Displaying items by tag: Waterford Harbour (Dunmore East) Sailing Club

25th May 2015

Scottish Series Success for Waterford Harbour A35 Yacht 'Fools Gold'

#scottishseries – On form Waterford Harbour Yacht, 'Fools Gold' skippered by Rob McConnell, is toasting Scottish Series success in Tarbert tonight after taking overall victory in IRC class two and the overall Scottish Series title for best performance. The McConnell crew returned to Tarbert with some unfinished business on Loch Fyne having finished second in 2014. McConnell's A35 design was the overnight leader on the Clyde event but still had to complete the series and sail three more races in the 11–race regatta today. The Dunmore East crew finished on a race win this afternoon – more than enough to give victory – some nine points clear of British runner up Sloop John T. Third was former ICRA champion Pat Kelly's Storm from Howth. The National Yacht Club's J109 Something Else sailed by Brian and John Hall was fourth. Results are downloadable below. Fools Gold returns to Irish waters to compete offshore in June's Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race.

After four days, 11 races and some of the best sailing in Scotland, the crew certainly had the luck of the Irish taking the overall title, along with winning IRC Class 2. Race organisers awarded the coveted trophy to Fools Gold based on the best performance in the tightest class. And that's not all, the Waterford Harbour Sailing team received the Crawford McInnes Trophy sponsored by Hempel Paints for the best under 25 helm. They also take home the trophy for the best IRC class boat.

While Silvers Marine Scottish Series main sponsor Jamie McGarry may be disappointed to see the trophy go over the water to Ireland, you can be sure both he and Colin Moore will be back to fight for it again next year. Jamie, who has just announced Silvers Marine will sponsor the regatta again next year, praised the race officers Stuart Childerley, John Readman and Alan Cassels for their smooth management of the regatta. The race teams on both courses were excellent and it is testament to them that all races were sailed and none cancelled.

In IRC Class 1 it was Steven Cowie's Zephyr who came out on top. This was a hotly contested class all weekend and Jamie McGarry and Colin Moore's Eala of Rhu, who had been lying in third place overnight, had an outstanding final day. However, it was Zephyr who claimed the victory and it was wonderful to see Scotland's three Commodore's Cup team boats ending the regatta in the top three places, with Rod Stuart and William Ram's Aurora taking the final podium position.

Fools Gold on her way to overall victory in the Scottish Series and below her crew at the prizegiving last night in Tarbert. Photos: Marc Turner

Waterford winners in Scotland: Brian O Donnell (mast) Steve McConnell (Bow man), Roy Darrer (helm), Marcella Connolly (mid bow), Rob Mc Connell (skipper / main trimmer), Graham Curran (trimmer one), Aaron Power (trimmer two), Paul Cotter (navigator) and Damian Purcell (pit man).

In IRC Class 2, and there was just one point in it as overall champions Fools Gold stayed ahead of Sloop John T and Storm who both finished on 28 points.

Over in IRC Class 4 and Craig Latimer who has battled all week, settled for a single point victory over Trastada with Irish hopefuls Lambay Rules coming in in third on 22 points. Craig won this class last year in his previous boat Wildebeest IV and will be delighted to have snatched victory again this year.

CYCA 5 This class was dominated by Geoff and Norman Howison in their new boat Local Hero. Consistent sailing by Enigma saw them in second and a great regatta for Ian McNair in First By Farr saw the crew clinch third.

CYCA 6 and the veteran Valhalla of Ashton who has competed in every Scottish Series tops the table again this year. She looked strong all weekend and was followed home by She of the North and Garth Wilson's Zebedee who took a very credible third.

CYCA 8 Restricted Sail. It was all change in the top two with Windhound pulling out an ace in the last day to beat Jochr with Eureka IV taking third.

CYCA 9 Restricted Sail – well done to Halcyon who had a comfortable win over Lyrebird with Poppy in third.

Sigma 33 Series has had tight racing across the regatta but on the final day Bradshaw and Gallagher did what was needed to stay ahead of Leaky Roof 2 and Donald McLaren's Sigmatic which took the third spot.

National Sonata One Design and Steve Goacher's Eric the Boat dominated this class all weekend. However Old School had a great regatta to end up a credible second with White Magic in third. Sadly, this class saw last year's winner Murray Caldwell in Red Hot Poker have to withdraw on day one of the event with a broken rig.

VX One, this class had some tight racing but Ovington Boats held their nerve to finish ahead of Robbers Dog and Zhik.

J70 Iain Aitken in boats.com dominated this class with straight firsts across the regatta. He was followed home by Jacuzzi and Django to win the Scottish Championship.

Hunter 707 More T Vicar stayed one point clear of Rammie to take the class ahead of Black Sheep in third.

Results

IRC Class 1
1. Eala of Rhu, J McGarry and C Moore; 2. Zephyr, S Cowie; 3. Aurora, R Stuart and W Ram

IRC Class 2
2. Fools Gold, R McConnell; 2. Sloop John T, I and G Thomson; 3. Storm, P Kelly

IRC Class 4
1. Wildebeest V, C Latimer; 2. Trastada, R Angus / D Challis; 3. Lambay Rules, S Quinn

CYCA Class 5
1. Local Hero G and N Howison; 2. Enigma, M and H Morrison; 3. First By Farr, I McNair

CYCA Class 6
1. Valhalla of Ashton, A Dunnet; 2. She of the North, K Halliwell; 3. Zebedee, G Wilson

CYCA Class 8 Restricted Sail
1. Windhound, D Macnab; 2. Jochr, Owen Mcmanus; 3. Eureka IV, C Frier

CYCA Class 9 Restricted Sail
1. Halcyon, S Owen; 2. Lyrebird, C Reeves; 3 Poppy, J Roberts

Sigma 33 Class
1. Busy Beaver, J Gallagher and M Bradshaw; 2. Leaky Roof 2, Harper and Robinson, 3. Sigmatic, D and A McLaren

National Sonata One Design
1. Eric the Boat, S Goacher; 2. Old School, McNeish, Galbraith, Chas; 3. White Magic, D Matthews

VX One Series
1. Ovington Boats, M Darrer; 2. Robbers Dog, J and B Shelley; 3. Zhik, D Heppelwhite

J70 Series
1. boats.com, I Aitkens; 2. Jacuzzi, P Hayes and S Hawthorn; 3. Django, C R Haworth

Hunter 707
1. More T Vicar, C Allen; 2. Rammie, M Fleming / D Smith; 3. Black Sheep, T Clark / S Parker

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Waterford Harbour (Dunmore East) Sailing Club

Founded in 1934 this is a family club with around 200 members. The clubhouse was extensively renovated in 2004. Visitors are most welcome and a limited number of visitor berths are available. Showers and toilets are also available to visitors in the summer. The clubhouse, with bar and snack meals, is open daily in the summer and at weekends during the winter. ISA Junior training courses and powerboat courses take place from late June until mid-August. Yachtmaster Coastal and Offshore shorebased courses are available during the winter.

Left: The beach at Dunmore East

COURSES OFFERED – Dinghy: Up to Improving Skills, Advanced Boat Handling, Racing 1, Kites & Wires 1, Adventure 1. Power Boat: 1, 2 and Safety Boat. Cruising Shorebased: Yachtmaster Coastal and Offshore

Waterford Harbour (Dunmore East) Sailing Club, c/o Derry O'Sullivan, The Harbour, Dunmore East, Co Waterford. Tel: 051 383389 and 383230, email: [email protected]

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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.