Displaying items by tag: Squib National Championships

2nd August 2011

Cultra duo retain Squib national title at Howth

Ross Nolan and Gordon Patterson from the Royal North of Ireland YC are the 2011 Squib National Champions, retaining their title at Howth Yacht Club by five points in a 7-race series (sponsored by SIAC Construction) in which they were consistently in the top three of the 37-boat fleet.

Sailing ‘Quickstep III’, the Cultra duo took the trophy ahead of clubmates David Eccles and Philip Hutchinson in ‘Inshallah’ while a strong performance from Howth’s Fergus O’Kelly and Jonathan Wormald in ‘Whipper Snapper’ was rewarded with 3^rd overall.

In stark contrast to the heavy conditions of the second day, the final race was delayed for over an hour until there was sufficient wind to start. Race Officer Derek Bothwell was later obliged to shorten the race which was won by the eventual series runners-up.

Another RNIYC boat, ‘Born Wild’ (T&J Anderson) was second with O’Kelly/Wormald in third but 5^th for ‘Quickstep III’ was more than enough to see Nolan and Patterson deservedly top the series.

Howth’s Jonathan Craig and Hazel Ruane in ‘Kerfuffle’ will be well satisfied with 4^th overall, a point ahead of Travellers’ Trophy winners Peter Wallace and Kerry Boomer in ‘Toy for the boys’ from Cultra.

SIAC Construction Irish Squib Championships at HYC – overall results:

Quickstep III Ross Nolan/Gordon Patterson - RNIYC 14pts
Inshallah David Eccles/Philip Hutchinson - RNIYC 19pts
Whipper Snapper Fergus O’Kelly/Jonathan Wormold - HYC 21pts
Kerfuffle Jonathan Craig/Hazel Ruane - HYC 26pts
Toy for the Boys Peter Wallace/Kerry Boomer - RNIYC 27pts
Sensation Marcus & Meagan Hutchinson - KYC 37pts

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1st August 2011

Squib National title stays in the North

Ross Nolan and Gordon Patterson from the Royal North of Ireland YC are the new Squib National Champions, winning the title at Howth Yacht Club by five points in a 7-race series (sponsored by SIAC Construction) in which they were consistently in the top three of the 37-boat fleet. Photos here.

Howth’s Jonathan Craig and Hazel Ruane in ‘Kerfuffle’ will be well satisfied with 4^th overall, a point ahead of defending champions Peter Wallace and Kerry Boomer in ‘Toy for the boys’ from Cultra.

SIAC Construction Irish Squib Championships at HYC – overall results:

Quickstep III Ross Nolan/Gordon Patterson - RNIYC 14pts
Inshallah David Eccles/Philip Hutchinson - RNIYC 19pts
Whipper Snapper Fergus O’Kelly/Jonathan Wormald - HYC 21pts
Kerfuffle Jonathan Craig/Hazel Ruane - HYC 26pts
Toy for the Boys Peter Wallace/Kerry Boomer - RNIYC 27pts
Sensation Marcus & Meagan Hutchinson - KYC 37pts

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1st August 2011

Tough conditions take their toll at Squib Nationals

Heavy winds and big seas played a major role on the second day of the SIAC Construction Squib National Championships at Howth Yacht Club with almost a third of the 37-boat fleet forced to retire with gear damage during the three races sailed.

Local boat ‘Whipper Snapper’ (Fergus O’Kelly/Jonathan Wormald) clearly revelled in the conditions to post two bullets and a 5^th to move up to 5^th overall while a first and two second places gives overall leaders Ross Nolan and Gordon Patterson of RNIYC in ‘Quickstep III’ a healthy 8 points margin after six races.

The day started perfectly for the Howth pair, finishing ahead of the pace-setters from Cultra and another RNIYC entry ‘Fagin’ (Michael & David Hill) and they finished on a high note by leading the same boat in the third race. In between, the Nolan/Patterson partnership took line honours ahead of clubmates David Eccles and Philip Hutchinson (Inshallah) and the leading Howth entry Kerfuffle (Jonathan Craig & Hazel Ruane).

The end result is that with just one race remaining on the schedule, Nolan and Patterson are virtually assured of the title, lying eight points clear of nearest challengers Eccles & Hutchinson, with Craig/Ruane and defending champions Peter Wallace/Kerry Boomer of RNIYC tying for 4^th overall.

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30th July 2011

Tight at top of Squib Nationals after first day

It’s tight at the top of the leaderboard after the first three races of the SIAC Construction Squib National Championships at Howth Yacht Club today (Sat.30^th), which saw three different race winners, each representing the three main Squib fleets. PHOTOS HERE.

Sailing in moderate south-easterlies that increased in strength as the day went on, the 37-boat fleet was led home in the first race by Howth’s ‘Kerfuffle’ (Jonathan Craig/Hazel Ruane) followed by ‘Ruby Blue’ (Aidan O’Connell/Sian McCleave) of the Royal St.George YC and then ‘Inshallah’ (David Eccles/Philip Hutchinson) of the Royal North of Ireland YC.

Defending champions Peter Wallace and Kerry Boomer of RNIYC in ‘Toy for the Boy’ showed the way in race 2, followed by ‘Inshallah’ and ‘Quickstep III’ (Gordon Patterson/Ross Nolan) to make it a Cultra 1-2-3.

The third race was won by ‘Ruby Blue’, with ‘Quickstep III’ in second ahead of ‘Fagin’ (Michael & David Hill, RNIYC) in third. Subject to protest, Aidan O’Connell has a one point advantage over Peter Wallace with Craig and Eccles joint third on 12 points.

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27th July 2011

Squib Nationals at Howth over Bank Holiday Weekeend

Howth Yacht Club hosts the SIAC Construction Squib National Championships over the Bank Holiday Weekend, with the biggest fleet in a decade – 36 and growing - contesting the 7-race series.

The 2010 National Champions, Gordon Patterson and Ross Nolan from the Royal North of Ireland YC, will be defending their title, with competition coming from clubmates Peter Wallace and Kerry Bloomer (winners of the Squib Traveller’s Trophy already), and also Aiden O’Connell and Sian McCleave of the Royal St.George YC.

The local Howth challenge will be headed by Emmet Dalton and Sé O’Leary in ‘Klipbok’ (who have narrowly missed out on a podium finish on several occasions) and Jonathan and Hazel Craig in ‘Kerfuffle’, who performed well in the recent UK Champs in Plymouth.

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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.