Displaying items by tag: Robert Hendrick

22nd September 2023

Robert Hendrick Wins Ireland a Canoe Slalom Place at 2024 Olympic Games

Irish Olympic canoeist Robert Hendrick has accomplished an impressive feat by qualifying his country for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Canoe Slalom, a moment of immense pride for the Irish paddlesports community.

He demonstrated skill and composure in the semi-final round of the World Championships, securing 16th place and booking a spot for Ireland on the C1 Men start line for next year's Games.

During the semi-finals, Liam Jegou, a Tokyo Olympian, participated in the canoe slalom race. Despite commendable skill, he fell to the narrow margins in canoe slalom and lost valuable time towards the end, finishing 30th.

In the meantime, the Irish K1 Men are still in the running for Olympic qualification, with Noel Hendrick set to participate in Saturday's semi-final. If he finishes in the top 15, it will secure a quota spot for the Paris Games, keeping Ireland's hopes alive for the event.

Published in Canoeing

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6th October 2019

Jegou Places Well in Irish Selection Races at British Open

#Canoeing: Liam Jegou shone in the Irish Selection Races at the canoe slalom British Open at Lee Valley. The 23-year-old paddler was the fastest C1 competitor in the two runs on Saturday and again on Sunday. On the two Sunday runs, Robert Hendrick, who qualified the C1 for Tokyo, had a 50 second penalty for missing gate 12 in the first run and gate five in the second.

The races were part of the process of choosing the Ireland C1 paddler for Tokyo. There is an appeals window, and an announcement of the nominee will not be made until later.

Published in Canoeing

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28th September 2019

Hendrick Qualifies Ireland for Olympic Games in Canoeing

#Canoeing: Robert Hendrick qualified Ireland for an Olympic place in canoeing at the World Championships in La Seu d’Urgell in Spain this morning. Going off first in the C1 competition, the Kildare man put down a nerveless run of 95.12 seconds without a time penalty. It stood up as a fine time even as 29 more paddlers came down the course. The top 11 nations qualified for the Olympic Games and Hendrick gave Ireland 9^th overall in this ranking. His personal placing of 11^th saw him miss out by one place on an A Final place.

Canoe Slalom World Championships, La Seu d’Urgell, Spain (Irish interest)

Men

C1 – Semi-Final (First 11 nations qualify boat for Olympic Games; First 10 to A Final): 11 (ninth nation) R Hendrick 95.12 seconds.

Published in Canoeing

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26th September 2019

Hendrick Qualifies for World Championship Semi-Finals

Robert Hendrick (right) with Eoin Rheinisch

#Canoeing: Robert Hendrick qualified for the semi-final of the C1 (Canadian canoe) at the canoe slalom World Championships at La Seu d’Urgell today.

The Kildare man took 10^th place in his second run – just inside the crucial cut-off point. Hendrick’s 99.03 seconds with no time penalties put him in 11^th in the first set of results, but Italy’s Roberto Colazingari was then given a 50-second penalty for missing a gate and dropped out of the top 10. Hendrick had made it through.

Hendrick will qualify Ireland for a place in the C1 in Tokyo 2020 if he can place in the top 11 nations in the semi-finals.

Liam Jegou finished 13^th, missing out on a qualification spot because of a two-second penalty for a touch on gate 11. Jake Cochrane, who was less than half a second outside qualification in the first run, did not do so well second time around and finished 49^th. He missed gate five and incurred a 50-second penalty.

Canoe Slalom World Championships, La Seu d’Urgell, Spain (Irish interest)

Men

C1 – First Run (top 20 qualify directly): 26 J Cochrane 99.72, 38 R Hendrick 103.68, 46 L Jegou 106.38. SECOND RUN (top 10 to semi-finals): 10 Hendrick 99.03; 13 Jegou 99.62, 49 Cochrane 151.72

Women

K1 – First Run (top 20 qualify directly): 72 H Craig 182.68, 75 A Conlan 195.02, 76 C O’Ferrall 245.62. SECOND RUN (top 10 to semi-finals): 41 Conlan 133.13, 45 O’Ferrall 148.39, 51 Craig 174.61

Published in Canoeing

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26th September 2019

Cochrane Close after First World Championship Run

#Canoeing: The first run in the men’s C1 at the canoe slalom World Championships saw Jake Cochrane come closest to qualifying for the semi-finals. Cochrane had a fast, clear run to the final gate at La Seu d’Urgell, and even a touch here still left him in the hunt for a top 20 place. His time of 99.72 eventually placed him 26^th. Robert Hendrick also had just one touch – on gate 20 – and finished 38^th on this run.

Liam Jegou had a disapointing run, touching four gates and placing 46^th.

The second run comes later today.

Canoe Slalom World Championships, La Seu d’Urgell, Spain (Irish interest)

Men

C1 – First Run (top 20 qualify directly): 26 J Cochrane 99.72, 38 R Hendrick 103.68, 46 L Jegou 106.38.

Published in Canoeing

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Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta

From the Baily lighthouse to Dalkey island, the bay accommodates six separate courses for 21 different classes racing every two years for the Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

In assembling its record-breaking armada, Volvo Dun Laoghaire regatta (VDLR) became, at its second staging, not only the country's biggest sailing event, with 3,500 sailors competing, but also one of Ireland's largest participant sporting events.

One of the reasons for this, ironically, is that competitors across Europe have become jaded by well-worn venue claims attempting to replicate Cowes and Cork Week.'Never mind the quality, feel the width' has been a criticism of modern-day regattas where organisers mistakenly focus on being the biggest to be the best. Dun Laoghaire, with its local fleet of 300 boats, never set out to be the biggest. Its priority focussed instead on quality racing even after it got off to a spectacularly wrong start when the event was becalmed for four days at its first attempt.

The idea to rekindle a combined Dublin bay event resurfaced after an absence of almost 40 years, mostly because of the persistence of a passionate race officer Brian Craig who believed that Dun Laoghaire could become the Cowes of the Irish Sea if the town and the local clubs worked together. Although fickle winds conspired against him in 2005, the support of all four Dun Laoghaire waterfront yacht clubs since then (made up of Dun Laoghaire Motor YC, National YC, Royal Irish YC and Royal St GYC), in association with the two racing clubs of Dublin Bay SC and Royal Alfred YC, gave him the momentum to carry on.

There is no doubt that sailors have also responded with their support from all four coasts. Running for four days, the regatta is (after the large mini-marathons) the single most significant participant sports event in the country, requiring the services of 280 volunteers on and off the water, as well as top international race officers and an international jury, to resolve racing disputes representing five countries. A flotilla of 25 boats regularly races from the Royal Dee near Liverpool to Dublin for the Lyver Trophy to coincide with the event. The race also doubles as a RORC qualifying race for the Fastnet.

Sailors from the Ribble, Mersey, the Menai Straits, Anglesey, Cardigan Bay and the Isle of Man have to travel three times the distance to the Solent as they do to Dublin Bay. This, claims Craig, is one of the major selling points of the Irish event and explains the range of entries from marinas as far away as Yorkshire's Whitby YC and the Isle of Wight.

No other regatta in the Irish Sea area can claim to have such a reach. Dublin Bay Weeks such as this petered out in the 1960s, and it has taken almost four decades for the waterfront clubs to come together to produce a spectacle on and off the water to rival Cowes."The fact that we are getting such numbers means it is inevitable that it is compared with Cowes," said Craig. However, there the comparison ends."We're doing our own thing here. Dun Laoghaire is unique, and we are making an extraordinary effort to welcome visitors from abroad," he added. The busiest shipping lane in the country – across the bay to Dublin port – closes temporarily to facilitate the regatta and the placing of six separate courses each day.

A fleet total of this size represents something of an unknown quantity on the bay as it is more than double the size of any other regatta ever held there.

Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta FAQs

What is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is Ireland's biggest sailing event. It is held every second Summer at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Dublin Bay.

When is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is held every two years, typically in the first weekend of July.

Where is Dun Laoghaire Regatta held?

As its name suggests, the event is based at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Racing is held on Dublin Bay over as many as six different courses with a coastal route that extends out into the Irish Sea. Ashore, the festivities are held across the town but mostly in the four organising yacht clubs.

How big is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is the largest sailing regatta in Ireland and on the Irish Sea and the second largest in the British Isles. It has a fleet of 500 competing boats and up to 3,000 sailors. Scotland's biggest regatta on the Clyde is less than half the size of the Dun Laoghaire event. After the Dublin city marathon, the regatta is one of the most significant single participant sporting events in the country in terms of Irish sporting events.

How old is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The modern Dublin Bay Regatta began in 2005, but it owes its roots to earlier combined Dublin Bay Regattas of the 1960s.

How many boats compete at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Up to 500 boats regularly compete.

How many yacht clubs are represented at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Up to 70 different yacht clubs are represented.

Where do the yachts come from to compete at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The Channel Islands, Isle of Man, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland countrywide, and Dublin clubs.

How many boats are visiting boats at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Nearly half the sailors, over 1,000, travel to participate from outside of Dun Laoghaire and from overseas to race and socialise in Dun Laoghaire.

What type of yachts race in Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

21 different classes are competing at Dun Laoghaire Regatta. As well as four IRC Divisions from 50-footers down to 20-foot day boats and White Sails, there are also extensive one-design keelboat and dinghy fleets to include all the fleets that regularly race on the Bay such as Beneteau 31.7s, Ruffian 23s, Sigma 33s as well as Flying Fifteens, Laser SB20s plus some visiting fleets such as the RS Elites from Belfast Lough to name by one.

What famous sailors race in Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Some sailing household names are regular competitors at the biennial Dun Laoghaire event including Dun Laoghaire Olympic silver medalist, Annalise Murphy. International sailing stars are competing too such as Mike McIntyre, a British Olympic Gold medalist and a raft of World and European class champions.

How much does it cost to enter Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

There are different entry fees for different size boats. A 40-foot yacht will pay up to €550, but a 14-foot dinghy such as Laser will pay €95. Full entry fee details are contained in the Regatta Notice of Race document.

Where can spectators view Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Spectators can see the boats racing on six courses from any vantage point on the southern shore of Dublin Bay. As well as from the Harbour walls itself, it is also possible to see the boats from Sandycove, Dalkey and Killiney, especially when the boats compete over inshore coastal courses or have in-harbour finishes.

How does Dun Laoghaire regatta compare to international regattas?

Very favourably. It is often compared to Cowes, Britain's biggest regatta on the Isle of Wight that has 1,000 entries. However, sailors based in the north of England have to travel three times the distance to get to Cowes as they do to Dun Laoghaire.

Why is Dun Laoghaire Regatta so unique?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is unique because of its compact site offering four different yacht clubs within the harbour and the race tracks' proximity, just a five-minute sail from shore. International sailors also speak of its international travel connections and being so close to Dublin city. The regatta also prides itself on balancing excellent competition with good fun ashore.

Who organises Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The Organising Authority (OA) of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta is Dublin Bay Regattas Ltd, a not-for-profit company, beneficially owned by Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC), National Yacht Club (NYC), Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC) and Royal St George Yacht Club (RSGYC).

What does Dun Laoghaire Regatta contribute to the local economy?

The Irish Marine Federation launched a case study on the 2009 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta's socio-economic significance. Over four days, the study (carried out by Irish Sea Marine Leisure Knowledge Network) found the event was worth nearly €3million to the local economy over the four days of the event. Typically the Royal Marine Hotel and Haddington Hotel and other local providers are fully booked for the event.