Kelly's J109 Storms to Lambay Race Win

10th June 2012

#hyc –Two J109s were top of class one in yesterday's annual Lambay race from Howth Yacht Club. Pat Kelly's J109 Storm was the IRC class one winner, second in class one was the Mills 30 Raptor and third was ISORA and Dublin Bay performer Joker skippered by John Maybury,

The smiles on the faces of those who completed the 2012 ITC Lambay Race said it all. Fresh westerlies (backing to south-westerly later), flat seas, close racing in most classes, with sunshine as the crews returned to the marina and you have most of the ingredients for a great regatta. The fact that most completed the course in less than 3 hours - one of the fastest Lambay Races in years - was an added bonus.

This year's Lambay Race - the 116th time it has been staged - was generously sponsored by Independent Trustee Company, one of Ireland's largest providers of self-administered pension structures.

From the Offshore Course flagship, Class 1 got proceedings going and after just two and half hours of racing, HYC's Storm (Pat Kelly) held off the challenge of two RIYC visitors to win on IRC from Raptor and Joker 2. Raptor took the ECHO honours from Howard McMullen's Another Adventure.

Dermot Skehan's Toughnut won Class 2 on the double, winning IRC from Ian Byrne's Sunburn and ECHO from Paddy Kyne's Maximus.

Class 3 saw Vincent Gaffney's new Alliance II perform particularly well on close reaches and enjoying the last leg to the finish to stretch out a lead and beat Brian McDowell's J/24 Scandal from Malahide who in turn beat another J/24 Jibberish (O'Kelly et al) by 4 seconds on the line. Hellyhunter (Lional McMurtry, HYC) headed the biggest fleet of the day on ECHO, ahead of RIYC visitor Saki.

In the First 31.7, Bluefin Two (Bernie Bryson & Mia Delaney) from NYC won both Scratch & ECHO and also were awarded the Lambay Lady.

Robert & Rose Michael's Mystique of Malahide topped the White Sails A division on IRC ahead of Bite the Bullet and Changeling, while Rebellion (Hughes & others) and Cogar (K&C Halpin) won oin ECHO and HPH respectively.

In the White Sails B fleet, Terry Giles' Xebec led the fleet home and won on IRC by a comfortable margin, while runner-up Sandpiper of Howth (Andy Knowles) won on ECHO and also finished second on HPH behind Cu na Mara (Clifford Brown of HYC).

The Shipman and Ruffian fleets both came from outside Howth - all bar two were from Dun Laoghaire - and it was Henry Robinson's Whiterock which headed the Shipman class while the Ruffians were led home by Ruffles (M.Cutliffe of DMYC).

The Squibs was a match race between Kerfuffle (Craif/Ruane) and Fantome (R.MacDonnell), with the former winning by 2.5 minutes, while the Etchells it was virtually the same, with Fetching (Quinn/O'Flaherty) having about 30 seconds to spare over Glance (O'Reilly/Dix).

The Puppeteers had a new name on the trophy this year with Colin and Kathy Kavanagh in Blue Velvet putting their gear damage problems of last season behind them to beat the pre-race favourite Harlequin (Clarke/Egan) by a minute, with Neil Murphy's Yellow Peril in 3rd. On handicap, the honours went to Shiggy (G.Kennedy) ahead of Gannet (T.Chillingworth).

A small Seventeens' fleet was headed up by Rita (Curley/Lynch) with Ian Malcolm's Aura 2nd and Peter Courtney's Oona 3rd while on handicap, it was Pauline (O'Doherty/Ryan) which took the honours.

Full results below.

HOWTH YACHT CLUB. LAMBAY REGATTA (RACE) 09/06/2012 Class 1 IRC: 1, Storm P Kelly HYC; 2, Raptor Bradley/Others RIYC; 3, Joker 2 J Maybury RIYC; Class 1 ECHO: 1, Raptor Bradley/Others RIYC; 2, Another Adventure H McMullen HYC; 3, Axiom M O'Neill RIYC; Class 2 IRC: 1, Toughnut D Skehan HYC; 2, Sunburn I Byrne HYC; 3, King One D Cullen HYC; Class 2 ECHO: 1, Toughnut D Skehan HYC; 2, Maximus P Kyne HYC; 3, Makutu Doyle/Others HYC; Class 3 IRC: 1, Alliance 11 V Gaffney HYC; 2, Scandal McDowell Family MYC; 3, Jibberish O'Kelly/Others HYC; Class 3 ECHO: 1, Hellyhunter L McMurtry HYC; 2, Saki Ryan/McCormack RIYC; 3, Sunchaser M Marr HYC; First 31.7 SCRATCH: 1, Bluefin Two M & B Bryson NYC; 2, Magic O'Sullivan/Espey RIYC; 3, C'est la Vie Flannelly/Others HYC; First 31.7 ECHO: 1, Bluefin Two M & B Bryson NYC; 2, Magic O'Sullivan/Espey RIYC; 3, C'est la Vie Flannelly/Others HYC; Puppeteer SCRATCH: 1, Blue Velvet C & K Kavanagh HYC; 2, Harlequin Clarke/Egan HYC; 3, Yellow Peril N Murphy HYC; Puppeteer HPH: 1, Schiggy G Kennedy HYC; 2, Gannet T Chillingworth HYC; 3, Arcturus C McAuliffe HYC; Squib SCRATCH: 1, Kerfuffle Craig/Ruane HYC; 2, Fantome R MacDonell HYC; Squib HPH: 1, Kerfuffle Craig/Ruane HYC; 2, Fantome R MacDonell HYC; 17 Footer SCRATCH: 1, Rita Curley/Lynch HYC; 2, Aura I Malcolm HYC; 3, Oona P Courtney HYC; 17 Footer HPH: 1, Pauline O'Doherty/Ryan HYC; 2, Rita Curley/Lynch HYC; 3, Aura I Malcolm HYC; Etchells SCRATCH: 1, Fetching Quinn/O'Flaherty HYC; 2, Glance O'Reilly/Dix HYC; Shipman SCRATCH: 1, Whiterock H Robinson RIYC; 2, Jo Slim J Clarke RStGYC; 3, Just Good Friends M Carroll DMYC; Ruffian 23 SCRATCH: 1, Ruffles M Cutliffe DMYC; 2, Paramour R Sastre NYC; 3, Crescendo L Balfe NYC; White Sail A IRC: 1, Mystique of Malahide R & R Michael HYC; 2, Bite the Bullet C Bermingham HYC; 3, Changeling K Jameson HYC; White Sail A ECHO: 1, Rebellion Hughes/Others HYC; 2, Cogar K & C Halpin HYC; 3, White Lotus P Tully DLM; White Sail B IRC: 1, Xebec T Giles HYC; 2, Sandpiper of Howth A Knowles HYC; 3, Brazen Hussy Barry/Stirling HYC; White Sail B HPH: 1, Cu na Mara C Brown HS&BC; 2, Sandpiper of Howth A Knowles HYC; 3, Xebec T Giles HYC; White Sail B ECHO: 1, Sandpiper of Howth A Knowles HYC; 2, Xebec T Giles HYC; 3, Brazen Hussy Barry/Stirling HYC; White Sail A HPH: 1, Cogar K & C Halpin HYC; 2, Bite the Bullet C Bermingham HYC; 3, On the Rox C & J Boyle HYC

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Howth Yacht Club information

Howth Yacht Club is the largest members sailing club in Ireland, with over 1,700 members. The club welcomes inquiries about membership - see top of this page for contact details.

Howth Yacht Club (HYC) is 125 years old. It operates from its award-winning building overlooking Howth Harbour that houses office, bar, dining, and changing facilities. Apart from the Clubhouse, HYC has a 250-berth marina, two cranes and a boat storage area. In addition. its moorings in the harbour are serviced by launch.

The Club employs up to 31 staff during the summer and is the largest employer in Howth village and has a turnover of €2.2m.

HYC normally provides an annual programme of club racing on a year-round basis as well as hosting a full calendar of International, National and Regional competitive events. It operates a fleet of two large committee boats, 9 RIBs, 5 J80 Sportboats, a J24 and a variety of sailing dinghies that are available for members and training. The Club is also growing its commercial activities afloat using its QUEST sail and power boat training operation while ashore it hosts a wide range of functions each year, including conferences, weddings, parties and the like.

Howth Yacht Club originated as Howth Sailing Club in 1895. In 1968 Howth Sailing Club combined with Howth Motor Yacht Club, which had operated from the West Pier since 1935, to form Howth Yacht Club. The new clubhouse was opened in 1987 with further extensions carried out and more planned for the future including dredging and expanded marina facilities.

HYC caters for sailors of all ages and run sailing courses throughout the year as part of being an Irish Sailing accredited training facility with its own sailing school.

The club has a fully serviced marina with berthing for 250 yachts and HYC is delighted to be able to welcome visitors to this famous and scenic area of Dublin.

New applications for membership are always welcome

Howth Yacht Club FAQs

What is Howth Yacht Club?

Howth Yacht Club is one of the most storied in Ireland — celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2020 — and has an active club sailing and racing scene to rival those of the Dun Laoghaire Waterfront Clubs on the other side of Dublin Bay.

Where is Howth Yacht Club based?

Howth Yacht Club is based at the harbour of Howth, a suburban coastal village in north Co Dublin on the northern side of the Howth Head peninsula. The village is around 13km east-north-east of Dublin city centre and has a population of some 8,200.

What is Howth Yacht Club's Eircode?

D13 E6V3

When was Howth Yacht Club founded?

Howth Yacht Club was founded as Howth Sailing Club in 1895. Howth Sailing Club later combined with Howth Motor Yacht Club, which had operated from the village’s West Pier since 1935, to form Howth Yacht Club.

What does Howth Yacht Club do?

The club organises and runs sailing events and courses for members and visitors all throughout the year and has very active keelboat and dinghy racing fleets. In addition, Howth Yacht Club prides itself as being a world-class international sailing event venue and hosts many National, European and World Championships as part of its busy annual sailing schedule.

Who are the flag officers of Howth Yacht Club?

As of November 2020, the Commodore of the Royal St George Yacht Club is Ian Byrne, with Paddy Judge as Vice-Commodore (Clubhouse and Administration). The club has two Rear-Commodores, Neil Murphy for Sailing and Sara Lacy for Junior Sailing, Training & Development.

How many members does Howth Yacht Club have?

Howth Yacht Club says it has one of the largest sailing memberships in Ireland and the UK; an exact number could not be confirmed as of November 2020.

What are Howth Yacht Club’s burgee and ensign?

Howth Yacht Club’s burgee is a vertical-banded pennant of red, white and red with a red anchor at its centre. The club’s ensign has a blue-grey field with the Irish tricolour in its top left corner and red anchor towards the bottom right corner.

Does Howth Yacht Club organise racing?

Does Howth Yacht Club cater for youth sailing?

Yes, Howth Yacht Club has an active junior section.

Does Howth Yacht Club cater for sail training?

Yes, Howth Yacht Club hosts sailing and powerboat training for adults, juniors and corporate sailing under the Quest Howth brand.

What sailing classes does Howth Yacht Club host?

Among its active keelboat and dinghy fleets, Howth Yacht Club is famous for being the home of the world’s oldest one-design racing keelboat class, the Howth Seventeen Footer. This still-thriving class of boat was designed by Walter Herbert Boyd in 1897 to be sailed in the local waters off Howth. The original five ‘gaff-rigged topsail’ boats that came to the harbour in the spring of 1898 are still raced hard from April until November every year along with the other 13 historical boats of this class.

Does Howth Yacht Club have its own fleet?

Yes, Howth Yacht Club has a fleet of five J80 keelboats for charter by members for training, racing, organised events and day sailing.

What facilities does Howth Yacht Club have?

The current modern clubhouse was the product of a design competition that was run in conjunction with the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland in 1983. The winning design by architects Vincent Fitzgerald and Reg Chandler was built and completed in March 1987. Further extensions have since been made to the building, grounds and its own secure 250-berth marina.

Does Howth Yacht Club have a bar and/or dining facilities?

Yes, the Howth Yacht Club clubhouse offers a full bar and lounge, snug bar and coffee bar as well as a 180-seat dining room. Currently, the bar is closed due to Covid-19 restrictions. Catering remains available on weekends, take-home and delivery menus for Saturday night tapas and Sunday lunch.

What are the opening hours of Howth Yacht Club?

The Howth Yacht Club office is open weekdays from 9am to 5pm. Contact the club for current restaurant opening hours at [email protected] or phone 01 832 0606.

Does Howth Yacht Club host functions such as weddings, parties or corporate events?

Yes — when hosting sailing events, club racing, coaching and sailing courses, entertaining guests and running evening entertainment, tuition and talks, the club caters for all sorts of corporate, family and social occasions with a wide range of meeting, event and function rooms. For enquiries contact [email protected] or phone 01 832 2141.