In May 2022, a sailing incident transformed Kevin Doyle's life. While competing in an ILCA dinghy, Kevin suffered a spinal injury that not only tested his resilience but also reshaped his connection to the sport. Ten months later, he found himself charting new waters at his club, the Royal St. George Yacht Club, steering his 2.4mR boat 'Miss Lizzy' with a renewed spirit and purpose. Unable to resume his previous professional work due to his injury, Kevin turned his attention to a unique aspect of sailing that blends skill, creativity, and community: the intricate art of splicing control lines for fellow sailors.
During his hospital stay following an on-the-water incident in an ILCA in May 2022, Doyle's attention turned to the 2.4mR class. He researched the class thoroughly, and upon his discharge from the hospital in December 2022, he found himself back on the water by March 2023.
Royal St. George Yacht Club member and Laser sailor Kevin Doyle's (above) attention has now turned to the 2.4mR class (below)
The transition from a wheelchair to the 2.4mR “Miss Lizzy” was a significant milestone for Kevin on his road to recovery. The transition from ILCA to 2.4mR also brought a new learning curve in terms of boat handling and control. In particular, he was struck by the dramatic increase in control lines from three in the ILCA to fifteen in the 2.4mR.
Having made contact with the current 2.4mR World champion, Heiko Kroger, and learning how to optimise the setup, he put a plan together on how to rig the boat. With the assistance of staff and members at the club, Kevin set about rigging his 2.4mR for use tailored to his own disability.
With the volume of lines and knots in the 2.4mR, Kevin set about learning how to splice lines in order to improve the performance inside the cockpit. Following some further research and taking some hints from how ILCA lines are set up for maximum depowering capability, he set up the cunningham in his 2.4mR with an 8:1 setup. The outcome was so much better than he thought it would be.
After that, there was no holding back. Soon the remaining lines in the 2.4mR were spliced which drew the attention of fellow club members, including some ILCA and Fireball sailors.
Marco Sorgassi, the 2023 ILCA Ireland Master Champion, took particular interest as he was looking to fine-tune his rigging.
Marco asked Kevin about the possibility of splicing his control lines for his ILCA. "We took Marcos's existing pulleys, and he provided me with his newly selected primary and secondary control lines from our friends in Viking Marine. I did a custom fit for Marco's setup. We took the standard measurements for the control lines but tailored them to his preferred lengths.” said Kevin.
(Above and below) Kevin Doyle (left) with some of his fellow sailors who have benefited from his splicing skills (Dave Coleman and Oisin Hughes are pictured)
Word soon got around about the quality and attention to detail of the splicing, and shortly afterwards, Doyle set about his second splicing project, a new vang, cunningham and outhaul, for another club ILCA sailor, Brendan Hughes. It seems that standard pre-spliced lines from international chandeliers are not always perfect for individual setups, so Kevin has found a niche in customising the settings to people’s needs.
One of Kevin Doyle's neat splices for the ILCA dinghy rigging
What started as a necessity for Kevin has blossomed into a valuable service for fellow sailors, illustrating how personal challenges can sometimes lead to new opportunities. Kevin has continuously expressed his gratitude to the local sailing community who rallied around him after his injury, and he sees this as a way he can pay back the kindness he was shown.
As Kevin says, “For me it's more than just splicing, it's my anchor. I’ve found my tribe in the Royal St George Yacht Club and the ILCA class. I find it massively therapeutic, to be honest, as there's something about working with my hands. Along with that, and even more importantly, I still feel that I belong. Doing some splicing is my way of saying thanks to all the people who supported me over the past year. What’s great is that I can also see the impact of the work I do splicing in real time on the water.”
