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Displaying items by tag: Colin Kavanagh

It's arguably the case that the best way through lock-down is to assume it's all going to last a bit longer – maybe a lot longer - than most people think. Thus the most effective way to negotiate your way through it is to give yourself over with total dedication to the alternative virtual pursuits which have emerged online as the outside world comes to a halt, such that - in your enclosed little world - the time flies entertainingly by.

Thus although there were old salts whose response to the new availability of the Virtual Regatta in April 2020 was to grumble that if they wanted a nautical version of an entertainment arcade then they'd have long since been going to a nautical entertainment arcade, there were many others – almost a thousand – who have taken to it with enthusiasm.

The precise number since April 2020 is 960, and from it there emerged the ten top Irish eSailors of such ability that they reached international standards and two of them – Colin Kavanagh of Howth YC, and Cillian Dickson of Lough Ree YC (and HYC) – contested the final, with Colin Kavanagh emerging as the champion.

Far from being a screen addict, he's very much of the real world, racing in the local intensity of the Puppeteer 22 Class as the continuation of a sailing career which started with Mirrors at Sutton aged 12, and went on through Laser 2s, offshore 40-footers, 1720s, and Etchells 22s, while a couple of years as an instructor gave him a taste for serving sailing, such that he is now an Irish Sailing Board Member and has been on the Olympic Steering Group since 2013.

In the current pandemic stasis, he's the perfect guide for the Howth Yacht Club-hosted eRacing Introductory on Wednesday evening (January 20th) at 7 pm – sign on here

Published in Esailing

About the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) Northern Ireland 

  • The RYA is the national body for dinghy, yacht and motor cruising, all forms of sail racing, RIBs and sports boats, windsurfing and personal watercraft and a leading representative for inland waterways cruising.
  • The RYA is recognised by Government, the media and opinion formers as the representative body and voice for the activities that it represents. It continually fights for the rights and freedoms of its 112,000 personal members.
  • The RYA has more than 1,500 affiliated clubs and classes, which represent some 350,000 boaters throughout the UK. It is estimated that 4 million people in the UK take part in boating activity annually.
  • The RYA also sets and maintains recognised standards for training for both leisure and commercial boating through a network of more than 2,400 RYA Recognised Training Centres across 58 countries. More than 250,000 people per year complete RYA training courses.
  • The RYA is responsible for one of the UK’s most successful Olympic medal-winning sports. Our coaching and development schemes actively support 800 of our country’s top sailors, from talented juniors to Olympic and World champions.
  • The RYA is committed to promoting all forms of boating and making them accessible to everyone. For more information please visit www.rya.org.uk.
  • The Royal Yachting Association Northern Ireland (RYA NI) acts for the RYA in Northern Ireland (NI) and the Chairman of RYA NI is invited to join the Irish Sailing Association (ISA) Policy Review Committee.
  • You can find the RYA Northern Ireland at Sketrick House, GE8, Jubilee Road, Newtownards, BT23 4YH.
  • RYA NI is a company limited by guarantee – Registration number NI 51945
  • Contact RYA NI: Tel: 02891 827154 email: [email protected]