Displaying items by tag: RS Inlands

26th July 2021

Big RS Dinghy Turnout at Blessington Sailing Club for 2021 Inland Championships

42 RS dinghies across three classes turned out for the RS Inlands 2021 hosted by Blessington Sailing Club.

Teams travelled from as far north as Cushendall in Northern Ireland and as far south as Cork. The West was also well represented by five teams from Killaloe.

17 teams travelled from neighbouring Wicklow club Greystones, showing the significant growth in their RS fleet in recent years.

The three fleets were met with a gusty 20 - 25 knots on day 1, leading to lots of thrills and plenty of spills. With Sunday's forecast looking light, Race Officer Joe Crilly got a fourth race completed on day 1, resulting in a tired fleet on Saturday evening.

The largest fleet was the 400s with 19 teams racing. After day 1, things were very tight at the top, with 3 teams, Peter Bayly & Paddy Blackley, Govan Berridge & Dave Coleman and Marty O'Leary and Kevin Johnson all tied on 7 points as overnight leaders.

RS dinghy racing at the inland championships at Blessington Sailing Club Photo: Susan Brambell

The usual bonfire and cans concluded a little earlier than usual with plenty of tired & sore bodies strewn about the lawn at Blessington SC.

Day 2 brought much lighter conditions, with a sunny 5 - 7 knots, and plenty of shifts to make things interesting. Race 5 in the 400's was won by Greystones team Marty O'Leary & Kevin Johnson to put them in the lead going into the final race. O'Leary & Johnson just needed to beat Berridge and Coleman to claim the title in the final race. Paul McLoughlin & Owen McKinley had a great day 2, with two-second places to put them into second overall.

The final results for the 400 fleet was first Marty O'Leary & Kevin Johnson (Greystones SC), second Paul McLoughlin & Owen McKinely (Cushendal) third, Govan Berridge & Dave Coleman (Killaloe)

RS 200 Champions Frank O'Rourke and Rachel O'Leary Frank O'Rourke and Rachel O'Leary Photo: Susan Brambell

In the 200 fleets, there were 15 boats competing for the Inland title. Greystones pairing Frank O'Rourke & Rachel O'Leary sailed a stellar regatta, discarding a 1st after 6 races. 2nd place went to Jocelyn Hill and Katie Kane from the County Antrim boat club, who put up a serious fight in every race, with Conor O'Beirne and Grainne Young from RSGYC also posting consistent top three's on day 1. 3rd Overall was Greystones duo of Ruairi O'Cleirigh & Lorcan O'Brien Mc Laughlin.

RS 400 champions Marty O'Leary and Kevin Johnson Photo: Susan Brambell

The RS Fevas completed four races, with day one being cut short in the big breeze, and three races then run on Sunday. Royal St George teams took the top two spots, with Isobel Bloomer & Oscar Legge taking the inland Championship title, and Lara Little & Grace McNaughton in 2nd, while 3rd place went to Senan Corry & Peadar Doyel from the National Yacht Club.

Full results can be found here

The next RS event will be the Northerns to be hosted by Carrickfergus Sailing Club. The three RS fleets will be joined by the Aero fleet for the first time. Entry link here

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Top Performances Despite Strong Winds At RS Inlands

#RS - Dublin-Cork duo Neil Spain and John Downey put in a commanding performance in the RS400 class at the 2018 Inland Championships at Killaloe Sailing Club — the Co Clare club’s first ever RS event — earlier this month.

The forecast was one of extremes, with big breeze promised on the Saturday and virtually nothing expected on Sunday. PRO Robin Gray sent the fleet out in the building breeze with a prospect of four races in light of Sunday’s forecast.

Indeed, it was an arduous day on the water, with the rescue crews kept constantly busy by many thrills and spills in the windy conditions for 38-strong fleet of 400s, 200s, and Fevas contesting their own class Westerns.

Racing got underway amid gusts of up to 25 knots, and Neil Spain and John Downey (Howth/Royal Cork) stormed away to show the fleet how it’s done.

Chris Penny and Jessica Rutherford (Carrickfergus) were chasing hard but couldn’t disrupt the speedsters in front. However, total dominance was not guaranteed, with relative newcomer Sam Pickering and Matt Lloyd — the latter’s first time crewing in a 400 — securing second in race 2, and they eventually secured fourth place behind Robert O’Sullivan and Phil McGlade.

In the RS200s, Frank O’Rourke and Emma Hynes (Greystones) dominated, revelling in the conditions for three bullets and shaking off a disappointing sixth place in the race 1.

Aaron Jones and Rosemary Tyrell were not far away with three seconds and a first, but were destined to be bridesmaids against Frank and Emma’s consistency.

Greg Arrowsmith and Grace O’Beirne (Royal St George) fought hard securing the last spot on the podium against some fierce competition from Helen Rutherford & Katie Kane.

Positions five, six and seven were secured by the top juniors — Joseph Griffiths and Fionn O’Connor (Baltimore), home pair Thomas Drayton and Tadhg O’Mara, and Rosa Lyden and Jane Bolger (Baltimore) — and it proved exciting to see the younger talent shining through.

In the Fevas, Elysia O’Leary and Lily Dwyer (Royal St George) nearly sailed a perfect series, dominating the first three races with three bullets.

The most intense competition was from the smallest and youngest in the fleet. Three boats were tied on seven points after four races with Lily Thorup and Sibeal Nic Giolla Coda (Blessington) taking second place with a win in the last race. Orla Imhoff and Mila la Mignon (Killable) secured third from local rivals David Schutz and Eanna Coleman.

RS Ireland gave great credit to PRO Robin Gray and the race committee for their hard work with the blustery conditions on the Saturday. Tribute was also paid to the organisers, shore teams and catering for keeping the fleet content.

Special mention also went to the sailors of Killaloe who made up nearly a third of the fleet, with 12 entries across 400s, 200s and Fevas.

This fourth event of the 2018 RS season was sponsored by Lyons of Limerick and Waterways Ireland. The next and final event in the 2018 calendar this year the RS Southerns on 15-16 September at Baltimore Sailing Club.

RS400
1st Neil Spain & John Downey (HYC/RCYC)
2nd Chris Penny & Jessica Rutherford (CSC)
3rd Robert O’Sullivan & Phil McGlade

RS200
1st Frank O’Rourke & Emma Hynes (Greystones)
2nd Aaron Jones & Rosemary Tyrell (GSC/RIYC)
3rd Greg Arrowsmith & Grace O’Beirne (RStGYC)

RS200 Junior
1st Joseph Griffiths & Fionn O’Connor (Baltimore)
2nd Thomas Drayton & Tadhg O'Mara (Killaloe)
3rd Rosa Lyden & Jane Bolger (Baltimore)

Feva
1st Elysia O Leary & Lily Dwyer (RStGYC)
2nd Lily Thorup & Sibeal Nic Giolla Coda (Blessington)
3rd Orla Imhoff & Mila la Mignon (Killaloe)

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RS Inlands

RS Inlands Start Today In Killaloe

#RS - Killaloe Sailing Club is hosting the RS Inland and RS Feva Western Championships this weekend, starting today Saturday 11 August.

The RS sailing community will be out in force on Lough Derg for the weekend, with full camping facilities available at the club and a barbecue set for this evening at 6.30pm.

For more details on the event see the RS Ireland website HERE.

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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.