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Displaying items by tag: Commonwealth

It was hard to miss the big announcement of '100 days to go' for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this week but today it is the turn of RYA Scotland as they also reach the '100 days to go' milestone for the Commonwealth Flotilla.

As previously reported, the Commonwealth Flotilla is an official Festival 2014 event and the RYA Scotland team is delighted to be part of the Games experience for spectators and visitors. The event has really gathered pace since the formal launch at the end of February. With over 250 applications having been received already, the response of people looking to get on the water and get involved has been overwhelming.

The Commonwealth Flotilla, which will see the largest number of boats ever assembled on the Clyde, will take place over the weekend of 25-27 July 2014. The morning of Saturday 26 July 2014, the mass Flotilla will make its way on the 17 nautical mile (32km) journey from Greenock to Pacific Quay in Glasgow, adjacent to BBC Scotland and the Glasgow Science Centre. The event is the perfect way to not just promote sailing as a sport, but also to showcase Scotland as a fantastic place to visit and to go sailing.

"Our trip up the Clyde and into Glasgow at the end of July won't just be about the sail itself. If your boat isn't one of the 250 registered to take part then all is not lost as there will be lots of other chances to get involved and enjoy this spectacular opportunity" commented Claire Caffrey, RYA Scotland Marketing Officer.

The RYA Scotland Commonwealth Flotilla is actively seeking boats from England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland and beyond to enter. The Flotilla is not just for Scottish boats. RYA Scotland would like to welcome and are encouraging boats from all over the UK, across Europe, the Commonwealth and beyond to join us for the event of a lifetime. Don't miss out – register before 28th April 2014.

Scotland is one of the best places in the world for sailing – challenging waters, a beautiful and dramatic coastline, intriguing history and places to visit – wrapped with a genuine warmth and hospitality along the way. Combining this with the Commonwealth Games, Homecoming Scotland, the Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme and the Commonwealth Flotilla event means there really is no better time to visit Scotland and experience all that Scotland and the city of Glasgow has to offer.

Published in Cruising

#ANGLING - Two Newtownabbey anglers are part of a six-man Northern Ireland team competing at the 2012 Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships, which started yesterday in Tasmania.

The Newtonabbey Times reports that Kenny Ferguson and team captain Alan R McDade set out for the Australian island last Wednesday for the competition that runs till 19 February.

They join Campbell Baird and Harvey Hutchinson from Carrickfergus, Banbridge angler Neil Cardwell and Harry McAteer Jr from Belfast for the week-long contest.

The six - who qualified from contests held throughout Ireland organised by the Trout Anglers Federation of Ireland - also comprise the first full team that Northern Ireland has entered in the competition.

Published in Angling

The GP14 is a popular sailing dinghy, with well over 14,000 boats built.

The class is active in the UK, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and parts of north-eastern USA, and the GP14 can be used for both racing and cruising. 

Designed by Jack Holt in 1949, with the assistance of the Dovey Yacht Club in Aberdyfi. The idea behind the design was to build a General Purpose (GP) 14-foot dinghy which could be sailed or rowed, capable of also being powered effectively by a small outboard motor, able to be towed behind a small family car and able to be launched and recovered reasonably easily, and stable enough to be able to lie to moorings or anchor when required. Racing soon followed, initially with some degree of opposition from Yachting World, who had commissioned the design, and the boat soon turned out to be an outstanding racing design also.

The boat was initially designed with a main and small jib as a comfortable family dinghy. In a design philosophy that is both practical and highly redolent of social attitudes of the day the intention was that she should accommodate a family comprising parents plus two children, and specifically that the jib should be modest enough for "Mum" or older children to handle, while she should perform well enough to give "Dad" some excitement when not taking the family out. While this rig is still available, and can be useful when using the boat to teach sailing, or for family sailing, and has some popularity for cruising, the boat is more commonly seen with the full modern rig of a mainsail, genoa and spinnaker. Australian boats also routinely use trapezes.

GP14 Ireland Event Dates 2023

  • O'Tiarnaigh (Apr 22-23) Blessington Sailing Club
  • Ulsters (May 20-21) East Antrim Boat Club
  • Munsters (Jun 17-18) Tralee Bay Sailing Club
  • Leinsters (Jul 7-9) Dun Laoghaire Regatta
  • SOYC (Aug 19-20) Rush Sailing Club
  • Nationals (Sep 1-3) Sutton Dinghy Club
  • Hot Toddy (Sep 30-Oct 1) Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club

 

At A Glance – GP14 Dinghy Specifications

Crew 2
Draft 1,200 mm (47 in)
Hull weight 132.9 kg
LOA 4.27 m (14 ft)
Beam 1.54 m
Spinnaker area 8.4 m2
Upwind sail area 12.85 m2

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