The second oldest yacht club in the world, Lough Ree Athlone, has cancelled a major event planned for the celebrations of its 250th year writes Tom MacSweeney.
The Club's Commodore, Garrett Leech, said that Clinkerfest, planned for three days over the Whit Bank Holiday Weekend, May 30-June 1, intended to be "a celebration of racing clinker-built boats," which it had been hoped would attract over 100 boats to Lough Ree for competitive racing, would not go ahead.
Shannon One Designs, Water Wags, Mermaids, IDRA14s and International 12s had indicated their attendance.
"We have no choice but to cancel this year," said Commodore Leech. "We intend to run next year. The interest was large in the event, very healthy.
We had well over 50 entered with 6 weeks to go, we will break the 100 boats. We had SODs, Wags, Mermaids, IDRA's and a large fleet of International 12's and also three Coleens entered. We had the Myths & Rankins thinking too.
"I think that we will get an even bigger fleet next year as it had garnered some momentum but naturally I am disappointed," he told Afloat.
The dates for the 2021 Clinkerfest are June 5-7.
