Irishsailing – After the remarkable across-the-board success of the 2014 Irish sailing season, 2015 will have to be very special indeed to be remembered with such enthusiasm. But it's a special year in any case, as two major sailing Bicentenaries – one in the Irish Sea, the other in the Solent – will have added and poignant meaning, as the Centenaries a hundred years ago could not be celebrated because of the First World War.

As for Irish sailing generally, life moves on, there are new sailors on the water, successful young sailors are graduating to the next stage of their rapidly developing careers, and established stars continue to plan fresh campaigns, for sailing is indeed a sport for life.

Then too, new fixtures successfully introduced in 2014 will require nurturing, tuning and encouragement if they are to fulfil their potential in the coming year, while at the same time there's always extra effort needed to give proper support to established fixtures, which have to live with the reality that they might wilt through being taken for granted. Both new and longer-established boat classes will need continued enthusiastic involvement, and our well-loved classics and traditional craft must be cherished and sailed, for lack of use is the real enemy of boats, whether old or new.

As for the major administrative initiatives introduced in 2014, they will need constant monitoring, but deserve full support from the sailing and boating community at large, for it was in response to a grass-roots initiative that the radical and very necessary reforms of the Irish Sailing Association were undertaken. Those appointed to undertake the root-and-branch reform of the national authority have done so with commendable dispatch, so it is now the duty of the rest of us to support their continuing efforts. And we can best do that by enjoying our boats and our sailing and time afloat in its myriad of interests, while encouraging others to do the same. W M Nixon outlines on what the coming year may bring.

One thing at least is certain for the coming season afloat during 2015 in most of Europe. It will not mark any significant sailing Centenaries. Instead, we are immersed in four years of remembering the Great War of 1914-1918 a hundred years on, with all the added twists of that period's longer historical narrative in Ireland. In such a context, it may seem frivolous to point out that sports like yachting have no great Centenaries to mark at all in 2015. But this minor off-screen fact is a reminder of the all-involving horror and obscenity of total warfare on an industrial scale. It obliterated anything like normal life.

Yet as recreational sailing had been going on in some sort of organised form for hundreds of years – albeit in a fairly rudimentary way in its earliest years in the 16th Century – there may well have been several important dates to be marked during the time of the Great War itself, but they were allowed to pass as there was no sport afloat, while civilian life ashore was very subdued.

And in Ireland, with the Troubles persisting for four years after the end of the Great War until 1922, the Bicentenary of the Royal Cork Yacht Club in 1920 was to be a muted affair – the official History of the Royal Cork Yacht Club (published 2005) tells us: "Plans for a special dinner to celebrate the club's bicentenary in 1920 had to be cancelled, probably because of the disturbed conditions in the country"

So the idea of celebrating the Centenary of the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes in 1915 at the height of the international war - other than in a rather solemn shorebound way - would have been unthinkable. But that in turn fuels the celebrations when the peacefulgood times roll again. Thus the Royal Cork Yacht Club, having been unable to celebrate its Bicentenary in 1920, went on to have a fabulous two-year Quarter Millennium celebration in 1969-70. And as the RYS couldn't have a proper party in 1915, there's no doubt that the up-coming Bicentenary in 2015 will be the nucleus of international sailing's megafest-of-the-year.

There are of course several clubs which pre-dated the Squadron when it was founded in 1815. And there are many whose members outshine the small membership of the RYS in the breadth and energy of their sailing. But for 2015, let's just acknowledge that the prestigious Squadron has been at the heart of sailing history for a very long time, while their clubhouse's location right on the Solent at Cowes is so central that when any great Solent-related events are under way, the Squadron is in the middle of the story.

Thus it was on the Squadron lawn that in July that the Irish team celebrated their epic Commodore's Cup victory at the end of July 2014. And it will be towards the Squadron and its Bicentenary that the fleet will be racing in 2015's west-east Transatlantic Race. And then it will be the firing of the cannons from the historic Squadron battery which will signal the start of the 46th Fastnet Race on 16th August 2015.

Party time at the Royal Yacht Squadron – the Irish team and their management gather to celebrate victory in the Commodore's Cup at the Squadron Castle in Cowes on August 1st 2014

There'll be many Irish boats involved, and the best-placed of them at the finish will be the winner of the Gull Salver, currently held by Martin Breen's Reflex 38 Lynx from Galway Bay SC, which was skippered to success by Aodhan FitzGerald in 2013's race. It's a coveted trophy, instituted to honour the memory of Harry Donegan of Cork and his famous cutter Gull, which was one of seven boats which inaugurated the Fastnet Race in 1925, and placed third. Since then, Irish Fastneteers have frequently been in the great race's top places, and best of all was in 2007 when Ger O'Rourke's Cookson 50 Chieftain out of Kilrush, sailing under the burgee of the revived Royal Western of Ireland YC, came sweeping in to the finish line at Plymouth to win the Fastnet Race
overall.

One of the greatest moments in Irish sailing history – Ger O'Rourke's Chieftain sweeps towards the finish line to become the overall winner of the Rolex Fastnet Race 2007. Photo: Rolex

Just the spot for a great Tricentenary celebration - the very complete sailing facilities provided jointly by the Royal Cork Yacht Club and Crosshaven will become a world focus in 2020 with the Club's 300th anniversary. Photo: Bob Bateman

The realisation that 2015 sees this significant RYS Bicentenary is a timely reminder that the Royal Cork's Tricentenary is only five years down the line. They're five years which will be gone in a flash, and already behind-the-scenes moves are afoot to ensure that the national sailing programme will properly facilitate the extraordinary anniversary being celebrated in Crosshaven in 2020.

But meanwhile other Irish sailing centres have their own regular programmes to operate in the intervening four years, and in terms of numbers and scale there's no doubt the top event in Ireland in 2015 will be the biennial Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta from 9th to 12th July.

Anyone – and there were many - who took part in this unique "suburban sailfest" in 2013 will know that the VDLR has come of age. It's an event which is comfortable with itself while at the same time being always in development and evolution mode. Each staging of this remarkable Dublin Bay happening sees lessons being learnt and implemented even while the multi-class racing is under way on several courses. And in the two year gap before the next staging, the experience gained is closely analysed and the programme refined to further improve the sport in every area.

You get some idea of the sheer depth of racing experience in Dun Laoghaire by noting that the Chairman of the 2015 Committee is Tim Goodbody, with Martin Byrne as Vice Chairman while the Race Director is Con Murphy. And those three sailing megastars are just the peak of a mountain of race administration experience which is being drawn in from all over Ireland to ensure that the fleet of 400-plus boats gets the best sport possible.

The first regatta in 1828 at the new harbour at Dun Laoghaire, which will be the setting for Ireland's biggest event in 2015, the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta from 9th to 12th July.

While there'll be keenly participating boats from all over Ireland as well as Scotland, England and Wales, the setup of Dublin Bay being right on the city's doorstep means that it's the locals who would pose an administrative problem for a less experienced team. As the dates for the VDLR approached in 2013, the weather forecast steadily improved, and thanks to the Regatta's "extra long weekend" format, the sudden arrival of summer meant that a host of boats from the greater Dublin area came in as last minute entries, their owners and crews managing to scrape the extra day-and-a-half needed off work. It's a scenario which would put an overstretched administration off course, but the VDLR team took it calmly in their stride, and the result was a successful summer festival of sunlit sails and great sport, with maybe two thousand taking part.

This year there's a more structured cross-channel involvement, as the venerable Royal Dee YC in Cheshire has leapt to life to celebrate its Bicentenary. Founded as the Dee Yacht Club in 1815 with the end of the Napoleonic Wars, it didn't get the Royal seal until 1947, but nevertheless claims to be older than the RYS. With growing fleets in North Wales and the Mersey, it has put together a Bicentennial Royal Dee Irish Sea Offshore Championship linked closely to ISORA, which will bring the fleet across to Ireland to take in four offshore day races sailed as part of VDLR 2015.

Irish National Championships which will be part of the VDLR 2015 programme include the J/109s, the RS Elites, the Beneteau First 21s, and the Wayfarers, while the Leinster GP 14 Championship is also included as an integral part of the Regatta.

Party time in Dun Laoghaire – the Royal Irish YC during VDLR 2013. Photo: W M Nixon

As for Ireland's classic clinker-built vintage classes, one of the pleasantest surprises in VDLR 2013 was the large turnout of Mermaids, which had superb racing on the course area in the northwest corner of Dublin Bay. Despite having been born as the Dublin Bay SC Mermaid in 1932, this class of 17ft super-dinghies is no longer included in the regular DBSC programme owing to shortage of numbers for weekly turnouts. But it seems that as far as the VDLR is concerned, the Mermaid is now an event boat, and the fleets still thriving at other centres, together with some of the dormant Dublin Bay craft, bestirred themselves for the four days to enjoy good sailing for more than three dozen boats, something which is highly likely to be repeated in 2015.

The even more venerable Water Wags, founded 1887 with the current boats dating from 1903, continue to thrive in Dun Laoghaire, and the word is they expect to have at least twenty boats in action, while another wooden classic, the Mylne-designed 25ft Glen keelboat, is 50 years and more in Dun Laoghaire, and looks forward to having at least twelve boats racing in 2015.

All these specialized and historic classes are in addition to the numerous cruiser-racers which continue to be the backbone of Dublin Bay sailing. And while many of them will see the VDLR 2015 as a highlight of the year, in turning to consider the overall national programme, we find a sport which is shaking off economic recession to get on with an extraordinary plethora of local, national and international sailing events.

The problem is that most events of significance hope to locate themselves in the peak sailing period from late May to early September, so clashes are almost inevitable, and if you're interested in several different kinds of sailing, the overall choices can be bewildering in their complexity and logistical challenges.

The Baltimore Wooden Boat Festival attracts an eclectic fleet – included here are a Shannon Gandelow, a West Cork Mackerel Yawl, the ketch Sile a Do, and an Heir Island Lobster Yawl (left).

For instance, the variety of events now available for the traditional and classic boats – usually but not necessarily under the Old Gaffer umbrella – would keep anyone busy for most of the summer. It starts with the Baltimore Wooden Boat & Seafood Festival from Friday 22nd May to Sunday 24th May, which you'd think very early
in the season for someone faced with fitting out an old wooden boat in Ireland's climate, but somehow they do it.

Then on the East Coast for the early summer Bank Holiday Weekend from May 29th to June 2nd, there's the Old Gaffer gathering in Dublin Bay at Poolbeg Y&BC with the annual race for the Leinster Trophy in the bay on Saturday May 30th, the event then morphs into the Dublin Port Riverfest in the Liffey on Sunday May 31st, and finally it all concludes with the race for the Asgard Trophy back in the bay on Monday June 1st.

The annual Lambay Race at Howth, a regular fixture since 1904, has seen its course becoming increasingly complex in modern times in order to satisfy the desire of modern racers for competition on every possible point of sailing. But in 2014, to celebrate the Centenary of the Lynch family's Echo, the venerable Howth Seventeens were sent on the traditional course north from Howth Harbour through the sound inside Ireland's Eye, then on round Lambay leaving it to port, and then back south inside Ireland's Eye again to the finish at Howth pierheads.

This was such an attractive proposition for Old Gaffers and Seventeens alike that on the day an extra Classics Division was added to cater for ancient craft, and it hit the spot. This option will be offered again for 2015's Lambay Race (it's on Saturday June 6th), and the word is that Dickie Gomes's 1912-built 36ft yawl Ainmara will be coming down from Strangford Lough to defend her title after 94 years. 94 years? Yes indeed - she won the Lambay Race in spectacular style in 1921 when still under the ownership of her designer-builder John B Kearney.

After 94 years, Dickie Gomes's 36ft 1912-built yawl Ainmara (seen here on her home waters of Strangford Lough) hopes to return to defend the title in Howth's Lambay Race, which Ainmara won in 1921 while still in the ownership of her designer-builder John B Kearney. Photo: W M Nixon

The Old Gaffers attention then swings north as the Tall Ships are coming to Belfast from Thursday 2nd July to Sunday 5th July. This is going to be a serious biggie with those ships already signed up including a significant turnout of Class A vessels, which are square riggers and others of more than 40 metres in length. Belfast Lough lends itself particularly well to the Parade of Sail which follows a Tall Ships gathering, and in 2009 when they were last in the port they put in in a virtuoso display with the Dutch ship Europa in particular going to the trouble of getting herself over towards Whiteabbey in the northwest corner of the lough to allow her time get every stitch of sail set before proceeding seawards down-lough in colossal style, a much more impressive display than we've become accustomed to in Dublin, where the shape of Dublin Bay is such that it doesn't really provide the space for square riggers to set all cloth before getting out to sea.

The Tall Ship Europa shows how it should be done in Belfast Lough in 2009, taking time out to set full sail before she starts to gather power to make the proper input into the Parade of Sail.

Like Dublin, Belfast has shown it can be hospitable to Old Gaffers, and it was a very welcoming main port during the OGA Golden Jubilee Cruise-in-Company in 2013, so for 2015 the OGA National President Sean Walsh hopes to up the ante by persuading his members from all round the Irish Sea to gather in Belfast, and to add spice to the mix, he hopes to persuade the Howth 17s to put in an appearance as well, to sail with local one designs like the 1903 Belfast Lough Waverley Class, which have been experiencing a revival in recent years.

Old Gaffers in Belfast for their Golden Jubilee in 2013. The Irish Sea classic and traditional fleet will return to the same venue for the Tall Ships gathering in July 2015. Photo: W M Nixon

The Belfast Lough Waverley Class Lilias (built 1903) sailing at the Titanic Centre in Belfast. In 2015, the Waverleys will be joined by some of the 117-year-old Howth 17s to participate in the visit of the Tall Ships. Photo: W M Nixon

The Seventeens have made long treks as a class before – in 1998, five of them were road-trailed to Carrickfergus to mark the class's Centenary, with the first five boats built by Hilditch of Carrickfergus. So though they'd trailed there, they then sailed the 90 miles back to Howth, just as the first boats had done a hundred years earlier. Then in July 2003, fifteen of the Seventeens took part in the Glandore Classics Regatta thanks to a brilliantly organised exercise in logistics using a flotilla of low loaders which could take three boats apiece.

For all of Ireland's classic and traditional boats in 2015, and an international fleet too, Glandore is very much up on the radar again, as a special effort is being made by a GHYC team led by Donal Lynch to encourage increased numbers in the CH Marine Glandore Classic Regatta from Saturday July 18th through Friday July 24th. It's a date which certainly allows Old Gaffers plenty of time to get down from Belfast, indeed some may even consider the option of making the voyage northabout to take in a round Ireland cruise while they're at it. And as that great magnet of the Irish Sea classic and traditional scene, the Peel Traditional Boat Weekend, isn't until Friday 31st July to Sunday 2nd August, it's just about possible to factor that in as well.

Everything happening at once – the famous Pilot Cutter Jolie Brise was the star of the Glandore Classics in 2013, and as it was her own Centenary she celebrated by sailing round the Fastnet Rock – she has been a successful Fastnet Race participant several times. Photo: Brian Carlin

The Glandore Classics attracts an international fleet, and 2013's regatta included a class of Fife One Designs from the Menai Straits, all of them keen to party and showing it. 2015's Glandore Classics is from July 18th to 24th. Photo: Cormac O'Carroll

All this is already happening for the oldies with August barely under way, yet for modern cruiser-racers the potential programme for any keenly-sailed Irish boat is equally complex, attractive and challenging. The season starts as usual with the Scottish Series from Friday 23rd May to Monday 26th May – there'll probably still be snow on the mountains of Arran. They've gone back to their roots by starting with a feeder race from Gourock to the main regatta centre at Tarbert on Loch Fyne. "Going back to the roots" is something of a theme for this year's staging of the Clyde Cruising Club's main racing event, as this is the 40th Scottish Series. Come to think of it, there are so many important 40th anniversaries happening in sailing these days that we have the admit that the decade which brought us the full horror of wide lapels and flared trousers also contributed some lasting elements of the international sailing scene, indeed it could be said that the modern era in sailing really began about forty years ago.

Back in Ireland, the ISORA programme will be well under way by June, while the Lambay Race on June 6th can be looked at with more interest by several boats, as the biennial National YC Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race doesn't start until Friday June 12th . Last time round, there was a total fixtures clash between the two events, but in times before that hyper-keen sailors such as the Tyrrells of Arklow with Aquelina have been able to fit in both, indeed one year they did it so well they won both too, and were rightly acclaimed as the Afloat "Sailors of the Month" for their success.

For 2015, defending champion in the Dingle Race is Brian O'Sullivan of Tralee with the veteran Oyster 37 Amazing Grace, which came good in the end in 2013 with a new breeze which knocked pending leader Antix (Anthony O'Leary) off the winning perch. But with the 2015 Dingle Race acting as a useful if rather indirect feeder for the Covestone Asset Management Sovereigns Cup in Kinsale from June 24th to 28th, there could be all sorts of sharp boats lining up to take the prize, for the Sovereigns Cup 2015 includes the all-singing all-dancing ICRA Nats 2015. 

The welcoming port – Kinsale is one of Ireland's most popular destinations, and in 2015 its hosts the combined Sovereigns /ICRA Nationals from June 24th to 28th.

Perfect sailing – racing in the Sovereigns at Kinsale in June 2013. Photo: Bob Bateman

Yet the timing of the combined Sovereigns/ICRA Nats is such that there's still plenty of time and space to get back to the Irish Sea for the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2015 from July 9th to 12th, a reminder that much of the cruiser-racer programme for 2015 is in a neatly balanced and user-friendly timescale for everyone except perhaps those who wish to do either the entire ISORA or SCORA programme as well, so the problem mostly is going to be getting time off work.

And for the hyper-keen cruiser-racers, particularly those whose boats are small enough to be conveniently trailerable, further temptation looms in 2015 with the WIORA Championship at Galway Bay Sailing Club from July 22nd to 25th. For the fleets in the Shannon, on Tralee Bay, and in Clew Bay, it's a bit more than a day's sail away, but they'll be there to challenge Liam Byrne of the home club who won it in 2014 with his Corby 25 Tribal at Mayo SC in Clew Bay, while some top boats from more distant centres are expecting to trail to Galway Bay to spice up the competition.

By this stage of the season a more relaxed pace might be welcome, but the lively turnout of 80 boats in 2014 for the new-style four day Cork Dry Gin Calves Week out of Schull in early August (Tuesday 4th to Friday 7th August in 2015) suggests that for racing sailors, the best relaxation is more racing, but in a holiday setting. And yes, it has been noted that a true West Corkian sailing nut could indeed do all of Calves Week 2015, and still be on the Squadron line for the start of the Fasnet Race nine days later.

For dinghies in 2015, the big story is the debut of the newest version of the National 18, and just how popular will the Bray-bult foiling Moths become, while established classes will frame their programmes to accommodate sailors whose time is limited, also having to fit in with a national scene where the number of Race Officers with the necessary skills is inevitably a finite amount.

The big stories in Irish dinghy racing in 2015 will be the arrival of the new National 18s at Crosshaven, and the revival of Dinghy Week there in late August. Here, in the Autumn of 2013, To Dwyer and Nin O'Leary test sail the prototype of the new 18 on Cork Harbour. Photo: Bob Bateman

The new Third Generation (or maybe it's fourth or fifth generation) National 18 may have been designed in England by Phil Morrison, and is being built there too. But it was the very active Crosshaven fleet with the Royal Cork Yacht Club which led the charge towards a new boat, and when it came to stepping up to the plate to pay twelve substantial new boat deposits to move it all along after the prototype had been rigorously tested in Cork harbour last Autumn, it was the Crosshaven fleet that provided eight out of those twelve cheques.

So it's entirely appropriate that in August 2015, the dinghy focus will swing big time towards Crosshaven and a short form "Dinghy Week" from August 21st to 23rd. The old style Irish Dinghy Weeks – the last one was in 1970 – became victims of their own success, they just got too large. But the different classes became over-optimistic about their continuing individual growth prospects. Then the pendulum swung too far the other way, and dinghy classes were alone and their events shrinking. But a resurgence of club and championship dinghy sailing in Crosshaven during 2014, and a growing realization that over-reliance on single-handed dinghy classes does not necessarily produce a socially-adjusted national squad of junior sailors, resulted in some clear and creative thinking about developing two-handed boats, and reviving some old classes such as the Mirrors.

The form of this new Dinghy Week is still in the melting pot, but at least eight classes have responded with enthusiasm. Meanwhile, the National 18s in Crosshaven will be such a focus of interest during 2015 with the first of the new boats making their debut that we'll have a season-long dinghy narrative developing on Cork Harbour, and the revived Dinghy Week will be just part of it.

As for inshore keelboats, the big one in terms of number is the combined British and Irish Championship Squib Championship at Howth from 27th June to 3rd July. The handy little Squibs are something of an oddity, as they serve so well as a cherished local class in so many Irish sailing centres that many owners see them as that, and nothing more – handy little club sailors to be raced on home waters a couple of times a week.

This means that when a major regional or national event is held, the number taking part will often only be a fraction of the total Irish Squib fleet. But for those who do make the trek, the competition is fierce and the racing great – in Howth, the high point was in 1996, when this "Nationals" event attracted a fleet of exactly a hundred boats, and on one never-to-be-forgotten morning, there they were, every last one of them on the starting line.

A hundred Squibs all in a row at Howth on Tuesday July 25th 1996. Photo: Mandy Murnane

The most recent Squib event of national stature was the Freshwater Keelboat Regatta at Dromineer on Lough Derg on the weekend of October 18th-19th, and the battle for the top places was between the Kinsale and Belfast Lough fleets, with James Matthews and Rob Jacob of Kinsale rounding out their year in style with a good win.

But with the Squibs in England undergoing a revival – they were the second-biggest One Design fleet in Cowes Week 2014, bested only by the legendary XODs – there's no doubt there's a strong challenge coming across channel, and any Irish boat getting into the top ten will be doing well.

As for that annual Autumn Freshwater Keelboat Regatta at Dromineer, while it may have been much hampered by the spinoff from some ferocious weather out in the Atlantic with frustration for some of the sixty boats hoping to take part, it's an event of enormous potential, and the many who wish it well and have enjoyed it in the past will be ready and willing to do their part to make 2015's regatta a success.

The Squibs enjoying a lull in the strong winds during the Lough Derg Freshwater Regatta 2014. Overall winner was Mucky Duck (no 51, James Matthews & Rob Jacob, Kinsale YC). Photo: Gareth Craig

All these specialised and localized events planned for 2015 will be the continuing background music to the usual events of national sailing focus, everything from the selection of the Irish team for the Student Yachting Worlds to the Helmsmans Championships to the steady increase in pace while 2015 develops as the pre-Olympic year. As the year rolls along, other stories will develop too. So perhaps it's appropriate that we exit this review as we entered it. Just pause to remember now and again that, a hundred years ago, you simply couldn't have gone freely afloat like this for sport and recreation at all.

But we can't close on such a solemn note. Seasoned Solent sailors may have noted our header photo from Guido Cantini at the Panerai Classics Regatta was looking just slightly odd, for some reason difficult to pin down. Well, as it happens, the photo was sent to us back in September just as we were contemplating the excellent cleanup up done by Jason Hurley of Jason Hurley Design on the Mercedes-sponsored billboard photo of Howth 17s on the end wall of Howth Yacht Club. As with many photos taken over the RYS starting cannons, the Cantini pic included an obtrusive part of the Fawley Oil Refinery across on what Isle of Wight people call "the north island". Though Fawley has been there for yonks, it still has the look of a temporary structure. So we got Jason to treat as just that. But here for your edification is the true picture. You could get a taste for this sort of thing. What about brushing out Whitegate, lads? And as for Milford Haven.........

The unvarnished truth. In real life, the view from the RYS battery at Cowes can be slightly marred by the clutter of Fawley Refinery across the Solent on "the north island". Photo: Guido Cantini/Panerai

Read also: 2015 Irish Sailing Fixtures List (provisional)

#royalcork – The penultimate Day of Royal Cork Yacht Club CH Marine Autumn Series provided plenty of exhilarating sailing writes Claire Bateman.
Yesterday was the penultimate day of the Royal Cork CH Marine Autumn Series and such were the conditions a decision was taken to cancel Whitesail 1, 2 and Class 4. However, the 1720s had a fantastic day and as the 1720 Race Officer, Anthony O'Leary commented, they got good value for money as they got in three races and they were competitive right throughout the fleet. Sailing with smaller jibs and threequarter spinnakers they sailed windward/leeward courses and many a 'Yahoo' was heard as they went downwind at high speed. At the top end of the fleet Nicholas O'Leary, four times in a row winner of the Irish Helmsman's Championship, and sailing T Bone, had keen competition from David Kenefick sailing Wet 'N Ready and just back from two years sailing the Figaro circuit. At the end of the day T Bone is top of the leaderboard for the class and the final day of racing next Saturday will be interesting to watch.

Meanwhile, further in the harbour RO Peter Crowley for Classes 1, 2 and Three set up Sparetime using No. 13 as the Pin End and sent Classes 1 and 2 on a windward/leeward course up to Whitepoint and on their way they passed the original home of the Royal Cork Yacht Club at Haulbowline where the club was founded in 1720.

Class Three were sent on a shorter windward/leeward course to No. 20 off Cobh. For their second race things got more interesting . They went on a beat to No. 20 again but this time they had a run to No. 11 then to No. 10, back to No. 11 and finished at the Cage.

Classes 1 and 2 for their second race also went to No. 20, a run to No. 11 on to 10, back to 11, back to 10, back to 11 and finished at the Cage. This proved to be quite a challenging race for the crews.

Also in the harbour today, and having an absolute ball in the conditions, were the hardy youngsters competing in their October 'Cobbler' League and here again it should be remembered that CH Marine were the sponsors of the Optimist National Championships at the Royal Cork this year.

The final race of the series will be held next Saturday with the prize giving dinner taking place that evening.

 

#royalcork – Today was another wonderful October day for the CH Marine Autumn Series writes Claire Bateman. There was bright sunshine after a night of dense fog that cleared exactly as had been forecast. The wind in the outer harbour was 10 to 14 knots from the east but in the inner harbour the Wind Gods were not quite so kind and the wind was a little bit softer about 5 to 7 knots.

Speaking of the lighter wind in the harbour, RO for Classes 1, 2 and 3, Peter Crowley, would have liked to finish his fleets inside but given the reports of light winds, opted instead for two triangle courses which as it turned out were rather exciting to watch and the racing was not without its moments. In Class 3 there was a coming together and both boats retired. For the second race there was an individual recall and Tom Roche's Meridian returned to restart. Also in the second race Ian Nagle's Jelly Baby was playing a blinder and came into the weather mark in the first round in second place. It was a 4.2m tide with low water about 3pm and there were a lot of alternative approaches to the beat. The J80, J92 and the Main Four seemed to be having a ding dong battle on the reach and a bit of a luffing match ensued.

However, inside the harbour David O'Brien's fleets were sent off from the committee boat, anchored near the No. 8 buoy, in what was the best order, Class 4 first, WS2 and then WS1. They were given a beat to the No. 11 buoy and then back to No. 8 where the course was then shortened. In the second race they were sent off on what was effectively a triangle course. Indeed one wag was heard to mutter that the fastest thing in the harbour for the afternoon was a ship coming through the fleet and indeed any yachts in the path of this ship were quickly shepherded away by Gavin Deane and Mark Ring.

Meanwhile Anthony O'Leary had his 1720 fleet down off Cuskinny and they looked quite interesting when the wind eventually filled in during the afternoon.

This series counts for SCORA (South Coast Offshore Racing Association) and we hope to have an update on this during the coming week.

Sunday next will be see the penultimate race of the series with the final race on the following Saturday followed by the prize giving dinner always a highlight of the season.

#chmarine – Yesterday luck was on the side of the organisers of the CH Marine Autumn series at Royal Cork Yacht Club as the full quota of races was sailed before the worst of the weather that had been forecast started to come in writes Claire Bateman. There was a calm before the storm as the yachts headed out this morning. When they got out into Cork Harbour there about 12 knots of wind greeted the fleet but during racing as rain squalls were passing through winds rose to about 25 knots and for the final half hour of racing it rose to approximately 30 knots. Luckily Cork Harbour, as always, was available and with RO Peter Crowley in Sparetime anchored off Cuskinny, Classes 1,2 and 3 were given a windward/leeward course while off the corner of Spike Anthony O'Leary in Irish Mist gave an enlarged 1720 fleet a windward/leeward course to a laid mark on the Curlane Bank and David O'Brien went to the Eastern side of the harbour off Whitegate where he was able to set a course round the navigation buoys for Whitesail 1, 2 and Class 4.

It was a day for boats with good beating ability given a very strong 4m flood tide and a south westerly wind. With the very squally conditions being experienced good crew handling had to be at a premium. A number of yachts suffered minor gear failure in the form of broken halyards, torn sails etc., and in the second race it was only the bravest of the bold flew spinnakers and they surely were rewarded with an exhilarating ride for their endeavours.

As is usual in handicap racing there are always one or two boats who end up competing with each other on the water and nowhere more so than in the case of Kinsale's Conor Doyle's X42 'Freya' and KYC Vice Commodore Tom Roche in his Salona 45 'Meridian'. On the water in Race 1 of the day Conor Doyle was leading the battle but in the second race the position was reversed and Freya eventually had to retire with gear failure. However, on handicap there was no stopping Rob McConnell's A35 'Fools Gold' from WHSC who notched up another two wins in IRC to match his result from Day One of the Series. Ian Nagle's J109 'Jelly Baby' from Royal Cork put in a competitive performance against Fools Gold but had to be content with the number two spot.

Meanwhile the Whitesail 1 fleet went on a course to No. 6 port, E1 starboard, W2 starboard, E4 port, Cage starboard and finish. In today's conditions Dan Cross in 'Yoshi' looked splendid as he was beating out against the tide in the freshening breeze but leading on the water was the more race orientated John Downing's Samba reveling in the stronger conditions. For the second race of the day David O'Brien reversed the order of the start and sent off Class 4 first and this worked very well. An unusual incident took place when relaying the mark after the Class 4 start of race 2. When the anchor was pulled up it was found to have a cavity block embedded in it!!

All in all it is great to be able to enjoy excellent racing in October and assuming that conditions next Sunday permit even one race to be sailed, there will be a discard applied and we will then see the picture more clearly for all of the fleets.

Racing will continue next Sunday

#royalcork – Yesterday saw an auspicious start to day one of the CH Marine Autumn Series at Royal Cork writes Claire Bateman. The weather saw to it that the day produced excellent conditions for the start of this major and very popular annual event even if the wind was light The sun was shining, there was a light south easterly breeze and flat water, it was like a July day. With seventy boats, including many most welcome visitors from clubs around the south taking to the water all champing at the bit to get to the start line well ahead of the first gun, the fleet made a great sight pouring down the river all eager for action and the promise of a great day ahead. Then there was that brief uncanny feeling, almost a loneliness, that always prevails when yachts go to sea, of emptiness and silence while breaths were being drawn before preparations got get underway for other classes getting ready for their racing of the day with the excitement and preparation starting all over again. All of great interest for those enjoying their morning coffee on the patio area in the brilliant weather.

The entries today seemed to confirm what has gradually become obvious for the past couple of seasons and that is the growth of the white sail fleet. This was certainly in evidence with the increase of numbers in the fleets. The Whitesail fleets normally considered the gentlemens' class did not live up to their reputation today as there was much shouting on the start line. Their sailing yesterday was inside the harbour with Race Officer David O'Brien and they had a course to No. 7, back to No. 14, which was a very slow leg against the tide, and then to No. 6 where the course was shortened.

 

Close action in the 1720s. More photos below

Classes I, 2 and 3 were sailing outside the harbour and they had a windward/ leeward course with Race Officer Peter Crowley. Many of the yachts had to place the crews on the leeward side such were the conditions. The race was shortened after one round of the course.

In the second race these classes were given windward/leeward courses again but this time they were brought back into the harbour where they made a splendid spectacle joining up with the White Sail and 1720 fleets and they were finished in the harbour by Peter Crowley who had moved inside and positioned Sparetime off the Grassy line at the Cage Buoy.

In a change for the Autumn series the 1720s had their own course with Anthony O'Leary as Race Officer, and given that this is a One Design fleet it made for a very efficient way of running this fleet in the series.

Racing continues next Sunday, October 5th.

#glandore – South coast yacht clubs are seeking to breathe new life in to Glandore Harbour Regatta this June Bank Holiday weekend. In a combined effort between Glandore Harbour Yacht Club, Kinsale Yacht Club and the Royal Cork Yacht Club a drive is being made to to revive Glandore Regatta.

Berthing will be provided on Glandore Harbour Yacht Club's summer moorings at Union Hall. The club is providing a ferry service to and from the moored boats. There will also be limited mooring at Union Hall Pier available.

Glandore Harbor Yacht Club are organizing a Barbeque on the pier at Glandore at 1700 hours attendee are invited to bring their own preferred drinks. Prize giving for the races into Glandore will take place at 19:00 hours on Glandore pier.

Glandore Harbor Yacht Club ere providing a ferry service to Union Hall after the prize giving for those wishing to socialise in the village. 

Schedule of racing

Friday 29th May. Fastnet Race from Kinsale around Fastnet and finishing in Glandore (Sponsored by CH Marine). 

Saturday 30th May. Crosshaven to Glandore. The race is open to all Cruisers/Sports Boats and White Sail fleets. This race commences: at the Revised First Gun of 0855 hours from Weavers point.

Note that there is also a race from Kinsale to Glandore on Saturday.

Sunday 31st May. Race from Glandore to Kinsale first gun 10:55. This race is open to all cruiser and white sail fleets. Marina berths will be offered to competing visiting boats in Kinsale on Sunday. Food will be served in the club house from 1700 hours with prize giving at 18:30. There will be a time limit cutoff of 1800hrs for this race.

#magblade – Leading Irish marine supplier Nick Bendon, well known to Afloat.ie readers through his CH Marine brand, launched MagBlade™ marine propellers at last week's international Marine Trade fair, Mets, in Amsterdam.

The South African venture, where Bendon is a Sales Director, aims to improve on propellor design. MagBlade™, says Bendon takes propulsion design to a new level with unique features like improved fuel efficiency and superior hydrodynamic efficiency.

Designed using a lightweight aerospace technology, MagBlade™ provides a blade surface which claims to be seven times stronger than stainless steel, seven times more rigid than the most hardened steel, and four times more impact absorbent than aluminium.

More in the company vid below:

 

#rcyc – There were surfing conditions for day four of the CH Marine sponsored Royal Cork Autumn League in Cork Harbour yesterday writes Claire Bateman.

Classes one, two and three sailing to the mouth of the harbour made a superb spectacle as they rounded the mark and headed downwind, in many cases surfing on the waves, as they made their way in the harbour to No. 10 making a kaleidoscope of colour in the bright sunshine and with plenty of breeze from the south east.

Tension was high today on the penultimate day of what has been to date an excellent league. In Class One Gloves Off dominated the class with six wins to date but today they had to yield to Mary O'Keeffe's Tux who took the gun in the first race of the day when she won Class One IRC.

The competition in Class Two was equally as intense especially with the three modified quarter tonners and an unusual scenario occurred when there was an incident between the Losty Brothers Illes Pitiuses and Ian Travers' Per Elisa. What was unusual was the fact the hearing was open to any competitors wishing to attend. The protest was heard under the chairmanship of Donal McClement and resulted in the disqualification of Per Elisa. Did I forget to say that the two guest helms on the day were brothers Peter O'Leary, newly crowned All Ireland Champion, on Per Elisa, with Nicholas O'Leary on Illes Pitiuses.

Meanwhile White Sail division One and Two, Class Four and 1720s were sailing on the flat waters of the eastern bank where the breeze appeared tohave more east in it and this provided tremendous competition in all the fleets.

To date in the League with the exception of week one, when the weather caused a bit of a hold up but nonetheless ended up with a brilliant afternoon's racing, sailing conditions have been excellent and it is hard to believe that next week will be the last.

The daily prizes were certainly unique and very popular with the winners. A novel idea on the part of CH Marine.

The final two races will take place on Saturday next October 27th and the prize giving dinner will take place at 7pm.

#royalcork – A discard after five races saw the first trends emerging in all classes of the CH Marine Autumn league in Cork Harbour yesterday writes Claire Bateman.

Gloves Off has an invincible look about her in IRC One with five wins one of which she has discarded. The battle for second place has changed somewhat EOS having a good day today has moved into second place with Fools Gold slipping to third. In IRC Two it is interesting that the modified Quarter Tonners have found their way into this class by their speed alone and Iles Pitueses leads IRC Two on 6 points and also the the Quarter Ton Class. It's not by any means all over yet with Bad Company on 9 points and Allure on 13.5 points so all is open to fight for here over the next two days of the regatta.The same can't be said for IRC Three with No Half Measures counting four wins while Maximus is on 10 points with Outrigger on 12 points. The 1720s are currently being led by Antix and Wahoo on eight points apiece followed by I Dunno in third place on 14 points and T Bone on 15.

The sky had some glorious blue patches with bright sunshine becoming obscured at times by some ominous clouds that never did decide to drop any showers on the fleets. Winds started out about 11 knots from the North West and freshened during the day going more into the west providing ideal sailing conditions.

Racing inside the harbour today with ICRA Commodore Barry Rose doing the honours as Race Officer, the fleets had two short races in conditions similar to outside the harbour. In Race One Whitesail One were sent off first to a laid weather mark before rounding a number of the harbour marks. Whitesail Two and IRC 4 started together and there was some bunching at the line following which the Race Officer gave them all separate starts for the second race of the day. In IRC Four Sundancer has chalked up five wins and Shelley D has five seconds with Thistle also taking five wins.

In Whitesail One it's still all to play for Cavatina having 6 points, Samba on 8 points and Minx 111 who took today's prize on a total of 9 points. In Whitesail Two Loch Greine leads counting four wins, LadyT is second on 9 points and Julia B hot on her heels on 10 points.

As there are now only two days of the Regatta remaining competition will be more intense than ever. This may also be a good time to remind competitors of the final day's racing that will be held on Saturday October 27th and the prize giving dinner later that evening with good entertainment assured. As bookings are hotting up anyone wishing to attend should ensure their reservation is made in good time.

#royalcork – Kieran Twomey's Gloves Off continues to lead in the 14-boat Cruisers 1 fleet of the CH Marine Autumn league at Royal Cork. The Corby 38 took its third race win this afternoon to lead by a margin of 13 points from Rob McConnell's A35, Fools Gold. Third is Dan Buckley's J109 Justus writes Claire Bateman.

With thrills, spills, T bones, a medical emergency and seasick sailors the second Sunday of the CH Autumn Regatta provided very different fare to last week.

Outside the harbour Class One were the first to start today and they got away cleanly as they had a long start line square to the boat and off they went on a windward leeward course.

There was no catching Kieran Twomey's lightweight flying machine 'Gloves Off' on the day. However, a ding dong battle ensued between Conor Doyle's Freya and Tom Roche's Meridian, Conor Doyle leading at the first weather mark but a better hoist on Meridian brought them into the lead. This lead continued for the three rounds of the course and ended up with Meridian coming into the finish line on starboard with Freya coming in on port but one boat length behind. Mary O'Keeffe's X332 'Tux' was also engaged in tough rivalry with the other two X332s. Similar situations of these ding dong battles pertained right throughout the fleet in today's conditions. Bad Company, Alpaca, and Allure were also engaged in tough battles for supremacy. A similar situation also existed with the three quarter tonners, Iles Pitiuses, Per Elisa and Anchor Challenge.

Today there was an awkward sea with wind over tide for a period and also the matter of the tide flowing out the harbour to create lumpy stretches followed by dropping into holes in the sea and with wind of about 16 knots occasionally rising to over 20 it put the crews to the test. There were many broaches and many sailors not feeling the best as a result and many raised voices urging fast action as required.

The second race was a triangle course, the wind having shifted some 30 degrees more into the south east and again there were many incident s including one port and starboard incident where the porthand boat tried to dip the starboard boat but in the conditions the boat wouldn't bear away quickly enough.

Meanwhile, inside the harbour the Class four and whitesail fleets were having good racing as well with flat water and with the wind starting out at about 11 knots and before racing finished it had risen to some 16 or 17 knots. The 1720s were sailing on this course today and they had a fleet of nine boats. Class four were given a course running between the East Ferry mark and no. 16 buoy while the wind shift that was affecting the outside harbour course caused the Race Officer to slightly alter the course on the eastern bank as well using EF2 and No. 13.

A competitor who was feeling unwell was whisked away in one of the Club's high speed rescue RIBs to rendezvous with Crosshaven RNLI 'Miss Betty'. The lifeboat crew then took the sailor on board and transferred him to the ambulance waiting to take him to CUH. The good news welcomed is the sailor involved is making a good recovery.

All in all today proved to be a wonderful day of sailing with the sailors congregating afterwards while awaiting the prize giving and regaling one another with stories of their experiences of the day that left everyone looking forward to next Sunday's racing.