Displaying items by tag: Great Pacific Race

25th July 2014

Battleborn Reaches Shore In Hawaii in Great Pacific Race

#ROWING: Battleborn, skippered by Irishman Philip Cavanagh, has landed in Hawaii, completing the Great Pacific Race from Monterey in California in 45 days, seven hours and 24 minutes. The crew of Cavanagh, Britons Barry Hayes and Darren Taylor and Australian Dan Kierath were the second home in the race. Their boat, Patience, flew the Irish flag. They arrived in the early hours of the morning, Irish time. Among those waiting on shore were Philip’s parents, Carmel and Michael Cavanagh.

Published in Rowing

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Heartbroken Solo Rower Seeks Return of Abandoned Boat Still Adrift

#oceanrower – British solo rower, Daryl Farmer, who was taking part in the Great Pacific Race rowing from California to Hawaii, was forced to call for assistance four days after beginning the race, having become dangerously dehydrated from sea sickness.

Support boat OPA located him and took Daryl and his boat 'Bojangles' (Bo) under tow on Saturday 21 June approximately 20nm off the coast of California. Heavy seas and high winds unfortunately snapped both ropes, leading to a dramatic man overboard situation for one of OPA's crew. This situation left them no choice but to transfer Daryl from his boat to OPA and return him to Monterey safely, but leaving Bo adrift.

39 year old Daryl, who took on the challenge of rowing 2400 miles single-handed from California to Hawaii to raise awareness of the need for ocean conservation, is now refusing to return to the UK until he is reunited with his boat. The race is now on to find her again and bring her back in - hopefully in one piece.

BOJANGLES – LAST KNOWN POSITION/DESCRIPTION
Marine traffic around Bo's last known position of 35 43' 38.40"N, 121 59' 23.4"W as of 00:01 PDT 23 June is being asked to keep a look out for the vessel and report any sighting immediately, using degrees, minutes, seconds format, to Peggy West-Stap on 831.901.3833.

Bo is 24ft x 6ft, silver cabins fore and aft; deck is light blue with 11 visible black circular hatch covers with red rim; there is also a yellow hi vis strip running in part across the bow and stern cabins. If inverted, she is black anti-fouled. She carries the #6 on port and starboard sides. There should be a steel light blue rudder attached.

SEARCH ASSISTANCE FROM FELLOW OCEAN CONSERVATIONISTS
Three marine conservation organisations are helping to coordinate the search for 'Bo'. Pete Bethune from Earthrace Conservation is coordinating GPS positions from his home in New Zealand; Peggy West-Stap from Monterey Bay Marine Life Studies is liaising with the US Coastguard and supplying local knowledge and support for Daryl and partner Sabine Grainger; Captain Chris Wade, who skippers Shark Boat Sea Watch, a shark research vessel that works with the Shark Research Institute, is en route to the search area from Los Angeles.

ABOUT BO
Bo is one of the strongest, most proven and sought-after ocean rowing boats in the world, made from a special carbon/Kevlar foam sandwich construction. She was built with the Pacific in mind and already in the record books as the first and only rowing boat to successfully complete a crossing of the Pacific West to East in 2009 with her crew of Mick Dawson and Chris Martin (Race Director for Great Pacific Race 2014).

Daryl said, "I'm heartbroken that I couldn't continue in the race and leaving Bo out there was the worst feeling in the world. I'm safe though, and want to say a huge and sincere thanks to the crew of OPA for braving those conditions to come and get me, a truly humbling experience for which I will be forever grateful. All I want to do now is find Bo and bring her home."

Published in Coastal Rowing

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Dublin Woman to Row 2,400 Miles in Pacific Rowing Race

#rowing – On June 7, a doctor from Castleknock in Dublin will set off on a 2,400 mile rowing expedition from Monterey, California to Honolulu, Hawaii. Aoife Ní Mhaoileoin and her teammates, Emily Blagden, Laura Kennington and Ingrid Kvale, will be the first all-female four to complete the row, which will take over forty days.

'Team Boatylicious' is one of 15 crews participating in the inaugural Great Pacific Race, which the organisers describe as the "biggest, baddest human endurance challenge on the planet".

The team is raising money for two charities: Hope and Homes for Children, which works internationally to eradicate institutional care of children and The Ahoy Centre, which gives disadvantaged children and people with disabilities the opportunity to earn sailing qualifications.

"I'm drawn to the race as an opportunity to test all my physical and mental resources." Aoife says. Obviously it's a daunting prospect, particularly as I've never taken on a major rowing expedition before, but I can't wait to get out on the water in June.

"We are raising funds for two inspiring charities and we welcome donations to these causes. We're also inviting corporate sponsors to become part of the team by helping us to meet our race costs.

"We have been training intensely, as well as taking courses in sea survival and navigation. Beyond the physical and psychological training, there are also a huge number of practical considerations. We need to ensure that our boat is race ready and that we have reliable water-purifying equipment and plenty of food — we'll need to consume 5,000-6,000 calories a day!

"Less than three months out I am getting nervous, but if nothing else it's a great excuse for a holiday in Hawaii!"

Published in Coastal Rowing

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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.