#Presentation - Friends of Glenua are to hold a presentation entitled: “From the Aegean to the Fastnet Race 2017-Trom agus Éadrom”

The presentation by Dermot Cronin will take place on Thursday 1 March (20:00) at the Poolbeg Yacht & Boat Club, Ringsend, Dublin 4. There will be an entry fee of €5 in aid of the RNLI.

The 2017 Rolex Fastnet Race attracted a record-sized fleet of 362 boats, six more than in 2015. The 605 mile continues to be the world’s largest offshore yacht race, defined by the rounding of the Fastnet Rock with its iconic lighthouse. 

Dermot Cronin of Malahide Yacht Club, competed in the 2017 Rolex Fastnet Race in his yacht, Encore, a First 40.7. The preparations included the 2,500 mile passage of Encore from her winterage in Greece to Malahide, during which she encountered heavy weather both in the Mediterranean and in the Atlantic (the ‘Trom’ of the title).

In his illustrated lecture, Dermot will give a practical insight into the preparation and logistics required to get his boat to the starting line at Cowes followed by the competitive intensity experienced in a huge international fleet. The events of the Fastnet race itself which, although more benign in the weather (the Eadrom of the title), provided some close racing.

Dermot’s first sailing course was with Glenans in Bere Island in 1979. Being an active racing member of Malahide Yacht Club since 1989, he progressed to Round Ireland racing, D2D’s and Fastnet in 2003. He participated in the Middle Sea Race in 2013 and 2014 in his fully crewed Encore. He finally struck gold in 2015 with his son Paddy, winning the Double-handed division of the 2015 Middle Sea Race in Encore.