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Displaying items by tag: Ecuador

A tall ship from Brazil left onlookers breathless when it collided with a pedestrian bridge over a river in Ecuador on Monday (18 October).

As reported by Marine Industry News, the Brazilian naval training vessel Cisne Branco (White Swan) had been visiting the city of Guayaquil for a number of days before it drifted into the bridge in what appears to be a strong current and listed heavily on its port side.

The Amsterdam-built ship was righted to even keel with the help of tugs — but in the process one of the tugs was capsized. No injuries were reported among the crews of either vessels.

CNN Brazil carried a video report of the incident which can be viewed below:

Published in Tall Ships
Tagged under

#Ecuador - Friends of two Irish kayakers who died in Ecuador last weekend have raised more than €27,000 to bring their bodies back home.

According to Joe.ie, the crowdfunding campaign was set up by friends of David Higgins and Alex McGourty to help their families cover the cost of repatriating the young men’s remains.

“They were vibrant, kind souls who lived life to its full potential, and words cannot describe what they meant to their family and friends,” says the GoFundMe page where donations can be made towards its €30,000 goal.

Published in News Update

#Ecuador - The body of a Tralee man has been recovered after a kayaking incident in central Ecuador that claimed the life of a Sligoman at the weekend, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

According to The Irish Times, 26-year-old David Higgins went missing on Saturday afternoon (20 January) on a kayaking trip with four other men when his vessel was caught in a strong current on the Abanico river.

The body of Alex McGourty from Sligo was found soon after the incident, while American Jeremiah Stewart was rescued that same day.

Ecuadorian Joaqin Meneses was found alive on Monday (22 January). A fifth man, Adam Vaughen from England, is still missing.

The Irish Times has much more on the story HERE.

Published in News Update

#Ecuador - Afloat.ie has learned of unconfirmed reports that an Irishman has died in a canoeing accident in Ecuador today (Sunday 21 January).

The deceased is believed to be a member of Sligo Kayak Club. There is as yet no other details as to the location or circumstances of the incident.

Canoeing Ireland chief executive Paddy Boyd told Afloat.ie they are still waiting for more information, but extend their sympathies to the families of those involved.

Update on Sunday 21 January at 1700hrs: Sligo Kayak Club has offered its condolences to the family of club member and trainee-instructor Alex McGourty, 'who tragically died while fulfilling his dreams, kayaking in Ecuador'.

The club statement says: 'It is with profound sadness we announce the passing of club member and trainee-instructor Alex McGourty. The club would like to extend our deepest and heartfelt sympathies to Alex's parents Frankie and Eilish, his family and his friends. Alex will be greatly missed by all in Sligo Kayak Club.  He was one of the finest young men we had the honour of knowing and paddling with. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam'.

Published in Canoeing
Tagged under

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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