Displaying items by tag: 400

14th April 2014

RS Sailors Tested at Greystones Eastern Championships

#rssailing – The first event of the season proved to be a testing one for all. After the first days squally conditions which saw the Fevas getting in only one race the Sunday dawned relatively benign.

Overall results are available to download below.

All launched around 10.30 and racing got underway with a full compliment of sailors on the water. Two races were finished in near perfect conditions with a lovely force 3-4.

The third race swiftly descended into the survival conditions which we had seen on the Saturday and it became increasingly obvious that there were more hulls than sails to be seen throughout the three fleets.

Most pairings however came ashore with broad smiles whether they had finished the race or not delighted with the fun and the blasting reaches which more often than not had ended with a swim.

Top Feva pairing of Alison Dolan and Grainne Young from BISC/NYC added to their first of Saturday with an 8th and another two firsts leaving them clear leaders.

Behind them the fleet was very tightly bunched with only a point separating the next three Emer Rafferty/Laura Coleman RSGYC , Alice Brennan/Isobel O'Grady GSC, and Triona Hinkson/Helen O'Beirne RSGYC.

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Feva girls Alison Dolan and Grainne Young

In the RS200s it was old time pairing of Marshall King and Heather King who took the honours with Frank O'Rourke and son Kevin in second. Third and first junior was Stephen Craig and Conor Foley. First lady prize went to Lisa Smith ably crewed by Megan Hayes.

Newcomer to the fleet and ex Enterprise and Laser sailor Chris Arrowsmith was there with his son Greg mixing it up a bit on the Sunday to make it an interesting day.

The 400s with a great showing of 26 boats were won by a single point by local boys Sean Cleary and Steve Tyner proving that consistency pays, counting three seconds a third and a fourth. Just behind them was Alex Barry with George Kenefick form MBSC/RCYC and Bob Espey/Michael Gunning BYC, again with only 3 points to separate them. Local men Simon Herriott/Sprinkles Moran were just behind in 4th

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Greystones pairing Sean Cleary and Steve Tyner were RS400 winners

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Counting five wins Heather and Marshall King walked away with the RS200 prizes

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Three wins gave Feva girls Alison Dolan and Grainne Young the overall win

All in all it was an extremely successful event especially so early in the season and all thanks goes to Greystones Sailing Club for pulling out all the stops to make it happen. Thanks goes also to long suffering PRO Neil Murphy who had to contend with extremely shifty and squally conditions throughout the two days, and still managed to pull off a full series of 6 races place sealing a great weekend for the local fleet.

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Greystones Lead Both Fleets in RS 200/400 Irish Nationals

Blustery conditions formed the backdrop to the Irish RS 200/400 National sailing championships, which took place in Cushendall this weekend. Greystones sailors Simon Herriott and Tom Moran led the RS400 class, while Roy Van Maanen and Glen Reid won top prize in the RS200 fleet.

The championships, which were sponsored by Neil Mathews Architects, saw 18 RS400 boats and 13 RS200s enter. There were five races held over Friday and Saturday, while gusts of nearly 40 knots saw Sunday's races abandoned.

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Local sailors John Lowry and Neil Diamond attempt to right their capsized RS400, while Greystones' Fiachra Etchingham and Eoghan Simpson pass the mark at the RS200/400 National Sailing Championships in Cushendall at the weekend

Roy Van Maanen and Glen Reid from Greystones Sailing Club led the RS200 fleet, bagging three firsts, a second and a third. In second place were Trevor Fisher and Heather King from Royal St George Yacht Club in East Down. And then it was Greystones again, with Sean Cleary and Steven Tyner amassing a first, second, third and two fourth place finishes to end up in third place overall.

Paul McLaughlin and Mick McKinley were first home from the five local crews that took part in the RS400 class, finishing fifth overall.

Gerry and Avril Cannon lifted a prize as the first mixed crew home in the 400s, while Sarah and Ciara Byrne in an RS200 were the first all-woman crew home.

Richard Doig and Dr Michael Hill from East Antrim Boat Club kindly officiated as Race Officer and Assistant Race Officer for the series.

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Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta

From the Baily lighthouse to Dalkey island, the bay accommodates six separate courses for 21 different classes racing every two years for the Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

In assembling its record-breaking armada, Volvo Dun Laoghaire regatta (VDLR) became, at its second staging, not only the country's biggest sailing event, with 3,500 sailors competing, but also one of Ireland's largest participant sporting events.

One of the reasons for this, ironically, is that competitors across Europe have become jaded by well-worn venue claims attempting to replicate Cowes and Cork Week.'Never mind the quality, feel the width' has been a criticism of modern-day regattas where organisers mistakenly focus on being the biggest to be the best. Dun Laoghaire, with its local fleet of 300 boats, never set out to be the biggest. Its priority focussed instead on quality racing even after it got off to a spectacularly wrong start when the event was becalmed for four days at its first attempt.

The idea to rekindle a combined Dublin bay event resurfaced after an absence of almost 40 years, mostly because of the persistence of a passionate race officer Brian Craig who believed that Dun Laoghaire could become the Cowes of the Irish Sea if the town and the local clubs worked together. Although fickle winds conspired against him in 2005, the support of all four Dun Laoghaire waterfront yacht clubs since then (made up of Dun Laoghaire Motor YC, National YC, Royal Irish YC and Royal St GYC), in association with the two racing clubs of Dublin Bay SC and Royal Alfred YC, gave him the momentum to carry on.

There is no doubt that sailors have also responded with their support from all four coasts. Running for four days, the regatta is (after the large mini-marathons) the single most significant participant sports event in the country, requiring the services of 280 volunteers on and off the water, as well as top international race officers and an international jury, to resolve racing disputes representing five countries. A flotilla of 25 boats regularly races from the Royal Dee near Liverpool to Dublin for the Lyver Trophy to coincide with the event. The race also doubles as a RORC qualifying race for the Fastnet.

Sailors from the Ribble, Mersey, the Menai Straits, Anglesey, Cardigan Bay and the Isle of Man have to travel three times the distance to the Solent as they do to Dublin Bay. This, claims Craig, is one of the major selling points of the Irish event and explains the range of entries from marinas as far away as Yorkshire's Whitby YC and the Isle of Wight.

No other regatta in the Irish Sea area can claim to have such a reach. Dublin Bay Weeks such as this petered out in the 1960s, and it has taken almost four decades for the waterfront clubs to come together to produce a spectacle on and off the water to rival Cowes."The fact that we are getting such numbers means it is inevitable that it is compared with Cowes," said Craig. However, there the comparison ends."We're doing our own thing here. Dun Laoghaire is unique, and we are making an extraordinary effort to welcome visitors from abroad," he added. The busiest shipping lane in the country – across the bay to Dublin port – closes temporarily to facilitate the regatta and the placing of six separate courses each day.

A fleet total of this size represents something of an unknown quantity on the bay as it is more than double the size of any other regatta ever held there.

Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta FAQs

What is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is Ireland's biggest sailing event. It is held every second Summer at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Dublin Bay.

When is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is held every two years, typically in the first weekend of July.

Where is Dun Laoghaire Regatta held?

As its name suggests, the event is based at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Racing is held on Dublin Bay over as many as six different courses with a coastal route that extends out into the Irish Sea. Ashore, the festivities are held across the town but mostly in the four organising yacht clubs.

How big is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is the largest sailing regatta in Ireland and on the Irish Sea and the second largest in the British Isles. It has a fleet of 500 competing boats and up to 3,000 sailors. Scotland's biggest regatta on the Clyde is less than half the size of the Dun Laoghaire event. After the Dublin city marathon, the regatta is one of the most significant single participant sporting events in the country in terms of Irish sporting events.

How old is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The modern Dublin Bay Regatta began in 2005, but it owes its roots to earlier combined Dublin Bay Regattas of the 1960s.

How many boats compete at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Up to 500 boats regularly compete.

How many yacht clubs are represented at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Up to 70 different yacht clubs are represented.

Where do the yachts come from to compete at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The Channel Islands, Isle of Man, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland countrywide, and Dublin clubs.

How many boats are visiting boats at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Nearly half the sailors, over 1,000, travel to participate from outside of Dun Laoghaire and from overseas to race and socialise in Dun Laoghaire.

What type of yachts race in Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

21 different classes are competing at Dun Laoghaire Regatta. As well as four IRC Divisions from 50-footers down to 20-foot day boats and White Sails, there are also extensive one-design keelboat and dinghy fleets to include all the fleets that regularly race on the Bay such as Beneteau 31.7s, Ruffian 23s, Sigma 33s as well as Flying Fifteens, Laser SB20s plus some visiting fleets such as the RS Elites from Belfast Lough to name by one.

What famous sailors race in Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Some sailing household names are regular competitors at the biennial Dun Laoghaire event including Dun Laoghaire Olympic silver medalist, Annalise Murphy. International sailing stars are competing too such as Mike McIntyre, a British Olympic Gold medalist and a raft of World and European class champions.

How much does it cost to enter Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

There are different entry fees for different size boats. A 40-foot yacht will pay up to €550, but a 14-foot dinghy such as Laser will pay €95. Full entry fee details are contained in the Regatta Notice of Race document.

Where can spectators view Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Spectators can see the boats racing on six courses from any vantage point on the southern shore of Dublin Bay. As well as from the Harbour walls itself, it is also possible to see the boats from Sandycove, Dalkey and Killiney, especially when the boats compete over inshore coastal courses or have in-harbour finishes.

How does Dun Laoghaire regatta compare to international regattas?

Very favourably. It is often compared to Cowes, Britain's biggest regatta on the Isle of Wight that has 1,000 entries. However, sailors based in the north of England have to travel three times the distance to get to Cowes as they do to Dun Laoghaire.

Why is Dun Laoghaire Regatta so unique?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is unique because of its compact site offering four different yacht clubs within the harbour and the race tracks' proximity, just a five-minute sail from shore. International sailors also speak of its international travel connections and being so close to Dublin city. The regatta also prides itself on balancing excellent competition with good fun ashore.

Who organises Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The Organising Authority (OA) of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta is Dublin Bay Regattas Ltd, a not-for-profit company, beneficially owned by Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC), National Yacht Club (NYC), Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC) and Royal St George Yacht Club (RSGYC).

What does Dun Laoghaire Regatta contribute to the local economy?

The Irish Marine Federation launched a case study on the 2009 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta's socio-economic significance. Over four days, the study (carried out by Irish Sea Marine Leisure Knowledge Network) found the event was worth nearly €3million to the local economy over the four days of the event. Typically the Royal Marine Hotel and Haddington Hotel and other local providers are fully booked for the event.