Class 3 IRC
1,Hard on Port,F O'Driscoll
2,Kilcullen Euro Car Parks,HYC K25 Team
3,Starlet,Bourke/Others
Class 3 HPH
1,Starlet,Bourke/Others
2,Stage Fright,Wormald/Walsh
3,Helly Hunter,L McMurtry
White Sail IRC
1,Bite the Bullet,C Bermingham
2,Jokers Wild,G Knaggs
3,Brazen Hussy,Barry/Stirling
White Sail HPH
1,Jokers Wild,G Knaggs
2,Brazen Hussy,Barry/Stirling
3,Bite the Bullet,C Bermingham

#rnli – Howth RNLI rescued a dog after he fell 200 feet from a cliff in north county Dublin yesterday.

The alarm was raised at approximately 4.30pm by a member of the public who was walking along the cliff path at Howth Head and noticed the dog's distressed owners.

The lifeboat helmed by Dave Howard and with fellow volunteer crew members Lorcan Dignam and Darryl Reamsbottom on board, was launched within minutes and went to the scene where the crew observed that Luca, a Pointer had fallen from the highest point of the cliff at the nose of Howth.

In what was a challenging rescue lasting about 30 minutes, two of the lifeboat crew with the guidance of Luca's owners at the top of the cliff, climbed over rocks and made their way to the frightened animal.

Having successfully recovered Luca, the crew then had to carefully work their way back to the lifeboat through the rocky boulders.

While returning to the lifeboat station, the inshore lifeboat crew came across a broken down jet-ski. The lifeboat towed the vessel and its owner safely back to a slipway at Howth Harbour.

Speaking following the call out, Howth RNLI Helm Dave Howard said: 'This was one very lucky dog. It was a 200ft drop and we didn't expect to have such a happy outcome to this rescue. Needless to say the owners were delighted to have Luca who was frightened and shivering but without harm, safely returned to them'.

This was the first of two call outs for Howth RNLI yesterday. The second came at 5.40pm when the lifeboat was requested to launch again following a report that a man who had been swimming across the channel to Malahide had got into difficulty.

The inshore lifeboat helmed this time by Lorcan Dignam and with crew members Tim McDonnell and Joss Walsh on board made its way to the scene where the swimmers having being dragged to shore by two friends who had raised the alarm, was located on the south eastern tip of Donabate Strand.

The lifeboat crew assessed the man and administered first aid on the scene before he was airlifted to hospital by the Irish Coast Guard

#lambayrace – Rarely have Lambay race competitors at Howth Yacht Club crossed the start and finish lines wearing shorts! The 2013 Lambay Races were bathed from start to finish in glorious sunshine and a light north-easterly breeze. Over 120 boats competed and boat of the day was "Hard on Port", a J24 which showed a clean pair of heels to some other Class 3 yachts winning by 3:20 minutes.

Scroll down for Lambay Race Results below

In his report on the event, HYC's Emmet Dalton says winning skipper Flor O'Driscoll put his success down to skirting closely along the southern shore off Lambay and getting into some slack tidal patches.

Regular Howth Yacht Club competitors were joined by sailors from other clubs, swelling the numbers to over 120 boats. 

The Howth Seventeens, the class that kicked off the Lambay Races over a century ago, were lead home by Ian Malcolm's "Aura". Suitably, that class was awarded its prizes first.

A "GoPro" camera, ideal for recording the good and bad parts of any sailing venture, was raffled and won by Squib sailor, Serena Blacoe. The full proceeds of the raffle, over €400 go to Howth Lifeboat

Howth Yacht Club Results for Lambay Races Saturday 8th June

Class 1 IRC
1,Crazy Horse,Chambers/Reilly,HYC
2,Storm,P Kelly,HYC
Class 1 ECHO
1,Crazy Horse,Chambers/Reilly,HYC
2,Storm,P Kelly,HYC
Class 2 IRC
1,Dux,A Gore-Grimes,HYC
2,King One,D Cullen,HYC
3,Impetuous,Noonan/Chambers,HYC
Class 2 ECHO
1,Dux,A Gore-Grimes,HYC
2,Rosie,R Dickson,MYC
2,Impetuous,Noonan/Chambers,HYC
Class 3 IRC
1,Hard on Port,F O'Driscoll,HYC
2,CriCri,P Colton,RIYC
3,Jebus,E Dalton,HYC
Class 3 ECHO
1,CriCri,P Colton,RIYC
2,Buster,P Higginbotham,MYC
3,Hard on Port,F O'Driscoll,HYC
White Sails A - IRC
1,Bite the Bullet,C Bermingham,HYC
2,Flashback,Hogg/Breen,HYC
3,White Lotus,P Tully,DLM
White Sails A - ECHO
1,Cogar,K & C Halpin,HYC
2,White Lotus,P Tully,DLM
3,Changeling,K Jameson,HYC
White Sails A - HPH
1,Cogar,K & C Halpin,HYC
2,Bite the Bullet,C Bermingham,HYC
3,Indulgence,D Sargent,HYC
White Sails B - IRC
1,Demelza,Ennis/Lauden,HYC
2,Jokers Wild,G Knaggs,HYC
3,Out & About,McCoy/Cregan,HYC
White Sails B - ECHO
1,Demelza,Ennis/Lauden,HYC
2,Jokers Wild,G Knaggs,HYC
3,Lolly Folly,C & L Phelan,HYC
White Sails B - HPH
1,Lolly Folly,C & L Phelan,HYC
2,Demelza,Ennis/Lauden,HYC
3,Wayfinder,J Reynolds,HYC
Shipman Scratch
1,The Den,S Miller,RStGYC
2,White Rock,H Robinson,RIYC
3,Macro One,J Murray,RIYC
Ruffian 23 Scratch
1,Paramour,Larry Power,NYC
2,Ruffles,M Cutliffe,DMYC
3,Diane 2,A Claffey,RStGYC
Puppeteer Scratch
1,Eclipse,A & R Hegarty,
2,Harlequin,Clarke/Egan,
3,Cloud 9,C Feeley,
Puppeteer Hcap
1,Cloud 9,C Feeley,
2,Eclipse,A&R Hegarty,
3,Ghosty Ned,Donal Harkin,
Squib Scratch
1,Seabiscuit,G Blacoe,
2,Black Amour,Sean O'Reilly,
Squib Hcap
1,Seabiscuit,G Blacoe,
2,Black Amour,Sean O'Reilly,
17 Footer Scratch
1,Aura,I Malcolm,
2,Rita,Curley/Lynch,
3,Oona,Peter Courtney,
17 Footer Hcap
1,Aura,I Malcolm,
2,Rita,Curley/Lynch,
3,Echo,B & H Lynch,
J80 Scratch
1,Jamie Carton
2,P Watson
3,Laura Dillon

More on the Howth Yacht Club site here

#etchells – There's not much interest in recruiting women into the Etchell's class as it prepares for the world championships in Rosignano Solvay, Italy this week if the response to an Irish 'bio break' query is anything to go by.

There was a howl of resistance – mainly Australian in origin –  against any special provision for women when Irish skipper Richard Burrows from Howth asked about mother ship facilities for his female crew at this weekend's pre-world Italian championship.

Burrows is sailing with son David and daughter Samantha at this week's Italian championships and next week's worlds at the same venue.

"Bucket and chuck it" appears to be the mantra. Easy for some!

There will be no facility in high temperature and long days on the water.  Is this the way forward at an international world championships or should regatta organisers make such a provision?

Or is it a wider issue where it appears class traditionalists would probably prefer if women were not taken as crew in the class?

A glance at the entry list so far shows the Howth trio is one of only two mixed crews in the entire line up.

The regatta site proudly boasts this Italian venue is the 'first Etchells Worlds to be held in a non–Anglo Saxon country'. 

It's great to see the venerable class charting new waters but perhaps a more considerate approach to the fairer sex might also help in the drive to boost numbers?

#HYC – Results from HYC club racing on Wednesday, 22nd May 2013.

Class 2 IRC
1,8094,King One,D Cullen
2,1411,Toughnut,D Skehan
3,7495,Maximus,P Kyne

Class 2 HPH
1,7495,Maximus,P Kyne
2,1411,Toughnut,D Skehan
3,8094,King One,D Cullen

Class 3 IRC
1,4794,Hard on Port,F O'Driscoll
2,680,Kilcullen Euro Car Parks,HYC K25 Team
3,8188,Alliance II,V Gaffney

Class 3 HPH
1,5470,Lee na Mara,O'Malley/Keegan
2,218,Turtle,R Hogg
3,4794,Hard on Port,F O'Driscoll

White Sail IRC
1,3335,Bite the Bullet,C Bermingham
2,37050,Sandpiper of Howth,A Knowles

White Sail HPH
1,1343,Arcturus,P & D McCabe
2,37050,Sandpiper of Howth,A Knowles
3,3335,Bite the Bullet,C Bermingham

The Asgard Angling Club in Howth presented Howth RNLI with a cheque for €750 on Monday (20 May 2013).

In total €1500 was raised through the annual sale of the club's calendar which was sold through local shops and featured images of Howth. Half of the money was donated to the RNLI and the rest to the Howth Active Retirement group.

Gus Quigley, President of the Asgard Angling Club said, "The RNLI is a local charity, and as boat users it gives us great peace of mind to know that the volunteer lifeboat crew will always be there if we ever need them. My own father, Lawrence was a member of the lifeboat crew in Howth for 42 years".

"The Asgard Angling Club in Howth are great supporters of the RNLI and the funds raised will ensure that our lifeboat crews go to sea with the best equipment and training available to ensure their safety when saving lives at sea", according to Rose Michael, Howth RNLI Fundraising Chairperson.

Puppeteer Scratch

1 Yellow Peril Murphy/Costello
2 Ibis S Sheridan
3 No Strings T Harvey

Puppeteer Handicap
1 Yellow Peril Murphy/Costello
2 Ibis S Sheridan
3 Geppetto O'Reilly/McDyer

Squib scratch
1 Too Dee D Sheahan
2 Kerfuffle J Craig & H Ruane
3 Chatterbox J Kay

Squib Handicap
1 Too Dee D Sheahan
2 Puffin Emer Harte
3 Kerfuffle J Craig & H Ruane

Seventeen Scratch
1 Aura I Malcolm
2 Deilginis Deilginis Group
3 Oona P Courtney

Seventeen Handicap
1 Aura I Malcolm
2 Deilginis Deilginis Group
3 Echo B & H Lynch

87 prospective sailors attended last weekend's (April 21) ICRA Try Sailing Day using Howth's J80 fleet.

Laura Dillon, Philip Watson and Peter Bayly were among the instructors afloat with shore sessions run by Des McWilliam, Prof O Connell, Graeme Grant and Noel Davidson.

Sessions included talks on topics such as New to sailing, Bow and Masst, Sail Trim and Helming.

ICRA has already received over 300 requests for further participation and the try sailing programme will be rolled out now in clubs around the country.

#Coastguard - Howth Coast Guard has blogged about its recent medical exercise with the Irish Red Cross.

The multi-casualty medical training exercise involved lowering a number of qualified and trainee emergency medical technicians (EMTs) into Whitewater Brook by the heights rescue team.

These EMTs served as serious trauma victims who were then retrieved through the joint effort of over 40 personnel between the two organisations who worked together to triage, treat and evacuate.

Another recent training exercise, as featured in the video above, involved the safe evacuation of a casualty with a lower limb fracture.

"One of the more common callouts we receive are for people enjoying walking or running in the area who slip and fracture a lower limb or ankle injury," said the North Dublin-based unit of the Irish Coast Guard.

"The team regularly train for this scenario, ensuring all members are able to stabilise, package, and evacuate by stretcher a casualty in this situation."

#sywoc – There are two distinct strands in Irish university sailing these days. The annual National Team Racing Opens in Fireflies – won five weeks ago on Tralee Bay from 26 college teams by University of Limerick skippered by Ross Murray – continues to be the backbone of the national students' programme. This is as it should be. Team racing is a natural fit in college life, but it's equally natural that afterwards, most folk grow out of it.

However, with the success in recent years by the Irish colleges in the Student Yachting Worlds in France in the last week of October, this major international championship with one keelboat apiece has zoomed to the top of the agenda. With the availability of the SailFleet flotilla of J/80s, the top Irish college sailing clubs are able to have a proper selection series with fleet racing which emulates the championship itself, especially this year as J/80s will also be the boat used in France in six months time.

On top of that, University College Dublin are current world champions, and they have a place at the worlds as of right. So there has been a second team place in France up for grabs in a three day selection series spread over three weekends, concluding today in Howth where the J/80s are based this Spring.

The Student Worlds is a massive season-long commitment for a transient membership college sailing club to make, but they mustered seven teams at mid-series with UCD:Simon Doran; TCD:Scott Flanigan; UL: Rob O'Leary; DIT: Nessa Coady; CIT: Donough Good. Seventh team DCU, skippered by Ryan Scott, had already committed to a team racing series in France on the first weekend when this three-Saturday schedule for April was announced, so they've been allowed to compete the latter two weekends with average points allowed for their no-show first day in a series which will have no discards.

However, University of Limerick continue on a roll, and their helmsman Rob O'Leary only has to make sure he doesn't record a last place in either of today's two races to ensure that UL will be providing a two-pronged attack for Ireland along with UCD at the big one in France in October.

The People's Boats – the ISA SailFleet J/80s are a matter of quiet pride for the sailing community, successfully fulfilling their important role at key sailing centres Photos: W M Nixon

Tomorrow, the J/80s are back in action with the ICRA training day, and it's good to see them doing what they're intended for. The SailFleet concept is achieving exactly what everyone hoped, and we can be proud of them – they're The People's Boats. That said, we may need to organise some sort of fund-raising do - a gala dinner might fit the bill – to put right a problem with ISA SailFleet J/80 No 4. At least two bolts in the upper rudder gudgeon on the transom are producing an unsightly stain. Of course it can't be rust. It just can't be rust. It must be a stain of some sort. But nevertheless, a focused fund-raising drive may be necessary to raise the resources to replace those bolts with fastenings in proper naval grade SS 316. It's the least we can do for The People's Boats.

It just couldn't be rust....but this stain needs some SS 316. Photo: W M Nixon