Killaloe Sailing Club enjoyed their first day back on the water in recent days, in preparation for the next stage of reopening the country from tomorrow, Monday 8 June.

Other sailing clubs welcoming Phase 2 of the recovery roadmap were Cullaun Sailing Club, who said they are looking forward to seeing all members from across Co Clare or within 20km of the club (which includes the northern part of Limerick city) set sail over the coming days.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the latest stage of relaxing restrictions against coronavirus will allow for non-competitive and unsupervised activity for up to 15 people, including trainers and coaches, up from the previous four.

https://t.co/nn4lsagY0j Phase 2 sailing starts on Monday and we are really looking forward to it see our newsletter above @ClareChampion @ClareEcho @Claresports @AfloatMagazine pic.twitter.com/BsXyhN5Vqt

— Cullaun Sailing Club (@cullaunsailing) June 6, 2020

Mixed household crew will also be allowed for larger multi-hander vessels were social distancing can be maintained.

The club is also asking all members to complete a contact tracing form in line with Irish Sailing and Government guidelines and help ensure continued sailing activity without the reimposition of restrictions.

Great first day had by all . Well done to Cillian and the safety team #irishsailing ⁦@AfloatMagazine⁩ ⁦@Irish_Sailing⁩ ⁦⁦@waterwaysirelan⁩ pic.twitter.com/xeqW1Nq2Ut

— Killaloesailingclub (@KillaloeSC) June 1, 2020

Cullaun Sailing Club has been a hive of activity over the last number of weeks as they put the finishing touches on their new clubhouse which is opening on Saturday 27th April at 14:00. Based in east Clare between Tulla and Kilkishen this small dinghy sailing club has been in operation for 40 years and has an active mixed fleet of Wayfarer, Enterprise and GP14 sailing boats.

As Afloat reported previously, this new development is a huge improvement from the portacabin that they were using for the last few years. The club has been actively fundraising for the last number of years and we were very lucky to secure grant aid from the Department of Tourism and Sport in the form of a sports capital grant and funding from Clare Local Development Company in the form of a leader grant. Community Finance Ireland have helped us with a bridging and a term loan so that we can pay back for these wonderful facilities. Our members have also been instrumental in helping us to get this far and without their donations and fundraising ideas we wouldn’t have such a great facility.

Tulla Pipe band will play at the opening ceremony followed by a blessing of the boats and the new clubhouse and with speakers from Irish Sailing, Clare Sports Partnership and Clare Local Development Company.

The club caters for adults and junior sailing with Easter and summer camps for the juniors and racing and training for the adults. Racing is every on every Thursday evening with beginners on Tuesday and open sailing at the weekends. There will be a demo of sailors on the lake before the event and after the opening, there will be TRY sailing which is an open event for all sailors or people who are interested in learning to sail. If you bring your wetsuit or an old change of clothes, then you can be taken out for a sail on the lake and try it for yourself.

Two weeks after the official opening Cullaun Sailing Club will host the GP14 Munster championship two-day event where there could be up to 30 travelling boats descending on the club racing for line honours.

Last weekend marked a historic event in the history of Cullaun Sailing Club as club Commodore Des McMahon along with forty other members turned the sod on their new clubhouse at an opening ceremony after their spring regatta. There was a great air of excitement as this project has taken a while to get to this stage. The novel idea of having everyone turning the sod is that we are all equal as club members and this the way that we should start the same was as we would like to continue.

We are now looking forward to having our purpose built dressing rooms and training centre ready by the end of the summer. Long-term members and those new to the club were present for the momentous occasion including one of the founder members from 1979 Chris Davis and Mike Hogan, Stephen Walsh and from Clare Local Development Company and Olivia King from Kilkishen Development.

Cullaun Sailing Club members

Cullaun Sailing Club has been working out of a portacabin for the last number of years. With the uptake in people eager to learn the sport of sailing it is no longer fit for purpose. The cost of the new building is more than two hundred thousand euro and partial funding has been secured from the Sports Capital Programme and Clare Local Development Company. Many club members have made personal donations and the club membership has been actively fundraising over the last year. Rose Hally of Community Finance Ireland has also been very supportive in arranging funding for the project.

In operation since 1979, Cullaun Sailing Club is situated between the villages of Kilkishen and Tulla and has an active membership of people from the Clare and Limerick region. They sail and race on a weekly basis and have been competing and winning in national events over the last few years.

Cullaun Sailing Club's in County Clare has produced its own version of a "Where's Wally" poster and members are taking a good hard look to work out just who is who...

Although the poster has to be seen full size to really appreciate it, the Western Club has also been busy with an innovative club wall planner and winter prizegiving. More from Cullan here.

#Cullaun - The next big event on the Cullaun Sailing Club calendar is the Spring Regatta next weekend on Sunday 10 May.

That will see Wayfarers, GP14s, RS200s, Enterprises, Lasers and more racing, with visitors and club boats competing fiercely on the lake near Kilkishen in East Clare – which Commodore Jim O'Sullivan describes as one of the region's best-kept secrets.

Moer generally it's a busy time for Cullaun, with adult introductory sailing classes set to run over four consecutive Tuesday evenings starting 5 May. 

Meanwhile, Sunday afternoon racing will move to Thursday evenings for the summer series, though junior sailing on the lake is still running on Sunday mornings.

The club says it looks forward to welcoming new sailors of all ages and abilities to get out on the water ahead of the new ISA 'Try Sailing' initiative in June. Further updates can be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Cullaun Sailing Club on the outskirts of Kilkishen is one of the best kept secrets in the Limerick/Shannon/Clare region writes Commodore Jim O'Sullivan. Hidden on the shores of Cullaun Lake, is an active, friendly sailing club for both young and old alike! The club originated from Shannon Sailing Club, but migrated a few miles East to Cullaun. It is a short spin from Limerick, through Sixmilebridge, and is just between Kilkishen and Tulla

The club owns a fleet of training boats which are used for training. It is a recognised ISA training Centre. There was a great atmosphere at last weeks Easter camp and In fact most of these juniors are already signing up for a two week course in July. An adults' course run over four Tuesday's in May and is a great way of meeting new people as well as learning a new skill. All club members have access to club boats but most use their own boat meaning that there is always club boats available.If you already have a boat the there is a place to park your boat at the club. The fleet is a mixed fleet and is made up of Wayfarers, Enterprises, GP 14's, Lasers, RS 200 & 400, Omega's and Mirrors.

The season is just moving into full swing now with the open Spring Series on every Sunday and our Spring Regatta is on May 10th visiting sailors welcome. Races start at 14.00, but there is lots of space on the lake for those who want to practice or potter around.

Racing changes to Thursday nights in May, but Sunday sailing continued almost every Sunday last year such was the enthusiasm . The club hosts a number of open events each year in spring and autumn with boats coming from as far away as Northern Ireland. Last year the club was commended by the ISA for running the first ever inter club junior Sailing club regatta. 42 juniors took part in sunny windy conditions. Club members travel to various regional and National events around the country. One year,10 Cullaun boats travelled to Cork to sail in an International event and club members have travelled abroad representing the Mid West at both European and World events .

What better way to enjoy the glorious weather we are currently having than to don a wet suit and enjoy the elements. Sailing is a great sport for anyone who likes the outdoors. You don't have to be too fit, but it's a different kind of workout and it's fun. There is a great social element, with barbeques, social dinners and Santa even comes by boat every year! The club are running an Open Night in the new Cultural Centre in Kilkishen on Thurdsay 23 rd April at 20.00. Refreshments will be served. Existing members will be on hand to answer questions and a slide show and videos promise to give you an insight into what a gem Cullaun sailing Club is. The good news is that you can be part of it! If you cant make it on the night then check us out on Facebook or better still log onto www.cullaunsailingclub.com and join today

Cullaun Sailing Club

Cullaun Sailing Club is located on the shore of the Lough Cullaunyheeda (Cullaun Lake), in the heart of east Clare. Cullaun Sailing Club is a very active dinghy sailing club, with a fleet comprising mainly of Enterprise, Wayfarer and Laser dinghies. We have six Club boats including three rescue craft (all club events are attended to by Club Rescue craft). We also have two Wayfarer and one Enterprise dinghies (intended for use by members who do not yet have their own craft).

Left: 2006 Regatta at the Club. Photo by Paddy 

The Season

Our sailing season extends from March to November and an extensive calendar of events is organised each year. During the summer months sailing is organised twice a week, Tuesday (Beginners\Training Night) and Thursday evenings (Mixed fleet Racing). We also host the Enterprise Inland Championships Regatta, and our own open class regatta. Coastal cruising in chartered keel boats are also organised off the South and West coasts, better kown as 'The September Cruise' have proven to be very popular. We even organise the odd BBQ whenever we get a chance.

Membership

Membership is open to anyone with an interest in sailing. Potential members should contact a Committee Member, who will explain rules and also form a point of contact. Best to visit us on one of our event nights.

(The above information and image courtesy of Cullaun Sailing Club) 

Cullaun Sailing Club, c/o Mary Sweeney, Kilkishen, Co Clare. Email: [email protected]

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