When you have an extraordinary collection of sailors of all ages (and shapes and types too, come to that) involved with the Laser and mixed dinghy winter racing at Howth since it first began to blossom back in 1974, then you definitively have a very mixed bunch.
Mixed perhaps, but completely united in their affection for the wonderful Bruce Kirby design, a classic for a solo sailor boat that ticked all the boxes with good looks and simplicity. It was, as senior Laser and other classes sailor and former HYC Commodore Anthony Gore-Grimes put it at the Golden Jubilee dinner on Saturday night, the sheer simplicity that got them.
In the 1980s, John Gore-Grimes and his brother Anthony (right) were Commodores respectively of the Irish Cruising Club and Howth Yacht Club, and voyaged the Arctic or raced keelboats in summer, then raced Lasers at Howth in winter.
ANTIDOTE FOR COMPLEX BOATS
This was because many came from a background of family sailing in the Howth 17s, those ancient jackyard topsail-rigged multi-sailed boats of multiple sails and ropes and sheets and halyards, garnished by increasingly high maintenance hulls, and always with the inter-personnel drama of finding a crew and keeping them.
Watching themselves race Lasers many years ago was an endless fascination
So although the loyalty to the Howth 17s and other bigger boats for summer sailing continued, the fact that they'd the ready-to-go option of a simple antidote to explore the winter possibilities with no crewing problems was too good to miss, particularly as leading Dun Laoghaire dinghy sailor Johnny Ross-Murphy - who was a welcome presence at Saturday night's gathering – was involved with establishing the Laser manufacturing facility in Waterford, and ensured a steady supply for the growing Howth class.
Back in 1974-75, Howth Harbour was still a very primitive place in terms of sailing facilities and extremely primitive for dinghies. But that if anything increased the new class's enthusiasm, they launched where they could and they sailed where they could.
This meant that if a strong nor'easter was making the waters outside the harbour unsailable, they could get in a race of sorts within the undeveloped harbour. And if that was impossible, as the boats were all being trailed or roof-racked about the place, they simply upped sticks from Howth Village for the morning and went overland to the more sheltered sailing that was to be found at Sutton Creek.
VINNY WALLACE FIRST WINNER
Eventually things began to become more structured with Brendan Cassidy, "The Conscience of Howth", becoming the regular race officer, able to set a start line from the balcony of the club's then-premises (now Aqua Restaurant) on the West Pier. And at last they had a first proper result, which was revealed on Saturday night to have been a win for Vinny Wallace.
Longtime race officer Harry Gallagher (left) with Laser veterans Gilian Guinness, Billy Walsh, Mossy Shanahan and Rose Michael
These days, he is best known as father-in-law and father to the all-conquering Johnny Murphy and Susie Wallace combo with the hyper-successful J/109 Outrajeous. But fifty years ago he was written for ever into the records of sailing as the first winner of a Laser Race at Howth, the first of many.
DAVY JONES LONG SERVICE
Others have given service on both sides of the divide. Davy Jones, a longtime Howth 17 sailor (he was class champion with Rosemary a couple of years ago) was in with the Lasers at the very start, and now helps to keep their show on the road as helm of the Committee Boat.
Daragh Sheridan (right) with Howth 17ft 2022 Champion Davy Jones, who was one of the original Laser sailors at Howth and continues as helmsman of the Committee Boat
Robert Michael, Commodore of HYC 25 years ago, was one of those who came over from Malahide each weekend to contest the fleet, as did others who likewise achieved distinction in keelboats of all sorts, people like Richard Burrows, Robert Dix and many other "trans-club" people who were partying on Saturday night.
At an international level, Howth has continued to produce Laser sailors who perform to world standard, the most recent and current being Aoife Hopkins and Eve McMahon. But as this report from an Afloat magazine from the early 1977 reveals, the Howth winter series could be given extra depth through inter-generational competition between sailors whose very name is enough to guarantee the high quality in this section of Howth racing.
There were names of note racing in the 1976-77 series
When you've people of the calibre of Neville Maguire and his son Gordon turning out as a matter of course, it ensured that an extraordinary peak of club racing was maintained for many winters. But eventually even the much-loved Laser (the name Ilca remained unsaid all night) has to allow some space for others, and now they share Howth's winter seas with a variety of classes, the most numerous being the new Melges 15s.
Even the Golden Jubilee organiser Daragh Sheridan, who ran this cheerfully celebratory affair as a very successful fund-raiser for the Sail Training Ireland charity, is himself seen these days at the helm of an RS Aero, and often in a podium place too. But whatever boats they may now sail, remembering the magic days when the world was young and the Laser was new and entire extra months had been added to the sailing season made for quite the night for sailors of all ages in Howth YC.
Nevertheless they'll find a further spark of life for the traditional Round the Island Race – circling Ireland's eye whichever way you way – this Saturday, March 8th.
The Malahide Laser squadrons were a formidable force every week at Howth 50 years ago – and they still are
