Gaff Rig Sets Ireland's Sailing Pace East And West

8th August 2025

WM Nixon

It may all be part of our cherished cultural heritage, the Galway Hookers race at Kinvara with a keenness which suggests that sport tops culture every time

A healthy dose of gaff rig is available to enthusiasts on both the eastern and western seaboards this weekend.

The annual Cruinnui ne mBad - the Gathering of the Boats - is under way afloat and ashore at picturesque Kinvara in the southeast of Galway Bay, but with top quality musical accompaniment.

And though the music at Howth may not quite to up to Kinvara standards in variety and quality, the fact that it's the Worlds 2025 for the ancient Howth 17s - complete with their jackyard topsails - is certainly something to celebrate. For although the powers-that-be were a bit sniffy when the Howth class first claimed their championship's world status some years back, the class would allow themselves the Worlds title only after each and every boat built to this 1897 design had been repatriated to Howth where - being a peninsula with a very narrow isthsmus - they can make and maintain their own laws.

A law unto themselves. The Howth 17s in all their finery at their annual championship.

Published in Historic Boats, Howth 17, Howth YC, Galway Hookers, Connemara

Published in Historic Boats

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About The Author

WM Nixon

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William M Nixon has been writing about sailing in Ireland for many years in print and online, and his work has appeared internationally in magazines and books. His own experience ranges from club sailing to international offshore events, and he has cruised extensively under sail, often in his own boats which have ranged in size from an 11ft dinghy to a 35ft cruiser-racer. He has also been involved in the administration of several sailing organisations.

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