Displaying items by tag: club sailing

6th May 2017

ISA Predicts Team Racing Is Set To ‘Go Viral’

#TeamRacing - Last weekend’s Student Yachting Worlds selection in Howth shows the health of team racing among the collegiate set, especially among those sailing for fun.

But team racing as a discipline is more than just an opportunity for lapsed or lower-skilled sailors to get their jollies on the water — it’s an untapped pool of potential club members with the itch to sail on a regular basis.

Indeed, the Irish Sailing Association says team racing “is an excellent format to promote more sailing” and notes that more and more clubs are procuring boats for precisely this purpose.

The short racing format and potential for regular intra- and inter-club meets also cultivates the elusive ‘fun factor’ that could keep younger sailors as active club members for years to come.

To this end, the ISA is holding a team racing development meeting at the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire from 7pm on Wednesday 24 May to discuss the potential of building team racing within Ireland’s sailing clubs and help the concept ‘go viral’.

Interested clubs should contact [email protected] by Friday 12 May.

Published in Team Racing

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Howth Yacht Club Launches 2011 Sailing Programme

Howth Yacht Club will launch its programme of open sailing events for 2011 at the club house tomorrow evening.

In addition to running club sailing throughout the year, and both junior and adult sailing courses to get more involved in the sport, HYC will also be hosting more than 20 open events this year.

These are set to include local, provincial, national and international championships, which are hopes to attract visitors from all over Ireland and beyond.

For more details visit the Howth Yacht Club website at www.hyc.ie.

Howth Yacht Club will launch its programme of open sailing events for 2011 at the club house tomorrow evening (Thursday 31 March).

In addition to running club sailing throughout the year, and both junior and adult sailing courses to get more involved in the sport, HYC will also be hosting more than 20 open events this year.

These are set to include local, provincial, national and international championships, which are hopes to attract visitors from all over Ireland and beyond.

For more details visit the Howth Yacht Club website at www.hyc.ie.

Published in Howth YC

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Forty Foot Swimming Spot on Dublin Bay

The 'Forty Foot' is a rocky outcrop located at the southern tip of Dublin Bay at Sandycove, County Dublin from which people have been swimming in the Irish Sea all year round for 300 years or more. It is popular because it is one of few spots between Dublin city and Greystones in County Wicklow that allows for swimming at all stages of the tide, subject to the sea state.

Forty Foot History

Traditionally, the bathing spot was exclusively a men's bathing spot and the gentlemen's swimming club was established to help conserve the area.

Owing to its relative isolation and gender-specific nature it became a popular spot for nudists, but in the 1970s, during the women's liberation movement, a group of female equal-rights activists plunged into the waters and now it is also open to everyone and it is in the control of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.

Many people believe that swimming in extremely cold water is healthy and good for the immune system.

Is it safe to swim at the Forty Foot?

The Forty-Foot is a great place to swim because there is always enough water to get a dip but like all sea swimming, there are always hazards you need to be aware of. For example, a lot of people like to dive into to the pool at the Forty-foot but there are submerged rocks that can be hazardous especially at low water. The Council have erected signs to warn people of the underwater dangers. Other hazards include slippy granite cut stone steps that can often be covered with seaweed and of course marine wildlife including jellyfish that make their presence felt in the summer months as do an inquisitive nearby Sandycove seal colony.