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Displaying items by tag: Schull Harbour Sailing Club

Growler (G. Horgan) took home the trophy at the Schull Harbour Sailing Club's Summer cruiser league's Tadg Dwyer Trophy Race on Saturday.

Dave O’Brien’s Aphrodite came in second, while John McGowan’s Mackey G took third place.

This was the eighth race of the league, which has Barry Quinlan’s Capella in the overall lead with 20 points, followed by Tony O’Brien’s Tighey Boy with 30 points. Tadg Dwyer’s Brazen Huzie, with 33 points, comes in at third place.

The club is preparing for next week's CD Environmental-sponsored Calves Week Regatta, which should see 75 boats come to the line for West Cork's biggest sailing event.

Published in West Cork

Tom Newman’s Sitelle won the Ronan Long Island Trophy Race at Schull Harbour Sailing Club in West Cork.

Don McCarthy’s VSOP was second, and Brian Ronan’s Kopper Too was third.

Published in West Cork

The Mulloy Trophy Race on Saturday at Schull Harbour Sailing Club in West Cork was won by Tony O’Brien’s J109 Tighey Boy, with Tadgh Dwyer’s Brazen Huzie second and John McGowan’s Mackey G third.

SHSC is now in the final stage of preparations for its CD Environmental Calves Week Regatta from 8 - 11 August 2023.

Published in West Cork

Don McCarthy's Sovereign 'V.S.O.P.' won the Barnett Trophy at Schull Harbour Sailing Club in West Cork on July 1.

Fine sailing conditions off Schull saw McCarthy beat Barry Quinlan's Dehler 35 Capella in a strong breeze of over 20 knots. 

The one-hour, forty-minute Barnett Trophy fixture was race four in the  All-in-Club ECHO 2023 Summer League.

Dave O'Brien's First 32 Aphrodite was third.

Overall Quinlan leads the summer league by a margin of three points.

Published in West Cork

At Schull Harbour Sailing Club's All-In cruiser ECHO racing in West Cork, the Windbourne Trophy was won by Kevin Daly's Jamaro.

The Geneveve Trophy winner was Tony O'Brien's J109 Tighey Boy, and Alan Dwyer's Joxer won the Rosbrin Trophy.

The Barnett Trophy is scheduled for this Saturday.

Summer League leader is John McGowan's Mackey G, with Barry Quinlan's Capella second and Tadg Dwyer's Brazen Husie third.

Published in West Cork

After three races in Schull Harbour Sailing Club’s Autumn League, Don McCarthy’s Sovereign VSOP leads on 13 points, with Simon Nelson’s Witchcraft second on 14 and Alan Dwyer’s Sally in Stitiches third on 16.

Published in West Cork

Schull Harbour Sailing Club in West Cork has thirteen yachts racing its weekly Saturday league series. Flor O’Riordan’s Elan 31 ‘3 Cheers’ won the fifth race of the series under All-In Club Standard ECHO/IRC handicap, with Tony O’Brien’s J109 Tighey Roy second and Manzanita, John Molloy, third.

The win for ‘3 Cheers’ places it third in the series which is led overall by Martin Lane’s Oceanis 33, Chatterbox, on 8 points. Second overall is Tighey Boy on 8 points, with Flor O’Riordan on 10. Manzanita is in fourth place, one behind on 11.

Fifty for Calves Week 2022

Fifty yachts have entered for Calves Week at Schull, which will be raced from August 2 to 5, the top West Cork event of the Summer sailing season.

Racing will be under IRC and ECHO handicaps and there will be a White Sail class, also scored under ECHO and IRC.

Registration will be on Monday, August 1, at the Fastnet Outdoor Education Centre from 2 to 5 p.m., with a briefing for Skippers to follow at 6 p.m.

Published in West Cork

Martin Lane’s Chatterbox won the May Cruiser League at Schull Harbour Sailing Club (SHSC) in West Cork.

Michael Murphy’s Shelly D was second and Frank O’Hara’s Samphire third.

The Summer Series begins at SHSC on Saturday, June 11th.

Published in West Cork

A 12-mile "gentle reintroduction" started the racing season at Schull Harbour Sailing Club in West Cork.

The 'Saturday Morning Taste of Sailing' sessions were restarted, with thirteen junior sailors in five boats bringing youngsters onto the water for club training. This will continue until the end of August.

That afternoon, eleven cruisers came to the start line for the cruiser season's opening race, which is traditionally for the 1st Commodore Trophy.

Conditions were ideal with sunshine and light to moderate Westerly winds. They raced a 12-mile course around Goat Island and club marks - "providing a gentle reintroduction to all points of sailing," said club Commodore Sean Norris.

ECHO Handicap was won by Gaby Hogan's 'Growler' with the 'experimental' IRC/Standard Echo Handicap winner being Flor Riordan's '3 Cheers.'

Next Saturday's Race is for the Applebe Trophy.

Published in News Update

Schull Sailing Club was founded in the West Cork harbour in 1977. Once a thriving fishing community, like other coastal areas that aspect of the village has diminished, but sailing has continued to develop.

However, when Cork County Council didn't put forward the planned marina at Schull as a project for funding, it was a setback for the development of facilities that sailing needed.

That has not deterred the club, though Commodore Sean Norris says it leaves an "uncertain position" about the hopes for a marina there.

Sailing at Calves Week in West Cork Sailing at Calves Week in West Cork Photo: Bob Bateman

The club's major organisational effort is Calves Week Regatta and that is going ahead this year, scheduled for August 3-6 with entries already in and strong support coming from the smaller and older boats, which is at the biggest level seen for the event in recent years. There is also a good level of interest from visiting East Coast boats.

Sailing round the Fastnet Rock at Calves Week 2019 Photo: Bob BatemanSailing round the Fastnet Rock at Calves Week 2019 Photo: Bob Bateman

Commodore Norris is my guest on this week's Podcast, where he urges visitors to bring with them going ashore transport and says that, though onshore arrangements have to be mitigated because of Covid restrictions, he is optimistic for the Summer sailing season and positive about the future of the club.

Listen to the Podcast below

Published in West Cork
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Ferry & Car Ferry News The ferry industry on the Irish Sea, is just like any other sector of the shipping industry, in that it is made up of a myriad of ship operators, owners, managers, charterers all contributing to providing a network of routes carried out by a variety of ships designed for different albeit similar purposes.

All this ferry activity involves conventional ferry tonnage, 'ro-pax', where the vessel's primary design is to carry more freight capacity rather than passengers. This is in some cases though, is in complete variance to the fast ferry craft where they carry many more passengers and charging a premium.

In reporting the ferry scene, we examine the constantly changing trends of this sector, as rival ferry operators are competing in an intensive environment, battling out for market share following the fallout of the economic crisis. All this has consequences some immediately felt, while at times, the effects can be drawn out over time, leading to the expense of others, through reduced competition or takeover or even face complete removal from the marketplace, as witnessed in recent years.

Arising from these challenging times, there are of course winners and losers, as exemplified in the trend to run high-speed ferry craft only during the peak-season summer months and on shorter distance routes. In addition, where fastcraft had once dominated the ferry scene, during the heady days from the mid-90's onwards, they have been replaced by recent newcomers in the form of the 'fast ferry' and with increased levels of luxury, yet seeming to form as a cost-effective alternative.

Irish Sea Ferry Routes

Irrespective of the type of vessel deployed on Irish Sea routes (between 2-9 hours), it is the ferry companies that keep the wheels of industry moving as freight vehicles literally (roll-on and roll-off) ships coupled with motoring tourists and the humble 'foot' passenger transported 363 days a year.

As such the exclusive freight-only operators provide important trading routes between Ireland and the UK, where the freight haulage customer is 'king' to generating year-round revenue to the ferry operator. However, custom built tonnage entering service in recent years has exceeded the level of capacity of the Irish Sea in certain quarters of the freight market.

A prime example of the necessity for trade in which we consumers often expect daily, though arguably question how it reached our shores, is the delivery of just in time perishable products to fill our supermarket shelves.

A visual manifestation of this is the arrival every morning and evening into our main ports, where a combination of ferries, ro-pax vessels and fast-craft all descend at the same time. In essence this a marine version to our road-based rush hour traffic going in and out along the commuter belts.

Across the Celtic Sea, the ferry scene coverage is also about those overnight direct ferry routes from Ireland connecting the north-western French ports in Brittany and Normandy.

Due to the seasonality of these routes to Europe, the ferry scene may be in the majority running between February to November, however by no means does this lessen operator competition.

Noting there have been plans over the years to run a direct Irish –Iberian ferry service, which would open up existing and develop new freight markets. Should a direct service open, it would bring new opportunities also for holidaymakers, where Spain is the most visited country in the EU visited by Irish holidaymakers ... heading for the sun!