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Displaying items by tag: port tack

A collision at the SB3 western championships in Galway two weeks ago has prompted a leading Irish sailor to question the international sailing rules because in certain circumstances he says the rules appear to protect boats without right of way e.g. boats on port tack.

"There is a real problem with the rules which effectively protect the port tack approach to a windward mark inside the zone unless the offended Starboard tack boat is prepared to jump through endless complicated hoops to ensure a successful protest and in the meantime his boat could be badly damaged" says top helmsman Roger Bannon.

The damage sustained in Galway is expected to cost over Euro 5,000 to repair. 

Discussion on the matter has taken place on the afloat.ie forum HERE and also on the class forum HERE.

Published in SB20

Tom Dolan, Solo Offshore Sailor

Even when County Meath solo sailor Tom Dolan had been down the numbers in the early stages of the four-stage 2,000 mile 2020 Figaro Race, Dolan and his boat were soon eating their way up through the fleet in any situation which demanded difficult tactical decisions.

His fifth overall at the finish – the highest-placed non-French sailor and winner of the Vivi Cup – had him right among the international elite in one of 2020's few major events.

The 33-year-old who has lived in Concarneau, Brittany since 2009 but grew up on a farm in rural County Meath came into the gruelling four-stage race aiming to get into the top half of the fleet and to underline his potential to Irish sailing administrators considering the selection process for the 2024 Olympic Mixed Double Offshore category which comes in for the Paris games.