Despite the impact of the pandemic Monkstown Bay Sailing Club in Cork Harbour has had a resurgence of numbers in dinghy league racing.
So outgoing Commodore Ciaran McSweeney told club members as he completed his two-year term in office.
New investment has been made in club facilities and there is a lot of hope in the village club on the edge of the harbour for next year.
It has bought a 1720 sportsboat, been donated a Drascombe Lugger, has more volunteers than before, more adults are seeking training and it also has put a new racing on the Sand Quay in the centre of the village, from where races are run. That is a short distance from the clubhouse at De Vesci Place. The hut has thrown "an invaluable light" on sailing history in Monkstown according to the outgoing Commodore. It makes Monkstown part of the history of the Royal Cork Yacht Club.
Monkstown Bay Sailing Club's new race hut
Completing his two-year term of office he told members that the club had received a collection of photos of the Sand Quay and the famous hut from member John Hegarty. One of these shows uniformed Race Officers during a starting sequence on the quay for a yacht race that is thought to predate 1922.
"According to historian Dr Alicia St.Leger, the original hut was put in place by the Royal Munster Yacht Club in 1905. It remained there after that club departed for Crosshaven in 1922."
The Royal Munster later amalgamated with the Royal Cork which club had been based in Cobh and moved to Crosshaven to join the Royal Munster under the name of the RCYC. According to MBSC the "hut" remained on the quay and survived well into the 1950s. It was moved around the quay area several times, but the remains of an original concrete base can be seen slightly to the north of the location of the present hut. There have been others, right up to the new one.
Sandy Rimmington has been elected the new MBSC Commodore. Jacqui O'Brien is Vice Commodore.
Now listen to the Podcast below where my guest this week is the new MBSC Commodore.
