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Displaying items by tag: Dublin Tall Ships Parade of Sail

#TALL SHIPS – It has been more than a fortnight ago since the spectacle of Dublin Tall Ships Race Festival's 'Parade of Sail' took place, and today the last participant, the Swedish Navy's Falken, made a southbound departure of Dublin Bay, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The last large tallship to depart the festival was the Italian Navy's Amerigo Vespucci, leaving the smaller Swedish gaff schooner to remain moored along the Liffey quays until her departure this afternoon. The B-class tallship built in 1947, is based out of Karlskrona and her crew of 13 officers and 29 trainees are currently heading for Porto.

It is ironic that on the same day of Falken's farewell, the Norwegian tallship Christian Radich is currently heading northbound in the Irish Sea as previously reported today. She is to visit the capital, where she called last year to publicise in advance this year's Tall Ships Race Festival.

Published in Tall Ships

#PARADE OF SAIL UPDATE– A gun salute for today's Dublin Tall Ship Festival climax of the 'Parade of Sail' will now take place at Poolbeg in Dublin Port, rather then Dun Laoghaire Harbour as previously reported, however the tallships will remain on a course to pass off the harbour entrance, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The first tallship to bid Dublin farewell,  is to depart at 11.00 this morning, and once they pass the Poolbeg Lighthouse, they will then proceed on a course heading for Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Noting the first tallship is expected to pass off the harbour around 11.45am and the last ship is due around 2.15pm.

Awaiting the fleet in Dublin Bay will be the Naval Service OPV L.E. Emer (P21) which will be anchored north north-east (0.5miles) off the East Pier, Dun Laoghaire Harbour. The tallships will round pass the L.E. Emer and then change course by heading for the Dublin Bay Buoy in the centre of the bay and head for the Baily Lighthouse on Howth Peninsula.

There will vantage points throughout the coastline of Dublin Bay, with the South Wall in Dublin Port, the west and east piers of Dun Loaghaire Harbour and along Howth Peninsula, been particularly good locations to witness what should no doubt be a memorable day as these glorious ships of sail head off over the horizon to many a distant shore.

When the fleet arrives off Howth Peninsula, they will divide into two, as 11 tallships will gather to form a smaller fleet which are to take part in the inaugural Irish Sea Tall Ships Regatta. This new event sees these tallships racing between Dublin to Liverpool.

Published in Tall Ships

Irish Sailing Club of the Year Award

This unique and informal competition was inaugurated in 1979, with Mitsubishi Motors becoming main sponsors in 1986. The purpose of the award is to highlight and honour the voluntary effort which goes into creating and maintaining the unrivalled success of Ireland's yacht and sailing clubs. 

In making their assessment, the adjudicators take many factors into consideration. In addition to the obvious one of sailing success at local, national and international level, considerable attention is also paid to the satisfaction which members in every branch of sailing and boating feel with the way their club is run, and how effectively it meets their specific needs, while also encouraging sailing development and training.

The successful staging of events, whether local, national or international, is also a factor in making the assessment, and the adjudicators place particular emphasis on the level of effective voluntary input which the membership is ready and willing to give in support of their club's activities.

The importance of a dynamic and fruitful interaction with the local community is emphasised, and also with the relevant governmental and sporting bodies, both at local and national level. The adjudicators expect to find a genuine sense of continuity in club life and administration. Thus although the award is held in a specific year in celebration of achievements in the previous year, it is intended that it should reflect an ongoing story of success and well-planned programmes for future implementation. 

Over the years, the adjudication system has been continually refined in order to be able to make realistic comparisons between clubs of varying types and size. With the competition's expansion to include class associations and specialist national watersports bodies, the "Club of the Year" competition continues to keep pace with developing trends, while at the same time reflecting the fact that Ireland's leading sailing clubs are themselves national and global pace-setters

Irish Sailing Club of the Year Award FAQs

The purpose of the award is to highlight and honour the voluntary effort which goes into creating and maintaining the unrivalled success of Ireland's yacht and sailing clubs.

A ship's wheel engraved with the names of all the past winners.

The Sailing Club of the Year competition began in 1979.

PR consultant Sean O’Shea (a member of Clontarf Y & BC) had the idea of a trophy which would somehow honour the ordinary sailing club members, volunteers and sailing participants, who may not have personally won prizes, to feel a sense of identity and reward and special pride in their club. Initially some sort of direct inter-club contest was envisaged, but sailing journalist W M Nixon suggested that a way could be found for the comparative evaluation of the achievements and quality of clubs despite their significant differences in size and style.

The award recognises local, national & international sailing success by the winning club's members in both racing and cruising, the completion of a varied and useful sailing and social programme at the club, the fulfilling by the club of its significant and socially-aware role in the community, and the evidence of a genuine feeling among all members that the club meets their individual needs afloat and ashore.

The first club of the Year winner in 1979 was Wicklow Sailing Club.

Royal Cork Yacht Club has won the award most, seven times in all in 1987, 1992, 1997, 2000, 2006, 2015 & 2020.

The National YC has won six times, in 1981, 1985, 1993, 1996, 2012 & 2018.

Howth Yacht Club has won five times, in 1982, 1986, 1995, 2009 & 2019

Ireland is loosely divided into regions with the obviously high-achieving clubs from each area recommended through an informal nationwide panel of local sailors going into a long-list, which is then whittled down to a short-list of between three and eight clubs.

The final short-list is evaluated by an anonymous team based on experienced sailors, sailing journalists and sponsors’ representatives

From 1979 to 2020 the Sailing Club of the Year Award winners are:

  • 1979 Wicklow SC
  • 1980 Malahide YC
  • 1981 National YC
  • 1982 Howth YC
  • 1983 Royal St George YC
  • 1984 Dundalk SC
  • 1985 National YC (Sponsorship by Mitsubishi Motors began in 1985-86)
  • 1986 Howth YC
  • 1987 Royal Cork YC
  • 1988 Dublin University SC
  • 1989 Irish Cruising. Club
  • 1990 Glenans Irish SC
  • 1991 Galway Bay SC
  • 1992 Royal Cork YC
  • 1993 National YC & Cumann Badoiri Naomh Bhreannain (Dingle) (after 1993, year indicated is one in which trophy is held)
  • 1995 Howth Yacht Club
  • 1996 National Yacht Club
  • 1997 Royal Cork Yacht Club
  • 1998 Kinsale Yacht Club
  • 1999 Poolbeg Yacht & Boat Club
  • 2000 Royal Cork Yacht Club (in 2000, competition extended to include class associations and specialist organisations)
  • 2001 Howth Sailing Club Seventeen Footer Association
  • 2002 Galway Bay Sailing Club
  • 2003 Coiste an Asgard
  • 2004 Royal St George Yacht Club
  • 2005 Lough Derg Yacht Club
  • 2006 Royal Cork Yacht Club (Water Club of the Harbour of Cork)
  • 2007 Dublin Bay Sailing Club
  • 2008 Lough Ree YC & Shannon One Design Assoc.
  • 2009 Howth Yacht Club
  • 2010 Royal St George YC
  • 2011 Irish Cruiser Racing Association
  • 2012 National Yacht Club
  • 2013 Royal St George YC
  • 2014 Kinsale YC
  • 2015 Royal Cork Yacht Club
  • 2016 Royal Irish Yacht Club
  • 2017 Wicklow Sailing Club
  • 2018 National Yacht Club
  • 2019 Howth Yacht Club
  • 2020 Royal Cork Yacht Club

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