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Displaying items by tag: Inishtearaght Race

With just two weeks to go until the start of Kinsale Yacht Club's biennial Inishtearaght Race sponsored by the Matthews Centre, all of the boats that raced the 2022 edition are returning for another shot at offshore glory in the 280-miler along the Cork and Kerry coastline.

In addition to the local boats from Kinsale and Crosshaven (including the inaugural doublehanded race winner), this May 24th race will also feature visitors from Kilmore Quay (Prime Suspect), Tralee Bay (Mynx), and Waterford Harbour (Bjorn).

Of particular note is the return of the 2022 line honours winner skippered by Chris Power Smith, hailing from Dublin Bay's Royal St George Yacht Club.

The hardy ISORA competitor is back in top form after tackling the early season Viking Marine April Coastal Series on Dublin Bay and is warming up for June's Round Ireland Race, racing cross-channel to Wales in this weekend's 90-mile ISORA fixture before heading to the south coast.

Aurelia is one of the biggest entries in the Inistearaght Race, so there's a chance her Dun Laoghaire Harbour crew will make it back in time for the Rugby Champions Cup Final on Saturday; a deadline sure to please the keen Leinster supporters onboard.

Organisers will be using YBTrackers on all boats.

Inishtearaght Race 2024 entry listInishtearaght Race 2024 entry

Link to the 2024 entry list is here

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The Notice of Race is now available for Kinsale Yacht Club’s Inishtearaght Race, once again generously sponsored by Matthews of Cork.

Cian McCarthy and Sam Hunt on Cinnamon Girl won the race on IRC in 2022 and they have confirmed that they will be taking part again this year in the second edition.

The race starts on Friday 24 May and is approximately 240 nautical miles long, running along the coast of West Cork and Kerry to round Inishtearaght in the Blasket Islands and return to Kinsale.

One highlight of the race is the spectacular and varied scenery along the course.

In 2022 the fastest boat was Chris and Patanne Power Smith’s Aurelia with an elapsed time of one day, nine hours and 57 minutes.

The race has been timed to run about a month before the Round Ireland, so is perfectly suited as a shakedown race for any boats competing in that event.

SIs and the entry form will be available in due course from the KYC website.

Published in Inistearaght Race

Following a successful inaugural race in 2022, the date for the 2024 Kinsale Yacht Club Inishtearaght Race has been set to start on Friday, 24th May 2024.

The date has been set to be one month before the Round Ireland Race 2024 to give those competitors an opportunity to take part in a shorter shake-down race before the 700-mile circumnavigation on 22nd June.

The second Inishtearaght race starts in Kinsale and runs along the dramatic West Cork and Kerry coasts to round Inishtearaght and return to finish in Kinsale, a distance of around 240 nautical miles.

Inishtearaght is the westernmost of the Blasket Islands off the County Kerry coast. 

Tony O’Brien helming White Tiger on the return leg of the 2022 Kinsale Yacht Club Inishtearaght RaceTony O’Brien helming White Tiger on the return leg of the 2022 Kinsale Yacht Club Inishtearaght Race

"Competitors who took part in the 2022 race found it to be a really interesting course, and many commented that they were looking forward to doing the race again", Kinsale Yacht Club's Dave Cullinane told Afloat.

In 2022, line honours were taken by Aurelia (Chris & Patanne Power Smith) from the Royal St. George YC on Dublin Bay in a time of 33 hours 57 minutes.

Sunfast 3330 double-handed duo Sam Hunt and Cian McCarthy on their way to the overall win in the 2022 Inistearaght RaceSunfast 3330 double-handed duo Sam Hunt and Cian McCarthy on their way to the overall win in the 2022 Inistearaght Race Photo: Bob Bateman

The overall winners on IRC rating were Kinsale Sunfast 3330 double-handed duo Sam Hunt and Cian McCarthy

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Overall IRC and ECHO honours in Kinsale Yacht Club's inaugural Matthews Centre sponsored Inishtearaght Race went to double-handed duo Cian McCarthy and Sam Hunt of the host club.

McCarthy and Hunt sailing the Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl finished with a corrected time of one day 12 hours 07 minutes and 26 seconds, some 20 minutes faster than line honours winner Chris Power Smith's full crewed J/122 Aurelia. (1:12:27:55 corr). 

McCarthy and Hunt sailing the Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl to an overall win in the closing stage of the KYC Inishtearaght RaceMcCarthy and Hunt sailing the Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl to an overall win pictured in the closing stage of the KYC Inishtearaght Race Photo: Bob Bateman

Third in the 240-miler on IRC was Denis Murphy's Grand Soleil 40 Nieulargo from Royal Cork Yacht Club which finished on 1:13:06:40 corrected.

As Afloat reported earlier, the Royal St. George J/122 Aurelia crew win the historic KYC Thullier Cup for the line honours win. 

Chris Power Smith skipper of  J/122 entry Aurelia from the Royal St. George Yacht Club with Kinsale's Thullier Cup for the line honours win Photo: Bob BatemanChris Power Smith skipper of J/122 entry Aurelia from the Royal St. George Yacht Club and his crew with Kinsale's Thullier Cup for the line honours win. Pictured from left are Dave Cullinane KYC Race Organiser, Chris Power Smith, Niall Smythe, Matthew White, John McManus, Luke Murphy, Sam Magill-Dohan, Sam Gillivan and James Matthews, Sponsor Matthews Cork and (below) Aurelia reaches to the finish line  Photo: Bob Bateman

Aurelia reaches to the finish line

 Full results in the six boat fleet here.

The next KYC Inishtearaght Race is scheduled for May 2024.

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Chris Power Smith's J/122 entry Aurelia from the Royal St. George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire was the line honours winner of the inaugural Inishtearaght Race, finishing at 9 pm on Saturday.

The only Dublin entry in the Kinsale Yacht Club offshore 240-mile race took just under 36 hours to complete the challenging course from Kinsale along the Cork and Kerry coast and back to the West Cork port. 

"It was a tough race, big seas and big winds, but we were able for it", Chris Power Smith told Afloat after crossing the finish line. 

Subject to official confirmation, the Dublin crew will lift one of Kinsale Yacht Club's most prestigious trophies, the Thullier Cup, which dates back to 1850, for their line honours achievement.

Chris Power Smith's J/122 entry Aurelia from the Royal St. George Yacht Club closes in on the Kinsale finish line Photo: Bob BatemanChris Power Smith's J/122 entry Aurelia from the Royal St. George Yacht Club closes in on the Kinsale finish line Photo: Bob Bateman

An enthusiastic Power Smith said that after the initial 'slog', the crew enjoyed 'champagne sailing', and the Dublin Bay sailors were already promising to return for the 2024 race.

Second home of the seven boat fleet was Cian McCarthy's double-handed Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl.

Cian McCarthy's double-handed Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon GirlCian McCarthy's double-handed Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl

Full handicap IRC results are awaited

Published in Inistearaght Race

There were great starts for the host club's Elan 40 Chancer (Brian Carroll) and Denis Murphy's Grand Soleil 40 Nieulargo from Royal Cork in the inaugural Inishtearaght Race from Kinsale this morning in the brand new Irish offshore yacht race fixture along the Cork and Kerry coasts.

An entry of seven boats started a new chapter in West Cork offshore yacht racing just after 9 am when the small but competitive fleet crossed the Kinsale Yacht Club line.

Cian McCarthy's two-handed Sunfast 3330 Cinnamon GirlCian McCarthy's two-handed Sunfast 3330 Cinnamon Girl Photo: Bob Bateman

The fleet, led by Chancer off the line, set out in 15-20 knot south-westerly conditions and light rain. Forecasts this morning indicate gusts to over 30-knots on the way to the Blasket Islands.

The single Dublin entry in the race is Royal St.George's J/122 Aurelia (Chris Power Smith) Photo: Bob BatemanThe single Dublin entry in the race is Royal St.George's J/122 Aurelia (Chris Power Smith) Photo: Bob Bateman

Unfortunately, the planned start using a Navy ship did not materialise due to the exigencies of the Naval Service but Club Race Officer Dave O'Sullivan got the fleet underway in a club vessel from the KYC's Charles fort startline inside Kinsale Harbour.

The fleet, led by Chancer off the line, set out in 15-20 knot south-westerly conditions and light rainThe Inishtearaght Race fleet set out in 15-20 knot south-westerly conditions and light rain Photo: Matthias Hellstern

As Afloat previously reported, the course is approximately 240nm long and will run along the spectacular south coast, round Inistearaght island and back to Kinsale.

The Elan 40 Chancer crewSoft day - The Elan 40 Chancer crew all wearing offshore gear in anticipation of a wet trip to the Blaskets Photo: Bob Bateman

The first boats in the Matthews Centre sponsored event are expected home sometime on Saturday evening but as competitor Brian Carroll told Afloat in a podcast here, the fleet is expecting quite a lot of challenging upwind sailing today. 

Cian McCarthy's Cinnamon Girl on starboard and Chris Power Smith's Aurelia on just port after the startCian McCarthy's Cinnamon Girl on starboard and Chris Power Smith's Aurelia on port after the start Photo: Bob Bateman

The Inishtearaght Race fleetThe Inishtearaght Race fleet emerge from Kinsale harbour with (from left) Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl, Grand Soleil 40 Nieulargo, Elan 40 Chancer and Dublin Bay J/122 entry Aurelia to weather  Photo: Matthias HellsternThe breeze is on for (from left) Grand Soleil 40 Nieulargo, Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl and Dublin Bay J/122 entry Aurelia to weather  Photo: Matthis HellsternThe breeze is on for (from left) Grand Soleil 40 Nieulargo, Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl and Dublin Bay J/122 entry Aurelia to weather  Photo: Matthias Hellstern

The Thuillier family have kindly allowed the oldest trophy in Kinsale YC to be presented as the line honours trophy for the race. The Thuillier Cup is 150 years old, having been originally presented by the Royal Enniskillen Fusiliers in 1871 and won by Michael Thuillier. The cup was presented to Kinsale YC by the Thuillier family to acknowledge the long tradition of yacht racing in Kinsale.

Noel Coleman's Oyster 37 Blue Oyster from  Royal Cork YC on her way to the Blaskets Photo: Bob BatemanNoel Coleman's Oyster 37 Blue Oyster from Royal Cork YC on her way to the Blaskets Photo: Bob Bateman

The inaugural Inishtearaght Race fleetThe inaugural Inishtearaght Race fleet

Bob Bateman's Inishearaght Race Start Photo Gallery below

Published in Inistearaght Race

Royal St. George Yacht Club

The Royal St George Yacht Club was founded in Dun Laoghaire (then Kingstown) Harbour in 1838 by a small number of like-minded individuals who liked to go rowing and sailing together. The club gradually gathered pace and has become, with the passage of time and the unstinting efforts of its Flag Officers, committees and members, a world-class yacht club.

Today, the ‘George’, as it is known by everyone, maybe one of the world’s oldest sailing clubs, but it has a very contemporary friendly outlook that is in touch with the demands of today and offers world-class facilities for all forms of water sports

Royal St. George Yacht Club FAQs

The Royal St George Yacht Club — often abbreviated as RStGYC and affectionately known as ‘the George’ — is one of the world’s oldest sailing clubs, and one of a number that ring Dublin Bay on the East Coast of Ireland.

The Royal St George Yacht Club is based at the harbour of Dun Laoghaire, a suburban coastal town in south Co Dublin around 11km south-east of Dublin city centre and with a population of some 26,000. The Royal St George is one of the four Dun Laoghaire Waterfront Clubs, along with the National Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC) and Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC).

The Royal St George was founded by members of the Pembroke Rowing Club in 1838 and was originally known as Kingstown Boat Club, as Kingstown was what Dun Laoghaire was named at the time. The club obtained royal patronage in 1845 and became known as Royal Kingstown Yacht Club. After 1847 the club took on its current name.

The George is first and foremost an active yacht club with a strong commitment to and involvement with all aspects of the sport of sailing, whether racing your one design on Dublin Bay, to offshore racing in the Mediterranean and Caribbean, to junior sailing, to cruising and all that can loosely be described as “messing about in boats”.

As of November 2020, the Commodore of the Royal St George Yacht Club is Peter Bowring, with Richard O’Connor as Vice-Commodore. The club has two Rear-Commodores, Mark Hennessy for Sailing and Derek Ryan for Social.

As of November 2020, the Royal St George has around 1,900 members.

The Royal St George’s burgee is a red pennant with a white cross which has a crown at its centre. The club’s ensign has a blue field with the Irish tricolour in its top left corner and a crown towards the bottom right corner.

Yes, the club hosts regular weekly racing for dinghies and keelboats as well as a number of national and international sailing events each season. Major annual events include the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta, hosted in conjunction with the three other Dun Laoghaire Waterfront Clubs.

Yes, the Royal St George has a vibrant junior sailing section that organises training and events throughout the year.

Sail training is a core part of what the George does, and training programmes start with the Sea Squirts aged 5 to 8, continuing through its Irish Sailing Youth Training Scheme for ages 8 to 18, with adult sail training a new feature since 2009. The George runs probably the largest and most comprehensive programme each summer with upwards of 500 children participating. This junior focus continues at competitive level, with coaching programmes run for aspiring young racers from Optimist through to Lasers, 420s and Skiffs.

 

The most popular boats raced at the club are one-design keelboats such as the Dragon, Shipman 28, Ruffian, SB20, Squib and J80; dinghy classes including the Laser, RS200 and RS400; junior classes the 420, Optimist and Laser Radial; and heritage wooden boats including the Water Wags, the oldest one-design dinghy class in the world. The club also has a large group of cruising yachts.

The Royal St George is based in a Victorian-style clubhouse that dates from 1843 and adjoins the harbour’s Watering Pier. The clubhouse was conceived as a miniature classical Palladian Villa, a feature which has been faithfully maintained despite a series of extensions, and a 1919 fire that destroyed all but four rooms. Additionally, the club has a substantial forecourt with space for more than 50 boats dry sailing, as well as its entire dinghy fleet. There is also a dry dock, four cranes (limit 12 tonnes) and a dedicated lift=out facility enabling members keep their boats in ready to race condition at all times. The George also has a floating dock for short stays and can supply fuel, power and water to visitors.

Yes, the Royal St George’s clubhouse offers a full bar and catering service for members, visitors and guests. Currently the bar is closed due to Covid-19 restrictions.

The Royal St George boathouse is open daily from 9.30am to 5.30pm during the winter. The office and reception are open Tuesdays to Fridays from 10am to 5pm. The bar is currently closed due to Covid-19 restrictions. Lunch is served on Wednesdays and Fridays from 12.30pm to 2.30pm, with brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 3pm.

Yes, the Royal St George regularly hosts weddings and family celebrations from birthdays to christenings, and offers a unique and prestigious location to celebrate your day. The club also hosts corporate meetings, sailing workshops and company celebrations with a choice of rooms. From small private meetings to work parties and celebrations hosting up to 150 guests, the club can professionally and successfully manage your corporate requirements. In addition, team building events can utilise its fleet of club boats and highly trained instructors. For enquiries contact Laura Smart at [email protected] or phone 01 280 1811.

The George is delighted to welcome new members. It may look traditional — and is proud of its heritage — but behind the facade is a lively and friendly club, steeped in history but not stuck in it. It is a strongly held belief that new members bring new ideas, new skills and new contacts on both the sailing and social sides.

No — members can avail of the club’s own fleet of watercraft.

There is currently no joining fee for new members of the Royal St George. The introductory ordinary membership subscription fee is €775 annually for the first two years. A full list of membership categories and related annual subscriptions is available.

Membership subscriptions are renewed on an annual basis

Full contact details for the club and its staff can be found at the top of this page

©Afloat 2020

RStGYC SAILING DATES 2024

  • April 13th Lift In
  • May 18th & 19th Cannonball Trophy
  • May 25th & 26th 'George' Invitational Regatta
  • July 6th RSGYC Regatta
  • August 10th & 11th Irish Waszp National Championships
  • August 22- 25th Dragon Irish National Championships / Grand Prix
  • Aug 31st / Sept 1st Elmo Trophy
  • September 6th End of Season Race
  • September 7th & 8th Squib East Coast Championships
  • September 20th - 22nd SB20 National Championships
  • September 22nd Topper Ireland Traveller Event
  • October 12th Lift Out

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