Displaying items by tag: NYC Sailing Awards

23rd November 2019

National Yacht Club Presented With Perpetual Trophy In Memory Of Sue McDonnell

The widower of the late member Sue McDonnell has presented the National Yacht Club with a new perpetual trophy in her memory that will be recognise excellence in women’s sailing.

In agreement with her family and the NYC club committee, the Sue McDonnell Trophy will be awarded to the female club member who has contributed most to the advancement of women in sailing.

The NYC says the new award is timely as the club was selected to host the inaugural Irish Sailing Pathfinder Women at the Helm Regatta this year, and has been reconfirmed as host club in 2020.

Sue McDonnell who joined the club in 2002 when she and John Hall bought their Beneteau 31.7, 30 Something.

In 2007, having sold the Beneteau, she also co-owned the very successful J109 Something Else until her untimely death in 2014.

Sue started sailing out of Bray Sailing Club in the early 1960 and was for many years, and still is, a role model for gender equality and active women participation in our sport.

To nominate a fellow member for the new Sue McDonnell Trophy, or for any other existing Club Sailing Award, click HERE. The deadline for nominations has been extended to next Friday 29 November.

Published in National YC

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About the Melges 15 Dinghy

The Melges 15 was designed by Reichel/Pugh and built by Melges.

The design prioritises stability, comfort, ease of use, and performance.

The Melges 15 is built to be sailed by everyone from friends and couples to families and kids. The design offers performance, comfort, and stability in one sleek package.

The Melges 15’s stable hull shape and ergonomic cockpit make it a suitable layout for adult racing and educational sailing. Easy conversion from a club configuration (non-spinnaker) to a one-design setup, provides more versatility to club programs and options for individual owners.

“The Melges 15 creates a clear pathway for junior sailors to get started and stay excited about sailing while also being comfortable and accessible enough for adults to learn, race, or cross-train,” according to Harry Melges III.

With the main design goals focused on stability and performance in various conditions, the boat features a narrow overall beam and a flat cross-section shape for stability, righting moment, and ease of planing. For a more forgiving feel upwind and to navigate larger sea states, the Melges 15 has just the right amount of fore and aft rocker.

Melges conducted extensive research and product testing to produce this layout factoring in cockpit depth, backbone height, and floor plan. The result, they say, is a comfortable environment for both the skipper and crew. The deeper cockpit takes the load off the sailor’s knees helping them feel locked into the boat while the high boom and gnav vang system work together to make the boat easier to manoeuvre.

The asymmetric spinnaker offers an additional performance element, while the single-pull launch and retrieval system makes handling the sail easy and fast.