The annual "Gathering of the Boats" at Kinvara in the sheltered southeast corner of Galway Bay last weekend (16th-18th Aug.) was as ever an intertwining of sea and land, as the action got under way ashore on Friday with the traditional Farmer's Market.
A restricted weather window meant that the turnout of traditional boats from Connemara far to the west was reduced. According to one source, they thought the rapid deterioration of the weather forecast post-Cruinniu might make a return to their ancient Connemara ports a problematic and lengthy business. Thus the shoreside activities and music were stepped up. And the city-based and healthily-expanding Galway Hooker Sailing Club enthusiastically stepped up to the plate to add to the racing fleet.
Dr Mick Brogan's ketch-rigged "mega bad mor" Mac Duich comes to the quay as a mobile grandstand, closely followed by Anam Cara from Galway. When originally built in 1979 by Colm Mulkerrins of Mweenish Island, the 13.9m Mac Duach was cutter-rigged with a real widow-maker of a main boom, and sailed with it to the Faroes. But now she has a more manageable ketch rig, "for we're not as young as we used to be". Photo: CNMK Facebook
Class B winner was Fr Carter from Galway City. Photo CNMK Facebook
SATURDAY BEST SAILING DAY
Saturday's racing for the gleiteogs was the best sailing day of all, while Sunday seemed at times to threatened by some quite interesting-looking clouds coming in from the southwest above The Burren and straight from the Atlantic, yet it finished with sunshine. And event Chairman Dr Mick Brogan of the ketch-rigged "mega bad mhor" Mac Duach and his team saw through the programme afloat, despite locally lighter winds on Sunday.
Committee Chairman Dr Mick Brogan (left), with prize-winner Sean Furey GBSC (helm of Star of the West), and Eoin Mac Mahon of sponsors Mac Mahons of Kinvara. Photo: Pierce Purcell
Alan Laine, Cruiser Captain in Galway Bay SC, led a flotilla from Rinville to Kinvara. Photo: Pierce Purcell
GALWAY BAY SC INPUT
At any Kinvara traditional gathering you'd expect to see some input from Galway Bay Sailing Club, and this was stepped up for 2024 with GBSC Cruising Captain Alan Laine aboard Feeling Groovy leading in a flotilla. This included the modified GK34 Ibaraki (John Collins), fresh from taking third in IRC Overall at the recent WIORA annual championship at Foynes.
Ciaran Murphy of Galway city aboard the third-placed Naomh Ciaran with WoW Awardee Aideen Kilkelly. Photo: Pierce Purcell
Like all proper racing machines, these three gleiteogs have their own support RIBs. Photo: Pierce Purcell
However, Galway's cross-fertilisation between different forms of sailing was much more than that, as one of the hooker classes was won by Sean Furey (who keeps his own boat at Rinville) sailing Star of the West, and one of Galway's leading women sailors and a winner of one of the 2023 "Women on Water" awards was Aideen Kilkelly, sailing at Kinvara with Ciaran Murphy of Club Mara on the Naomh Ciaran that took third the Gleiteog Mora class.
O'BRIENS MAINTAIN THE TRADITIONS
But the traditions of Connemara were well maintained with the bad mhor An Tonai - sailed by the O'Briens - winning the top trophy, while other results included
- CLASS A
1st Mc Hugh (Martin Keane of Carna, sailed by Donal Mac Donnacha), 2nd Nora Beag, 3rd Hanora. - CLASS B
- 1st Fr Carter, 2nd Inis Bearchain, 3rd Anam Cara, 4th Lon Dubh, 5th Loven, 6th Oilenach
- GLEITEOG MORA
1st St Katherine, 2nd Naomh Ina, 3rd Naomh Ciaran - LEATH BAID
1st Star of the West (sailed by Sean Furey) - BAID MORA
An Tonai (O'Brien family).
With jib aback to help in bearing off, overall winner An Tonai is about to finish her race. Photo: Pierce Purcell
"The O'Briens have done it again". The immaculately maintained and gleaming overall winner An Tonai. Photo: Pierce Purcell
MacHUGH IMPRESSES
One boat that put in a particularly impressive performance was the Class A winner MacHugh, owned by Martin Keane of Carna, and sailed by several helms through the season, with Donal Mac Donnachada in charge at Kinvara. Mac Hugh looked like a winner throghout, and put in a particularly impressive performance closing in on the quay, sheeted hard, pointing high, and going fast.
Powering along. McHugh from Carna making the best of the breeze when she's out racing in it. Photo CNMK Facebook
Working the wind-shifts. In smooth water approaching the pier, Donal Mac Donnachada helming Martin Keane's Mac Hugh from Carna (right) can pin in, point high, and keeping going fast to win. Photo: CNMK Facebook
WHEN SAILING IS MUCH SAFER
Most of the Galway City boats took their departure under sail on Sunday evening for their home ports, whether at the Claddagh or with GBSC at Rinville. This was both stylish and prudent, as by that time the Cruinniu na mBad programme seems to have entered an informal Swimming Gala phase. With determined swimmers hurling themselves at random off the pier head, it was much safer for any nearby boats to be moving under clean and silent sail power rather than through a lethal propeller.
When it's safer to sail. The GBSC flotilla (Ibaraki in foreground) leave the Kinvara quayside under sail, making things safer for swimmers (far left) who have been diving from the pier. Photo: Pierce Purcell
