Displaying items by tag: ICRA
Ireland Thankful to Escape Favourites Tag for Commodore's Cup 2012
Ireland's 2010 Commodore's Cup winning captain showed his relief at the news that Hong Kong have been tipped as favourites for next July's event, The Irish Times reports.
The announcement was made this week at the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) in London, and should lift a burden off an Irish squad which has long suffered under the weight of being pre-event favourites.
Ireland's concerns instead have turned to whether a team can even be assembled for next summer's event in light of the difficult economic environment - and despite the RORC opening the rating bands to allow for more flexible combinations of boat sizes.
As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) is seeking expressions of interest to form an Irish team and remains hopeful of mounting a serious defence of the title won by last year's Anthony O’Leary-captained squad.
The next Commodore's Cup - which also has a new title sponsor in Brewin Dolphin - takes place from 21 to 28 July 2012 in Cowes.
ICRA Seek Team for Defence of 2012 Commodore's Cup
The Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) is seeking expressions of interest from owners to form an Irish team to defend the Rolex Commodore's Cup next July.
ICRA Commodore Barry Rose says that despite the current difficult environment ICRA remains hopeful of mounting a serious defence and have waited until now to allow the maximum time to those who may consider supporting the challenge.
The Rolex Commodores Cup takes place from 21st to 28th July 2012 based in Cowes. Ireland first won this prestigious International Trophy in 2010 .
Captain of the winning team Anthony O Leary told Afloat.ie: 'We finally won this great event in 2010 with a well organised campaign. Let's hope we
can return to defend it in 2012 learning further from that experience'
The regatta format has been changed by event organisers the RORC in that the smallest boat will now have a minimum rating of 1.020 with the biggest boat maximum rating of 1.230. There will be only one boat per team allowed to rate in excess of 1.150.
This means there will no longer be three separate classes so all starts will be all in which will add to the excitement and spectacle of the event.
Countries will be free to decide on their own combination of boat sizes within the above bands which will add further to the intrigue of this non discard seven day test of inshore and offshore racing.
ICRA is asking for potential interested owners to make contact with them as soon as possible in order that a meeting can be held within the next month to advance ideas on how best to mount a successful defence.
Lyver Race Report - Holyhead to Howth
Following very closely after the Dingle Race, ICRA Nationals in Crosshaven and the Sovereign's Cup in Kinsale, it was understandable that the numbers of ISORA boats taking part in the Lyver Race was small. The "grim" forecast of no wind did not encourage any boats to take part either. Never the less, five ISORA boats joined the 10 other boats and came to the start shortly after 19.00 on Friday the 1st July.
In view of the forecast the Sailing Committee shortened the race to the minimum requirements of RORC to qualify for the Fastnet Race – 75 miles. The time limit for the race was 24 hours after the start. With little wind at the start, and a north going tide just starting, they chose a "waypoint" just south of the Isle of Man as the turning mark and then to Howth.
This decision turned out to be inspired. The little wind there was there at the start was from the north-west so the first leg was a beat to the waypoint. Those boats who took the north leg from the start shot away in the tide while the others appeared to remain static in
Holyhead Bay. The forecast was for the wind to veer around to the south later. All through the night the winds were very fickle and boats had the chase constantly fluctuating breezes. Despite the little wind, it held for most of the night. At day break the wind started to pick up from the forecasted South and boats popped their kites and headed for the waypoint. There was a great gathering of boats at the waypoint with 12 boats visible around the waypoint.
The next leg to Howth was a white sail reach. This turned out to be an intensive chase with the J111 "Arabella" taking the lead followed by two Prima 38's, Stephen Tudor's "Sgrech" and Matt Davis's " Raging Bull". The wind from the south increased in strength as the fleet approached Howth.
While "Arabella" took line honours, it only managed to take 2nd place overall. "Sgrech" took 1st place and "Raging Bull" took 3rd place. All the boats that had not retired, managed to complete the course within the time limit.
The boats taking part in the race were fitted with trackers. The progress of the race can be followed by clicking the following link: http://live.adventuretracking.com/lyver2011
The prize-giving took place in Howth Yacht Club on Saturday evening.
Irish Champion Tiger Heading for Cowes Quarter Ton Cup
Recently crowned ICRA IRC Three Champion, Tiger (George Kenefick) is travelling to Cowes for next week's 2011 Coutts Quarter Ton Cup hosted by the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club in Cowes, and with only a week to go, anticipation is building amongst the international fleet signed up to compete.
The black hulled champion won its class at the ICRA Nationals in Crosshaven and was second in IRC a week later at the Sovereign's Cup in Kinsale. Tiger was also second in Kinsale's newly established Quarter Ton Cup. The boat is Ireland's sole entry in the event.
Cork's Tiger is heading for Cowes and next week's Quarter Ton Cup. Photo: Bob Bateman
This is the seventh running of the event since the spectacular revival of the Quarter Ton Class back in 2005, and in addition to the core of regular domestic Quarter Ton Class aficionados who flock to Cowes each year, this year entries have also been received from France and the Netherlands, as well as from as far afield as Russia and New Zealand.
Following an afternoon of registration on Sunday 10th July and the Coutts Welcome Reception at Royal Corinthian Yacht Club that evening, racing will get underway on Monday 11th July and run through until Wednesday 13th July, with three races scheduled to take place each day. Racing will be run under the IRC handicapping system, enabling boats designed to all three versions of the Quarter Ton Class rule to compete as a single fleet.
The ICRA Nationals were a great success in Royal Cork Yacht Club last weekend building on the integrity of the previous events writes ICRA Chief Barry Rose.
The conditions were sparkling with two tough days sailing followed by a peach of a day on Sunday in blue skies flat seas and 7/10 knots of breeze to finish off in Carribean style.
Carribbean sailing, Cork Harbour style. Photo: Bob Bateman
After Friday's tricky opener in big swells and shifty breeze many competitors throught Saturday's blast in mostly winds ranging 20 to 30 knots was as exciting and tough a days sailing as they could remember. Pics HERE. The race officers Peter Crowley and Richard Leonard laid super courses and got in a full programme. Results and overall winner pics here.
There was real quality through the fleets and representation from every Coast in Ireland from Northern Ireland, UK, Wales and New Zealand giving the event an International feel.
The Royal Cork provided its usual warm welcome and good organisation on and off the water.
A top class buffet was attended by 180 people on Saturday night and sailors danced to samba music until the early hours.
The Dubarry Brass Boot Special award was presented to the New Zealand team on Black Fun for making the effort to ship their boat and travel so far.
Irish crews gave visitors the boot, on and off the water. Photo: Bob Bateman
The Dubarry and ICRA formula to award day prizes to all crews on winning boats was a welcome recognition that sailing is a team sport and the system where each boat could only win 1 set of crew prizes saw these day prizes spread around to good effect.
Long way from home. Dublin visitors got a great welcome. Photo: Bob Bateman
The last ingredient in the event was the amazing value for money with a 120 Euro entry fee including a week on the Royal Cork marina, a 100 Euro lift in and out offer and an accomodation deal with Hotel partners the Carrigaline Court of 130 Euros B and B for 4 days and 1 dinner was hugely appreciated and enjoyed by competitors.
Happy campers - on site parking facility at the club. Photo: Robert Bateman
A free bus down each morning and home made burger and chips and a beer for 10 Euro after sailing were nice details that all went down well.
The hooded sportsboat, another Cork Harbour invention. Photo: Bob Bateman
The prize giving on the deck in the Royal Cork in the sun saw Crosshaven at its best. ISA President Niamh Mc Cutcheon presented the medals and Vice Adrmiral Peter Deasy the trophies. They were assisted by Chairman of the organising Committee Rear Admiral Ronan Enright and ICRA administered the proceedings with Commodore Barry Rose Secretary Denis Kielly and treasurer and former Commodore Fintan Cairns. Prize giving pics HERE.
Those who did not attend missed a cracker of a Championship and those who won National titles thoroughly deserved them for the variety of conditions they encountered and the skill and standard to which they sailed.
Locals were to the fore at the ICRA Nationals when Antix, Allure, Tiger and Xtension were all winners in Cork Harbour this weekend. It was the same on the on the East coast – but only just – when David Gorman and Chris Doorly lifted the Flying fifteen title at their own club. And locals too are in the top ten of the Fireball Worlds in Sligo. Click th links for our photo reviews.
Dublin Bay was the venue for the Royal Alfred's Bloomsday regatta and Colin Byrne's impressive X34 was top of IRC one. On Belfast lough, Dublin visitor Tim Goodbody won the Sigma 33 title (again), nice T-shirt Tim! The Royal St. George tried out the J80s at the club's first ever Family regatta before handing them over for Ireland's first inter county champs.
Volvo Dun Laoghaire regatta approaches, nearly 400 are entered. Are you on the entry list HERE?
We're in the Ocean Race and we're on board with China's Team Sanya. Old friends are best!
And in Olympic Sailing Water Rat says we deserve two medals from Weymouth. Do we? Your views matter. Let us know!
Stand by for our newsletter later this morning!
Antix, Storm, Allure, Tiger and Xtension are IRC Winners
Six wins was more than enough for locals Neil Kennefick and Joxer O'Briens' Tiger to win Class three of the Irish Cruiser Racing Association national championships that ended in Crosshaven this evening.
The quarter-tonner from the host club was the favourite in Class Three since Friday when the immaculate black hulled yacht opened her national championship account with three firsts.
Following the thrills of heavy air sailing on Saturday the final day of racing turned out to be a beautiful sun filled one with a breeze of 7/8 knots.
Classes Zero, One and Two with Race Officer Peter Crowley were sailing windward/leeward courses almost out to the Daunt while Classes Three, Four and Whitesail sailed off Trabolgan with Race Officer Richard Leonard.
All fleets with the exception of Whitesail sailed two races today.
Anthony O'Leary successfully defended his IRC zero title in his Ker 39 from a reduced fleet of five entries.
Counting five firsts Howth's J109 Storm (Pat Kelly) took an impressive vistory in class one IRC beating the modified 1720 Antix beag by 11 points.
Early leader in class two Allure from Kinsale Yacht Club maintined form to win from the Dehler 34 Disaray.
Full IRC results and photos and prizegiving photos are below:
Series Place | Sail No | E | Boat | Type of Boat | Owner | Club | Handicap | Series Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | IRL3939 | E | Antix | Ker 39 | Anthony O'Leary | RCYC | 1.129 | 7 |
2 | IRL2003 | E | Gloves Off | Corby 38 | Kieran Twomey | RCYC | 1.115 | 13 |
3 | IRL2007 | E | Jump Juice | Ker | Conor Phelan | RCYC | 1.105 | 18 |
4 | IRL9852 | E | Crazy Horse | Mills 36 | Chambers/Reilly | HYC | 1.085 | 21 |
5 | GBR7737R | E | Impetuous | Corby 37 | Richard Fildes | SCYC | 1.091 | 25 |
Series Place | Sail No | E | Boat | Type of Boat | Owner | Club | Handicap | Series Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | IRL1141 | E | Storm | J109 | Pat Kelly | RSC/HYC | 1.019 | 7 |
2 | IRL17200 | E | Antix Beag | 1720 (modified) | Robert O'Leary | RCYC | 1.005 | 18 |
3 | IRL9609 | E | Jelly Baby | J109 | RCYC | 1.029 | 18 | |
4 | IRL13500 | E | D-tox | X-35 | Donal O'Leary | RCYC | 1.048 | 35 |
5 | IRL29832 | E | Aztec | A35 | RIYC | 1.034 | 38 | |
6 | IRL8991 | E | Exhale | X362 Sport | 1.025 | 39 | ||
7 | IRL8109 | E | Jetstream | J109 | Peter Redden | 1.028 | 40 | |
8 | IRL892 | E | Tux | X332 | Mary O'Keeffe | 0.981 | 44 | |
9 | IRL6021 | E | Ellida | X332 | Ria Lyden | 0.986 | 48 | |
10 | IRL7290 | E | Felix | X332 | Michael & Gretta Wallace | 0.981 | 58.5 | |
11 | IRL3323 | E | Dexterity | X332 | Alan McEneff (Team Foynes) | Foynes YC | 0.984 | 59 |
12 | IRL3709 | E | Axiom | X37 | Michael O'Neill | RIYC | 1.035 | 59.5 |
13 | IRL811 | E | Raptor | MILLS 30CR | Denis Hewitt | RIYC | 1.025 | 62 |
14 | IRL6695 | E | Eos | X362 Sport | David Scott | KYC | 1.022 | 65 |
Series Place | Sail No | E | Boat | Type of Boat | Owner | Club | Handicap | Series Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | IRL2506 | E | Allure | Corby 25 | Brian Goggin | Kinsale YC | 0.936 | 15 |
2 | IRL487 | E | Disaray | Dehler 34 Optima 101 | Raymond McGibney | Foynes YC | 0.929 | 27 |
3 | IRL2525 | E | Yanks $ ffrancs | Corby 25 | Vincent O'Shea | RCYC | 0.936 | 28 |
4 | GBR7525R | E | Thundebird | Corby 25 | Denis Coleman | RCYC | 0.941 | 29 |
5 | IRL2010 | E | Alpaca | First 31.7 | Paul & Deirdre Tingle | RCYC | 0.957 | 30.5 |
6 | GBR9896 | E | Magnet | MG335 | Kieran & Liz O'Brien | RCYC | 0.944 | 32.5 |
7 | IRL16859 | E | Bad Company | Sunfast 32 | Desmond / Ivers / Deasy | RCYC | 0.939 | 33 |
8 | IRL4170 | E | Slack Alice | GK Westerley | Shane Statham | WHSC | 0.951 | 33.5 |
9 | IRL7495 | E | Maximus | X302 | Paddy Kyne | HYC/WHSC | 0.930 | 38 |
10 | IRL9732 | E | Wicked | Sunfast 32 | Mark Mendel | RCYC | 0.940 | 50.5 |
11 | IRL3492 | E | Big Deal | Dehler | Derek Dillon | Foynes YC | 0.925 | 62 |
12 | IRL1022 | E | Aramis | Contessa 33 | Pat Vaughan | RCYC | 0.929 | 72 |
13 | IRL26026 | E | Ruthless | Corby 26 | Conor Ronan | Sligo YC | 0.953 | 73 |
14 | IRL2706 | E | Kodachi | Corby 27 | Denis Ellis | Cove SC | 0.959 | 74 |
15 | IRL6676 | E | Y-Knot | First 32s5 | Barrett/Conlon | RCYC | 0.933 | 85 |
Series Place | Sail No | E | Boat | Type of Boat | Owner | Club | Handicap | Series Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | IRL999999 | E | Tiger | Quarter ton | Kenefick & O'Brien | RCYC | 0.902 | 6 |
2 | IRL3087 | E | Anchor Challenge | Quarter ton | Eamonn Rohan | KYC | 0.912 | 13 |
3 | NZL3311 | E | Blackfun | Quarter Ton | Jamie McDowell | Royal Port Nicholson YC | 0.908 | 16 |
4 | IRL1771 | E | Shillelagh | Blazer 23 (Kirby) | John Twomey | KYC | 0.868 | 27 |
5 | IRL9600 | E | Impacunious | Hunter Impala | Edward Rice | RCYC | 0.888 | 28 |
6 | IRL78 | E | No-Gnomes | Nicholson 33Mod | Leonard Donnery | RCYC | 0.910 | 34 |
7 | IRL4794 | E | Junebug | J24 | Hyde & Foley | RCYC | 0.889 | 40 |
8 | IRL9564 | E | Whyte Knight | Impala OOD | Fergus Coughlan | Cove SC | 0.890 | 46 |
9 | IRL9538 | E | Running Wild | Hunter Impala OOD | Sullivan Brothers | RCYC | 0.890 | 49 |
10 | IRL9591 | E | Prometheus | Impala OOD | Paul Murray | RCYC | 0.888 | 57 |
11 | IRL9577 | E | Bedlam | Impala | David Doyle | Cove Sailing Club | 0.890 | 69 |
Series Place | Sail No | E | Boat | Type of Boat | Owner | Club | Handicap | Series Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | GBR9625R | E | Sundancer | Dynamo 25 | Alan Mulcahy | KYC | 0.841 | 7 |
2 | 172 | E | Granny Knot | Westerley GK24 | Michael Sexton | KYC | 0.830 | 10 |
Series Place | Sail No | E | Boat | Type of Boat | Owner | Club | Handicap | Series Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | IRL1950 | E | Xtension | X372 | Conor O'Donovan | RCYC | 0.952 | 7 |
2 | IRL4430 | E | Samba | SF 403 | John Downing | RCYC | 1.006 | 9 |
3 | IRL4434 | E | Sigma 33OOD | Tom McNeice | RCYC | 0.905 | 11 | |
4 | IRL2406 | Expression | Jeanneau Sunlight 30 | Billy & Hillary Duane | RCYC | 0.868 | 14 | |
5 | IRL7212 | Phaeton | GK29 | Clive Doherty | RCYC | 0.832 | 14 | |
6 | IRL9992 | E | Split Point | Dufour 34 Performance | Seamus Gilroy | RCYC | 0.955 | 20 |
7 | IRL4369 | E | Charisma | Sigma 33OOD | Des Lyons/Aine Dunne | KYC | 0.904 | 26 |
8 | IRL3612 | Sweet Dreams | Sun Odyssey 36i | Batt & Helen O'Leary | RCYC | 0.982 | 34 | |
9 | IRL3252 | Molia | Dufour 325 GL | Denis Murphy | RCYC | 0.915 | 36 | |
10 | IRL408 | Julia B | SHE33 | Bill O'Mahony | RCYC | 0.854 | 40 | |
11 | IRL2510 | Lady T | Sun Odyssey 32i | Micheal Lynch | RCYC | 0.940 | 42 | |
12 | IRL5639 | Rythm | Trapper 28 | James O'Brien | Glandore | 0.868 | 43 |
Heavy Winds Sweep Through Day Two of the ICRA Nationals
Classes Zero, One and Two sailed off the Harp Mark under Race Officer Richard Leonard. Classes Three, Four and Whitesail sailed at the mouth of the harbour where they enjoyed slightly flatter water than the other fleets. Speaking with Denis Kiely the handicapping guru he said conditions could only be described as heavy with North Westerly winds steady at 20 knots and gusting to 30 knots although Cian Gallagher from Ruthless, Conor Ronan's Corby 26 in Division 2, described how they were registering gusts of 37 knots.
Inevitably some damage was to result the two casualties were Denis Hewitt's Raptor who lost her mast on the second run of the second race without any apparent cause and David Scott's EOS that limped home without any visible signs of a boom as it had been damaged at the gooseneck. Fortunately, as Fintan Cairns said of Raptor's mast loss there were no injuries and that was what mattered.
In Class Three Quarter Ton the ding dong battle continues. In the second race today the Kenefick/O'Brien Tiger finished three seconds ahead of Eamonn Rohan's Anchor Challenge with Jamie McDowell's Blackfun following in third and leaving the scoring at the top with overall points of 5 and two 14s. Ian Travers helming Anchor Challenge described how in the first race of the day a squall hit them rounding the weather mark resulting in a Chinese gybe and they knew the game was over for that race. Here may I take the opportunity to be devil's advocate and say it will be interesting to see how much local knowledge is involved in this battle between Tiger and Anchor Challenge when the two meet again during the Sovereign's Cup at Kinsale next week.
In the Non Spinnaker class Billy Duane described the sailing as fantastic but John Downing in Samba's two bullets had turned things around a bit today. Racing is incredibly close in this class with Conor O'Donovan's Xtension leading on 5 points followed by Samba, the wily Clive Doherty's Phaeton, and Tom MacNeice's Minx 111 with Billy Duane's Expression on 9 points. It was fascinating to watch the O'Donovan crew studying the results and working out every possible computation that could result tomorrow.
It was good to meet John Twomey again sailing Shilleagh in Class Three. He was bringing me up to speed on his preparations for the IFDS Worlds in Weymouth next week and this event is also a qualifier for the 2012 paralympics. The heavy conditions were taking their toll as he was sailing short handed on the rail due to the unavoidable absence of one of the crew members. His crew members are Ian Costelloe and Anthony all of KYC. They are using the ICRA Championships and the Sovereign's Cup as work ups for Weymouth and we all wish them the very best of luck.. Last time round in 2008 there were seven spots available for the Paralympic Team and they just missed out by coming eighth so here's hoping they make it this time round.
Racing continues tomorrow when the competition will intensify even more.
ICRA Nationals, Photos from Day Two here!
ICRA Nationals Day One - Photos from Cork Harbour
Anthony O'Leary's Ker 39 has got off to the perfect start in today's ICRA National Championships taking a double win in the top class of the 65-boat event at Crosshaven. Second to Antix is the Corby 37, Impetuous skippered by Richard Fildes. Third is Conor Phelan's Jump Juice, another Ker design from the host club, Royal Cork.
Winds from the North West freshened during the day.
Full IRC results and photos below.The 17-boat IRC class one division is lead by J109s with Pat Kelly's Howth entry Storm leading local sistership Jelly Baby (Ian Nagle) by four points after two races. Third is Dublin Bay's Aztec III, an A35 design sailed by Peter Beamish of the Royal Irish Yacht Club.
In class two, West coast champion Disaray, a Dehler 34 from Foynes Yacht Club and skippered by Simon McGibney has worked out a one point advantage over Brian Goggin's Allure, a Corby 25 from Kinsale. Full IRC results below:
Series Place | Sail No | E | Boat | Type of Boat | Owner | Club | Handicap | Series Points | Race 1 | Race 2 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | IRL3939 | E | Antix | Ker 39 | Anthony O'Leary | RCYC | 1.129 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
2 | GBR7737R | Impetuous | Corby 37 | Richard Fildes | SCYC | 1.091 | 5 | 2 | 3 | |
3 | IRL2007 | E | Jump Juice | Ker | Conor Phelan | RCYC | 1.105 | 7 | 5 | 2 |
4 | IRL2003 | E | Gloves Off | Corby 38 | Kieran Twomey | RCYC | 1.115 | 8 | 3 | 5 |
5 | IRL9852 | E | Crazy Horse | Mills 36 | Chambers/Reilly | HYC | 1.085 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
6 | IRL1281 | E | Aquelina/W | J122 | James & Sheila Tyrrell | Arklow SC | 1.083 | 18 | 9 | 9 |
6 | IRL7111 | WoW/W | J111 | George Sisk | RIYC/RCYC | 18 | 9 | 9 | ||
6 | IRL36000 | Roxy 6/W | Corby 36 | Robert Davies | RCYC | 18 | 9 | 9 |
Series Place | Sail No | E | Boat | Type of Boat | Owner | Club | Handicap | Series Points | Race 1 | Race 2 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | IRL1141 | E | Storm | J109 | Pat Kelly | RSC/HYC | 1.019 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
2 | IRL9609 | E | Jelly Baby | J109 | Ian Nagle & Paul O'Malley | RCYC | 1.029 | 7 | 2 | 5 |
3 | IRL29832 | E | Aztec | A35 | Peter Beamish | RIYC | 1.034 | 8 | 7 | 1 |
4 | IRL13500 | E | D-tox | X-35 | Donal O'Leary | RCYC | 1.048 | 8 | 5 | 3 |
5 | IRL811 | E | Raptor | MILLS 30CR | Denis Hewitt | RIYC | 1.025 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
6 | IRL17200 | E | Antix Beag | 1720 (modified) | Robert O'Leary | RCYC | 1.005 | 11 | 3 | 8 |
7 | IRL6695 | E | Eos | X362 Sport | David Scott | KYC | 1.022 | 18 | 6 | 12 |
8 | IRL3709 | E | Axiom | X37 | Michael O'Neill | RIYC | 1.035 | 19 | 13 | 6 |
9 | IRL6021 | E | Ellida | X332 | Ria Lyden | RCYC | 0.986 | 19 | 10 | 9 |
10 | IRL8109 | E | Jetstream | J109 | Peter Redden | RIYC | 1.028 | 20 | 9 | 11 |
11 | IRL892 | E | Tux | X332 | Mary O'Keeffe | RCYC | 0.981 | 21 | 11 | 10 |
12 | IRL3323 | E | Dexterity | X332 | Alan McEneff (Team Foynes) | Foynes YC | 0.984 | 24 | 12 | 12 |
13 | IRL8991 | E | Exhale | X362 Sport | Derry Good | RCYC | 1.025 | 26 | 8 | 18 |
14 | IRL7290 | E | Felix | X332 | Michael & Gretta Wallace | RCYC | 0.981 | 27 | 14 | 13 |
15 | IRL2382 | E | Xerxes/W | IMX38 | LD O'Neill | RIYC | 1.046 | 36 | 18 | 18 |
15 | IRL3307 | E | Rockabill IV/W | Corby33 | Paul O'Higgins | RIYC/NYC | 1.044 | 36 | 18 | 18 |
15 | IRL9834 | E | True Pennance | Projection 35 | Colman Garvey/Martin Darrer | RCYC | 1.022 | 36 | 18 | 18 |
Series Place | Sail No | E | Boat | Type of Boat | Owner | Club | Handicap | Series Points | Race 1 | Race 2 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | IRL487 | E | Disaray | Dehler 34 Optima 101 | Raymond McGibney | Foynes YC | 0.929 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
2 | IRL2506 | E | Allure | Corby 25 | Brian Goggin | Kinsale YC | 0.936 | 6 | 2 | 4 |
3 | GBR7525R | E | Thundebird | Corby 25 | Denis Coleman | RCYC | 0.941 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
4 | IRL16859 | E | Bad Company | Sunfast 32 | Desmond / Ivers / Deasy | RCYC | 0.939 | 8 | 7 | 1 |
5 | IRL2525 | E | Yanks $ ffrancs | Corby 25 | Vincent O'Shea | RCYC | 0.936 | 8 | 1 | 7 |
6 | IRL7495 | E | Maximus | X302 | Paddy Kyne | HYC/WHSC | 0.930 | 13 | 8 | 5 |
7 | IRL26026 | E | Ruthless | Corby 26 | Conor Ronan | Sligo YC | 0.953 | 15 | 6 | 9 |
8 | GBR9896 | E | Magnet | MG335 | Kieran & Liz O'Brien | RCYC | 0.944 | 16 | 5 | 11 |
9 | IRL2010 | E | Alpaca | First 31.7 | Paul & Deirdre Tingle | RCYC | 0.957 | 19 | 11 | 8 |
10 | IRL9732 | E | Wicked | Sunfast 32 | Mark Mendel | RCYC | 0.940 | 19 | 9 | 10 |
11 | IRL3492 | E | Big Deal | Dehler | Derek Dillon | Foynes YC | 0.925 | 22 | 10 | 12 |
12 | IRL1022 | E | Aramis | Contessa 33 | Pat Vaughan | RCYC | 0.929 | 25 | 12 | 13 |
13 | IRL4170 | E | Slack Alice | GK Westerley | Shane Statham | WHSC | 0.951 | 26 | 20 | 6 |
14 | IRL6676 | E | Y-Knot | First 32s5 | Barrett/Conlon | RCYC | 0.933 | 33 | 13 | 20 |
15 | IRL222 | Zoom/W | Dehler DB1 | Nicola & Stuart Harris | WHSC | 40 | 20 | 20 | ||
15 | IRL1649 | E | Caesium | Beneteau 31.7 | Shaun & Kathy Doran | Ballyholme YC | 0.951 | 40 | 20 | 20 |
15 | IRL1972 | E | No Excuse/W | X302 | Ted Crosbie | RCYC | 0.931 | 40 | 20 | 20 |
15 | IRL2706 | E | Kodachi | Corby 27 | Denis Ellis | Cove SC | 0.959 | 40 | 20 | 20 |
15 | IRL8094 | E | King One/W | Half Tonner | Dave Cullen | Howth YC | 0.951 | 40 | 20 | 20 |
Series Place | Sail No | E | Boat | Type of Boat | Owner | Club | Handicap | Series Points | Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | IRL999999 | E | Tiger | Quarter ton | Neil& george Kenefick/James O brien | RCYC | 0.902 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
2 | IRL3087 | E | Anchor Challenge | Quarter ton | Eamonn Rohan | KYC | 0.912 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
3 | NZL3311 | E | Blackfun | Quarter Ton | Jamie McDowell | Royal Port Nicholson YC | 0.908 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
4 | IRL1771 | E | Shillelagh | Blazer 23 (Kirby) | John Twomey | KYC | 0.868 | 13 | 4 | 7 | 2 |
5 | IRL9600 | E | Impacunious | Hunter Impala | Edward Rice | RCYC | 0.888 | 16 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
6 | GRB1479R | Flashheart | Quarter Ton | Mike Webb & Tom Bailey | King Queen YC | 0.893 | 18 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |
7 | IRL78 | E | No-Gnomes | Nicholson 33Mod | Leonard Donnery | RCYC | 0.910 | 20 | 7 | 4 | 9 |
8 | IRL9538 | E | Running Wild | Hunter Impala OOD | Sullivan Brothers | RCYC | 0.890 | 25 | 11 | 8 | 6 |
9 | IRL9564 | E | Whyte Knight | Impala OOD | Fergus Coughlan | Cove SC | 0.890 | 26 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
10 | IRL4794 | E | Junebug | J24 | Sarah Hyde/Annette Foley | RCYC | 0.889 | 28 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
11 | IRL9591 | E | Prometheus | Impala OOD | Paul Murray | RCYC | 0.888 | 33 | 10 | 12 | 11 |
12 | IRL9577 | E | Bedlam | Impala | David Doyle | Cove Sailing Club | 0.890 | 39 | 12 | 11 | 16 |
13 | I8709 | Cri-Cri/W | Jezequel 116 | Paul Colton | RIYC | 0.905 | 48 | 16 | 16 | 16 | |
13 | IRL400 | E | Jaguar/W | J24 | Gary Fort | Tralee Bay SC | 0.889 | 48 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
13 | IRL4206 | E | Powder Monkey/W | Sigma 33 | Liam Lynch | Tralee Bay SC | 0.909 | 48 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
Series Place | Sail No | E | Boat | Type of Boat | Owner | Club | Handicap | Series Points | Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | GBR9625R | E | Sundancer | Dynamo 25 | Alan Mulcahy | KYC | 0.841 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
2 | 172 | E | Granny Knot | Westerley GK24 | Michael Sexton | KYC | 0.830 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
3 | IRL7156 | E | Gaelic Kiwi | GK 24FR | Kevin O'Connor | Cove SC | 0.854 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
For all you need on the Marine Environment - covering the latest news and updates on marine science and wildlife, weather and climate, power from the sea and Ireland's coastal regions and communities - the place to be is Afloat.ie.
Coastal Notes
The Coastal Notes category covers a broad range of stories, events and developments that have an impact on Ireland's coastal regions and communities, whose lives and livelihoods are directly linked with the sea and Ireland's coastal waters.
Topics covered in Coastal Notes can be as varied as the rare finding of sea-life creatures, an historic shipwreck with secrets to tell, or even a trawler's net caught hauling much more than just fish.
Other angles focusing the attention of Coastal Notes are Ireland's maritime museums, which are of national importance to maintaining access and knowledge of our nautical heritage, and those who harvest the sea using small boats based in harbours where infrastructure and safety pose an issue, plying their trade along the rugged wild western seaboard.
Coastal Notes tells the stories that are arguably as varied as the environment they come from, and which shape people's interaction with the natural world and our relationship with the sea.
Marine Wildlife
One of the greatest memories of any day spent boating around the Irish coast is an encounter with Marine Wildlife. It's a thrill for young and old to witness seabirds, seals, dolphins and whales right there in their own habitat. And as boaters fortunate enough to have experienced it will testify, even spotting a distant dorsal fin can be the highlight of any day afloat. Was that a porpoise? Was it a whale? No matter how brief the glimpse, it's a privilege to share the seas with Irish marine wildlife.
Thanks to our location in the North Atlantic, there appears to be no shortage of marine life to observe. From whales to dolphins, seals, sharks and other ocean animals, the Marine Wildlife category documents the most interesting accounts around our shores. And we're keen to receive your observations, your photos, links and video clips, too!
Also valuable is the unique perspective of all those who go afloat, from coastal sailing to sea angling to inshore kayaking to offshore yacht racing, as what they encounter can be of great importance to organisations such as the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG). Thanks to their work we now know we share the seas with dozens of species who also call Ireland home. But as impressive as the list is, the experts believe there are still gaps in our knowledge. Next time you are out on the ocean waves, keep a sharp look out!
Weather
As an island in the North Atlantic, Ireland's fate is decided by Weather more so than many other European countries. When storm-force winds race across the Irish Sea, ferry and shipping services are cut off, disrupting our economy. When swollen waves crash on our shores, communities are flooded and fishermen brace for impact - both to their vessels and to their livelihoods.
Keeping abreast of the weather, therefore, is as important to leisure cruisers and fishing crews alike - for whom a small craft warning can mean the difference between life and death - as it is to the communities lining the coast, where timely weather alerts can help protect homes and lives.
Weather affects us all, and Afloat.ie will keep you informed on the hows and the whys.
Marine Science
Perhaps it's the work of the Irish research vessels RV Celtic Explorer and RV Celtic Voyager out in the Atlantic Ocean that best highlights the essential nature of Marine Science for the future growth of Ireland's emerging 'blue economy'.
From marine research to development and sustainable management, Ireland is developing a strong and well-deserved reputation as an emerging centre of excellence. Whether it's Wavebob ocean energy technology to aquaculture to weather buoys and oil exploration, the Marine Science category documents the work of Irish marine scientists and researchers and how they have secured prominent roles in many European and international marine science bodies.
Power From The Sea
The message from the experts is clear: offshore wind and wave energy is the future. And as Ireland looks towards the potential of the renewable energy sector, generating Power From The Sea will become a greater priority in the State's 'blue growth' strategy.
Developments and activities in existing and planned projects in the pipeline from the wind and wave renewables sector, and those of the energy exploration industry, point to the future of energy requirements for the whole world, not just in Ireland. And that's not to mention the supplementary industries that sea power projects can support in coastal communities.
Irish ports are already in a good position to capitalise on investments in offshore renewable energy services. And Power From The Sea can even be good for marine wildlife if done properly.
Aside from the green sector, our coastal waters also hold a wealth of oil and gas resources that numerous prospectors are hoping to exploit, even if people in coastal and island areas are as yet unsure of the potential benefits or pitfalls for their communities.
Changing Ocean Climate
Our ocean and climate are inextricably linked - the ocean plays a crucial role in the global climate system in a number of ways. These include absorbing excess heat from the atmosphere and absorbing 30 per cent of the carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere by human activity. But our marine ecosystems are coming under increasing pressure due to climate change.
The Marine Institute, with its national and international partners, works to observe and understand how our ocean is changing and analyses, models and projects the impacts of our changing oceans. Advice and forecasting projections of our changing oceans and climate are essential to create effective policies and management decisions to safeguard our ocean.
Dr Paul Connolly, CEO of the Marine Institute, said, “Our ocean is fundamental to life on earth and affects so many facets of our everyday activities. One of the greatest challenges we face as a society is that of our changing climate. The strong international collaborations that the Marine Institute has built up over decades facilitates a shared focusing on our changing ocean climate and developing new and enhanced ways of monitoring it and tracking changes over time.
“Our knowledge and services help us to observe these patterns of change and identify the steps to safeguard our marine ecosystems for future generations.”
The Marine Institute’s annual ocean climate research survey, which has been running since 2004, facilitates long term monitoring of the deep water environment to the west of Ireland. This repeat survey, which takes place on board RV Celtic Explorer, enables scientists to establish baseline oceanic conditions in Irish waters that can be used as a benchmark for future changes.
Scientists collect data on temperature, salinity, water currents, oxygen and carbon dioxide in the Atlantic Ocean. This high quality oceanographic data contributes to the Atlantic Ocean Observing System. Physical oceanographic data from the survey is submitted to the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) and, in addition, the survey contributes to national research such as the VOCAB ocean acidification and biogeochemistry project, the ‘Clean Atlantic’ project on marine litter and the A4 marine climate change project.
Dr Caroline Cusack, who co-ordinates scientific activities on board the RV Celtic Explorer for the annual survey, said, “The generation of long-term series to monitor ocean climate is vital to allow us understand the likely impact of future changes in ocean climate on ecosystems and other marine resources.”
Other activities during the survey in 2019 included the deployment of oceanographic gliders, two Argo floats (Ireland’s contribution to EuroArgo) and four surface drifters (Interreg Atlantic Area Clean Atlantic project). The new Argo floats have the capacity to measure dissolved ocean and biogeochemical parameters from the ocean surface down to a depth of 2,000 metres continuously for up to four years, providing important information as to the health of our oceans.
During the 2019 survey, the RV Celtic Explorer retrieved a string of oceanographic sensors from the deep ocean at an adjacent subsurface moored station and deployed a replacement M6 weather buoy, as part of the Irish Marine Data Buoy Observation Network (IMDBON).
Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the IMDBON is managed by the Marine Institute in collaboration with Met Éireann and is designed to improve weather forecasts and safety at sea around Ireland. The data buoys have instruments which collect weather and ocean data including wind speed and direction, pressure, air and sea surface temperature and wave statistics. This data provides vital information for weather forecasts, shipping bulletins, gale and swell warnings as well as data for general public information and research.
“It is only in the last 20 years, meteorologists and climatologists have really began to understood the pivotal role the ocean plays in determining our climate and weather,” said Evelyn Cusack, Head of Forecasting at Met Éireann. “The real-time information provided by the Irish data buoy network is particularly important for our mariners and rescue services. The M6 data buoy in the Atlantic provides vital information on swell waves generated by Atlantic storms. Even though the weather and winds may be calm around our shores, there could be some very high swells coming in from Atlantic storms.”