The National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire is offering a pre-race coaching series to help Water Wags sailors preparing for evening racing on Dublin Bay.

This series will be led by the club head coach and may receive the input of other coaches with the aim of improving starting techniques, tactical and strategical positioning in displacement boats and have the participants fully warmed up before the evening race.

The plan is to gather afloat from 6pm for practice (coach will be on hand from 5.30pm on the NYC platform and will communicate the daily plan via the class WhatsApp).

The series will be divided into two parts. The first, ‘Nailing the Starts’, will run on Wednesdays: 24 April, 15 May, 22 May and 29 May. The price is €50 per boat for all four sessions or €15 per boat for just one session.

Part two, ‘Clean Air Management and Practicing the Busy Corners’, will also run on Wednesdays: 5 June, 19 June, 26 June and 3 July. Like part one, the price is €50 per boat for all four sessions or €15 per boat for just one session.

For booking information, see the NYC website HERE.

Kick off your St Patrick’s Weekend at the National Yacht Club’s Cruising Club Boat Show on Saturday 16 March from 11am.

See a live demonstration on life-raft deployment and entering presented by Solas Marine Services.

The RNLI’s sea safety team will be on hand with advice and instructions.

And local chandlery Viking Marine will be showing a number of key safety products and their advantages.

The club looks forward to seeing you on Dun Laoghaire’s waterfront in the morning!

Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, the National Yacht Club will host the second Student Match Racing Invitational in Dun Laoghaire on the weekend of 23–24 March.

The meet — comprising round robins, a knockout series and finals racings — will bring together the top student sailors in the country in an exciting weekend of match racing, adding the discipline to the already packed university sailing calendar.

See the Notice of Race on the NYC website ahead of the issue of invitations by Friday 15 March.

Every Sunday morning until 24 March, the National Yacht Club is running a coached racing series for dinghy sailors.

The series comprises short sprint-style races set up as a pursuit, with the slower boats starting first and the faster boats chasing.

There will be a full debrief post-racing and pointers given while racing or between races.

The series is weather-depending and will also take into account other club activities so the running of each Sunday morning will be confirmed (or not) the Thursday prior, with the name of the coach in charge on the various class WhatsApp groups.

Sailors intending to race can register on the NYC website prior to each race. Entry per session is €15.

Wether you want to take part once in a while, use it as a full regular training session or take part as a warm up to the DBSC Frosbites, the club encourages everyone to join the racing and progress your skills.

Racing is open to all club dinghies (Optimist, Topper, Feva, ILCA, Aero, etc). First gun is set for 10am and racing will conclude around 12.30pm. There is no set number of daily races.

Prizes may also be awarded at the end of the winter, so happy racing!

The Notice of Race is now available for the Viking Marine DMYC Frostbite Series, which starts on Sunday 5 November — the same day as the DBSC Turkey Shoot winter series in Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

Registration for this year’s Frostbites can be done online at the DMYC website HERE.

The National Yacht Club is seeking expressions of interest from members as it plans another winter match racing series for 2023.

Starting the weekend of 21 October, the series will run for six to eight weeks — doubling the scope of last year’s series raced in the club’s own fleet of Elliott 6m one-design keelboats.

The National Yacht Club has its own fleet of Elliott 6m one-design keelboats for match racing Photo: Afloat

As interest is growing in match racing, the NYC says it can facilitate two sessions across the weekend based on demand.

Preference will go to NYC members and those who are entering as a team. In the past, Sunday mornings have been popular, but if demand is there, a second session can be scheduled later on Sundays or on Saturdays.

Prospective match racers are encouraged to fill out this online survey to express your interest. Any questions should be directed to [email protected].

The annual lift-out on the National Yacht Club platform is scheduled for next Saturday 14 October, weather permitting.

Dinghy owners are reminded that to facilitate the lift-out, all dinghies must be removed from the platform at the latest on Sunday 7 October and will be allowed to return from Saturday 21 October.

Applications for winter platform parking will go live from Monday 16 October.

Places are on a first come, first served basis. As space is at an absolute premium, priority will be given to dinghies actively taking part in either the Turkey Shoot, the DMYC Frostbite racing series or the club’s junior training programmes.

After Clementine and Nathan van Steenberge’s victory in the 29er Worlds in August, their home base the National Yacht Club has big ambitions as it continues its high-end coaching for 29er racers with Olympic 49er trialist Séafra Guilfolye.

As lead coach in the NYC’s autumn programme, which runs until 3 December, Guilfoyle is being assisted by experienced skiff sailors/instructors in encouraging the growth of technical and racing skills among the club’s 29er sailors.

Regular club training takes place on Sundays, with two special clinics scheduled for the Hallowe’en break (3-5 November) and end-of-season (2-3 December). More details can be found on the NYC website HERE.

29er skiff sailing in Dun Laoghaire Harbour Photo: Afloat

The season is now well underway and the National Yacht Club’s staff and volunteers are now within the final straight before the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta this week, writes head coach Thomas Chaix.

But June was a month rich of sailing fun in courses 1 and 2, certainly helped by the warm spell of weather we enjoyed, plus serious events with two nationals organised by the club and participation at regional and national events around the country.

The NYC volunteers have been on deck ensuring the success of three main events. And our club sailors did not disapoint delivering excellent results.

The Aero Nationals experimented with the concept of pre-event coaching and post-racing debriefs. The local and visiting fleet feedback was excellent and the weekend was enjoyed by all, at their own level.

NYC veteran ace Noel Butler sailed his Aero6 to fourth overall and collected the first Irish Sailing medal of the summer for the club with a silver (two of the boats ahead were UK visitors who were very pleased with their Dublin visit).

The van Steenberge siblings (2nd) duel with Lauren and James in Scotsman’s Bay during the 29er Nationals | Credit: Andrew Conan Photography

While the Aeros were racing, the Optimist club team travelled to East Antrim to compete at the Ulsters. If the team was missing our two strongest sailors (on duty with Team Ireland at the Worlds in Spain), the remaining sailors sailed a very good event, collecting honours in the various categories.

Our junior and regatta fleet sailors were all smiles at the prizes with excellent results and progress. Louis Trickett’s second event win in regatta racing earned him a progression into the junior fleet, Both Alex Butcher and Jacob Browne will progress into Junior Silver and Basile Dion’s second overall podium in a row will catapult him into Junior Gold.

The Toppers were on tour in Wexford with Ethan Spain growing his coaching skills with team NYC. Grace Keating (3rd Junior girl) and Ella Fitzgerald (3rd Youth girl) were in the prizes but it was also the first event for James Gorman, who managed an encouraging mid-fleet finish.

The Optimist team at the Ulsters

The following weekend, Blessington hosted the RS Fest which included the RS Feva Nationals. It was challenging and only three races could be completed.

At the NYC, we prioritise overall skills development with crewing experience, double-handed skills and partnerships management growing options for our junior sailors. Many of the Feva sailors who took part part are also active Optimist, ILCA4 or Topper sailors. The club team was the largest contingent of young sailors taking part. They did not disappoint under the guidance of our club coach Sophie Gorman and the ever hard-working enthusiastic class captain David Wheelan. Two more Irish Sailing medals made it to the club, with Grace Keating and Hannah Walsh securing silver and Felix Dion and Lucas Browne taking bronze.

Last weekend was a busy one. The club platform was buzzing with the 29er sailors competing at the largest nationals ever hosted with an incredible 17 boats in the line-up. At the same time the 2.4 competed at the 2.4mR Championships with overseas visitors challenging home sailor Patrick Hassett.

The 29ers delivered a fast and furious event in Scotsman’s Bay with Academy aces and defending champion Ben O’Shaugnessy and Ethan Spain (RCYC/NYC) fending off the downwind masters Clementine and Nathan van Steenberge (NYC). Leaving Cert students Lauren O’Callaghan and James Dwyer (NYC/RCYC) completed the podium. The 29er class is a growing force in the club with no less than seven partnerships from the club competing.

Louis Trickett wins his second regional (regatta racing) at the Oppy Ulsters and progresses to main fleet

The 16-boat Optimist team travelled to Dunmore East and battled in a wild Celtic Sea. Freshly returned from the Worlds, it was a battle between Harry Dunne and Gemma Brady at the top of the senior fleet with two more NYC sailors securing top 10 (Felix Dion in sixth and Louise Hanley in eighth).

The juniors were solid with both Alex Butcher and Aurele Dion top 10. A special mention goes to Louis Trickett for his first event in the junior main fleet: a baptism of fire! Our regatta racing sailors fought well and showing great progress after a few weeks sailing in our summer courses.

The dinghies are now making space for the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta which kicks off this Thursday 6 June.

The Flying Fifteen class have been offered a start in the annual Fastnet Race which opens the Calves Week sailing festival in West Cork on Tuesday 8 August.

It will mark a first for the 20-foot one-design keelboat class that is normally found sailing over inshore triangular courses than coastal races.

A course from Schull Harbour to the Fastnet Rock and back again is around 35km and in normal conditions is likely to take between three and four hours to complete. The Racing Rules of Sailing apply and the race’s organising authority is the Dun Laoghaire Flying Fifteen fleet.

The National Yacht Club says a Rapid Raider RIB will be attending the fleet during the race and the Dun Laoghaire Flying Fifteen fleet will award prizes to the first, second and third finishers.

In addition the fleet intends, conditions permitting, to run a second race on the following day, Wednesday 9 August. RRS applies and the organising authority is the DLFFF.

To enter the race, complete the form on the NYC website HERE.