Left – Free Thundercat Power boat trips will be available to the public at the upcoming European Speed Sailing Championships taking place in Dungarvan, Co. Waterford from November 1 to 7
Some of the World’s top Speed Sailors will be in attendance at the event and the opportunity to sail with the best will be on offer through Kite Schools Puremagic, Kiteskool and LSD Boarding. Windsurf Schools Surf Dock, Wind and Wave and BigSurf will be on hand to help beginners get to grips with the sport. A combination of Water sports will be available from Dunmore East Adventure Centre. A number of the world’s top equipment producers will also be at the event demonstrating their latest equipment.
According to speed sailor and event organiser Martin Waldron it is a highly entertaining spectator sport, “Speed Sailing is really an amazing sport to watch we are inviting the people of the South East to come along and witness some of the massive speeds achievable by some of the world’s fastest men and women in the sport.”
On Wednesday evening November 3 at The Moorings, Dungarvan, team member of the World Sailing Speed Record over 500 meters Anders Bringdal will be hosting a talk on the 2009 l’Hydroptère record victory, where he and the crew averaged a speed of 51.36 knots over one 500m earning the title of the fastest sailing craft on the planet. With a top speed of 55.5 knots (103 km/h) l’Hydroptère takes her place in the history of sailing. This event will be followed by drinks in the Moorings bar for anyone wishing to join the competitors for a chat or questions about the sport.
Commenting on the Thundercat Power boating of which free trips will be available at the Championships, Aidan Foley of Thundercat Racing Ireland said, “It is the spectator side of things that has seen Thundercat Racing Ireland thrive this year- setting Irish beaches ablaze. Thundercats are small inflatable boats that were born in the huge surf off South Africa. Initially design to fulfil a rescue role, these little beauties quickly became popular as race-boats due to their ability to handle extreme sea conditions close to shore. Their attraction quickly spread beyond South Africa into Australia and New Zealand, before hitting the northern hemisphere and it’s now an active sport in most of the world.
Each Thundercat carries a crew of two a pilot and co-pilot. Racing is done in short tight courses right on the shoreline meaning that spectators can really engage with the racing as they corner hard, jump high in the air over waves and do battle around the marks.”
The European Speed Sailing Championships are arranged on a rollover basis with a later week in November also allocated should suitable wind conditions not be available. A prize fund of €10,000 is up for grabs with a number of additional prizes on offer from the event supporters.
A host of international competitors are registered to attend. In the men’s fleet, 2008 World Speed Champion Cyril Moussilmani will be keenly watched, windsurfing legend Anders Bringdal who recently crewed on the sailing boat Hydroptere which broke the speedsailing world record, will also be a strong contender. Previous speedsailing world record holder and the current kite-surfing world record holder Alex Caizergues will also be in attendance.
The European Speedsailing Championships are kindly supported by Fáilte Ireland, Waterford County Council, Irish Windsurfing Association, Red Bull and LOCOSYS. The event is being hosted and organised by Waldron Event Management, ISWC, Pure Magic Kitesurfing, Irish Speedsailing Series, Irish Slalom Series and the Dungarvan Harbour Sailing Club.
Further information on the Championships can be found on www.speedworldcup.com
