Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: Ian Costello

#paralympicsailing – Kinsale Yacht Club's John Twomey, Ian Costello and Austin O'Carroll will represent Ireland tomorrow in the three-man Sonar class tomorrow at the Disabled Sailing (IFDS) World Championships in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. They will compete in the six day regatta against 16 of the world's best Paralympic sailing teams from 12 other nations.

The event serves as the first qualifying event for the discipline, with the top seven nations earning their country's place at the Games in Rio in two years' time.

John Twomey from Ballinhassig, Co. Cork, John will draw on his extensive experience to lead his two crewmen, having represented Ireland in a record-breaking 10 consecutive Paralympic Games. His teammate Ian Costello from Killorgan in Co. Kerry is also no stranger to international competition having sailed with John in his first Paralympics in 2012 where they finished 11th overall. This will be Dubliner Austin O'Carroll's first major international event having joined the team late last year.

Published in Olympic

#PARALYMPICS - Irish team members John Twomey, Anthony Hegarty and Ian Costello are making waves at the World Championships for disabled sailors in Florida this week.

Inside World Parasport reports that the trio from Kinsale Yacht Club are tied for the top spot in the Sonar class, ahead of Norway and France, in the International Association for Disabled Sailing (IFDS) event at Laishey Park Marina.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, Twomey and his crew have already qualified for the London Paralympics this summer after claiming one of the few rwmaining spots at the IFDS Worlds in Weymouth last July.

Published in Olympics 2012

About Pamela Lee, Irish Offshore Sailor

Ireland has produced some of the world’s most dedicated offshore sailors, and Pamela Lee of Greystones is one of them. She has made a name for herself in the sailing world, having worked as a mate on a charter Super-yacht for two and a half years. After coming ashore, she has been fully committed to her offshore sailing ambitions since 2019.

Lee has raced in various craft, including Figaro 3s, Class 40, Tp 52s, and multihulls, and has eight transatlantic crossings under her belt. In partnership with Kenny Rumball, Lee supported Rumball’s La Solitaire du Figaro sailing campaign to secure the Irish berth in the proposed Mixed Offshore Keelboat event for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

One of Lee’s stated main aims is to promote female empowerment in sport, and she set out to establish a double-handed Round Ireland speed record with Englishwoman Cat Hunt in the winter of 2020. This campaign gained much publicity, and Lee expressed pride in bringing sailing and offshore sailing, in particular, into the conversation for 2020.

To further her offshore sailing career, Lee moved to France, where she has recently secured a place to skipper a yacht in the Transat Jacques Vabre Challenge in October 2023. Lee’s passion and dedication to offshore sailing are inspiring, and her achievements are a testament to her hard work and perseverance.