Displaying items by tag: Wow

4th June 2019

Tributes Flow for Royal Irish Yacht Club Sailor Tom Power

Tom Power, who died on Saturday, June 1, was a member of the Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire for 41 years

The sport of Irish sailing is mourning the loss of Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC) member Tom Power (1946-2019), a leading offshore sailing campaigner who died on Saturday after a long illness.

Tributes were led today by his RIYC skipper and friend George Sisk, who spoke about the 'fun times' sailing with Tom on a succession of WOW keelboat campaigns, and prior to that in the 1960s where Tom began his keelboat racing on the Dublin Bay 21, Oola.

Up until last season, when illness prevented Tom going afloat, he was an integral part of George Sisk's crew winning across Ireland at Cork Week, the ICRA National Championships in Kinsale and Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta as well as being honoured with ICRA's 2015 Boat of the Year Award.

WoW Power 1609 Tom Power (facing aft) onboard WOW in which he enjoyed so much success with friend George Sisk and the Royal Irish Yacht Club crew Photo: Afloat

Fastnet 1987

Prior to that successful partnership, Tom's international sailing included skippering Ireland's 1985 Admiral's Cup team, competing in the 1986 Sardinia Cup and taking Round Ireland Race line honours victory in the Maxi yacht Maza Drum in the same season.

But undoubtedly the highlight came in 1987, when, as skipper of the Dubois 40 Irish Independent, helmed by Tim Goodbody, the Irish crew won the Fastnet Race overall and became the top scorer for Ireland in the Admiral’s Cup.

It was a significant offshore victory for Ireland that was remembered in 2016 by RORC Commodore Michael Boyd at a special lunch in Tom's honour at the RIYC. More details of that commemoration here.

Fastnet Indo Monday 10th August 1987, and the Dubois 40 Irish Independent arrives at the Fastnet Rock, on her way to winning the Fastnet Race overall, and becoming top scorer for Ireland in the Admiral’s Cup

irish indo2 1 The crew of 1987 Fastnet Race winner Irish Independent at the Royal Irish YC on 2nd December 2018 were (left to right) Billy Pope, Tom Power, Jo Richards, Stephen Fein, Sean Flood (Team Captain), Tim Goodbody, Tom Roche and Graham Deegan. Photo: W M Nixon

Such passion for Irish sailing inevitably led Tom into the promotion of the sport, and he served on the Irish Yachting Association's (now Irish Sailing) Executive Committee for many seasons.

Tom's keen ability to put winning campaigns together put him at the nexus between commerce and international sailing so that when Ireland's first ever entry into the Whitbread Round the World Race (now The Ocean Race) was launched, Tom was centrally involved.

As a successful businessman in the busy Dublin advertising and marketing scene, Tom used his many contacts and influence to great effect to help Irish sailing, but as many friends and colleagues have pointed out in tribute today, such unsung support was always given "discreetly and very much in the background".

Dun Laoghaire Marina Bid

His interest in marine leisure became a professional one when he teamed up with Dun Laoghaire sailing friends Michael O'Leary and John Bourke to bid against stiff UK competition to win the contract to build and operate the marina in his own home port in 2000. The marina, that had been talked about for 20 years, became a success almost overnight when the trio filled the new facility to a capacity of 850 boats, thereby creating Ireland's largest marina by 2007.

MCIB

In later life, his deep knowledge of marine affairs led to his appointment to the board of the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) where he was a trusted advisor.

Tributes

Tom Power was a member of the RIYC for more than 41 years. In his memory, the Club Ensign is being flown at half-mast at the Dun Laoghaire clubhouse and a minute's silence will be observed at the next RIYC Committee meeting.

This Friday at the ICRA Championships, both race committee boats will signal one long hoot to begin one minute's silence onboard all 100 competing boats on Dublin Bay as a further tribute to Tom before the championships begin.

Celebration

A celebration of his life will take place at 12 noon on Wednesday in the Mariners' Church (National Maritime Museum), Haigh Terrace, Dun Laoghaire.

Our condolences are extended to his wife Anne, sons Redmond and Robert, daughter-in-law Valerie and grandsons Redmond and Ruan; immediate family Redmond, Elizabeth, Leonine, Mary, Muriel, Dee, Tony, Jonathan, Kendra and Sian, Callum and Tomas; extended family, relatives and a large circle of his very good friends.

Afloat.ie

RIP.ie Notice is here

Published in Dublin Bay

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Offshore
Wow

George Sisk's Championship Winning Farr 42 WOW is For Sale

George Sisk's Championship winning Farr 42 WOW is for sale priced at €169,950 through Farr Yacht Sales.

The Royal Irish Yacht Club based ICRA Boat of the Year 2015 is designed for both inshore and offshore performance.

According to Farr Yacht Sales, the boat is in immaculate condition, with a great inventory of sails and equipment. Professionally maintained from new, WOW is in regatta winning condition.

George Sisk's 2015 campaign took victory in Kinsale in June at the ICRA National Championships and Sisk also emerged tops on Dublin Bay at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Week.

Notable Race Results

2016

First overall for DBSC season all Saturday and Thursday racing.

IRC Offshore Champion Cork Week
RAYC Series IRC Champions

2015

First overall Irish IRC Championships
First overall Volvo Championship Week
IRC Boat of the Year
ICRA Boat of the Year
DBSC Boat of the Year
Royal Irish Boat of the Year
Royal Alfred Boat of the Year
First overall for season all Saturday and Thursday racing.

2014

Overall champion class 0 for all Saturday and Thursday racing.
First overall IRC Cruiser Challenge
First overall Royal Irish Regatta
First overall Royal St George Regatta
First overall Royal Alfred Regatta

More details on the boat's inventory here

Published in Boat Sales

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Farr 42
Wow

Sisk's Wow Sails to Victory in DBSC Race

George Sisk's new Wow sailed to success in the Crusiers Zero divison of the Dublin Port sponsored Dublin Bay Sailing Club race this afternoon. The new J111 that sailed its first race in July's Volvo Dun Laoghaire regatta beat Vincent Farrell's Tsunami, a Beneteau 40.7, for the Bay's big boat IRC honours. Full results for the entire Dublin Bay Sailing Club race (for 23 JULY 2011) are below:

BENETEAU 31.7 Echo- 1. Fiddly Bits (Kevin Byrne et al), 2. Thirty Something (Gerry Jones et al), 3. Attitude (D.Owens/T.Milner)

BENETEAU 31.7 - 1. Prospect (Chris Johnston), 2. Magic (D.O'Sullivan/D.Espey), 3. Thirty Something (Gerry Jones et al)

CRUISERS 0 - 1. Wow (George Sisk), 2. Tsunami (Vincent Farrell)

CRUISERS 1 - 1. Gringo (Tony Fox), 2. Jalapeno (Dermod Baker et al), 3. Xtravagance (Colin Byrne)

CRUISERS 1 Echo - 1. Jura (Barry McCabe), 2. Gringo (Tony Fox), 3. Jalapeno (Dermod Baker et al)

CRUISERS 2 Echo - 1. Cor Baby (Keith Kiernan et al), 2. Smile (O'Connell/Healy/O'Sullivan), 3. Bendemeer (Lindsay Casey Power)

CRUISERS 2 - 1. Jawesome 11 (V.Kennedy/M.Dyke), 2. Smile (O'Connell/Healy/O'Sullivan), 3. Cor Baby (Keith Kiernan et al)

CRUISERS 3 - 1. Supernova (K.Lawless et al), 2. Asterix (Counihan/Meredith/Bushell), 3. Jammie Dodger (J.H & D.O'Neill)

CRUISERS 3 Echo - 1. Taiscealai (Brian Richardson et al), 2. Jammie Dodger (J.H & D.O'Neill), 3. Asterix (Counihan/Meredith/Bushell)

DRAGON - 1. Phantom (D.Williams/P.Bowring), 2. Susele (Michael Halpenny), 3. Sir Ossis of the River (D Bergin)

FLYING FIFTEEN - 1. Deranged (C.Doorly), 2. As Good As It Gets (Alan Balfe), 3. Snow White (Frank Burgess)

FLYING FIFTEEN - 1. Fflogger (Alan Dooley), 2. Snow White (Frank Burgess), 3. As Good As It Gets (Alan Balfe)

GLEN - 1. Glenroan (Terence Moran), 2. Glencree (J.Bligh/H.Roche), 3. Glenluce (D & R O'Connor)

IDRA 14 FOOT Race 2- 1. Dunmoanin (Frank Hamilton), 2. Squalls (Stephen Harrison), 3. Doody (J.Fitzgerald/J.Byrne)

IDRA 14 FOOT - 1. Squalls (Stephen Harrison), 2. Dart (Pierre Long), 3. Dunmoanin (Frank Hamilton)

MERMAID Race 2- 1. Jill (P.Smith/P.Mangan), 2. Kim (D Cassidy), 3. Aideen (B.Martin/D.Brennan)

MERMAID - 1. Kim (D Cassidy), 2. Jill (P.Smith/P.Mangan), 3. Aideen (B.Martin/D.Brennan)

PY CLASS - 1. R Tate (Laser), 2. Desmond McCarthy (Laser 1), 3. Orla Callender (Laser 1)

PY CLASS Race 2- 1. R Tate (Laser), 2. Desmond McCarthy (Laser 1)

SHIPMAN - 1. Macro One (Joseph Murray), 2. Whiterock (Henry Robinson), 3. Euphanzel lll (Louis McSherry et al)

SIGMA 33 - 1. Popje (Ted McCourt), 2. Leeuwin (H&C Leonard & B Kerr), 3. Gwili Two (D.Clarke/P.Maguire)

SQUIB - 1. Kookaburra (P & M Dee), 2. Little Bird (N Barnwell), 3. Pintail (M Muldoon & B Stevens)

SQUIB Race 2- 1. Little Bird (N Barnwell), 2. Nimble (Brian O'Hare), 3. Kookaburra (P & M Dee)

WHITE SAIL CRUISERS Echo - 1. Nirvana (Bernard Neeson), 2. Persistence (C. Broadhead et al), 3. Act Two (Michael O'Leary et al)

WHITE SAIL CRUISERS - 1. Act Two (Michael O'Leary et al), 2. Persistence (C. Broadhead et al), 3. Arwen (Philip O'Dwyer)

Published in DBSC

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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.