Roger Bannon is undertaking a major upgrade of Fingal 226's equipment and he will also redo her lovely finishes in a bid to allow as many people as possible to sail this classic National 18, a 'thoroughbred maritime greyhound'

In 1957 the National 18 was the dominant fleet in Skerries, with the Mermaids trying hard to make an impact.

Leo Flannigan and his brother Dr Jack Flannigan decided to get new National 18s built by ARP in the UK using the then remarkable Bruynzeel plywood being manufactured in Holland for planking rather than silver spruce. These boats (known as Stickies) were revolutionary in their lightness and stiffness and totally outclassed all the existing boats at the time despite retaining a cast iron centreboard weighing over 175lbs. These boats also pioneered the first Proctor built aluminium spars which proved to be an immense performance enhancer.

National 18 Fingal 226 - when built she was revolutionary in their lightness and stiffness

These developments led to the collapse of the National 18 fleet in Skerries and prompted the establishment of a large fleet of Mermaids which were cheaper, more one design and better able to cope with the brisk wind conditions which tended to prevail in Skerries Harbour, which exposed the relatively unprotected drying out moorings.

Fingal - a beautiful piece of outstanding dinghy building craftsmanship

These two boats were beautiful pieces of outstanding craftsmanship but hugely expensive. The final major development of the wooden generation was the change in 1967 to a 65 lb aluminium centreboard which hugely increased the performance of the boat, making it much livelier, less suitable for exposed moorings and more prone to capsizing in brisk conditions. This eventually led to the emergence of the Proctor designed smooth hulled glassfibre versions as a successful attempt to reduce costs and introduce lighter one-design hulls with a more modern, easily driven shape.

Upgrade project - it is proposed to modernise the equipment to make the boat easier and safer to sail, fit a lighter centreboard, include a trapeze (which is used on more modern versions) and install additional built-in buoyancy

Dr Jack Flannigan's boat on which I learned to sail in the mid-'60s, Finola 225, eventually ended up in the UK, where after some spectacular mishaps, it was beautifully restored and is now actively sailed in the Classic division of the National 18s in Bosham. Leo Flannigan's boat, Fingal 226, was acquired by noted Skerries based dinghy sailor Brendan Reddin who undertook a restoration project over many years to put 226 back into pristine condition. By his own admission, he had spent over 2,500 hours carefully reviving this outstanding boat. Brendan tragically died five years ago.

The family was tortured over what to do with the boat, eventually concluding that Brendan would have liked someone to take over its custodianship and undertake a major upgrade of its equipment and redo its lovely finishes, particularly on the deck. They have little patience for museum pieces, and a bit like the wonderful DBSC 21 project, they want the boat to be actively sailed by as many people as possible and enjoy the experience of sailing in one of these thoroughbred maritime greyhounds from the era of the emergence of dinghy sailing as a universally accessible pastime.

Fingal's stern locker complete with lock and key

With this in mind, it is proposed to modernise the equipment to make the boat easier and safer to sail, fit a lighter centreboard, include a trapeze (which is used on more modern versions) and install additional built-in buoyancy similar to the Mermaids to make it genuinely self-rescuing in the event of a swamping, a not uncommon experience in these lively vessels.

It is expected the project will take approximately six months to complete, and the planned relaunch of the boat is targeted for early May 2022, when it will join the active Classic National 18 Fleet.

The advent of this project has occurred very serendipitously in 2021, coinciding with the restoration of the DBSC 21's, including Garavogue, on which I had my first sail ever in 1964 when it was still gaff rigged.

The National 18 class has shown its appreciation to Cork Harbour-based photographer Bob Bateman for his 'outstanding support' of the dinghy class at its end of season meeting.

Bateman, who is assisted by Mary Malone on many of his waterborne assignments were awarded the National 18s Sullivan Trophy for their role in capturing the action at significant National 18 regattas that in 2021 included Royal Cork's 300th celebrations. 

Contributing so much to the success of Afloat.ie on the south coast, Bateman has captured many important occasions with his colourful images of Cork maritime life.

"Bob and Mary were out for every event for the class taking photos and writing up event reports. The class is hugely grateful for their support", National 18 Class Captain Charles Dwyer told Afloat.

The trophy was presented at the National 18s end of season River Race. The sailors applauded Bateman and Malone for their work in documenting the success of the three-person dinghy class and helping to preserve its history.

Tom Crosbie was the winner of last night's annual river race for the National 18 class at Royal Cork Yacht Club in Cork Harbour.

Using a mark laid inside the marina the race is sometimes used as a crews race. Last's night's course was set in very light winds prompting the shortening of the race from three to just one round.

The Owenabue fixture marked the final race of the season for the dinghy class and there was an enthusiastic turnout of the three-man dinghy class.

Next up for the National 18s is next weekend's All Ireland sailing championships where the class will be used to decide Ireland's so-called 'champion of champions'.

The National 18 fleet gathered at Royal Cork for the annual River Race

National 18 River Race Photo Gallery by Bob Bateman

Ewan Barry, Dion Barrett and Stan Brown won the National 18 Irish dinghy Championships for a fourth time at Royal Cork Yacht Club on Sunday after a two-day CH Marine sponsored championship at Crosshaven.

Despite efforts to run the entire event off Roches Point, the 11-boat fleet was forced back inside Cork Harbour on Sunday by light winds in order to complete the five-race contest.

Barry, Barrett and Brown won overall by dint of their last race win but actually finished on the same eight points as the second overall crew, clubmates Patrick Crosbie sailing with his sister Chloe and recently announced Paris 2024 Olympic 49er campaigner Seafra Guilfoyle.

Sailing two up, Davey O'Connell and Anthony Coole finished third overall. 

As Afloat reported earlier, the championships were run by National 18 Treasurer Joanna O'Brien with N18 Class Captain Charles Dwyer presenting the prizes

Second overall - Patrick Crosbie (second from right) sailing with his sister Chloe and Paris 2024 Olympic 49er campaigner Seafra Guilfoyle

Davey O'Connell (second from right) and Anthony Coole (pictured with his son) finished third overall

The 2021 National 18 Irish Championships scoresheet

National 18 2021 Irish Championships prizegiving at RCYC

After August's tightly fought Lowflo Trophy contest, the National 18 dinghy fleet based at Royal Cork Yacht Club was back on the water in September and racing outside Cork Harbour in a two-day competition for National Honours sponsored by CH Marine. 

Class treasurer Joanna O'Brien, the race officer for the event, eventually got an unruly fleet away but not before a black flag start in some light and shifty conditions.

Racing continues on Sunday for the three-person dinghy, and the plan is to race again off Roches Point.

As regular Afloat readers know, the class eventually got its first racing of the season in the first week of June after COVID setbacks but have been racing every Wednesday as part of a busy 2021 lineup.

There is a hectic weekend ahead in Cork Harbour with four events scheduled.

Cobh People's Regatta, the 1720 National Championships, the SB20 Southerns and the National 18's Lowflo Trophy are to be sailed.

Cobh People's Regatta will be held at Cove Sailing Club with racing for cruisers and dinghies. The packed schedule includes a commemorative event for the revived Rankin dinghy fleet on Saturday, for which the First Gun is at 1245.

Cruisers racing for the Titanic Trophy on Friday night are the first regatta event, with First Gun at 7 p.m. The Rankin dinghies will begin the racing on Saturday with their commemorative event for the Rankin Brothers Cup.

This will be followed by the Optimist Spit Bank Challenge starting at 1300 and followed by the Fast Dinghies fleet racing at 1330 and the Lower Handicap Dinghies at 1400. Cruiser Racing involving other harbour clubs will be on Sunday, with First Gun at 1330.

National 18's are racing for the Lowflo Trophy at Royal Cork Yacht Club Photo: Bob Bateman

As Afloat reported previously, the 1720 National Championships, organised by the RCYC and the Sportsboat Class Association, start this Friday afternoon with two races. Four are scheduled for Saturday and three on Sunday.

The SB20s, also to be raced out of the Crosshaven club, have three races planned for Saturday and the same number on Sunday.

Colin Galavan and Richard Hayes from the Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire are sailing their SB20 Carpe Diem in the Southern class Championships at Royal Cork

Andrew Crosbie and Stephen O'Shaughnessy in the National 18 'Virtual MissFits' were the 2021 Ballinacurra Race winners hosted by Cove Sailing Club in conjunction with the National 18 dinghy class. 

Among other competing boats, Nine Eighteens contested the race that has traditionally been an annual pilgrimage from Royal Cork in Crosshaven to 'Jacko's Bar'.

As Afloat reported earlier, this year's Cove Sailing Club race was an open event and Commodore Niall Hawes gave a  start time at 3 pm near to the harbour's Spit Bank.

The race started from Committee boat Brisa Mar with OOD Joanna O’Brien onboard.

Class 1 started first with a quick dog leg down to 16 and back to no 20 then straight to Ballinacura.

Class 2 started straight after with a fleet of 9 with 4 Rankins in attendance with 2 young hopefuls Sam and Noah Dorgan racing Optimists.

The breeze began to drop as the fleet neared the corner of east ferry and the Race officer decided to finish Class 2 at the church in East Ferry.

Class 1 consisting largely of National 18’s carried on up the East Passage where the tide was flooding rapidly with the shifty breeze.

The race concluded with Class 1s finishing at South Quay in Ballinacurra with the committee boat Bris Mar braving the shallow channel to record the finish

There were two classes racing to Ballinacurra.

A number of Rankins (below), two catamarans (above), two RS400s and a few mixed dinghies including two Optimists also started the race.

An interesting course for Class 1 dinghies was set to send them round Spit buoy and run back to No. 20 buoy and then straight to Ballinacurra.

Winds were very light prior to the start with some boats towed the final quarter of a mile just to get to the line. 

The wind filled in for the start of the race to Ballinacurra with one National 18 dinghy over the line and having to return

Although largely a family affair, the race was not without some decent competition especially for the National 18 lead in Class One.

In very strong tide, the National 18s found it hard to keep spinnakers filled at East Ferry

Ballinacurra Race Results 2021

Class 1

1st National 18 Misfits Andrew Crosbie & Stephen O’Shaughnessy

2nd National 18 Puss in Boots Katie Dwyer, Tome Dwyer & Willy Healy

3rd National 18 Minnie’s Return Colin Barry, Ronan Kenneally & John O’Gorman.

Class 2

1st Rankin Maurice & Francis Kidney

2nd Rankin Owen O’Connell & Joe Keenan

3rd Rankin James & Suzanne Burke

There was also a special presentation to the youngest competitor Harry Coole who was just 10 years old.

Cove Sailing Club wish to thank all the competitors who ensured this historic race was well supported.

Thanks to Charles Dwyer of the National 18 class for helping organise with us, Joanne O’Brien and crew of the Bris Mar for providing committee boat duties, the Brooklands Bar for providing much needed libations and to Steven Byrne and Harry McDwyer for providing rescue cover.

Ballinacurra Race Photo Gallery By Bob Bateman

Royal Cork's National 18 dinghy League had a seven boat turnout for Wednesday's race in Cork Harbour.

The three-man dinghy fleet returned to the racecourse at Royal Cork on June 10th for the first racing league of 2021 and have been racing every Wednesday as part of a busy 2021 line up.

As Afloat previously reported, highlights of the upcoming calendar include the National 18 Championships (Cock O’ The North) in August, the presentation of The Curlane Cup for the overall winner of the combined harbour races plus the Cork Harbour Archipelago Raid, a series of harbour point to point races which plays on the famous Swedish Archipelago Raid.

National 18 RCYC League Photo Gallery by Bob Bateman 

 

Nick Walsh's Fifty Shades was the first to finish the National 18s River Race held last night at Royal Cork Yacht Club in Cork Harbour.

The Owenabue race marked the final race of the season for the dinghy class and there was an enthusiastic turnout of all but one of the (new) designs, giving an 11-boat fleet.

The weather threw in everything for the finale; evening sunshine, dark clouds, a shower, light winds and finally a shower that brought more breeze and a rainbow.

With the tide in but ebbing the course was a beat to a weather mark, a run downwind and then a right turn into the marina in front of the RCYC clubhouse, rounding a mark back out to continue the run to leeward mark.

National 18 dinghy River Race photo slideshow below

Fifty Shades sailed by Nick Walsh, Rob Brownlow and  Eddie Rice are the winners of the 2020 National 18 Foot Class Irish National Championships after an eight race series sailed off Cork Harbour at the weekend.

Walsh and crew won by six points from FOMO sailed by Alex Barry, Andrew Woodward and Grattan Roberts. Third in the nine boat fleet was Colin Chapman's Aquadisiacs sailing with Eric Lyons and Morgan O'Sullivan. 

Full results are here.