National Yacht Club Juniors End the Summer Sailing Season on a High

12th September 2023

NYC girls Ella Fitzgerald and Lisa Flynn in the 29er skiff at the RYA NI Youth Championships at Ballyholme Credit: Simon McIllwain

The last week has been light, very light, and Ireland enjoyed a week of late summer. The conditions were too light for any races at the National Yacht Club Junior September Series in Dun Laoghaire Harbour, so the tally remained at three races after the races were completed on the series' weekend.

The ILCA (Laser) Connaughts was raced in Wexford (very fluid regional limits). The race officer managed to secure four races, as Afloat reports here. Sam Ledoux started with an OCS disqualification before scoring three race wins, securing the title in the ILCA 7 (Full rig) for his first event in the class.

RYA NI Youth Champs

Many NYC young sailors journeyed to Ballyholme to compete at the RYA Northern Ireland youth championships, a multi-class youth event marking the end of the season in the North and launching their winter training programmes.

Rory Hudson Hobb was the Topper champion at the RYA NI Youth Championships in Ballyholme

In the Topper Class, three races were completed, and Rory Brennan-Hobbs took the title. Consistency in the difficult light conditions was key, and his event resulted from steady progress all season. Seventh overall, Kate Kenny secured bronze in the girls. James Gorman concluded his event in 12th.

Matthew Holden and Peter Ridout, RYA NI Youth RSFeva Champions in Ballyholme

In the Feva class, Matthew Holden (with his local crew, Peter Ridout) took the title ahead of Felix Dion and Lucas Browne. Grace Keating and Hannah Walsh completed the unique race and sailed for the class in fifth overall.

The 29th event was also the Northerns. NYC girls Ella Fitzgerald and Lisa Flynn were putting their latest training to the test and completed the unique race sailed in 3rd (1st girls).

This year's event had a small Optimist fleet, and Alex Butcher used the event as practice prior to next week's Connaughts in Lough Ree (over 150 entries expected). After three races completed, he secured Silver.

It was a great show from NYC young sailors, and they are now looking forward to the Optimist Connaughts and the Feva Southern Championships.

Published in National YC, Youth Sailing

Published in National YC

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National Yacht Club

About The Author

Thomas Chaix

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Thomas Chaix is Head Coach at the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. He currently sails the 49er dinghy (for fun) but raced the Laser for 25 years and has been a member of French and Irish teams

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National Yacht Club Facilities

Facilities include a slipway directly accessing Dun Laoghaire Harbour, over eighty club moorings, platform parking, pontoons, fuelling, watering and crane-lifting ensure that the NYC is excellently equipped to cater for all the needs of the contemporary sailor. Berths with diesel, water, power and overnight facilities are available to cruising yachtsmen with shopping facilities being a short walk away. The club is active throughout the year with full dining and bar facilities and winter activities include bridge, snooker, quiz nights, wine tasting and special events.

National Yacht Club History

Although there are references to an active “club” prior to 1870, history records that the present clubhouse was erected in 1870 at a cost of £4,000 to a design by William Sterling and the Kingstown Royal Harbour Boat Club was registered with Lloyds in the same year. By 1872 the name had been changed to the Kingston Harbour Boat Club and this change was registered at Lloyds.

In 1881. the premises were purchased by a Captain Peacocke and others who formed a proprietary club called the Kingstown Harbour Yacht Club again registered at Lloyds. Some six years later in 1877 the building again changed hands being bought by a Mr Charles Barrington. and between 1877 and 1901 the club was very active and operated for a while as the “Absolute Club” although this change of name was never registered.

In 1901, the lease was purchased by three trustees who registered it as the Edward Yacht Club. In 1930 at a time when the Edward Yacht Club was relatively inactive, a committee including The Earl of Granard approached the trustees with a proposition to form the National Yacht Club. The Earl of Granard had been Commodore of the North Shannon Y.C. and was a senator in the W.T.Cosgrave government. An agreement was reached, the National Yacht Club was registered at Lloyds. The club burgee was created, red cross of Saint George with blue and white quarters being sky cloud, sea and surf. The Earl of Granard became the first Commodore.

In July of 1950, a warrant was issued to the National Yacht Club by the Government under the Merchant Shipping Act authorising members to hoist a club ensign in lieu of the National Flag. The new ensign to include a representation of the harp. This privilege is unique and specific to members of the National Yacht Club. Sterling’s design for the exterior of the club was a hybrid French Chateau and eighteenth century Garden Pavilion and today as a Class A restricted building it continues to provide elegant dining and bar facilities.

An early drawing of the building shows viewing balconies on the roof and the waterfront façade. Subsequent additions of platforms and a new slip to the seaward side and most recently the construction of new changing rooms, offices and boathouse provide state of the art facilities, capable of coping with major international and world championship events. The club provides a wide range of sailing facilities, from Junior training to family cruising, dinghy sailing to offshore racing and caters for most major classes of dinghies, one design keelboats, sports boats and cruiser racers. It provides training facilities within the ISA Youth Sailing Scheme and National Power Boat Schemes.

Past Commodores

1931 – 42 Earl of Granard 1942 – 45 T.J. Hamilton 1945 – 47 P.M. Purcell 1947 – 50 J.J. O’Leary 1950 – 55 A.A. Murphy 1955 – 60 J.J. O’Leary 1960 – 64 F. Lemass 1964 – 69 J.C. McConnell 1969 – 72 P.J. Johnston 1972 – 74 L. Boyd 1974 – 76 F.C. Winkelmann 1976 – 79 P.A. Browne 1979 – 83 W.A. Maguire 1983 – 87 F.J. Cooney 1987 – 88 J.J. Byrne 1988 – 91 M.F. Muldoon 1991 – 94 B.D. Barry 1994 – 97 M.P.B. Horgan 1997 – 00 B. MacNeaney 2000 – 02 I.E. Kiernan 2002 – 05 C.N.I. Moore 2005 – 08 C.J. Murphy 2008 – 11 P.D. Ryan 2011 – P. Barrington 2011-2014 Larry Power 2014-2017 Ronan Beirne 2017 – 2019

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