Displaying items by tag: Sailor of the Month September 2010

5th January 2011

Oisín van Gelderen Takes Speed Sailing Title

Oisín van Gelderen has won the Irish Speed Sailing Championship for 2010 after a phenomenal season.

The Afloat.ie/Irish Independent Sailor of the Month for September 2010 had a clean slate of results for the year, posting the fastest speeds over 500m and by 10-second average.

But the highlight of his year was undoubtedly his personal record-breaking speed trials in West Kirby, near Liverpool (SEE VIDEO BELOW) where he reached a maximum speed of 47.17 knots (87.36 kmph).

"I am looking forward to 2011, and hope to improve my speeds, and spend a lot

more time back in the waves this year too," he said.

Van Gelderen dedicated his title win to the memory of Surfdock founder Alan Harris and Irish 500m speed record holder John Kenny, who both passed away in 2010.

Oisín van Gelderen has won the Irish Speed Sailing Championship for 2010 after a phenomenal season.

The Afloat.ie/Irish Independent Sailor of the Month for September 2010 had a clean slate of results for the year, posting the fastest speeds over 500m and by 10-second average.

But the highlight of his year was undoubtedly his personal record-breaking speed trials in West Kirby, near Liverpool (SEE VIDEO BELOW) where he reached a maximum speed of 47.17 knots (87.36 kmph).

"I am looking forward to 2011, and hope to improve my speeds, and spend a lot more time back in the waves this year too," he said.

Van Gelderen dedicated his title win to the memory of Surfdock founder Alan Harris and Irish 500m speed record holder John Kenny, who both passed away in 2010.

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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.