Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: Dragon

Kinsale Yacht Club has announced entry is open for its staging of the Dragon Gold Cup, sponsored by Astra Construction Services Ltd, from September 6 to 13, 2024.

This year's event will attract over 60 teams from more than 20 countries worldwide.

The Dragon Gold Cup, which was first presented in 1937 by the Clyde Yacht Clubs Association, brings together competitors from around the world to compete in a friendly spirit. The event is renowned for its world-class racing programme, camaraderie, and hospitality.

This will be the third time that Kinsale Yacht Club has hosted the prestigious event, having previously done so in 1977 and 2012. The club is known for its exceptional hospitality and will be pulling out all the stops to ensure that this year's event is a resounding success.

The organising committee, chaired by Maeve Cotter, has already begun preparations for the event, which will include registration and equipment inspection from September 5 to 7. On September 7, a warm-up race will allow competitors to familiarise themselves with Kinsale's outstanding open water race area.

Championship racing will be held from September 8 to 13, and the event will be one of the most challenging inshore keelboat regattas in the world. The Race Committee may adjust the programme if races are lost, but just one race per day is scheduled, and the races are run over a very large windward/leeward course with leg lengths of two miles or more.

Dragon Gold Cup 2024

In addition to the overall Gold Cup prizes, there will also be prizes for the top Corinthian, all amateur, crews. Competitors wishing to enter the Corinthian competition must submit their full crew lists with confirmation of the World Sailing ID and valid G1 categorisation for each crew member by September 7, 2024.

Online Entry is now open with a special Early Bird entry fee of €850 for those who enter by June 30, 2024. From July 1, the entry fee will be €950, and entry will close on August 26, 2024.

The entry fee includes craning in and out, trailer parking, berthing, and tickets to the Gold Cup Gala Dinner and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for all members of the crew.

Published in Dragon
Tagged under

Members of the British Dragon Association (BDA) and their guests came together at the Royal Thames Yacht Club in Knightsbridge, London, for the BDA’s Annual General Meeting and Dinner in January.

The evening kicked off with the AGM, where outgoing Chairman Simon Barter was delighted to report that participation in UK based Dragon racing has seen a strong resurgence, with numbers regularly racing in club and regional events at the highest levels for some years. The meeting then elected its new Class Chairman Andy Moss, of the Burnham on Crouch Dragon fleet. Andy, owner of Hands Off GBR 760, has been racing Dragons for 20 years and has been a regular traveller to the regional and national events, Oostende and France.

2024 British Dragon Championship Events

Also confirmed at the meeting were the dates and venues for the 2024 British Championship events, which are:

  • 1-2 June South Coast Championship – Cowes, IOW
  • 22-23 June Classic/Vintage Championship - Aldeburgh
  • 7-8 July Northern Area Championship – Abersoch, Gwynedd
  • 9-12 July Edinburgh Cup (Open British Championship) – Abersoch, Gwynedd
  • 21-23 September East Coast Championship – Medway, Kent
  • 28-29 September Scottish Championship – Edinburgh, Scotland

After the AGM pre-dinner drinks were served in the bar, and then guests were called through to the Royal Thames’ delightful dining room, which overlooks Hyde Park. With some 50 Dragon sailors and guests in attendance, including visitors from the Irish Dragon fleet, the highlights of the evening were a delicious three course meal followed by the presentation of the prestigious Citron Trophy, and the premier of an exciting new video.

The Citron Trophy is awarded to the Dragon which has achieved the best cumulative results in the combined British championship events during the past season. The winner for the 2023 season was Gavia Wilkinson-Cox of the Cowes fleet and her team racing GBR831 Jerboa. A member of the British fleet for almost 50 years, this is the second time that Gavia has engraved her name on this prestigious award.

After the trophy presentation, Gavia then switched hats from award-winning sailor to Chair of the organising committee for the 75th Dragon Edinburgh Cup and British Grand Prix, which was run by the Royal Yacht Squadron in August 2023. This special celebration regatta attracted an exceptional entry and brought together sailors from across the 75-year history of the British Open Dragon Championship. As one of only four International Dragon Grand Prix events in 2023, it also attracted some of the best sailors from around the world to compete, and Gavia and her media team took the opportunity to create a very special video to mark the occasion.

In introducing the premier of the video Gavia explained, “A key part to promoting the British Dragon Class, in perpetuity, has been the production of a film of the regatta. Whilst of course being a record of the 75th Edinburgh Cup – the aim has been to highlight and profile the diversity of the class: young, not so young, male, female! I am grateful to Rick and James Tomlinson for the production of this film. I hope the BDA and our fleets can make constructive use of this film – which will live for posterity on Youtube and other social media sites. Tonight marks the premier of the film. Not quite the BAFTA’s, but important non the less! Enjoy!”

Published in Dragon
Tagged under

Irish Dragon sailors were in action in Portugal at the weekend with Royal Cork and Baltimore's Harry Durcan on board the winning boat in round two of the Algarve Dragon Winter Cup at Vilamoura.

Durcan was part of a four-up British entry skippered by Pete Cooke with Torvar Mirsky and Peter Nicholas, who tied on points with Portugal's Pedro Rebelo de Andrade but won on the tie-break rule.

Also racing from Ireland was Dun Laoghaire's Jonathan Bourke with Conn Harte-Bourke and Sam Gullivan, who finished seventh in the 11-boat fleet.

Round three of the Cup sets sail on February 16th.

In a big year for Irish Dragon sailing, Kinsale Yacht Club will stage the class's prestigious Gold Cup this September.

Published in Dragon
Tagged under

Royal St George Yacht Club's Jaguar Sailing Team of Martin Byrne, Adam Winkelmann and Rory Byrne took third overall at last weekend's Yacht Club de Cannes, Coupe D’ Hiver des Dragons.

17 Dragons from eight countries competed with victory going to the Finnish “Genewave” with Jouko Lindgren at the helm.

Italy's Transbunker Team of Yevgen Braslavets, Andrea Zaoli, Paolo Bozzano (Yacht Club San Remo) were second.

Dragon competition in Ireland reaches a high point next year with the staging of the international Dragon Gold Cup in Kinsale in September.

Published in Dragon
Tagged under

Preparations are underway in Kinsale for celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of one of the most prestigious international sailing events. From 6 to 13 September 2024, Kinsale will welcome Dragon sailors from across the globe to compete for the Kinsale Yacht Club Dragon Gold Cup, which has been raced annually since 1937 and will be sponsored by Astra Construction Services Ltd.

This will be the third time that Kinsale Yacht Club (KYC) has hosted the Dragon Gold Cup, the first being in 1977 and the second in 2012. The venue is hugely popular with the Dragon sailing community, and many international teams are expected to compete alongside a strong Irish contingent. International Dragon Association Chairman Gérard Blanc is looking forward to returning to Kinsale, saying, "Since the last Gold Cup in Ireland in 2012, I know that many international Dragon sailors are excited to be returning to one of their favourite venues in the southwest of Ireland. Kinsale is a fantastic place to sail, and a legendary social welcome awaits you. I plan to be there and look forward to meeting as many of you as possible”.

Crews from some 20 nations across Australasia, Asia, North America, and Europe are already confirmed. In attendance will be some of the best sailors on the planet, including multiple Olympic medallists, America’s Cup veterans, World, Continental, and National Champions. The regatta will also feature a Corinthian Division for all amateur crews, who will race alongside the professional teams whilst scoring in their own ranking.

The crew of Dragon Whisper off the Old Head of Kinsale Photo: Dave CullinaneThe crew of Dragon Whisper off the Old Head of Kinsale Photo: Dave Cullinane

Kinsale’s open ocean race area has minimal currents and excellent sailing winds and is backed by southern Ireland’s spectacular coastline, including the famous Old Head of Kinsale. KYC is renowned for creating international regattas of the highest quality and for its generous Irish hospitality.

Kinsale Yacht Club Dragon Gold Cup 2024

The Gold Cup has always been an event aimed at fostering camaraderie amongst the teams and their friends and family. In addition to a superb social programme, which will include opening and closing ceremonies and a special 80th Anniversary gala dinner at Actons Hotel, plus après sailing daily and other social events.

As Afloat reported previously, already, several companies have confirmed their sponsorship of the event, including principal sponsor Astra Construction Services Ltd, a Carrier-based residential construction company, whose managing director Stephen McCarthy will also provide the committee boat for the regatta. TNG Swiss Watches are signed up as the official timekeeper and will be presenting timepieces to the Gold Cup Open and Corinthian Champion helms. Guinness and Cork City Council are also onboard as sponsors, whilst Actons, The Trident and Perryville House hotels will be offering special rates for competitors, which can be booked via the event website.

Heading up the organising committee is Maeve Cotter, an experienced Dragon sailor with international event management experience. “I am really looking forward to welcoming our Dragon sailing friends to our lovely harbour for the Kinsale YC Dragon Gold Cup in 2024 and to celebrating the 80th anniversary of this historic competition.”

Published in Dragon
Tagged under

Counting four race wins Kinsale Yacht Club's Shawn Kingston, Donal Small and Conor Hemlock, sailing 'Grey Hare' were the clear winners of the Dragon Class at a cut-short Lough Derg Yacht Club Freshwater Keelboat One Design Regatta on Sunday. 

Five races were sailed on Saturday with one discard, but racing was abandoned on Sunday by Race Officer John Leech due to a lack of wind at Dromineer. 

Clubmates Colm Dunne, Colm Daly, and Harry Lewis sailing Ghost were second on 11 points but only after count back sharing the same points as Royal St. George's Serafina helmed by Ronan Murphy. 

Seven Dragons competed.

Published in Dragon

Early in the 1960s, Sid Smith – a builder and developer from Bury near Manchester – secured the site for the modest holiday home of his dreams beside the harbour in Glandore in West Cork. Summers in Glandore with much sailing for his young son Lawrie, became an essential element in Smith family life, and though Lawrie went on to a stratospheric career in international sailing, whenever possible, he has listed Glandore Harbour Yacht Club as his home base. Thus, in September 2023, thanks to Lawrie, the Dragon Gold Cup – the class’s supreme prize – was added to Glandore’s trophy haul.

It was a particularly timely outcome with the 2024 Gold Cup scheduled for Kinsale. And with autumn rapidly advancing, we are reminded that the Smiths were so fond of Glandore that they were among the families who spent Christmas and New Year there, with Sid Smith’s authentic rendition of Ilkley Moor a midwinter party favourite.

Published in Sailor of the Month

A fifth race in warm sunshine and a light east-south-easterly concluded the 2023 Yanmar Dragon Gold Cup in Torquay. Going into the final day, British Olympian, America’s Cup and Whitbread Race veteran Lawrie Smith and his crew of Ruaridh Scott, Goncalo Ribeiro and Richard Parslow already had victory within their grasp. Smith knew what he had to do, and he executed it perfectly, starting near the favoured pin end, he sailed smart, kept out of trouble and cruised home in fifth place to secure his second Gold Cup win.

The fifth and final race was a stunner with constant place changes and a nail-biting last leg to decide second and third overall that saw Gilmour, sailing for the Yanmar Racing Team with Yasuhiro Yaji and Sam Gilmour, take his first race win of the series from Germany’s Jan Woortman. Behind him Dragon World and European Champion Wolf Waschkuhn of Switzerland, sailing with Joao Vidinah and Charles Nankin, knew that to beat Gilmour for the silver medal he needed to finish fourth or better. As he came to the line he was neck and neck with Britian’s Graham Bailey and Smith. Right on the line, Bailey surged in to take third and all eyes turned to see if Smith would get past him or not. By just a matter of a few feet Waschkuhn took fourth place to secure the second step on the podium, with Gilmour on the third.

After racing Peter Gilmour was happy with the outcome. “We’re not disappointed, we went through a few calculations down the last run. If we could sail back to Wolf to park him up was one of the options, but we thought no we’ll just continue on and see what happens. It was close but he did a good job of hanging in there. I think they probably had a pretty nervous time onboard too. It was great to have the Yanmar team here, they’re coming out to learn as they want to host their own international regatta in the future, and I think it all helps. I think Yanmar is pretty keen to build Dragon sailing in Japan, so it will be interesting to see their takeaways from this event.”

Lawrie Smith and his crew of Ruaridh Scott, Goncalo Ribeiro and Richard Parslow cross the finish line in race five to win the 2023 Dragon Gold Cup Photo: Alex IrwinLawrie Smith and his crew of Ruaridh Scott, Goncalo Ribeiro and Richard Parslow cross the finish line in race five to win the 2023 Dragon Gold Cup Photo: Alex Irwin

In the Corinthian Division it all came down to the last race between Britain’s David Tabb sailing with Laerke Norgard and Graham Latham, and Austria’s Christoph Skolaut, sailing with George Skolaut and Martin Lutz, who went into the day on equal points. Tabb got the upper hand on the first beat and although Skolaut did his best to catch up it wasn’t to be. On the line Tabb finished in eighth place and claimed the Dragon Gold Cup Corinthian Trophy. Skolaut took twelfth in the race and the silver medal, and third overall in the Corinthian Division went to Ireland’s Neil Hegarty, Peter Bowring and David Williams.

David Tabb, who finished ninth in the overall standings, was very pleased with his new team’s performance, noting that this was only their second regatta together. “Top ten overall is good so we’re very pleased. We weren’t expecting to win as with Graham on board we’re 40kg underweight. It was Graham’s second regatta and the first time we’ve ever had the same team twice, so that’s nice. All in all, it was nice sailing, I’m a bit surprised to be honest. I wasn’t expecting it to be quite as easy. I thought it would be a lot harder. We seemed to just find lanes and go quite fast, so nothing clever, we keep ourselves clear and try to not get into any fights. Every time we got in a fight, we made a mess of it, so we know we’re not the sharpest of teams, so we just try to keep clear and get on. The boat’s lovely and Stavros [Martin Payne] did a great job of teaching me how to sail and set it up.”

At the prize giving the first presentations were for race five with third placed Graham Bailey of Bluebottle, second placed Jan Woortman and Peter Gilmour and their teams receiving Yanmar Dragon Gold Cup 2023 glasses.

There was then a special presentation of a new kitbag to the youngest sailor in the fleet, 12-year-old Diogo Reis of Portugal, an Optimist sailor who raced with Peter Cunningham, Martin Westerdahl and Pedro Rebelo de Andrade. Asked what he thought of his first Gold Cup he responded, “It was fun!”.

First to receive their prizes were the Corinthians with David Tabb, Laerke Norgard and Graham Latham receiving a huge cheer as they came to the stage. In his acceptance speech, David not only thanked his crew and the organisers, but also paid tribute to the sponsor Yanmar and to his fellow Dragon sailors, who he thanked for making he and his crew so welcome since they joined the fleet two years ago.

Next was the Gold Cup itself with Lawrie Smith, Ruaridh Scott, Goncalo Ribeiro and Richard Parslow coming up to receive the historic trophy. In his thank you speech Lawrie said, “Before I thank other people I need to thank these guys [his crew]. I don’t sail that much and Ruaridh and Goncalo kind of get me and Animal [Richard Parslow] just to do what we’re told as we’re a bit old for this, but we hung in there, so thanks guys. Also, thanks to an awful lot of people who helped us when we broke the mast the other day, that was really appreciated as without you we’d not be here. The Royal Torbay and all the volunteers were amazing. I always like coming here, it’s such a great yacht club, the racing is always good, and I know there’s an awful lot of work that goes into organising these things, and it takes a long time, and on behalf of all the sailors we really appreciate that. And Stuart [Childerley, Race Officer] – you and your team didn’t put a foot wrong mate, it was perfect racing all week, the beat was square, the run was square, and it was bang on. And then the Dragon Class, as we all know it’s still pretty much the only one design boat where you can go around Europe and you can race every other week, and it’s thanks to all the people behind the scenes that make this such a great class.".

The next presentation was the Silver Cup, which is awarded to the boat that finishing exactly halfway up the final overall results. A special cheer went up as Britain’s Owen Pay, John Mortimer and Chris Brittain came up to receive the trophy.

Finally, the Nations Cup was awarded, which goes to the top performing three boat national team in the competition. The three boat teams are made up of each country’s top performing boats from the first race. This year, the Nations Cup was won by the British team of Lawrie Smith’s Alfie, Grant Gordon’s Louise Racing and David Tabb’s True Story.

To close the ceremony Ireland’s Peter Bowring took the opportunity to invite all the competitors to take part in the 2024 Dragon Gold Cup, which will be hosted by Kinsale Yacht Club in County Cork, Ireland from September 5 to 13 and to the Irish Championship in Dunleary from 22 to 25 August.

OVERALL TOP FIVE

  • 1st - Lawrie Smith, GBR815, Alfie - 1, 3, 2.7(RDGc), 3, 4, 5 = 17.5
  • 2nd - Wolf Waschkuhn, SUI318, 1quick1 - 4, 4, 12, 6, 4 = 30
  • 3rd - Peter Gilmour, JPN56, YRed - 3, 12, 13, 2, 1 = 31
  • 4th - Stephan Link, GER62, Dessert Holly - 13, 10, 6, 5, 6 = 40
  • 3rd - Bo Johansen, DEN423, Deja Vu Ver. 2.0 - 2, 24, 1, 2, 1, 15 = 45

Overall results here

Published in Dragon
Tagged under

Torquay finally delivered perfect sailing conditions for day five of the Dragon Gold Cup 2023, where the previously abandoned race four was re-sailed in glorious sunshine and a south-south-easterly breeze which built from around 10 to 15 knots through the race.

With the minimum required number of four races now completed the championship is valid and with a fifth place in today’s race, Lawrie Smith sailing GBR815 Alfie for the Glandore Yacht Club has further tightened his grip on the overall lead with a 15-point delta on his nearest rivals.

The remainder of the podium is still wide open, however, as just eight points now separate second to sixth place in the no discard series. Going into the final day SUI318 Wolf Waschkuhn is on 27 points, with DEN423 Bo Johansen and JAP52 Peter Gilmour both on 30 points, BEL82 Xavier Vanneste is on 34 and GER62 Stephan Link counts 35 points.

Two races remain to be sailed on the final day, so the Race Committee has brought Friday’s first start time forward to 11:15 in the hope that the second race can get underway before the 14:30 latest warning signal cut off time.

As the competitors arrived in the race area for the restart of the previously abandoned race four, the breeze was already well established and after an initial general recall, the U flag came out of the Race Committee's locker and they were off at the second attempt. Both Andy Beadsworth sailing TUR12 and Peter Cunningham in CAY9 were disqualified for being over the line. After racing Beadsworth protested the Race Committee’s decision but the jury did not find in his favour.

At the weather mark Michael Zankel sailing POR90 once again headed the fleet from Bo Johansen in DEN423, Stephan Link GER62, Jan Woortmann GER1221, David Tabb GBR818, Peter Gilmour JAP56, and overall leader Lawrie Smith who slotted into seventh in GBR815. Eighth to round was Graham Bailey in GBR192, the famous 75 year old Bluebottle, who was showing her face at the front of the fleet for the first time this week.

Down the first run it was very tight and as they round the first leeward gate Johansen had just crept ahead to round the starboard gate a few seconds ahead of Zankel. Link held third, with Woortman fourth, Gilmour fifth, Tabb sixth and Smith still seventh.

By the top of the second beat Zankel had reclaimed the lead, Woortman was up to second with Johansen third and Gilmour fourth. Smith had pulled up to fifth while Link was down to sixth.

Zankel began to extend his lead on the second run and by the leeward mark he had a decent cushion over Johansen, with both opting for the port gate. Gilmour and Woortman rounded the starboard gate in tight formation, Link rounded fifth and Smith sixth. The leading six had opened up a decent gap on the chasing pack which was now led by Wolf Waschkuhn and Laurie Rechard.

As the fleet came to the line Zankel took his second victory of the regatta by a big margin. Second to fourth were all overlapped on the line and after by the narrowest margin it was Gilmour who took second, with Johansen third, Woortman fourth, Smith fifth, Link six and Waschkuhn pulling up into sixth. Back ashore however, Tabb protested Woortman for tacking in his water and Woortman was disqualified.

After racing Graham Bailey spoke about how unusually testing the conditions have been here in Torquay, saying, “We had sparkling conditions out there today, we had about 11 to 13 knots, that sort of order and just great open water racing, it’s fantastic. It’s been difficult. I don’t want to say a difficult venue because I think that it’s just that the weather models have been difficult, they’ve shown it’s been difficult weather. It’s not been straight forward. So I wouldn’t blame that on Torbay which we love, we’ve just had tricky weather. But it’s tricky for everybody so it’s completely fair and some workout better than others. So it’s been a challenge, but it’s never been absolutely obvious. It’s one of those venues and weather conditions where you never give up and even down to the last beat there’s always something to be had, there are holes to be had, snakes and ladders, so it keeps it pretty open and you’ve got to be on your toes all the time.".

In the Corinthian all amateur division David Tabb was the top performer, narrowly beating Christoph Skolaut with GBR763 Simon Barter third. In the overall Corinthian standings Skolaut continues to lead the competition from David Tabb with Peter Bowring’s IRL225, being helmed by Neil Hegarty, third. Peter Bowring summed up their feelings about the regatta so far saying, “It’s been a great event. Torbay have put on a fantastic event but we’re finding it difficult. That’s more down to us and the conditions, but that’s sailing.”.

Once again, the Yanmar Dragon Gold Cup 2023 regatta marquee was ready and waiting to welcome the crews home with more tasty hot snacks and a plentiful supply of complimentary cold beers, which were much needed after a long day on the twelve and a half mile race course.

Later in the evening the crews came together in the elegant waterside ballroom of the Imperial Hotel Torquay for party time at the Yanmar Dragon Gold Cup Gala Dinner. After welcome drinks guests enjoyed a delicious three course dinner.

Speaking after dinner, International Dragon Association (IDA) Chairman Gerard Blanc thanked the British Dragon Association and the Royal Torbay Yacht Club for their tremendous work in organising the event, Yanmar for their most generous and ongoing support of the Dragon Class and the competitors for travelling from so far afield to take part.

On behalf of the event Sponsor, Yanmar Marine International, Mr Kitamura paid tribute to the organisers and the Dragon sailors for the exceptional quality of the regatta and spoke of the synergy between Yanmar and the sailing community.

Special tributes were also paid to Race Officer Stuart Childerley and his team who have done a most impressive job in running racing despite some of the most challenging conditions the Dragon fleet has ever seen.

One of the highlights of a most enjoyable gathering was the presentation of the prestigious Børge Børresen Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the winner of the first race in the Gold Cup. This very special trophy goes to Lawrie Smith, Ruaridh Scott, Concalo Ribeiro and Richard Parslow of Alfie. The trophy was presented by the IDA's Championship Coordinator Martin "Stavros" Payne and the presentation included the now traditional bottle of Glenfiddich whisky, which the winners greatly enjoyed consuming from the trophy.

The late Børge Børresen is a legend amongst Dragon sailors. At 16 years old, he built one of the first Dragons in Denmark in 1936 with his brother Albert. For some 65 years, he was the preeminent Dragon builder, constructing multiple Olympic, World, European and National Championship winning boats. One of his greatest contributions to the class was his leadership in translating the Dragon from wooden to GRP construction. The fact that a 1938 wooden Dragon like Bluebottle is racing on a level playing field this week against the very latest boats off the production line is testament to the work that Børresen did in devising the scantlings for the GRP boats. He was also an exceptional sailor, participating in the Gold Cup 51 times consecutively, winning as a crew for Thorkil Warrer in 1951 and 1956 and as helm in 1967 and 1985. He won many other major Dragon regattas, including, at the age of 75, the World Championship sailing with Jesper Bank.

Two races remain to be sailed on the final day of the six-race no discard series, which concludes on Friday, 15 September.

PROVISIONAL TOP FIVE AFTER THREE RACES

  • 1st - Lawrie Smith, GBR815, Alfie - 1, 3(RDGc), 3, 5 = 12
  • 2nd - Wolf Waschkuhn, SUI318, 1quick1 - 4, 4, 12, 7 = 27
  • 3rd - Bo Johansen, DEN423, Deja Vu Ver. 2.0 - 2, 24, 1, 3 = 30
  • 4th - Peter Gilmour, JPN56, YRed - 3, 12, 13, 2 = 30
  • 5th - Xavier Vanneste, BEL82, Herbie - 5, 8, 8, 13 = 34

Overall results here

Published in Dragon
Tagged under

Day four of the Dragon Gold Cup 2023 in Torquay brought frustration for the sailors and race committee alike, as race four of the six-race series had to be abandoned on the second beat when the wind died off completely. As a result, there are no changes in the overall standings, and Lawrie Smith of Glandore YC continues to lead the fleet from Switzerland's Wolf Waschkuhn with Belgium’s Xavier Vanneste third, Andy Beadsworth sailing for Turkey fourth and Denmark’s Bo Johansen fifth.

The fleet had gone afloat early for an 09:30 start, knowing that the wind was likely to drop off by lunchtime. It took three attempts to get the race underway, but eventually, they started under the U flag and with a clear line. Conditions were already light and shifty, but it was sailable, so away they went under grey skies in about 6 knots from 045 degrees on a 2.5-mile first leg.

PROVISIONAL TOP FIVE AFTER THREE RACES

  • 1st - Lawrie Smith, GBR815, Alfie - 1, 1, 3 = 4
  • 2nd - Wolf Waschkuhn, SUI318, 1quick1 - 4, 4, 12 = 20
  • 3rd - Xavier Vanneste, BEL82, Herbie - 5, 8, 8 = 21
  • 4th - Andy Beadsworth, TUR12, Provezza Dragon - 16, 6, 2 = 24
  • 5th - Bo Johansen, DEN423, Deja Vu Ver. 2.0 - 2, 24, 1 = 27
Published in Dragon
Tagged under
Page 1 of 27

Annalise Murphy, Olympic Silver Medalist

The National Yacht Club's Annalise Murphy (born 1 February 1990) is a Dublin Bay sailor who won a silver medal in the 2016 Summer Olympics. She is a native of Rathfarnham, a suburb of Dublin.

Murphy competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the Women's Laser Radial class. She won her first four days of sailing at the London Olympics and, on the fifth day, came in 8th and 19th position.

They were results that catapulted her on to the international stage but those within the tiny sport of Irish sailing already knew her of world-class capability in a breeze and were not surprised.

On the sixth day of the competition, she came 2nd and 10th and slipped down to second, just one point behind the Belgian world number one.

Annalise was a strong contender for the gold medal but in the medal race, she was overtaken on the final leg by her competitors and finished in 4th, her personal best at a world-class regatta and Ireland's best Olympic class result in 30 years.

Radial European Gold

Murphy won her first major medal at an international event the following year on home waters when she won gold at the 2013 European Sailing Championships on Dublin Bay.

Typically, her track record continues to show that she performs best in strong breezes that suit her large stature (height: 1.86 m Weight: 72 kg).

She had many international successes on her road to Rio 2016 but also some serious setbacks including a silver fleet finish in flukey winds at the world championships in the April of Olympic year itself.

Olympic Silver Medal

On 16 August 2016, Murphy won the silver medal in the Laser Radial at the 2016 Summer Olympics defying many who said her weight and size would go against her in Rio's light winds.

As Irish Times Sailing Correspondent David O'Brien pointed out: " [The medal] was made all the more significant because her string of consistent results was achieved in a variety of conditions, the hallmark of a great sailor. The medal race itself was a sailing master class by the Dubliner in some decidedly fickle conditions under Sugarloaf mountain".

It was true that her eight-year voyage ended with a silver lining but even then Murphy was plotting to go one better in Tokyo four years later.

Sportswoman of the Year

In December 2016, she was honoured as the Irish Times/Sport Ireland 2016 Sportswoman of the Year.

In March, 2017, Annalise Murphy was chosen as the grand marshal of the Dublin St Patrick's day parade in recognition of her achievement at the Rio Olympics.

She became the Female World Champion at the Moth Worlds in July 2017 in Italy but it came at a high price for the Olympic Silver medallist. A violent capsize in the last race caused her to sustain a knee injury which subsequent scans revealed to be serious. 

Volvo Ocean Race

The injury was a blow for her return to the Olympic Laser Radial discipline and she withdrew from the 2017 World Championships. But, later that August, to the surprise of many, Murphy put her Tokyo 2020 ambitions on hold for a Volvo Ocean Race crew spot and joined Dee Caffari’s new Turn the Tide On Plastic team that would ultimately finish sixth from seventh overall in a global circumnavigation odyssey.

Quits Radial for 49erFX

There were further raised eyebrows nine months later when, during a break in Volvo Ocean Race proceedings, in May 2018 Murphy announced she was quitting the Laser Radial dinghy and was launching a 49er FX campaign for Tokyo 2020. Critics said she had left too little time to get up to speed for Tokyo in a new double-handed class.

After a 'hugely challenging' fourteen months for Murphy and her crew Katie Tingle, it was decided after the 2019 summer season that their 'Olympic medal goal' was no longer realistic, and the campaign came to an end. Murphy saying in interviews “I guess the World Cup in Japan was a bit of a wakeup call for me, I was unable to see a medal in less than twelve months and that was always the goal".

The pair raced in just six major regattas in a six-month timeframe. 

Return to Radial

In September 2019, Murphy returned to the Laser Radial dinghy and lead a four-way trial for the Tokyo 2020 Irish Olympic spot after the first of three trials when she finished 12th at the Melbourne World Championships in February 2020.

Selection for Tokyo 2021

On June 11, Irish Sailing announced Annalise Murphy had been nominated in the Laser Radial to compete at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Murphy secured the Laser Radial nomination after the conclusion of a cut short trials in which rivals Aoife Hopkins, Aisling Keller and Eve McMahon also competed.

Disappointment at Tokyo 2021

After her third Olympic Regatta, there was disappointment for Murphy who finished 18th overall in Tokyo. On coming ashore after the last race, she indicated her intention to return to studies and retire from Olympic sailing.  

On 6th Aguust 2020, Murphy wrote on Facebook:  "I am finally back home and it’s been a week since I finished racing, I have been lucky enough to experience the highs and the lows of the Olympics. I am really disappointed, I can’t pretend that I am not. I wasn’t good enough last week, the more mistakes I made the more I lost confidence in my decision making. Two years ago I made a plan to try and win a gold medal in the Radial, I believed that with my work ethic and attitude to learning, that everything would work out for me. It didn’t work out this time but I do believe that it’s worth dreaming of winning Olympic medals as I’m proof that it is possible, I also know how scary it is to try knowing you might not be good enough!
I am disappointed for Rory who has been my coach for 15 years, we’ve had some great times together and I wish I could have finished that on a high. I have so much respect for Olympic sailing coaches. They also have to dedicate their lives to getting to the games. I know I’ll always appreciate the impact Rory has had on my life as a person.
I am so grateful for the support I have got from my family and friends, I have definitely been selfish with my time all these years and I hope I can now make that up to you all! Thanks to Kate, Mark and Rónán for always having my back! Thank you to my sponsors for believing in me and supporting me. Thank you Tokyo for making these games happen! It means so much to the athletes to get this chance to do the Olympics.
I am not too sure what is next for me, I definitely don’t hate sailing which is a positive. I love this sport, even when it doesn’t love me 😂. Thank you everyone for all the kind words I am finally getting a chance to read!"

Annalise Murphy, Olympic Sailor FAQs

Annalise Murphy is Ireland’s best performing sailor at Olympic level, with a silver medal in the Laser Radial from Rio 2016.

Annalise Murphy is from Rathfarnham, a suburb in south Co Dublin with a population of some 17,000.

Annalise Murphy was born on 1 February 1990, which makes her 30 years old as of 2020.

Annalise Murphy’s main competition class is the Laser Radial. Annalise has also competed in the 49erFX two-handed class, and has raced foiling Moths at international level. In 2017, she raced around the world in the Volvo Ocean Race.

In May 2018, Annalise Murphy announced she was quitting the Laser Radial and launching a campaign for Tokyo 2020 in the 49erFX with friend Katie Tingle. The pairing faced a setback later that year when Tingle broke her arm during training, and they did not see their first competition until April 2019. After a disappointing series of races during the year, Murphy brought their campaign to an end in September 2019 and resumed her campaign for the Laser Radial.

Annalise Murphy is a longtime and honorary member of the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire.

Aside from her Olympic success, Annalise Murphy won gold at the 2013 European Sailing Championships on Dublin Bay.

So far Annalise Murphy has represented Ireland at two Olympic Games.

Annalise Murphy has one Olympic medal, a silver in the Women’s Laser Radial from Rio 2016.

Yes; on 11 June 2020, Irish Sailing announced Annalise Murphy had been nominated in the Women’s Laser Radial to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in 2021.

Yes; in December 2016, Annalise Murphy was honoured as the Irish Times/Sport Ireland 2016 Sportswoman of the Year. In the same year, she was also awarded Irish Sailor of the Year.

Yes, Annalise Murphy crewed on eight legs of the 2017-18 edition of The Ocean Race.

Annalise Murphy was a crew member on Turn the Tide on Plastic, skippered by British offshore sailor Dee Caffari.

Annalise Murphy’s mother is Cathy McAleavy, who competed as a sailor in the 470 class at the Olympic Games in Seoul in 1988.

Annalise Murphy’s father is Con Murphy, a pilot by profession who is also an Olympic sailing race official.

Annalise Murphy trains under Irish Sailing Performance head coach Rory Fitzpatrick, with whom she also prepared for her silver medal performance in Rio 2016.

Annalise Murphy trains with the rest of the team based at the Irish Sailing Performance HQ in Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

Annalise Murphy height is billed as 6 ft 1 in, or 183cm.

©Afloat 2020

At A Glance – Annalise Murphy Significant Results

2016: Summer Olympics, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Silver

2013: European Championships, Dublin, Ireland – Gold

2012: Summer Olympics, London, UK – 4th

2011: World Championships, Perth, Australia – 6th

2010: Skandia Sail for Gold regatta – 10th

2010: Became the first woman to win the Irish National Championships.

2009: World Championships – 8th

Featured Sailing School

INSS sidebutton

Featured Clubs

dbsc mainbutton
Howth Yacht Club
Kinsale Yacht Club
National Yacht Club
Royal Cork Yacht Club
Royal Irish Yacht club
Royal Saint George Yacht Club

Featured Brokers

leinster sidebutton

Featured Webcams

Featured Associations

ISA sidebutton
ICRA
isora sidebutton

Featured Marinas

dlmarina sidebutton

Featured Sailmakers

northsails sidebutton
uksails sidebutton
quantum sidebutton
watson sidebutton

Featured Chandleries

CHMarine Afloat logo
https://afloat.ie/resources/marine-industry-news/viking-marine

Featured Blogs

W M Nixon - Sailing on Saturday
podcast sidebutton
BSB sidebutton
wavelengths sidebutton
 

Please show your support for Afloat by donating