Displaying items by tag: Laser Frostbite

29th November 2011

Competitive Laser Frostbite series at Howth reaches half-way stage

#LASER–With the first series of the Howth Yacht Club Laser Frostbites reaching the half-way stage, Ronan Cull, who currently tops the National rankings, has a clear lead overall. The 52-boat fleet racing this year has a wide range of age groups and standards. There are 11 different clubs represented, with sailors from as far as Wexford and Cork travelling to Howth each Sunday to compete.

The first set of races in mid-November saw perfect conditions with 10-12kts and a flat sea. They were dominated by Masters Sailors with the young hot-shots having to play second fiddle to some former international sailors. It was National Yacht Club sailor Evan Dolan who started best, winning the first race with some impressive upwind speed in the tricky chop. Olympic Team Manager James O’Callaghan won the second race of the day, with Dolan giving the committee boat a nice display of downwind capsizing technique on the final run to slip from second to seventh. Murrough Kavanagh, better known for Mirror and Laser 2 exploits, made a welcome return to dinghy sailing by dominating the Radial Fleet on the first day with 2 bullets.

The second weekend saw continued mild conditions with moderate breezes and high temperatures for November. Wexford’s Ronan Wallace, 2010 National Champion, won the first race with the consistent Ronan Cull again claiming second spot from Conor Greagsby of the National Yacht Club in third. Cull finally got his race win in the second race, with Colm Cunningham pushing him hard for the entire race. Ciaran Costello and Murrough Kavanagh shared race wins in the Radial Fleet.

The third set of races on 27th November saw a return to the wet and windy conditions expected for a Laser Frostbites. HYC Class Captain David Quinn won the first race of the day in 23kts, but only after Ronan Cull had unfortunate tangles at the last weather and leeward marks. Cull further extended his overall lead by finishing second, with Evan Dolan a close third. Cull then went on to win the second race easily while Dolan gained places on the last leg to finish second again. Alex Shackleton of Malahide Yacht Club won both Radial races.

At the half-way stage, Ronan Cull leads by a big margin with 8 points. David Quinn and James O’Callaghan are tied in second place with 23 points, although James is heading to Perth this week to work at the ISAF Worlds so will miss the rest of the series. Once the second discard is applied, Evan Dolan and Ronan Wallace will both move up the rankings from their current positions and the hotly-contested ‘First Master’ prize is still up for grabs, while Alex Shackleton heads the Radial fleet overall.

Published in Laser

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Howth Yacht Club's 37th Laser Frostbite starts in November

One of Ireland’s longest running dinghy frostbite series begins its 37^th running on Sunday 6^th November when Howth Yacht Club’s Laser Frostbite gets underway.

The Frostbite, which began in 1974, comprises a pre-Christmas and post-New Year series (starting January 8^th), a New Year’s Day Race (to blow away the festive cobwebs) and finishing with the traditional Round the Island Race and prize-giving on March 11^th.

First gun each day is 11.00am, with two short races of approximately 35 minutes duration. Courses are dedicated solely to the Laser Class with our own committee boat and support crews in the sheltered waters just to the West of Howth Harbour.

The end-of-series race round the island will also coincide with an ‘Inter-Club Masters’ Challenge’, introduced very successfully last year and which attracted sailors from Dun Laoghaire and Ballyholme.

The emphasis is on fun and camaraderie, with all standards welcomed. Former winners include Philip Watson and Gordon Maguire and standards are still high at the front of the fleet, with current No.1-ranked Laser sailor in Ireland, Ronan Cull, racing again this year.

The series has become famous for its welcome, with senior sailors always willing to coach and encourage newcomers, both ashore and on the water, and there is always lively banter in the bar afterwards.

Notice of Race and Online Entry are available on www.hyc.ie and there is a Facebook page for the event (Howth Laser Frostbites).

Published in Howth YC

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Kellegher Leads Howth Yacht Club's Laser Standard Fleet

HOWTH YACHT CLUB. LASER FROSTBITE SPRING (O'ALL) 16/01/2011 LASER STANDARD: 1, Daragh Kelleher SSC (5.00); 2, Daragh Sheridan HYC (9.00); 3, Evan Dolan NYC (10.00); LASER STANDARD APPRENTICE: 1, Conor Murphy HYC (4.00); 2, Darach Dineen HYC (7.00); 3, Conor Hopkins HYC (9.00); LASER STANDARD MASTER: 1, Daragh Kelleher SSC (5.00); 2, Evan Dolan NYC (8.00); 3, David Quinn HYC (8.00); LASER STANDARD GRAND MASTER: 1, Daragh Sheridan HYC (3.00); 2, Robin Hegarty HYC (6.00); 3, Conor Costello MYC (10.00); LASER RADIAL: 1, Robert Ferris HYC (11.00); 2, Vincent Varley MYC (13.00); 3, Judith Malcolm HYC (15.00)

Published in Howth YC

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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.