchair.

The most popular model is the 'eSailing World Championship'. It is an annual esports competition, first held in 2018 and officially recognised by World Sailing, the sports governing body.

The eSailing World Championship is a yearly competition for virtual sailors competing on the Virtual Regatta Inshore game.

The contract to run the event was given to a private company, Virtual Regatta that had amassed tens of thousands of sailors playing offshore sailing routing game following major offshore races in real-time.

In April 2020, the company says on its website that it has 35,000 active players and 500,000 regattas sailed.

Virtual Regatta started in 2010 as a small team of passionate designers, engineers, and entrepreneurs gathered around the idea that virtual sailing sports games can mix with real races and real skippers.