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Displaying items by tag: Team Racing

After 132 races Presentation Brothers Cork (PBC) were the winners of the Irish Schools Team Racing Championships for the third year in a row.

12 teams qualified for the finals and came from Munster, Leinster and Connaught for the Schull, West Cork event.

PBC was followed closely by CBC and then Schull Sharks. Full results are downloadable below.

Next year the hosts will be the Royal St George Yacht Club on Dublin Bay.

Winners - Presentation College CorkWinners - Presentation College Cork

Second - Christian Brothers Cork Second - Christian Brothers Cork

Third -  Schull SharksThird - Schull Sharks

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The flight sheet for this weekend's Irish Schools Team Racing Championships at Schull in West Cork has been released. Downloadable below as an Excel file.

With up to 64 preliminary races, the event is using four flights so competing teams won’t have much time between races.

It is hoped to have an Irish Schools Sailing Association meeting after sailing on Saturday, all welcome.

The agenda is to try and build a group to promote schools sailing/team racing, promote coaching clinics, develop umpires and event hosts.

Organiser David Harte from the Fastnet Education Centre has issued a reminder to the 12 competing teams (plus two in reserve) of the championships to be sailed in TR3.6 dinghies at Schull, as Afloat previously reported here

Gonzaga College in Dublin travel to Roaringwater Bay as Leinster Champions having lifted the trophy at the Royal St. George Yacht Club last month.

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Hot on the heels of the Irish Youth National Championships at Royal Cork Yacht Club, the Irish Schools Team Racing Championships will be held this coming weekend also in Cork in a packed month of sailing for youth sailors.

Organiser David Harte from the Fastnet Education Centre has issued a reminder to the 12 competing teams (plus two in reserve) of the upcoming championships to be sailed in TR3.6 dinghies at Schull, as Afloat previously reported here

Gonzaga College in Dublin travel to Roaringwater Bay as Leinster Champions having lifted the trophy at the Royal St. George Yacht Club last month.

A flight sheet will be issued this Thursday.

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The 2019 Schools Team Racing championships at Schull in West Cork looks set to be the biggest yet when it sets sails from the Fastnet Marine Centre in the town on May 4.

There will be 13 teams from Munster, seven from Connacht and eight from Leinster competing.

Gonzaga College in Dublin travel to Roaringwater Bay as Leinster Champions having lifted the trophy at the Royal St. George Yacht Club last month.

Teams will compete in the locally built TR3.6 dinghies.

Download entry forms and a Notice of Race below.

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Lucy McCutcheon, Commodore and Team Sailing Captain of University College Dublin SC, is the Afloat.ie “Sailor of the Month (Team Racing) for March after her squad’s victory in very close racing in the Irish Universities Team Championship staged at Lough Key off the Upper Shannon March 9th & 10th.

The organisers for 2019 at this unusual but very attractive venue were Dublin University SC. But in a nail-biting final with UCD, they were bested by their longtime rivals, and while it was very much a team success, we follow established precedent in awarding the SoM accolade to the UCD Captain.

More on this story here

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Hosted by the Royal St George Yacht Club, eight teams competed in Fireflies for the title last weekend in mostly light airs and acquitted themselves perfectly providing entertaining team racing in Dun Laoghaire harbour.

A light breeze faded by midday and after an hour filled in from the east providing a good team racing in the afternoon to complete the first round.

After the round robin, only one point separated Gonzaga 1 from the other semi-final chasing teams who comprised Loreto Stephens Green, St Andrews College and Blackrock College. Loreto SG took Gonzaga to three races before narrowly losing the deciding race and St Andrews dispatched 'Rock' without a loss. Andrews went down fighting to Gonzaga who had recovered their form from the close call with Loreto SG.

"The top four teams qualify for the all Ireland Schools to be run by FOMEC in Schull in April"

The top four teams qualify for the all Ireland Schools to be run by FOMEC in Schull in April.

The excellent event was well run by Eunice Kennedy who led the team in the George and the parents who enthusiastically rallied the teams and supported the event.

Thanks are due to the George and Dublin University Sailing Club who loaned the Fireflies and KSail.co.uk who provided the draw.

Gonzaga
Jack Fahy & Andrew Conan
Henry Higgins & Finn Cleary
Tom Higgins & Jacques Murphy

St Andrews College
Finn Walker & Oisin Hughes
Eve McMahon & Kei Walker
Kitty Flanagan & Amelia Johnson


Blackrock College
Morgan Lyttle & Colm Roche
Hugh O’Connor & Conor Gorman
Charlie Cullen & Colm Hogan

Loreto St Stephens Green
Ella Hemryk &Tara Berry
Nell Staunton & Joanna Berry
Natasha Hemryk & Ciara Paul


Loreto Foxrock, Alexandra College, Gonzaga2 and St Conleth’s College comprised the remaining teams.

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For the second year in a row, Comhghairdeas Coláiste Éidne (St Enda’s College) Galway won the Connacht Schools Team Racing Championship on Sunday 3 March in Carraroe, hosted by Cumann Bádóireachta agus Seoltóireachta.

Six teams from in and around Connacht were able to make the event despite the postponement of racing to Sunday due to westerly gale force winds hammering the bay on Saturday.

The schools included St Enda’s, Athlone Community Marist College Athlone, Calasanctius Oranmore and host school Scoil Cuimsitheach Chiaráin Carraroe.

Every team got to race each other in a full fleet of Fireflies, and St Enda’s were delighted to come away with the win up against strong challengers in Athlone Community College and Marist College Athlone, who placed second and third respectively.

The top three teams now go through the Schools National Team Racing Finals hosted by Schull Community School on the weekend of 4-5 May.

Published in Team Racing

With his captaining of the successful Gonzaga College team in the inaugural Shanahan Cup raced at the Irish National Sailing School on January 16th, noted junior sailor Jack Fahy is the Afloat.ie “Sailor of the Month” for January 2019.

Competing against eight other top school teams, the Gonzaga squad put in a convincing performance under the race direction of team racing guru Vincent Delany.

While the contribution of fellow team members Andrew Conan, Henry Higgins, Finn Cleary, Tom Higgins and Con Murphy was very significant, it was Jack Fahy who led the way for a trophy generously donated by our 2015 Sailor of the Year Liam Shanahan.

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Nine teams from six Dublin schools (Holy Child, Blackrock College, Loreto on the Green, Gonzaga College, St Gerard's and Loreto Foxrock) competed in the inaugural Gonzaga College/Irish National Sailing & Powerboat School school’s team racing event for the Shanahan Cup on 16 January 2019. Sailing in the Irish National Sailing & Powerboat School’s fleet of Topper Topaz Vibe dinghies, the teams faced testing conditions in a cold northwesterly wind which ranged from two to 20–knots.

Vincent Delany kicked off the day with a hugely informative briefing to all sailors before heading to sea as, for some. this was their first experience of team racing. After a short delay, the fleet assembled in the training area of Dun Laoghaire Harbour where the course was pre-laid and ready for action.

Shanahan Cup INSSThe Cup was sailed sailed in the Irish National Sailing & Powerboat School’s fleet of Topper Topaz Vibe dinghies

Notwithstanding that many of the young sailors had suffered dunkings during the numerous capsizes in the early races the youngsters seemed oblivious to the cold and a lively party continued all day on Lula Belle, one of the INSAPS’s fleet of cruising yachts which was tied alongside the pontoon in the training area of Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Hot chocolate and warm treats were on supply day round which gave sailors the chance to warm up ahead of their next race. The large pontoon ensured swift turnarounds of crews between dinghies before the next race.

Pool I was very closely fought and resulted in a three-way sail off between Blackrock College, Gonzaga B and Loreto on the Green, with Blackrock emerging as the victors.

Pool II was dominated by a powerful Gonzaga A team who won all their races and then faced Blackrock in the final. In a hotly contested start, Blackrock suffered an OCS of one of their boats which left them with too much catching up to do and Gonzaga emerged winners.

Speaking after the event Kenneth Rumball of the Irish National Sailing & Powerboat School emphasized the huge opportunities that existed in schools sailing. “Team racing represents a fantastic opportunity for young people to develop key sailing skills and to do it in a format that builds friendships and healthy rivalry between schools”

At the prizegiving, Fiachra Etchingham of Gonzaga College commended the high standard of sailing but emphasized that equally important was the younger and less experienced sailors who went out in difficult conditions and “gave it a go”.

Presenting the trophy Liam Shanahan encouraged the competitors not to focus too much on the results but to look at sailing as lifelong sport which afforded them opportunities to make friends and have fun.

Shanahan CupNine teams from six Dublin schools (Holy Child, Blackrock College, Loreto on the Green, Gonzaga College, St Gerard's and Loreto Foxrock) competed in the inaugural Gonzaga College/Irish National Sailing & Powerboat School school’s team racing event

Dublin Secondary Schools are renowned for various sports and in particular for team sports. However, when one looks at the full range of sports played in Dublin schools, there are very few sports where girls compete against boys on equal terms. Sailing is one sport where they sail on equal terms.

50+ youngsters left the Irish National Sailing & Powerboat School with smiles on their faces looking forward to next year!

"not to focus too much on the results but to look at sailing as a lifelong sport which afforded them opportunities to make friends and have fun"

The event could not have taken place with mention of some key contributors. Fiachra Etchingham was the mastermind and instigator to which the event would not have taken place without his vision. Vincent Delany brought his considerable knowledge of team racing to ensure everything was set for the event to run smoothly as well as leading the team of highly experienced umpires. The Irish National Sailing and Powerboat School provided all the equipment facilities and logistical support. Liam Shanahan for his love of the sport sponsored the inaugural event.

The winning Gonzaga team was:
Jack Fahy, Andrew Conan
Henry Higgins, Finn Cleary
Tom Higgins, Con Murphy

Special thanks should go to the volunteers on the day comprising of;
Mark Delany, Tom Fitzpatrick, Trisha Kelly, Patricia Lawler, Michael Tyrell, Alistair Rumball, James Linton, Jill Fleming and a team of Gonzaga mothers who gave up the day out of their busy schedules to make the event such a success!

Published in INSS

Irish Sailing is putting together a funding application to support Irish Sailing’s Team Racing strategy and is seeking quotes for a contractor to develop the programme starting late Spring of 2019 with a tight timeline for the funding application.

Irish Sailing is seeking quotes from self-employed contractors, for a one-year, full time, initial contract as Irish Sailing’s Team Racing Development Officer.

The primary role of the TRDO is to develop Team Racing across Irish Sailing organisations for the purpose of increasing membership activity, retaining keen sailors, and increasing participation. The successful candidate may be based anywhere in Ireland and will work in conjunction with the existing development officers, policy groups and Irish Team Racing Association to support Irish Sailing affiliated Clubs, Classes and accredited Training Centres to grow and develop their team racing activities.

With a fleet of Team Racing dinghies, the successful contractor will develop and deliver programmes and initiatives in line with Irish Sailing strategies, to expand team racing across Ireland in Irish Sailing affiliated Clubs and accredited Training centres to include

  •  coaching (race management and team racing sailors both ashore & on the water)
  • development of regional links between Clubs, Training Centres, Classes and Colleges
  • maintenance of robust Irish Sailing TR dinghy fleet
  • event support

While upskilling may be available, ideally the contractor will be:

  • self-motivated, proactive and professional, with drive and vision
  • a passionate and active sailor and team racer
  • over 20 years of age with a full driver’s licence
  • an excellent communicator
  • a qualified instructor/coach

Initially, the funding being applied for is for a one year contract for the 2019 season, which may be extended if the programme is successful.

In the event of a successful funding application, a formal selection process will be initiated during the middle of March, with a view to starting April 2019.

The timeline for funding application is tight. Please send a letter of application and CV, along with a quote for a daily rate being sought for the role to Harry Hermon, Chief Executive by email to; [email protected] before close of business on Friday 18th January.

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Page 8 of 19

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

Up to 500 boats regularly compete.

Up to 70 different yacht clubs are represented.

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

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.

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.

 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

©Afloat 2020