After a difficult two years when sailing activities were restricted by the Covid pandemic, the Commodore of Kinsale Yacht Club on the southern coastline of County Cork, Matthias Hellstern, says the ”main focus this year is club racing and getting the whole club side of things moving again.”

“We have a number of projects underway, refurbishing and upgrading the older part of the club premises is one, the Under 25 programme is another.”

The launching of the KYC’s J/24 Kinsailor Photo: Bob Bateman

Last week was marked with the launching of the club’s J/24 Kinsailor, intended to bridge the gap that has affected sailing when younger sailors leave dinghies. “We are dealing with that problem. The members of Kinsale are very conscious that young sailors are the future of the club.”

Squib racing in Kinsale Harbour Photo: Bob Bateman

The current dinghies Frostbite series, in which he is sailing himself on a Squib, has got the season started. This month cruisers begin racing. Their March League for the Frank Godsell Cup, first presented back in 1982, will start on Sunday of next week, March 13. There will be further races on March 20 and 27, for spinnaker and white sails classes. That will be followed by the Spring Series, starting on Sunday, April 3.

Topper dinghy racing at Kinsale Photo: Bob Bateman

The big event at the club this season will be the Squibs Nationals, incorporating both the Irish and UK Championships. Cancelled due to Covid in 2020, “it’s exciting to have an international event back at the club again,” Commodore Hellstern tells me on this week’s Podcast. We also discuss the club’s new race around the Blaskets this year and the Dragon Gold Cup. He is also a Dragon sailor.

Kinsale Yacht Club has launched its Under 25 Team’s J24 and named it ‘Kinsailor.’

The boat is the last J24 to have been built by Jeremy Rogers, who also built Contessas, on the Isle of Wight.

“At 31 years old she is in fine condition. When she emerged from the mould it went to Slovenia. She will give our Under 25 Team great racing here in the club and at events in other clubs,” said Dave O’Sullivan, the former club Commodore, who led the project to acquire the boat.

Dave O’Sullivan, (pictured centre) the former club Commodore, who led the project to acquire the U25 boat Photo: Bob Bateman

Members of the Under 25 team are looking forward to club racing next month and have a list of events planned for the season.

Tom MacSweeney (left) poses the questions to Kinsale Yacht Club U25 sailors at the launch of the new club J/24. Listen to the podcast below Photo: Bob Bateman

I was at the launch and naming ceremony at the club where I spoke to Under 25 Team members for this week’s Podcast, which you can hear here.

Race Officers John and Valerie Stallard and Michele Kennelly got the first races of the Custom Rigging Kinsale Yacht Club League off to a gentle start in a patchy 10-knots on Sunday. 

The first day of scheduled racing was last Sunday but was blown out so 11 eager crews were keen to get in practice for the Bandon Co-Op Squib National Championships. 

Racing was also provided for Topper dinghies.

Photo gallery below

The much-anticipated return to the water for Kinsale Yacht Club's mixed dinghy and one design keelboat scheduled for Sunday has been cancelled due to the weather forecast. 

The Custom Rigging Frostbite Series was due to start for Lasers, Squibs, Toppers and Mixed Dinghies with a First Gun at 11.55.

The series will continue every Sunday until March 13. Three back-to-back races are scheduled each day.

The sailing season kicks into an increased level this Sunday in Cork when the Custom Rigging Frostbite Series starts at Kinsale Yacht Club.

Lasers, Squibs, Toppers and Mixed Dinghies are included in the series which has a First Gun at 11.55. It will continue every Sunday until March 13.

Three back-to-back races are scheduled each day. At the discretion of the Race Officer extra races may be sailed. No race will be started after 1500. The racing area will be in Kinsale Harbour.

Cruiser racing will start next month for the Frank Godsell Cup a league of three races – on Sundays March 13, 20 and 27. First Gun 1125 each day.All in for Spinnaker and Whitesails Classes.

Kinsale YC has also scheduled a meeting of marina berth holders for Thursday, February 24, at 8 p.m.

It’s a long way for crew and boats to travel from Belfast Lough and Strangford Lough to Kinsale but eight from the northern-based Squib class will be making that 300 mile trip in June for the eight-race Bandon Co-Op Squib Nationals which will incorporate the Irish Squib National Championship.

At least, as Robert Marshall of Killyleagh says, it’s easier than travelling to Cowes.

The Kinsale event featured in WM Nixon's Afloat column on Saturday here where he described the event as being an "ideal launching pad for Ireland’s reviving international sailing scene In 2022".

From the 14 strong Royal North fleet on Belfast Lough there will be Fagin, Second Chance, Prodigal, Toy for the Boys and Jumini and of the eight Killyeagh boats on Strangford Lough will be Slipstream, Firecracker and Volante.

Robert Marshall and Neil Logan in Slipstream

The RNIYC based Squibs competing are Gordon Patterson and Ross Nolan in Fagin, Steven Stewart in Second Chance, Greg Bell and Jane Kearney, who have been runners-up in the Irish championship; Toy for the Boys with new pairing Peter Wallace and Kinsale local Fiona Ward as well as Ross Kearney and his cousin Charles (Woo) Kearney who will defend their Championship title in Jumini.

From Killyleagh, there will be Robert Marshall (Chairman of the Irish Squib Class) and Neil Logan in Slipstream, Simon Watson and Jordy Withers in Volante and Steven Bridges and Mathew Bolton in Firecracker.

Squib 146 Greg Bell's Prodigal

Robert Marshall is looking forward to the 2022 competition; “It's a big year for Squibs in Ireland with the combined Irish and UK nationals being held in Kinsale. Entries from both Killyleagh and Royal North at Cultra are eagerly awaiting the start gun to sound for the battle to commence.

Killyleagh is hosting a spring series 16/4 to 7/5 followed by the Squib Northern championship on 14/15 May at Killyleagh Yacht Club. There is quite s buzz around the class already and it’s only January. Good times are nearly upon us - great sailing and good craic with the best class in Ireland”.

The weather gods were shining at Kinsale Yacht Club for the annual Gunsmoke Bell race sponsored by Sammy Cohen.

In sunny weather, a fleet of 12 boats competed for the Gunsmoke Bell trophy. Race Officer, Donal Hayes, set a course to Sandycove and back via the Bulman.

12 boats started the Kinsale Yacht Club Gunsmoke Bell Trophy Race on Stephen's Day Photo: Bob Bateman

Reavra Too had an excellent start and found a nice line of breeze on the right-hand side of the course. White Tiger led on rounding Sandycove but in a race combining White Sails and Cruisers, it was the boats flying spinnakers that took over the lead for the remainder of the race.

Stephen Lysaght’s Reavra Too on her way to a win in the Kinsale Yacht Club Gunsmoke Bell Trophy. Behind Reavra Too are Chancer and Meridian Photo: Dave Cullinane

In the All-In Echo class, it was Stephen Lysaght’s Reavra Too that won the trophy. In second place was Cathal Buckleys Tir na nÓg and in third place was the Carroll Brothers Chancer.

Results here

To meet a growing demand for offshore racing, Kinsale Yacht Club Commodore Matthias Hellstern along with Dave Cullinane (SCORA Vice-Commodore) and Harvey Matthews representing sponsors Matthews of Cork, launched the inaugural Inishtearaght Race in Kinsale on Wednesday, December 23rd.

As Afloat reported previously, the race is a new south coast offshore race to be held biennially commencing in 2022.

The course will be approximately 240nm long and will run along the spectacular coast of West Cork and Kerry, round Inistearaght and back to Kinsale. 

The video below by Mary Malone captures the announcement by the KYC team.

The race will start on Friday 20th May 2022. Download the Notice of Race below.

SCORA Vice Commodore Dave Cullinane with The 150-year-old Thuillier Trophy to be presented to the line honours winner of May's Inistearaght Race Photo: Bob Bateman

The Thuillier family have kindly allowed the oldest trophy in Kinsale YC to be presented as the line honours trophy for the race. The Thuillier Cup is 150 years old, having been originally presented by the Royal Enniskillen Fusiliers in 1871 and won by Michael Thuillier. The cup was presented to Kinsale YC by the Thuillier family to acknowledge the long tradition of yacht racing in Kinsale.

Kinsale Yacht Club say sailing instructions and a race entry form will be available on www.kyc.ie closer to the date and additional information is available by emailing [email protected].

Kinsale Yacht Club and Marina - the start and finishing point for the new 240-mile Irish offshore yacht race Photo: Bob Bateman

Kinsale Yacht Club has elected Matthias Helstern as its new Commodore at last night's online AGM.

The former Mirror dinghy ace and Dragon keelboat sailor takes over at a busy time for the West Cork club from outgoing Commodore Mike Walsh.

Tony Scannell was elected as the new vice commodore.

Helstern, whose late father Hans also led the club, takes the tiller as Kinsale prepares for its 2024 staging of the prestigious International Dragon Gold Cup.

The club held a very successful edition of its Sovereign's Cup in June this year, a pillar event for Irish sailing in a COVID-hit season.

In 2022, KYC will stage the Squib UK and Irish combined national championships, the first-ever class staging of the dual championships.

Newly elected Kinsale Yacht Club Commodore Matthias Helstern sailed to success in 2021 with clubmates Cameron Good and Henry Kingston at the Dragon East Coast Championships on Dublin Bay.

Afloat Photographer Bob Bateman's essential role in promoting sailing in Ireland was recognised again last night, this time at the Kinsale Yacht Club AGM. 

Bateman was made an honorary member of the West Cork club for his support of the Kinsale sailing and boating scene.

In nominating the photo-journalist, outgoing Commodore Mike Walsh told the meeting, "Bob has served this club for many, many years, turning up at countless events and getting on the water to produce the photos that we all want to put in a frame and hang on the wall".

Bateman covers the wide range of maritime activity on the Cork Coast for Afloat.ie, especially sailing. He has an extensive archive dating back to the 1960s, documenting a unique record of Kinsale, Cork Harbour and south coast life in general.

One of Bob Bateman's striking images of the Cork coastline from Kinsale Yacht Club's staging of June's Sovereign's Cup 2021

The nomination was enthusiastically approved by the online KYC meeting that also saw Walsh hand over the tiller to new Commodore Matthias Helstern, as Afloat reports here.

Bateman's KYC award follows a National 18 dinghy class presentation in September, where he was similarly honoured with the class's Sullivan Trophy for his 'outstanding support' of dinghy affairs.

Bob and his late wife Claire were previously awarded Cove Sailing Club's Foley Rose Bowl in 2011 for their services to sailing. In 2013, Bob was also made an Honorary Member of Royal Cork Yacht Club, one of only eight such awards made.