WM Nixon
William M Nixon has been writing about sailing in Ireland for many years in print and online, and his work has appeared internationally in magazines and books. His own experience ranges from club sailing to international offshore events, and he has cruised extensively under sail, often in his own boats which have ranged in size from an 11ft dinghy to a 35ft cruiser-racer. He has also been involved in the administration of several sailing organisations.
Even the most experienced amateur sailors will always feel a certain nervousness mingling with the anticipation in starting a cruise writes W M Nixon. This is particularly so when the cruise will take them out of sight of land, and…
Limerick’s Traditional Ketch Ilen Reaches her Destination in Greenland’s Main Port
19th July 2019 Ilen
After a swift but cold 26-hour run up the Labrador Sea along the southwest coast of Greenland from Paamuit, Limerick’s restored 1926-built 56ft ketch Ilen reached her primary destination, the Greenland capital of Nuuk, late this morning (Friday) writes W…
The restored 56ft 1926-built traditional ketch Ilen lingered in the southwest Greenland port of Paamuit for the past couple of days while a vicious southerly gale blew itself out in the Labrador Sea writes W M Nixon. It was an…
Limerick Ketch Ilen Finds Smoother Greenland Waters After Rounding of Cape Farewell
16th July 2019 Ilen
The restored 1926 Limerick trading ketch Ilen continues to make steady progress on her Salmons Wake voyage to the Arctic writes W M Nixon. She is now port-hopping along the southwest coast of Greenland towards Nuuk, with the rough conditions…
Howth Seventeens Have their Own Special Programme at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta
14th July 2019 Volvo Regatta
The Howth Seventeens have survived and prospered for 121 years by doing things their own way, so for the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2019, eight of them packed a lot of sailing miles into a compact programme by racing across…
The Venerable Scoter Flies Ahead of the Newer Seabirds at Dun Laoghaire
14th July 2019 Volvo Regatta
While the ancient Howth 17s may have started racing in 1898 a year earlier than the Seabird Half Raters on the other side of the Irish Sea, the Warden-Owen family of Treardur Bay reckon their Seabird class Scoter is all…
We knew that Colm Bermingham's Elan 33 Bite the Bullet from Howth was already winner of Non-spin 1 going into today’s Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta race, but he won it anyway and with a discarded 2nd he thus finishes on…
It was the Quarter Tonners and associated sparring partners in IRC 3 which really got their moneys worth with ten races completed at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta, but with 18 boats and white-hot competition, understandably there were times when the race…
The Half Tonners are so blatantly in a league of their own in IRC 2 that a Division B has been formed within the class, and here the X302 Dux (Caroline Gore-Grimes HYC) finished Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta with a…
Checkmate XVIII is Overall IRC 2 Champion at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta
14th July 2019 Volvo Regatta
The Half Tonners in IRC 2 rival the J/109s in IRC1 in their cut-throat competition at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta, and for the final contest it was Jonny Swan (HYC) with Harmony who found his mojo to sail a dream…
It was with the numerous J/109s in IRC 1 that blood was on the bay today at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta, with the narrow overnight lead of Outrajeous (Richard Colwell & John Murphy) snatched away by a final win by…
'Eleuthera' Ties the Knot in Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta IRC Zero as 'Signal 8' Finally Gets a Win
14th July 2019 Volvo Regatta
Jamie McWilliam's Ker 40 Signal 8 from Hong Kong may have found all the pieces were falling into place on this last outing at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta today as she took her first win of the series in IRC…
The sunshine and summery sailing has suited the Frazer Meredith syndicate in the Sonata Asterix, they’ve taken the overall lead of IRC4 at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta from Abersoch’s Jonathan Fawcett with the She 31B She Too, with Michal Matulka…
The Bullet is Bitten Out of Sight in IRC Non-Spinnaker 1 at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta
13th July 2019 Volvo Regatta
Colm Bermingham’s Elan 333 Bite the Bullet from Howth was looking good last night, now he seems unassailable at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta, being in the luxurious position of discarding a second in today’s second race. Terry Fair’s Sigma 33…
The Heat is On in the J/109s in IRC Class One of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta
13th July 2019 Volvo Regatta
“Champagne sailing” is a choice expression which is in danger of being over-used every time a bit of sunshine happens upon a decent sailing breeze during race time in Ireland writes W M Nixon. But we’ve no doubt it was…
'F’n Gr8' Leads But There's Complex Challenges Among the Quarter Tonners at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta
13th July 2019 Volvo Regatta
We concluded yesterday’s racing IRC3 racing at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta with Rory Fekkes’ turbo-powered First 8 F’n Gr8 from Carrickfergus in the overall lead, but things today weren’t so clearcut today among the Quarter Tonners and their assorted sparring…
'Checkmate XVIII' Lives Up to Her Name at IRC 2 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta
13th July 2019 Volvo Regatta
If sailing is a waterborne game of chess, then Nigel Biggs’ Half Tonner Checkmate XVIII is fulfilling the promise of her name with the bullet today in Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta to have her on 6 points after discarding a…
Greystones Grand Soleil 'Eleuthera' Has Four Point Winning Margin in Volvo Dun Laoghaire Class Zero
13th July 2019 Volvo Regatta
IRC 0 Eleuthera is bringing it home for Greystones In celebration of the successful progress through this Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta and others of Frank Whelan’s very fine Grand Soleil 44 Eleuthera, maybe they should re-name his home port Brightstones…
J109 'Mojito' Becomes Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta Offshore Leader as 'Mermaid' slips in IRC Coastal Contest
14th July 2019 Volvo Regatta
The clear record of Seamus Fitzpatrick’s First 50 Mermaid IV (RIYC) in the coastal racing of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta slipped today, taking quite a knock with an 11th while the Pwllheli J/109 (Peter Dunlop) was on top form to…
New Shared Spinnaker Retrieval Manoeuvre Adds Spice To Shipman 28 Racing
13th July 2019 Volvo Regatta
The big noises in the communications business are always telling us that we should find ways of making our sailing races more interesting to the casual spectator, writes W M Nixon. In light of this, one of Dun Laoghaire’s most…
