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Displaying items by tag: Mulranny

A refuse barrel from South Carolina has been found washed up in an unexpected spot — on a beach more than 5,500km away in Co Mayo.

Myrtle Beach City Government shared their surprise email exchange with Keith McGreal, who discovered the blue barrel at the weekend while walking his local beach in Mulranny, between Clew Bay and Blacksod Bay.

McGreal contacted officials in Myrtle Beach — perhaps best known in this part of the world for its abundance of golf courses — going by the labels that were still fastened to the trash can despite its epic journey.

It’s suspected that following strong winds or a storm blew it into the North Atlantic, a favourable Gulf Stream current was responsible for taking the coastal rubbish receptacle so far off course.

“We typically remove trash containers from the beach before a hurricane, but this one apparently had a mind of its own,” the city said on social media, adding: “We’ve already had a city employee volunteer to come fetch it.”

Published in Coastal Notes
The Irish Sea Kayaking Association (ISKA) will host its annual symposium on 8-9 October 2011 in Mulranny, Co Mayo.
The activity-filled weekend at the Mulranny Park Hotel will include training workshops, peer paddles and talks by leading kayaking experts.
Delivering the keynote speech will be Jasper Winn, author of Paddle: A Long Way Around Ireland, who will use a mix of digital slides, video clips and live music to illustrate his account of his trip around the country by kayak.
For more details visit the ISKA website at irishseakayakingassociation.org

The Irish Sea Kayaking Association (ISKA) will host its annual symposium on 8-9 October 2011 in Mulranny, Co Mayo. 

The activity-filled weekend at the Mulranny Park Hotel will include training workshops, peer paddles and talks by leading kayaking experts. 

Delivering the keynote speech will be Jasper Winn, author of Paddle: A Long Way Around Ireland, who will use a mix of digital slides, video clips and live music to illustrate his account of his trip around the country by kayak.

For more details visit the ISKA website at irishseakayakingassociation.org.

Published in Kayaking
30th September 2009

Bellacragher Bay Boat Club

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Bellacragher Bay Boat Club

Bellacragher Bay Boat Club was formed in 2003 by Seamus Butler, Claggan and Brian Masterson Owenduff, in response to interest from people in Achill, Mulranny and Ballycroy. In choosing a name, they picked the Bay that links all three areas together – Bellacragher Bay, pictured left.

A introduction to sailing week was held on the four days after the August Bank Holiday 2003. On completion of the training, five 14ft boats sailed 6 miles to innisbiggle for the Island Festival.

The sailing week has continued to the present and grown significantly. In 2008 approx 60 people took part and there was a fleet of 18 boats. The Club has had considerable success in obtaining training funding for commercial and leisure marine courses with Leader and MFG providing the funds.

The Club members come from varied backgrounds but many have strong marine backgrounds and experience in all manner of boating activities, cruiser sailing, dinghy sailing, canoeing, powerboating, commercial fishing and diving/sking/kiting.

In August 2008, the club was offered affilliation with The Irish Sailing Association, The ISA is responsible for most marine training in the country, their courses and certificates are recognised and approved by the Irish Government. Membership of The ISA was a major stepping stone in the advancement of the club, the ISA were very impressed with the club organisation and asked if they could use some of their techniques.

In 2009, the Club plans to introduce a weekly sailing session in Claggan. This will be on a weekday evening, to suit tides, starting in may and ending in October. Sailing will be on 420s 470s, Lasers, andToppers with a fully equipped and qualified safety boat and crew supervising the sailing. Any one that wishes to have a go is very welcome to come along, even if you just want to have a look. There is always a few on the shore, getting boats ready,repairing them or looking after the BBQ. The Sailing will follow the ISA syllabus and arrangements have been made for an ISA Examiner to visit the Summer Sailing camp to assess Sailors and test them for the various sailing levels.

The Sailing branch of the club is also home to the Sea Scouts of the 22nd Mayo Troop. The club provides the scouts with all the waterborne experience they need. In addition to dinghy sailing, short cruises to Clare Island, Inishturk and Inishboffin take place during the summer where possible.The boats used are sailing cruisers and powerboats/sports cruisers. There are usually crew places available.

There is so much to learn about the sea that a short article is barely able to touch on the subject but people are very welcome to join or visit one of the sessions. You may observe Navigation, ropework, capsize/survival techniques or first aid and may find that it appeals to you!

For further information contact Seamus Butler 087 657 9348 or email [email protected]

 
Bellacragher Bay Boat Club, Brian Masterson, Owenduff, Achill, Co Mayo. Tel: 087 237 0102, email: [email protected]

Have we got your club details? Click here to get involved

Published in Clubs

Howth 17 information

The oldest one-design keelboat racing class in the world is still competing today to its original 1897 design exclusively at Howth Yacht club.

Howth 17 FAQs

The Howth 17 is a type of keelboat. It is a 3-man single-design keelboat designed to race in the waters off Howth and Dublin Bay.

The Howth Seventeen is just 22ft 6ins in hull length.

The Howth 17 class is raced and maintained by the Association members preserving the unique heritage of the boats. Association Members maintain the vibrancy of the Class by racing and cruising together as a class and also encourage new participants to the Class in order to maintain succession. This philosophy is taken account of and explained when the boats are sold.

The boat is the oldest one-design keelboat racing class in the world and it is still racing today to its original design exclusively at Howth Yacht club. It has important historical and heritage value keep alive by a vibrant class of members who race and cruise the boats.

Although 21 boats are in existence, a full fleet rarely sails buy turnouts for the annual championships are regularly in the high teens.

The plans of the Howth 17 were originally drawn by Walter Herbert Boyd in 1897 for Howth Sailing Club. The boat was launched in Ireland in 1898.

They were originally built by John Hilditch at Carrickfergus, County Down. Initially, five boats were constructed by him and sailed the 90-mile passage to Howth in the spring of 1898. The latest Number 21 was built in France in 2017.

The Howth 17s were designed to combat local conditions in Howth that many of the keel-less boats of that era such as the 'Half-Rater' would have found difficult.

The original fleet of five, Rita, Leila, Silver Moon, Aura and Hera, was increased in 1900 with the addition of Pauline, Zaida and Anita. By 1913 the class had increased to fourteen boats. The extra nine were commissioned by Dublin Bay Sailing Club for racing from Kingstown (Dún Laoghaire) - Echo, Sylvia, Mimosa, Deilginis, Rosemary, Gladys, Bobolink, Eileen and Nautilus. Gradually the boats found their way to Howth from various places, including the Solent and by the latter part of the 20th century they were all based there. The class, however, was reduced to 15 due to mishaps and storm damage for a few short years but in May 1988 Isobel and Erica were launched at Howth Yacht Club, the boats having been built in a shed at Howth Castle - the first of the class actually built in Howth.

The basic wooden Howth 17 specification was for a stem and keel of oak and elm, deadwood and frames of oak, planking of yellow pine above the waterline and red pine below, a shelf of pitch pine and a topstrake of teak, larch deck-beams and yellow pine planking and Baltic spruce spars with a keel of lead. Other than the inclusion of teak, the boats were designed to be built of materials which at that time were readily available. However today yellow pine and pitch pine are scarce, their properties of endurance and longevity much appreciated and very much in evidence on the original five boats.

 

It is always a busy 60-race season of regular midweek evening and Saturday afternoon contests plus regattas and the Howth Autumn League.

In 2017, a new Howth 17 Orla, No 21, was built for Ian Malcolm. The construction of Orla began in September 2016 at Skol ar Mor, the boat-building school run by American Mike Newmeyer and his dedicated team of instructor-craftsmen at Mesquer in southern Brittany. In 2018, Storm Emma wrought extensive destruction through the seven Howth Seventeens stored in their much-damaged shed on Howth’s East Pier at the beginning of March 2018, it was feared that several of the boats – which since 1898 have been the very heart of Howth sailing – would be written off. But in the end only one – David O’Connell’s Anita built in 1900 by James Clancy of Dun Laoghaire – was assessed as needing a complete re-build. Anita was rebuilt by Paul Robert and his team at Les Ateliers de l’Enfer in Douarnenez in Brittany in 2019 and Brought home to Howth.

The Howth 17 has a gaff rig.

The total sail area is 305 sq ft (28.3 m2).

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