Displaying items by tag: kitesurfer
France to Ireland Kitesurfer, Bruno Sroka Wins International Sailor of the Month Award
From time to time, we honour sailors from other countries who have achieved outstanding success in Irish waters. But never has our International Award been for anything so extraordinary as French kitesurfer Bruno Sroka's 240 nautical miles voyage on Friday July 19th from L'Aber Wrach in northwest Brittany to Cork Harbour.
In a period of mostly light winds, Sroka was favoured by a beam reach 16 knot nor'easter which he carried with him almost all the way across the mouth of the English Channel, past the Isles of Scilly, and on across the Celtic Sea to a rapturous welcome in to Cork, the feat completed within his aimed time scale of 17 hours, the exact time being 16 hours and 37 minutes, an average of 14.45 knots.
The wind was fading as he neared the Irish coast, but there was just enough bite left in it to bring him to Roche's Point at sunset. A professional kitesurfer, he has already conquered the English Channel, and with his longterm ambition of being the first to get to Ireland from France fulfilled, he is now thinking in terms of the ultimate goal – New York to Brest in 2015.
False Alarm for Kitesurfer 'Pulled Out to Sea'
A number of local Search and Rescue Units were involved in the search for a Kite Surfer who was seen being pulled out to sea approximately 3 miles off Balaggan Point, Co Louth yesterday, according to SAR Ireland.
Full CH 67 Comms below.
Kilkeel, Greenore and later Clogher Head lifeboats were all involved along with a passing yacht as they raced in pursuit of what was thought to be an out of control Kite Surfer as he was spotted being pulled out across Dundalk Bay.
Clogher Head lifeboat eventually managed to catch up with the surfer who it turned out was being towed by a jetski, had a VHF handheld and was in no danger whatsoever.
All units were stood down and told to return to base.
Both Belfast and Dublin CG Co-ordinated at different intervals of this search.
Kitesurfer Killed in France
A kitesurfer has been overwhelmed by the force of the wind while he was kitesurfing and been killed in France. He crashed into a nine-storey building and then went over it. The journal.ie has more on the accident. See over the fold.
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.