Displaying items by tag: Royal St George Yacht Club
RS200/400 Demo at Royal St George Next Weekend
#RS SAILING - UK RS Association chairman Pete Vincent will be running another RS200 and 400 demo day from the Royal St George Yacht Club on the weekend of 24-25 March.
The well-known expert on RS boats is being brought to Dublin by RS400 owners Richard Tate and Emmet Ryan, who are "really keen to get an RS fleet up and running" in Dun Laoghaire.
"After the huge attention our boats have drawn both ashore and on the water, we feel there is already a keen interest from a broad cross section of sailors to learn something more about these incredible hiking dinghies," says Tate.
"There is a ready-to-race format for both RS200s and 400s to have a full season of racing every Tuesday and Thursday in Dublin Bay right from the go."
The RS200 is described as a "natural progression" from the RS Feva, while the RS400 "takes the concept one step further and way beyond". Both classes provide high performance assymmetrical racing for all age groups.
If you are thinking about moving into an RS200 or 400, this is the perfect opportunity to help you make your decision.
All demo sails must be booked in advance by contacting Pete Vincent directly at +44 7812 899 043 or [email protected].
North Sails Ireland Start Nationwide Seminar Tour
#NORTH SAILS SEMINAR – US Sailmaker Bill Gladstone of North Sails returns to these shores for a nine stop lecture tour of Ireland starting this Saturday at the country's biggest club, the Royal St George YC in Dun Laoghaire. Gladstone was last here in 2009 and the series proved popular. From Dun Laoghaire the North Sails seminar heads West to Galway Bay. The full schedule is below.
Gladstone has been teaching sailing and racing for over 30 years. Topics this week, for the €20 pay at the door event, include starting tactics, upwind trim, wind shift Strategy to spinnaker trim and handling.
For more information, contact the club, Maurice O'Connell ([email protected] / 086 2364200) or Nigel Young ([email protected] / 087 2514434)
2012 SEMINAR SCHEDULE
Royal St George Yacht Club.....28 January 2012
9:30 am - 1:30 pm
National Yacht Club..................30 January 2012
7 pm - 11 pm
Galway Bay Sailing Club...........31 January 2012
7 pm - 11 pm
Tralee Bay Sailing Club...........01 February 2012
7pm - 11pm
Royal Cork Yacht Club.............02 February 2012
7pm - 11pm
Kinsale Yacht Club...................03 February 2012
7pm - 11pm
Royal Irish Yacht Club.............04 February 2012
10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Howth Yacht Club....................06 February 2012
7pm - 11pm
Royal Ulster Yacht Club*......... 07 February 2012
7pm - 11pm
Pay at the door. €20 per person. *RUYC £18 per person.
2011 All Ireland Junior Sailing Event Scrubbed After Third Attempt
#YOUTH SAILING – In spite of three separate attempts to stage it since October, the All Ireland Junior Sailing Championships for 2011 were finally scrubbed this morning in Dun Laoghaire after winds again blew over the maximum limit for youth racing.
In an unfortunate turn of events the ISA All Ireland Junior and Girls Sailing Championships at the Royal St. George Yacht Club will not take place this year after first suffering postponements on October 29th, November 26th and this weekend too.
Racing Manager Ed Alcock met with the Royal St. George team this morning and regretfully decided to 'call off the event' due to the increased winds. Met Eireann is forecasting 20 knots with gusts of 30-40 knots.
Roland Jourdain To Visit Dublin With New MOD70
Renowned yachtsman Roland Jourdain will be visiting Ireland next month to show off his new vessel ahead of the Fastnet Race.
A veteran of 60-foot monohulls, Jourdain will be in Dun Laoghaire from 4-5 August to test his new Veolia Environnement MOD70 trimaran, as well as select crews for next year's transatlantic races.
His new MOD70 is the second in a series of 12 that will begin racing next summer when six of the fleet race from New York to Brest in France. But the first test will be at the Fastnet, where he will race the only other MOD70 on the circuit.
The Veolia Environnement MOD70 will be berthed adjacent to the Royal St George Yacht Club for anyone curious to have a peek. For more details on the vessel and on Roland visit www.multionedesign.com and www.canyousea.com.
The Royal St George Yacht Club has described the entertainment package for the upcoming International Match Racing Challenge as "value for money".
As reported Friday on Afloat.ie, the club is charging €200 for its 'hot seat' package, which will put yacht racing fans on board with a team "experiencing the thrills and tension of the race as it happens along with the competitors".
But the RSGYC has pointed out that the package, while expensive, works out as good value.
"We are very conscious of asking anyone to pay for anything but the package includes a lot - lunch, dinner, drinks, sailing, hot seat sailing, goodie bag, embroidered gear, etc," said RSGYC marketing and events co-ordinator Sonja Lee. "It is expensive but personally I feel it's value for money."
She added: "The feedback from last year’s hot seaters was excellent and quite a few are coming back this year. Nobody complained or felt it was bad value. Pricing is on a par with other 'corporate days'."
The 'hot seat package' includes a meet-and-greet in the clubhouse, a race briefing and a yacht trip around Dublin Bay as well as the hot seat race with a competing crew. Lunch and a post-race barbecue and drinks are also provided.
Meanwhile, the similarly specced 'pure spectator' package for €100 replaces the hot seat race with the chance to fire the starting gun for one of the weekend's races.
Further details are available on the RSGYC website.
Match Racing Challenge Hot Seat a Pricey Gift
You could be in the hot seat at next month's International Match Racing Challenge - provided you'e got €200 to spend.
The top-level entertainment package for the Royal St George Yacht Club's second annual event, set for the weekend of 23-24 July, will put yacht racing fans on board with a team "experiencing the thrills and tension of the race as it happens along with the competitors".
A spectator package - which will set fans back €100 - gives a bird's-eye view of all the racing in Scotsman's Bay "as well as the added bonus of firing the starting gun", according to the RSGYC.
The second International Match Race Challenge will see Ireland’s top six match racing teams go head to head against a world team consisting of six international crews from France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Ireland will be hoping to avenge their 36-29 loss to the world at last year's inaugural event.
Match racing involves head-to-head racing between two identical boats over short 20 minute courses, with each boat having four crew members. At the end of the competition and after approximately 90 races, there will be an overall individual winner. In addition, the combined scores of the six Irish teams and the six international teams will deliver an overall team winner.
Package One
THE HOT SEAT
€200 per person
Experience the thrills and tension of the race as it happens aboard!
12:00 Meet and Greet in Club
12:30 Race Briefing and Intro to the Event
12:45 Light Lunch
13:30 Trip on Yacht around Dublin Bay
14:30 Arrive at Spectator area to watch racing
15:00 Hot Seat Race
16:15 Return to shore
16:30 BBQ and Drinks
Hot Seaters need to be prepared to get wet and be active!
Package Two
PURE SPECTATOR
€100 per person
Get a Bird's Eye view of all the action!
12:00 Meet and Greet in Club
12:30 Race Briefing and Intro to the Event
12:45 Light Lunch
13:30 Trip on Yacht around Dublin Bay
14:30 Arrive at Spectator area to watch racing
15:00 Step on Board the Starter's Boat and fire the Starting Gun
16:00 Return to shore
16:30 BBQ and Drinks
Charity Fun Sailing Race at Royal St George
The Royal St George Yacht Club will host its first charity fun sailing race in aid of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin on Friday 22 July.
The race is open to all with a suggested entry feel of €5 for every crew member. Following the action the RSGYC will host an aprés race party for all participants and friends.
And since fun is the aim of the day, there is also a fancy dress option with a prize for the best dressed person!
Entries can be made online at the RSGYC website or alternatively by e-mail to [email protected].
Our Lady's Children’s Hospital Crumlin is an acute paediatric teaching hospital and is Ireland's largest paediatric hospital, being responsible for the provision of the majority of tertiary care services for children and medical research for childhood illnesses in Ireland.
For more than 50 years, Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital have relied on fund raising to help ensure that critically ill and injured children have access to the highest quality care. Contributions are invested in outstanding paediatric care and research to help the nation's sick children and continue to support efforts to ensure healthier children and happier lives.
Dun Laoghaire Sailing Clubs Say Future is in Leisure
Dun Laoghaire's future lies in tourism and leisure, according to a submission on the new 'master plan' for the busy harbour.
The Irish Times reports that the town's top sailing and yacht clubs, who have come together under the banner of Dun Laoghaire Combined Clubs, are putting aside their individual interests "in favour of a larger and longer-term vision for the harbour".
The clubs' submission urges a rethink on public access to both the shore and water sides of the harbour. Inprovements in linking the town with the harbour area are already a goal of the master plan.
"Properly developed with a marine tourism and leisure focus [Dun Laoghaire] can generate new and sustainable sources of income." they said.
Dun Laoghaire Combined Clubs comprises the 'big four' waterfront clubs - the National, Royal Irish, Royal St George and Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club - as well as the Dublin Bay Sailing Club and the Royal Alfred Yacht Club.
The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.
Ireland to Join World's Top Team Racers for UK Battle
In less than a month's time, Dun Laoghaire's Royal St. George Yacht Club will join the world's best team racers in the United Kingdom for the sixty-second edition of the Wilson Trophy British Open Team Racing Championship, hosted and organised by West Kirby Sailing Club.
This year's Wilson Trophy, which will take place on the Marine Lake in West Kirby from the 6 - 8 May, has, as expected, attracted another high quality entry list, with the 32 selected teams coming not only from the length and breadth of the United Kingdom, but from Ireland and the United States as well.Sailing in identically matched, colour coded Firefly dinghies, used exclusively for this event, the 32 teams will fight it out over three days of Swiss league and elimination rounds, culminating in a thrilling Grand Final to be sailed in front of a packed spectator grandstand on the final afternoon.
The Wilson Trophy is a major logistical undertaking. Over the 3 days, more than 300 races are started, finished, accurately scored and uploaded to the online rolling results service. On the water, a twenty-five strong team of international umpires are on hand to give instant decisions on rule infringements and dish out the appropriate penalties. And to keep the throngs of spectators on shore happy and well informed, an expert commentary team broadcasts live updates on all the action out on the lake.
With many of the teams yet to confirm their final sailor line-up, an assessment of potential form is difficult at this stage. Suffice it to say however that the great and the good of the team racing world will be in West Kirby for this year's Wilson Trophy.
2010 winners, Team Extreme from the USA are back to defend their title and will be looking to reproduce the calm and composure with which they swept undefeated through the qualification rounds last year, before inflicting an uncharacteristic and uncomfortable 3 - 0 whitewash defeat on local heroes the West Kirby Hawks, in the Grand Final. For their part, the West Kirby Hawks will no doubt be out for revenge and keen to expunge the memories of that 2010 final. If recent form is anything to go by, the the Hawks look to have hit their peak at just the right time. By all accounts they were on ruthless form at the recent UK RYA National Team Racing Championship; blazing through the elimination rounds undefeated before summarily dismissing locals Spinnaker Auspicious in the final, to retain their UK National Team Racing Champions title.
However with top quality teams like the Woonsocket Rockets (USA), the Royal St George Yacht Club (IRL) and the New York Yacht Club (USA) and several others with their eyes fixed on a Wilson Trophy victory, Team Extreme and the West Kirby Hawks will have their work cut out if they are to set up a return Grand Final showdown.
Legally Brunette to Return for Middle Sea Fixture
Whilst the major noise surrounding the 2010 Rolex Middle Sea Race will resonate around Esimit Europa 2's anticipated assault on the course record, there is much more to the race than the maxi component. Ireland is to have at least one entry in the form of repeat Dun Laoghaire contender Legally Brunette.
Cathal Drohan and Paul Egan are the owners of the Royal St George Yacht Club entry and the X41 will be skippered by Cathal Drohan for the race. The crew for the race are scheduled to be John Hall, Philip Doyle, Matt Patterson, Philip Allen, Susan McGrath, Susan Delany, Anna Egan, Niall O hEalaithe.
The Maltese participation is a crucial element in the success and popularity of the race. After watching foreign yachts secure overall victory in seven out of the eight races so far sponsored by Rolex, there is a feeling amongst the locals that it is time to redress the balance. When the 606-nautical mile race starts on 23 October, there will be a veritable posse of Maltese yachts chasing the seemingly elusive crown.
One of those yachts is even named Elusive II; the weapon of choice for Arthur Podesta, a thirty-time veteran of the race, which is now approaching its 31st edition. Podesta's record is enviable. No other major 600-nm offshore course – Rolex Fastnet, Rolex Sydney-Hobart or Newport-Bermuda – can boast a participant that has competed in every race since its inception. Immensely proud of his continuing achievement, which includes being a three-time winner as crew, Podesta takes nothing for granted and is happy enough to make the start-line each year. Do not confuse that with lack of ambition. Podesta and his crew, which usually has its backbone formed by his three children - Maya, Aaron and Christoph - push as hard as anyone for the win. In 2008, they finished third overall, a mere forty-minutes off the corrected time pace.
Another family affair involves the last Maltese winners and a family name synonymous with the colourful history of Malta's flagship sailing event. In 2002, John Ripard Jr and Andrew Calascione sailed Market Wizard to first overall. This year they are back again, with a neat twist as Ripard explains, "my brother-in-law Andrew Calascione and I will co-skipper Andrew's very recent acquisition Jaru, which is a J-133. We'll have with us a crew comprised almost entirely of direct family, being: my two sons, Sebastian and Thomas; Andrew's two sons, Daniel and Marc; plus, my sister Rachel's son, Luke Scicluna, and, my sister Erika's son, Sam Pizzuto. My father, John Ripard Sr [winner of the inaugural race in 1968], will have six grandchildren on the same boat!" The remaining three crew are Benji Borg, Sebastian Ripard's 49er Olympic campaign partner, John Santy from the UK and an Australian, Jordi Smith.
Another local with an eye on the main prize is Jonas Diamantino embarking on his tenth race and, once again, with Comanche Raider II Gasan Mamo. Diamantino exudes optimism ahead of each race; firmly believing he has the crew and the boat should the conditions favour them. This should not be seen as making excuses ahead of game-time for a poor finish. However good the handicap system, there is always an element of chance that the weather conditions will suit one end of the fleet or the other. That is the accepted nature of long-distance yacht racing. In recent years the big boats have held the upper hand. 2008 provides the sole glimmer of hope since 2002 for the smaller yachts, when the First 40.7, Spirit of Ad Hoc, took the crown.
Also in the same camp as Diamantino is Jonathon Gambin, with Ton Ton Surfside. Gambin sees nothing wrong in aiming high; seeking to test himself and his crew each time they cross the start line. Sandro Musu and Aziza have also come close to the Holy Grail, finishing fifth overall in 2004. Musu is as excited as ever heading into his seventh straight race.
Kevin Dingli and Fekruna will be satisfied to make the start line after last year losing his rig just before his debut race as skipper. Caught by a truly destructive waterspout during the inshore warm-up race, Dingli thought his race was over until his friend Peter Vincenti offered up his yacht, Manana. Edward Gatt Floridia, who has tasted the glory of being onboard the first Maltese yacht to finish, is skippering Otra Vez Fexco, one of the smallest boats in the fleet, for the second time. Another member of the Ripard clan will be on Lee Satariano's J-122 Artie. Christian Ripard is a two-race winning skipper, once in 1996 and then again in 2001; coincidently, both times with J-Boats – maybe a good omen. Satariano, himself, came close to the ultimate prize in 2006, almost scooping the trophy from under the nose of the German maxi Morning Glory. Alfred Manduca and Allegra round out the Maltese roster.
Sonke Stein may be German, but he is as good as a local in the eyes of many. He and his exuberant crew, which includes seven Maltese, have been a feature of the race for a number of years. Stein loves the it, most of the time, and this year is entering a new boat, coincidently a J-133 just like Ripard and Calascione, "she's named Juno and though she is registered in Hamburg, she is based in Malta. We have raced the boat a couple of times and are very happy with her performance. The crew is still a majority of Maltese, comprising my old team mixed with some others from the J-125 Strait Dealer [winning boat in 2001] crew. With experience from my earlier J-105 Oh Jee and the experience from Strait Dealer added to it we are looking forward to the race."
Whatever the weather and whatever the eventual results, the Maltese crews may expect a crescendo of noise to match any surrounding their more celebrated foreign-counterparts. The crowds lining the Valletta bastions at the start and the Royal Malta Yacht Club deck at the finish will make sure of that.
The Rolex Middle Sea Race commences on Saturday, 23 October 2010. Entries close on 15 October. The final prize giving is on Saturday, 30 October. George David's Rambler (USA) established the current Course Record of 47 hours 55 minutes and 3 seconds in 2007.