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Displaying items by tag: Lough Derg

A Lough Derg marina at Kylenashee, near Portumna in County Galway is on the market for the first time with vacant possession. ​

The lake front property, that is suitable for a variety of uses, has been in use in recent years as a marina with berthing for 25 boats.

​The property is advertised on Afloat's marine market and has 'substantial lake frontage' on approximately seven acres. 

Read the full announcement here 

Published in Inland Waterways

On Saturday afternoon, Valentia Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat to launch to assist 10 people after their 40ft cruiser ran aground by the Scilly Islands on Lough Derg. Valentia Coast Guard informed the lifeboat that the Killaloe Coast Guard RIB had also launched to assist.

At 5.45pm, the lifeboat launched with helm Eleanor Hooker, Ger Egan, and Keith Brennan on board. Winds was south-westerly, Force 4, gusting 5. Visibility was good. Valentia Coast Guard informed the lifeboat that the Killaloe Coast Guard RIB had also launched to assist.

The lifeboat arrived on scene at 6pm, the casualty vessel was aground north of the Scilly Islands. The Killaloe Coast Guard commenced an anchor and veering down to the casualty vessel. All ten people were unharmed and wearing their lifejackets. As the vessel was high on a rocky shelf, it was decided to transfer all casualties to Mountshannon Harbour, five on board Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat and five on board the Killaloe Coast Guard RIB, and where the land mobile Coast Guard unit was waiting to receive the casualties.

Both the lifeboat and the Coast Guard RIB returned to the casualty vessel. Once satisfied that the cruiser was not holed, she was safely taken off the rock shelf and towed by the Killaloe Coast Guard boat to Mountshannon.

Peter Kennedy, Deputy Launching Authority at Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat, advises boat users to ‘bring charts with you and identify the areas close to shore and islands marked as not navigable, particularly as water levels are relatively low in the lake at the moment’.

The lifeboat returned to Station and was ready for service again at 7.53pm.

Published in RNLI Lifeboats
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#LoughDerg - Independent.ie reports that a man in his 60s has died after falling into Lough Derg yesterday morning (Thursday 9 February).

Emergency services were called to respond around 9.30am after the man fell into the water while walking with his wife at Terryglass, on the lough’s north-eastern shore.

After he was recovered by a local boat crew, the man was airlifted to University Hospital Limerick by the Shannon-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 115 but later pronounced dead.

Published in News Update
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#LoughDerg - Two years after Lough Derg Marina sold for more than three times its guide price, another marina on the third-largest lake on the island of Ireland has come on the market.

As The Irish Times reports, more than €2.5 million is being sought for Cloondavaun Bay Marina near Portumna — a 50-berth property with almost a kilometre of lake frontage and a range of modern services for boat owners, as well a four-bed detached home.

Subject to planning, estate agents CBRE say the marina is most suited to aquatic tourism, from private berthing to angling and watersport on the lough.

There is also scope to expand its berthage to accommodate as many as 100 more vessels.

Published in Irish Marinas

Canoe facilities and services blocks are being provided at various locations around Lough Derg as part of a new inland waters initiative aimed at promoting water-based activities on Ireland’s third largest lake.

Clare County Council has confirmed that the proposed Lough Derg Canoe Trail, which is scheduled for completion by January 2017, will see facilities installed in Killaloe, Ballycuggeran, and Scarriff, Mountshannon and Dromaan harbours.

The Trail project is an initiative of the Lough Derg Marketing Group and is being funded under the Lough Derg Stimulus Fund. Waterways Ireland is leading the design and development of the project in partnership with the Clare County Council, Galway County Council and Tipperary County Council.

Trail information signage is being provided at Canal Bank, Killaloe, where upgrade works to the existing slipway are also being undertaken. Works underway at the Mill Yard, Killaloe include the provision of trail information signage, a canoe storage rack and planting/screening of same. The works to Scarriff harbour include trail information signage, a canoe storage rack and screening and the installation of a new floating landing/launching step.

The works at Ballycuggeran include the provision of trail information signage, a canoe storage rack and screening, while Mountshannon will benefit from trail information signage, a canoe storage rack, and screening and the refurbishment of the existing service block. Dromaan harbour will see the provision of trail information signage, a canoe storage rack and screening and the construction of a new 3-unit service block and holding tank.

Published in Canoeing
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Squibs from all over Ireland converged on Lough Derg Yacht Club at Dromineer at the weekend. Three came from the Royal North of Ireland in Belfast Lough, two from Killyleagh Yacht Club on Strangford Lough, two from Royal St George Yacht Club, and one from Royal Irish Yacht Club and one from the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire, One from Howth Yacht Club, three from Kinsale Yacht Club, one from Galway Bay Sailing Club and plenty of Squibs from the home club. Only for a huge rugby funeral, there would have been many more boats from Kinsale. All in all, the entry of 20 Squibs equalled the Irish Championship in Kinsale a few weeks earlier.

Racing on Saturday was held on Lough Derg in the racing area North of the Corrikeen Islands, with windward-leeward courses. Initially there was almost no wind, so competitors paddled to the race area, and racing was postponed till a force two breeze from the south-south-east kicked in. In race one ‘The Worm’ sailed by Sam Lyness and Erk Heyes from RNIYC played the shifty wind and flat water to their advantage, to win the first race from Jack and Jill Roy’s ‘Kanaloa’ from NYC and ‘Fuggles’ sailed by Jeffs Condell and Cochrane who were using the new ‘Olimpic Sails.’ These prototype Squib sails depend on really bar tight rigging, unlike the normal set up for Squibs.

By race two the wind had swung to the south-east, again was light and shifty. This time the order was ‘The Worm’, ‘Fuggles’ and Gordon Patterson and Ross Nolan’s ‘Quickstep III.’
There was a quick break, for lunch afloat. By race three the wind was in the east, with the windward mark near the Tipperary shore. ‘Quickstep III’ skilfully handled the shifting winds, which were particularly trickey near the windward mark, and won from ‘The Worm’ and Simon Watson and Brian Kelly’s ‘Volante’ from Killyleagh.

‘The Worm’ nailed the start of the fourth race, with the same wind strength and direction, and held a decent lead from the fighting pack behind. It was Judy Hamilton and Vincent Delany’s ‘Greeb’ who stole second place from ‘Volante’ and ‘Quickstep’. This was the significant result which decided the championship.

On Saturday evening the Lough Derg club, and The Whiskey Still’s hospitality lived up to their reputations. ‘The Worm’ allegedly downed more gin and tonics than his overnight racing score.
On Sunday the forecast was for fourteen knots gusting to twenty-seven knots. Racing was held near Ryan’s Point, with the windward mark off Urra. This would test the skills of the sailors. In the first race the wind only got up to about 12 knots. ‘Quichstep III’ took the gun (in a race with winds shifting up to twenty degrees), from Des Clayton and Paul Henry in ‘Inismara’ in what was almost a photo finish. ‘The Worm’ took fifth place which was enough to give him the championship.

By the final race the wind, as forecast, was very gusty, which allowed the Squibs to plane on the running legs, and produced a few spectacular broaches. This time it was ‘Fuggles’ which won from ‘Quickstep’ and Colm Dunne and Emmet Ryans ‘Allegro’.

Thanks go to Commodore David Meredith and his team for organising a great regatta, and to Lt. Cdr. John Leech for acting as OOD in difficult conditions.

For full results see below.

Published in Squib
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#RNLI - Lough Derg RNLI was requested to launch by Valentia Coast Guard yesterday evening (Sunday 4 September) to assist a fisherman whose boat was wedged inside a rocky shoal.

At 5.50pm, the inshore lifeboat launched with helm Eleanor Hooker, Liam Knight and Keith Brennan on board. Winds were east-southeasterly Force 2 and visibility was good.

The lifeboat located the vessel in Youghal Bay, and the fisherman on board was found safe and wearing his lifejacket.

He was taken onto the lifeboat and an RNLI volunteer transferred across to the lakeboat before it was taken off the shoal and towed to safe harbour in Youghal Bay.

Peter Kennedy, deputy launching authority at Lough Derg RNLI, advises boat users "to bring charts with you and know the areas close to shore marked as unnavigable."

Published in RNLI Lifeboats

Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat launched at 5.20am, following reports to Gardaí of calls for help coming in off the lake.

At 05.06am this morning, Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat was requested to launch by Valentia Coast Guard, following a report to Nenagh Gardaí of calls for help heard coming in off the lake, that woke sailors camping at Lough Derg Yacht Club.

As volunteer crew assembled, they were informed by Gardaí, who were at the Lifeboat Station, that a cruiser was seen to leave the public harbour close to the time the calls for help were heard.

The lifeboat launched at 05.18am with helm Eleanor Hooker, Ger Egan and Owen Cavanagh on board. Winds were light, southeasterly. Visibility was poor with fog and just before dawn.

The Irish Coast Guard Search and Rescue Helicopter team based at Shannon, were on standby should they be required.

The lifeboat set a route south, in the direction from which the calls were heard, and using a search light quickly located a cruiser at anchor close to the navigation channel, south of the Corrakeen Islands, outside Dromineer Bay.

The lifeboat crew roused the passengers on board and made them check that everyone was accounted for on board. The passengers said they may have been making some noise as they left the harbour earlier, and would be continuing their passage south at daybreak.

The lifeboat reported their findings to Valentia Coast Guard and, advised that the cruiser’s companion boat was moored in Dromineer Harbour, would check that they had no difficulties.

Once it was established neither vessel was missing a passenger, the lifeboat returned to station.

Brian Hanley, Deputy Launching Authority at Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat, advises boat users to ‘respect the water, enjoy the lake, but ensure one person remains fully in command of your boat at all times’.

The lifeboat returned to Station and was ready for service again at 06.10am

Published in RNLI Lifeboats
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At 3.30pm yesterday, Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat was requested to launch by Valentia Coast Guard, following a report from people on shore at Mountshannon, that people were seen waving a distress signal on a cruiser outside the bay. The lifeboat launched at 3.45pm with helm Eleanor Hooker, Peter Clarke and Owen Cavanagh on board. Winds was westerly, Force 5/6 gusting 7. Visibility was good.

Nine people were on board, three adults and six children.

The lifeboat located the vessel in Mountshannon Bay at 4pm. All nine people on board were safe and unharmed and wearing their lifejackets. They had dropped anchor to prevent being pushed onto nearby rocks. An RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew was transferred to the casualty vessel where he reassured everyone, and then set up a bridle and tow. The lifeboat took the tow and went ahead of the cruiser to assist the RNLI volunteer weigh anchor, which had dug in and was holding fast.

The lifeboat towed the cruiser to Mountshannon Harbour where she was tied safely alongside at 4.30pm. The Lifeboat returned to station and was ready for service again at 5pm.

Pat Lynch, Deputy Launching Authority at Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat advises boat users to ‘to check weather forecast before going afloat, make sure your boat is serviced and to carry a means of communication’.

Published in RNLI Lifeboats
Tagged under

#Optimist - Results from Day 2 of the 2016 Optimist National and Open Championships on Lough Derg on Tuesday 16 August:

Senior Division, Gold Fleet
1st: Harry Twomey (RCYC and Crookhaven YC) – 21 pts; 2nd: Tom Higgins (RStGYC) – 23 pts; 3rd: Blake Wilson (AUS) – 28 pts

Senior Division, Silver Fleet
1st: Eoghan Turner (NYC) – 203 pts; 2nd: Kitty Flanagan (RStGYC) – 214 pts; 3rd: Kate Horgan (RCYC) – 278 pts

Junior Division, Gold Fleet
1st: Henry Heathcote (GBR) – 17 pts; 2nd: Freddie Lonsdale (GBR) – 29 pts; 3rd: Ella Lance (GBR) – 34 pts

Junior Division, Silver Fleet
1st: Johnny Flynn (HYC) – 72 pts; 2nd: Thomas O'Neill (HYC) – 192 pts; 3rd: Eimer McMorrow-Moriarty (Tralee Bay SC) – 217 pts.

(Main Fleet Sailed: 7, Discards: 1, To count: 6, Entries – Senior Fleet: 66, Junior Fleet: 91)

Regatta Fleet
1st: Russell Bolger (RStGYC) – 7 pts; 2nd: Jessica Riordan (RStGYC) – 13 pts; 3rd: Eibhe Lubliner (RStGYC) – 15 pts

(Sailed:6, Discards: 1, To count: 5, Entries: 53)

Published in Optimist
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Page 16 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

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