Displaying items by tag: Sail Against Suicide

16th August 2018

Clontarf Yacht & Boat Club Raising Mental Health Awareness This Month

Clontarf Yacht and Boat Club will host its fourth annual Sail Against Suicide event on Saturday 25 August from 10am to 4pm.

Sail Against Suicide event is an initiative from Jessica Clohisey, one of the junior members of the club on Dublin’s Northside, who wanted to share her love of sailing while raising awareness about suicide.

“Clontarf Yacht & Boat Club is a community based, volunteer run club and we are keen to provide constructive support to the wider community,” said Commodore Andrew Semple.

“Mental health and the challenges around the issue are very really important and this event does a lot to provide information and raise awareness.”

Semple emphasised that Sail Against Suicide “is not a fundraising event – its purpose is simply to raise awareness of mental health issues that affect every community in Ireland and bring the topic into focus.”

This year’s day is also a Try Sailing event, part of the programme launched by Irish Sailing to encourage more people to take up sailing and other watersports.

“Participants can just turn up and we will get them out sailing all for free,” Semple said. “Clontarf Yacht & Boat Club have combined Try Sailing with Sail Against Suicide as the mental health benefits of sailing are well documented and we want to encourage as many people as possible to the club to raise awareness and have some fun.

“This is a free fun event. We aim to get 150 people on the water and will welcome more watching from the promenade. There will be music, food, entertainment, information and, above all, awareness.”

The Try Sailing Event is open to all. For more information or to register to go out sailing, contact [email protected].

Published in Dublin Bay

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Clontarf Prepares To Sail Against Suicide

#CB&YC - Sail Against Suicide will take place for the second year running on Saturday 9 September hosted by the Clontarf Yacht & Boat Club.

The event was started last year by local youth sailor Jessica Clohisey, inspired by her role as a student leader ambassador for Cycle Against Suicide — an annual initiative to combat the negative stigma surrounding mental health.

Clohisey’s efforts were met with overwhelming support from the community, who kindly donated over €1,000 that was split between Cycle Against Suicide and mental health charity Aware, as Clontarf.ie reports.

Sail Against Suicide is not a fundraising event — its purpose is simply to raise awareness of mental health issues that affect every community in Ireland and bring the topic into focus.

TheJournal.ie recently spoke to Clohisey about her awareness-raising efforts.

Published in News Update

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About the Golden Globe Race

The Golden Globe Race is the original round the world yacht race. In 1968, while man was preparing to take his first steps on the moon, a mild mannered and modest young man was setting out on his own record breaking voyage of discovery. Off shore yacht racing changed forever with adventurers and sailors, inspired by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, following in his pioneering wake. Nine men started the first solo non-stop sailing race around the World. Only one finished. History was made. Navigating with a sextant, paper charts and an accurate and reliable time piece, Sir Robin navigated around the world. In 2018, to celebrate 50 years since that first record breaking achievement, the Golden Globe Race was resurrected. It instantly caught the attention of the worlds media as well as adventures, captivated by the spirit and opportunity. The original race is back.

The Golden Globe Race: Stepping back to the golden age of solo sailing

Like the original Sunday Times event back in 1968/9, the 2018 Golden Globe Race was very simple. Depart Les Sables d'Olonne, France on July 1st 2018 and sail solo, non-stop around the world, via the five Great Capes and return to Les Sables d'Olonne. Entrants are limited to use the same type of yachts and equipment that were available to Robin Knox-Johnston in that first race. That means sailing without modern technology or benefit of satellite-based navigation aids.

Competitors must sail in production boats between 32ft and 36ft overall (9.75 10.97m) designed prior to 1988 and having a full-length keel with rudder attached to their trailing edge. These yachts will be heavily built, strong and steady, similar in concept to Robin's 32ft vessel Suhaili.

In contrast to the current professional world of elite ocean racing, this edition travels back to a time known as the 'Golden Age' of solo sailing. Suhaili was a slow and steady 32ft double-ended ketch based on a William Atkins ERIC design. She is heavily built of teak and carried no computers, GPS, satellite phone nor water-maker, and Robin completed the challenge without the aid of modern-day shore-based weather routing advice. He had only a wind-up chronometer and a barograph to face the world alone, and caught rainwater to survive, but was at one with the ocean, able to contemplate and absorb all that this epic voyage had to offer.

This anniversary edition of the Golden Globe Race is a celebration of the original event, the winner, his boat and that significant world-first achievement. Competitors in this race will be sailing simple boats using basic equipment to guarantee a satisfying and personal experience. The challenge is pure and very raw, placing the adventure ahead of winning at all costs. It is for 'those who dare', just as it was for Knox-Johnston.

They will be navigating with sextant on paper charts, without electronic instruments or autopilots. They will hand-write their logs and determine the weather for themselves.

Only occasionally will they talk to loved ones and the outside world when long-range high frequency and ham radios allow.

It is now possible to race a monohull solo around the world in under 80 days, but sailors entered in this race will spend around 300 days at sea, challenging themselves and each other. The 2018 Golden Globe Race was a fitting tribute to the first edition and it's winner, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston.

Background on Don McIntyre (61) Race Founder

Don is an inveterate sailor and recognised as one of Australia s greatest explorers. Passionate about all forms of adventure and inspiring others, his desire is to recreate the Golden Age of solo sailing. Don finished 2nd in class in the 1990-91 BOC Challenge solo around the world yacht race. In 2010, he led the 4-man Talisker Bounty Boat challenge to re-enact the Mutiny on the Bounty voyage from Tonga to West Timor, in a simil