Dun Laoghaire's Royal St. George Yacht Club has announced that its inaugural Junior Spring Open, sponsored by Craftinsure, will be held on the 19th & 20th of March 2011. This event promises to be a great kick start to the Junior Sailing Season for the Optimist, 420, Feva and Laser Classes.

There will be both Regatta and Main Fleets, Regatta Coaches on the courses and the event will count as an Optimist Pre-Trials and Pre-Regional event. With the ISA Mitsubishi Youth National Championship being held in the same sailing area at the end of April, this event is a great opportunity for sailors from all around the country to get some practise in the local waters.

There will be entertainment for sailors and parents on both evenings, evening dinners and, of course, full Six Nations Rugby coverage on the Saturday throughout the Club. There will also be live-tweeting from the water throughout the event - follow this live action unfold at www.twitter.com/rsgyc.

For further information and to enter online please visit www.rsgyc.ie. The Entrance Fee is €85 for Fevas & 420s and €55 for Oppies & Lasers.

May Bank Holiday weekend (29 April – 02 May) over 300 sailors will compete in Dublin Bay in seven different classes (Laser Radial, Laser 4.7, 420, Feva, Topper, SL16 and Optimist). For youth sailors, this event is the most crucial in the annual calendar as it is the decider for the top Irish sailors to compete internationally during 2011 and is the pathway for future Olympic sailors.
Not only will the ISA Mitsubishi Youth Nationals over the May weekend be an important event for youth sailors it is also a major milestone for the organisers of the ISAF Youth Worlds 2012 as it offers them the opportunity to test drive the logistics of managing such a large event incorporating three clubs, three race courses and hundreds of volunteers.
'Dun Laoghaire has a proud reputation for hosting international events such as the biennial combined clubs Dun Laoghaire Regatta and numerous world championships. However in 2011 the ISA Mitsubishi Youth Nationals is of more significance as it gives us an opportunity to test our systems in advance of the ISAF Youth Worlds 2012.' stated Event Chairman Brian Craig.
Dun Laoghaire won the bid to host the ISAF Youth Worlds 2012 from 12-21 July when, in excess of 300 sailors and windsurfing champions from over 60 nations will participate. The granting of this prestigious sailing event to Ireland is a major boost to the sport and secures Ireland's position as an ideal location for hosting world class sailing events. It also establishes Dun Laoghaire as one of the prime major racing locations in the world, capable of running multiple classes and courses to the highest international standard.
'The Youth Nationals is a significant event on the racing calendar. It involves young sailors from all of the 'Olympic Pathway' classes, some of whom are competing for places on the team that will represent Ireland in the ISAF Youth Worlds later this year.  In recent years Ireland has had successes at youth level with winner of the girls Laser World Championships a top 10 at the 2010 ISAF Youth Worlds and wins at the British National Optimist Championships.

Three hundred sailors from around the country are expected to compete for national youth and junior pathway titles and the Mitsubishi coaching grant during the event.

Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, has set the Guinness World Record for the 'Largest Parade of Boats' with the International Optimist Class Association.

The record took place on July 25, 2010 within the waters of Weymouth and Portland featuring over 300 young Optimist sailors. Requirements to set the new world record were extensive; requiring 300 plus people, all holding a full licence for their boat to sail a set course. The attempt was completed with a total of 318 Optimist sailors in a controlled area. The record attempt required a huge amount of skill from the young sailors, all aged between 7 and 15 years, who had to navigate the course at the helm of their own dinghy.

The Guinness World Records formed back in 1954 cover both human achievements and extremes of the natural world. It is the best selling copy-righted book series of all time and hugely popular internationally. This award is a global recognition of very significant profile within the record breaking field.

The record success can be attributed to the talent of the sailors who were welcomed from across Europe, Asia, United Arab Emirates and even Oceania. Many of them will have aspirations of Olympic sailing one day like their predecessors from the Optimist class.

John Tweed, Chief Executive at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, commented, 'we are extremely proud of what we accomplished back in July, now officially being a world record holder, I want to extend a big thanks to everyone that made it possible. All participants had a great time and we will be able to look back and remember the day we broke a Guinness World Record TM'.

The new Guinness World Record was Awarded to the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy

At the weekend's end of season Optimist dinghy class Championships (aka the Gorman Trophy) held at the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire local helmsman Sean Donnelly was a popular win in a fleet of 66 boats. Second was Sean Waddilove from across the bay in Howth and third was Dun Laoghaire's Adam Hyland from the Royal St. George YC. Results HERE.

Royal Cork Optimist ace Peter McCann completed a clean sweep of the National Championships at Waterford Harbour SC yesterday counting nine of 11 results in the top three of the combined fleet of 249 boats. McCann's consistent performance put him 11 points clear of his second placed Partrick Crosbie alos of the Royal Cork. Third was UK visitor Aarron Holman. McCann is Ireland's top-ranked Optimist sailor and in July asserted himself at the front of an international fleet , posting a first and fourth to be in seventh position overall in the 144-boat boys fleet at the Optimist Europeans. 

 

Optimist Irish National Championships Results HERE.

Two more races were sailed today at the Optimist National Championships in Waterford Harbour Sailing Club but a third race did not happen due to combination of strong winds and poor visibility. Royal Cork Yacht Club are dominating the top positions in this event so far

Provisional Results after 7 races:

Seniors: 1st Peter McCann RCYC, 2nd Patrick Crosbie RCYC.3rd John Durcan RCYC.

Juniors: 1st Daire Cournane RCYC, 2nd Daniel Whiteley, PDC, UK. 3rd Daniel Labrouche UK.

 

The 3 sponsored Irish Optimist Nationals got underway today in Dunmore East in County Waterford. A total of 234 boats raced two races in light to moderate North West breezes, remaining steady for the day. Provisional results after 2 races:

 

More on the forum HERE

 

The penultimate day of the Volvo Musto Optimist Nationals provided plenty of thrills, and that wasn't just restricted to the water!! Ireland's sailors fought hard to stay in contention, with Peter McCann retaining sixth place in the senior gold fleet and Daire Cournane staying in the medals in the junior gold fleet, in third place going into the last day.

Double Olympic gold medallist Sarah Ayton and top 470 crew Saskia Clark were out on the water today, handing out tips and passing on some of their vast experience to the Optimist sailors. The 497 competitors and their families were also treated to a breathtaking display of BMX skills from Team Extreme as reward for another great day of racing. 

Thursday 29th of July which was the fourth day of racing, began with broken cloud and winds of around 12-13 knots, and after one general recall the first of two scheduled races for the Senior gold fleet got underway.  

Once again it was young Spanish sailor Silvia Mas Depares who lead the way at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, winning both races. Callum Airlie is in prime position to become the top placed British entry and successfully defend his British National Championship title, finishing a close second in both races, with his nearest rival 13 year old Arran Holman securing a fourth and an eighth. 

15 year old Callum, who sails at East Lothian Yacht Club, which is a Volvo RYA Champion Club in recognition for its work in developing junior and youth racing, commented “The conditions today were a bit lighter than I would have liked, but I knew what to expect and I gave it my best shot.” 

This will be Callum’s final Optimist event before moving on to the 420 double handed dinghy with his brother Drew, and he has mixed feelings about leaving the Optimist class behind. " I don't know really how to feel, I suppose I am relieved to have done so well in my last event, but I have been sailing an Oppie for so long it's like it's an end of an era.” Callum went on to say, “Overall though it's good to be starting the 420 and I am really looking forward to the next big event, the 420 nationals. The Optimist class has been such a great experience for me, sailing is really the best sport and I doubt you can find a better feeling then when you are sailing well."

Royal Cork sailor Peter McCann had a tough day in the Gold Fleet of the UK Optimist Nationals yesterday, along with many of the top ten who posted results in the low teens, twenties and beyond in Weymouth.

The black flag was on display, and with the winds hovering around 14 knots, McCann posted a 20th and 24th, while the leader, Spaniard Silvia Mas Despares notched up two race wins.

McCann remains in seventh overall, the first of nine Irish boats in the 82-boat gold fleet.

Results are HERE for the gold fleet. 

In the junior fleet, Daire Cournane is in third overall, with a 25-point cushion over the fourth place boat, and goes into the final stages with improving his standing on the podium on his mind.

Junior gold results are HERE, with results for all fleets HERE.

The near perfect conditions held up throughout the third day of racing on the 28th July at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, as the 49th Volvo Musto Optimist British National and Open Championships moved into the final straight. With the final races to take place on Friday, and only two scheduled for the penultimate day, the front runners of the Senior fleet made their moves ahead of what should prove to be an exciting conclusion to the regatta.

Glorious sunshine and an almost cloudless blue sky greeted the competitors, with the fleets launching in winds of around 12 knots. The breeze picked up to 15 knots  as the senior fleet prepared at the start of the first race, with the British contingent battling it out with some excellent young sailors from overseas. American Jack Toland won the opening race, while Silvia Mas Depares from Spain continued her excellent performances, winning the second and third race. 13 year old Matthew Whitfield from Cardiff Bay Yacht Club  was the only sailor from these shores who posted a top three place in today’s races. 

Harry Gozzett whose 14 and from Dabchicks Sailing Club is also still in contention after consistent performances this week, he said the visiting competitors have added to the standard to the regatta. “I really like the conditions out here, 15 knots is near perfect for me and I really enjoyed it, the international competitors are great to race against. I was at the Europeans and this is almost the same as there are so many good sailors who I sailed against there who have turned up here. “ 

Defending British National  Champion Callum Airlie posted a fourth in the opening race which has secured his place as the leader going into tomorrow. Silvia Mas Depares is first on the leader board, and is edging her way to securing the Open Championship crown, which is for the highest placed overseas competitor.

Today’s forecast is for slightly lighter winds and overcast conditions, which should add to the challenge for these young sailors here at the Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy.

 

Cork Sailor Peter McCann lies fourth in the 164-boat senior fleet at the UK Optimist nationals as the championships enters its third day. McCann has posted two wins in the group stages, and his success is mirrored in the junior fleet, where clubmate Daire Cournane is also in fourth place overall in a 154-boat fleet.

The sun may have been absent yesterday, but there was still plenty of great racing at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy. The morning breeze of eight knots increased to around 12 knots by midday, meant each fleet managed once again to complete the six scheduled races in the cloudy conditions. 488 Optimist sailors took the water on the second day of the championship, across the six different fleets.

Aside from the racing, there was the added excitement for the Optimist sailors and their parents, as throughout the day BBC news crews were filming at the Sailing Academy as part of their build up to the 2012 London Olympics. The Optimists are sailing on the same waters where the best sailors and windsurfers in the world will compete for Olympic medals in two years time. 

In the senior fleets, 13 year old Arran Holman who won the opening race of the championships on Monday 26th July, continued with a solid performance winning his first race of the second day. Arran is the reigning Volvo Musto Optimist Inlands champion after winning at Grafham Water back in May.

14 year old Harry Gozzett also secured a first place as did Spanish sailors, Silvia Mas Depares and Franc Bru, Ireland’s Peter McCann, Fraser Woodley, and defending champion Callum Airlie.

At the end of day two Arran Holman leads, Silvia Mas Depares by a single point, with defending champion Callum Airlie in third. 

The results are available on the event website HERE, where the event is also being live-blogged.