Displaying items by tag: Royal Western Yacht Club of Ireland

3rd June 2017

Shannon Estuary Cruise To Tour Western Sailing Waters Next Month

Seol Sionna, the local heritage group responsible for newbuild turf boat, the five-tonne gaffer Sally O’Keeffe, are set to take part in the inaugural Shannon Estuary Cruise

#ShannonCruise - Cruisers in the West of Ireland are invited to join the inaugural Shannon Estuary Cruise next month.

The seven-day cruise from 17-23 July is the brainchild of Royal Western Yacht Club of Ireland Commodore Richard Glynn, a life-long Kilrush man with a love of the Shannon Estuary and surrounding sailing waters.

Foynes Yacht Club, Tralee Bay Sailing Club, Tarbert Maritime Sailing Club, the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group and the Shannon turf boat builders Seol Sionna are already lined up to take part in the cruise, which departs Kilrush on Monday 17 July via the Ballybunion Caves for Fenit.

On Tuesday 18 the cruise heads for Brandon via the Magharee Islands, then remains at anchor on Wednesday 19 for the sailors to go ashore and climb Mount Brandon.

Thursday 20 is a whale watching day en route from Brandon to Dingle, while there will be more opportunities to spot whales, dolphins and more via the Blasket Islands as the cruise proceeds to Smerwick Harbour on Friday 21.

On Saturday 22 a visit to Scattery Island is scheduled before arrival in Foynes for the air show, then a night’s rest before the Tarbet Regatta and the finish at Kilrush Marina on Sunday 21.

The cruise is open to all, especially boats from local clubs along the route, with participants welcome for the whole week or to hop in and out at their leisure. All stops on the schedule are subject to favourable weather conditions.

For further information, contact Cruising Captain Fergal Stynes at 087 626 2130 or Commodore Richard Glynn at 086 120 3144.

Published in Cruising

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Galway J109 Crew are Superleague Performers

Glen Cahill and the crew of the J109 Joie de Vie from Galway Bay Sailing Club were crowned overall winners of the West Coast Super League 2010 in both IRC & Echo at the prize giving held last Saturday night at Foynes Yacht Club.

The Murphy Marine Services sponsored league was an extracted series of seven events on the West Coast of Ireland and is organised by the West of Ireland Offshore Racing Association with the help from various clubs involved which where Galway Bay Sailing Club, Tralee Bay Sailing Club, Clifden Boat Club, Foynes Yacht Club and the Royal Western Yacht Club of Ireland.

joiedevie

Simon Mc Gibney (WIORA Commodore) Glen Cahill, Jennifer Cuddy, Chris Law, Bobbi O Regan (WIORA) Bernard McCarthy. More prizegiving photos below

The events where the Tralee Bay Sailing Club Regatta, West Coast Championships hosted by the Royal Western Yacht Club, O'Sullivan Marine 100 Mile Race, Clifden Boat Club Regatta, Galway Bay Sailing Club Regatta, Northwestern Offshore Racing Association Regatta hosted by Galway Bay Sailing Club and Foynes Yacht Club Regatta.

In excess of sixty boats took part in the various events during the League and the final placing where not decided until the Foynes Yacht Club Regatta was completed.

Joie de Vie had a very impressive season wining Class 1 in no less than four of the seven events including the West Coast Championships and fought off stiff competition from Raymond McGibney's Dehler 34 Disaray from Foynes Yacht Club, who finished overall runner up in both IRC & Echo and Liam Burke's Corby 33 AWOL from Galway Bay Sailing Club who collected the most competed events WIORA Trophy and Rob Allen's Corby 36 Mustang Sally from the Royal Western Yacht Club of Ireland.

Results after all seven events completed -

Overall IRC & ECHO

Overall IRC & ECHO Winner – Glen Cahill's J109 Joie de Vie Galway Bay Sailing Club

Overall IRC & ECHO Runner up - Raymond Mc Gibney Dehler 34 Disaray Foynes Yacht Club

Class Prize & The most competed events WIORA Trophy

Liam Burke's Corby 33 AWOL Galway Bay Sailing Club

Class Prize

Rob Allen Corby 36 Mustang Sally Royal Western Yacht Club of Ireland

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Awol: Bobbi O Regan (WIORA) Nigel Thornton, Noreen Mc Carthy, Simon Mc Gibney (WIORA Commodore)

Disaray Crew: Simon Mc Gibney (WIORA Commodore) Edward Enright, Fionn Mc Gibney, Louise Barrett, Rory Mc Gibney, Bobbi O Regan (WIORA) Raymond Mc Gibney

Mustang Sally: Simon Mc Gibney (WIORA Commodore), Rob Allen, Bobbi O Regan (WIORA)

Published in Shannon Estuary

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About Conor O'Brien, Irish Circumnavigator

In 1923-25, Conor O'Brien became the first amateur skipper to circle the world south of the Great Capes. O'Brien's boat Saoirse was reputedly the first small boat (42-foot, 13 metres long) to sail around the world since Joshua Slocum completed his voyage in the 'Spray' during 1895 to 1898. It is a journey that O' Brien documented in his book Across Three Oceans. O'Brien's voyage began and ended at the Port of Foynes, County Limerick, Ireland, where he lived.

Saoirse, under O'Brien's command and with three crew, was the first yacht to circumnavigate the world by way of the three great capes: Cape Horn, Cape of Good Hope and Cape Leeuwin; and was the first boat flying the Irish tri-colour to enter many of the world's ports and harbours. He ran down his easting in the Roaring Forties and Furious Fifties between the years 1923 to 1925.

Up until O'Brien's circumnavigation, this route was the preserve of square-rigged grain ships taking part in the grain race from Australia to England via Cape Horn (also known as the clipper route).

At a Glance - Conor O'Brien's Circumnavigation

In June 1923, Limerick man Conor O’Brien set off on his yacht, the Saoirse — named after the then newly created Irish Free State — on the two-year voyage from Dun Laoghaire Harbour that was to make him the first Irish amateur to sail around the world.

June 1923 - Saoirse’s arrival in Madeira after her maiden passage out from Dublin Bay

2nd December 1924 - Saoirse crossed the longitude of Cape Horn

June 20th 1925 - O’Brien’s return to Dun Laoghaire Harbour