Displaying items by tag: Declan Dooley

8th March 2012

Galway Businesses Urged to Leave Volvo Ocean Race Legacy

#VOLVO OCEAN RACE - Businesses in Galway "must not abuse their affiliation" with the Volvo Ocean Race when taking advantage of its visit to the city this summer, a meeting hosted by the organisers heard on Monday.

As the Galway Independent reports, Galway Chamber president Declan Dooley urged business community to ask what it can do to help the event, rather than expecting the event to do something for its business.

He added that it was “critically important” that businesses ensured the expected 600,000 visitors to Galway were treated with "friendly service" and not "ripped off".

Also at the meeting at the Meryck Hotel, Let’s Do It Global MD Micheline McNamara outlined plans for the the Global Village and Race Villages and explained how businesses could get involved.

She said: “We want to develop a business legacy, so that when the boats leave, there are trade relationships, and business relationships that stay on."

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, organisers of the Volvo Ocean Race stopover this July have promised the event will be "bigger and better" than the previous visit in 2009.

The Galway Independent has more on the story HERE.

Published in Ocean Race

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Scottish Series Background

Although the format of the Scottish Series varies little from year to year, it is interesting to see some of the changes which the event has seen over the years:

CYCA handicap class added to IOR (1976)

IOR level rating classes to reflect the popular sizes and World Championships being held in the UK

Separate one design class for Sonatas (1980 to date)

Campbeltown dropped with offshore races direct to Tarbert (1982)

Unique light displacement CYCA class - the forerunner of today's sportboats (1982)

Computer results system introduced in 1982 and now recognised as the best in the UK

Separate one design class for Sigma 33 (1987 to date)

Separate one design classes in certain years for Impalas, Sigma 38, Melges 24 and Cork 1720

Inner triangle to shorten courses for smaller classes (1986)

Points loading for offshore race reduced from 2 to 1.5 to 1

First racing in Scotland under Channel Handicap (1988)

Second racecourse for smaller classes (1989)

Discard introduced

Windward leeward races - two per day (1993)

Sportboat classes with no overnight races (1994)

Marquee on quayside for main social events (1995-2008)

Restricted Sail Class (1998)

Third racecourse for sportboats with up to three races per day (1998)

Day feeder races (2002)

Overnight and day feeder races discontinued (2005)

Stand-alone Tarbert Inbound and Outbound passage races introduced (2005/6)

With all these changes, some things have stayed the same:

Huge support from Ireland every year since 1975

A magnificent effort ashore and afloat from the volunteer helpers of the Clyde Cruising Club, Royal Scottish Motor Yacht Club and Tarbert Loch Fyne Yacht Club

Results and communications service at the forefront of technology

The best competition and the best social scene in the country

An overall Series winner, the roll call including many of the top sailors in Scotland and beyond.