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24th September 2009

Sigma 33 East Coast Association

History (courtesy of the UK Sigma Association website)

Click here for all the latest Sigma 33 News and Updates.

The Boat
• Designed by David Thomas, well-known for cruiser/racer designs such as Sonata, Impala, Sigma 33 and 38, as well as the Hunter 707.
• The original concept was to design a 35 footer to compete for acceptance at the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s 1978 Offshore One-design Conference, which was to select three one-designs to promote in substitution for the then-prevalent IOR system. The three chosen were the Impala, the 101 (designed by Jan Kjaerulff) and Jeremy Rodgers’ OOD 34. Sensing that the 33 foot 101 was too Scandinavian for British tastes, David Thomas decided to scale down to 33 feet. His intention was to design a moderate displacement yacht that would look racy and be competitive under IOR, but be tractable and easy to sail to near optimum speed.
• Initially the class was named the Skua 33, but when a Scottish fleet advised that they were already called Skuas, the name was changed to Sigma 33.
• Built by Marine Projects (Plymouth) Limited in Devon. (Tel: 01752 203888)
• Total number built 364, starting in December 1978 with hull no. A3001 and ending in December 1991 with hull no. A3364 (in addition, approximately 44 Sigma 33Cs were built between November 1981 and April 1985, with hull numbers between A4001 and A4212. These have a shorter, masthead rig and a longer, shallower draft keel.)
• Builder’s Dimensions: LOA 32’ 6” 9.88m; LWL 26’ 3” 8.00m; Beam 10’ 6” 3.20m; Draft 5’ 9” 1.75m; Displacement 9,200lbs 4,182kg
• Construction is straightforward GRP with foam-cored floors and integral bulkheads. Early boats had off-white hull gel coats with either blue or cream decks; later ones had white hulls and decks plus aluminium window frames and go-faster stripes along the coachroof. The interior joinery was also altered.
• Class sails are by Elstrom Sobstad , HYS, Port Hamble, Hamble, Southampton, Hampshire SO31 4NN. Tel: 023 8045 6205, fax: 023 8045 2465. The class has adopted relatively high-tech Genesis Platinum sails which incorporate kevlar fibres.
• Price when new in 1979 was £16,790 plus VAT. By 1990 this had risen to £37,475 plus VAT.

sigmatic1.jpgPictured left: Sigmatic powering their way to first place on the last race of the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2009 (courtesy Sigma 33 East Coast Association website)

Sigma 33 East Coast Association, c/o Sandra Moore, Honorary Secretary, 49 Bellevue Road, Glenageary, Co. Dublin. Tel: 087 629 1568, fax: [email protected], email: [email protected]

 

In March 2009, Afloat's Graham Smith reported on the Class: "There’s no change in the Sigma 33 class since last year. The fleet remains at 18 and they are all in Dun Laoghaire, while Tim Goodbody continues to dominate the class.

Apart from winning two of the three DBSC series during the season, he and his crew on White Mischief also won the ROYC Superleague, the East Coast Championships and then retained the National title. Just to break the monopoly, Paddy Maguire won the Colman O’Sullivan Trophy, Dermod Baker took the Fireseal Trophy and the Tuesday series was won by Pippa IV, helmed by A. Blake. National Champion 2009: Tim Goodbody, Royal Irish YC." 

There is a space for Irish boating clubs and racing classes to use as their own bulletin board and forum for announcements and discussion. If you want to see a dedicated forum slot for your club or class, click here   

Published in Classes & Assoc
24th September 2009

Irish Shipman Association

The combination of family- cruiser and racing yacht is possible if not easy to achieve. Many small cruisers are more like floating caravans than yachts and do not always sail well. Accommodation below decks is deemed more important than sleek lines and sailing performance and therefore resulting hybrids are not always easy on the eye.
Of course a sailing yacht should be beautiful and preferably as spacious as a small summer retreat as it is this appeal that makes for sales at boat shows and exhibitions. Racing in Dublin Bay now for many years there is such a boat, the Shipman 28 and with an overall length of 29ft in old money or 8.86 meters and a beam of 8 feet 6 inches or 2.6meters, is just about right for reasonably exciting one design class racing in 'the bay'. Many of the fleet also partake of summer cruising around the coast or even further afield to the UK or beyond, time permitting. With the class having their own Yearbook the annual racing and cruising exploits of the various members can be followed with interest along with other tit bits of generally interesting and useful information.
Originally designed in Sweden by Olle Enderlein as a family cruiser racer for the Baltic Sea, his aim was to produce a yacht that would be sensitive on the helm to windward and easy to hold on course under hard conditions. In port she was to be practical down below with full headroom, five berths, one converting to a double, and a proper galley and comfortable dinette. A separate sea toilet compartment and normally 12hp diesel engine completes the essential fit-out. All this and more was achieved in his resulting design, the Shipman.
In these recessionary times it can be difficult to justify the expenditure of scarce resources on purchasing expensive items such as yachts. How ever, at an average selling price in the region of €10 K to €16K depending on condition, not only will any new owner be joining a great racing class in Dublin Bay, there is also the prospect of summer cruises to the many marinas and harbors within a reasonable distance and the bank will not be broken.
When first launched unto the market in 1970 one particular press cutting wrote 'it is easy to get enthusiastic about the the Shipman. To the yacht lover with a vision of what a yacht should be like it matches many dreams and has many of the qualities and finer points that boat lovers admire. For example well proportioned lines. Nice colors, fine sailing-qualities and comfortable accommodation
Shipman has all this and a little more. The woodwork creates a cosy atmosphere onboard and looks very nice and expensive too. And then to the best thing of all about the Shipman, the sailing qualities. We have never sailed a boat that is more stable on course. In short, this is a super boat.'
The Commodore of the Shipman Class Association in DunLaoghaire is Mr. John Clarke , tel. 01 2895231 E- mail [email protected] and both he and other members of the Class are always available to offer advice and information to prospective Shipman owners or anyone wishing to learn more about the boat and the Association.
Published in Classes & Assoc
24th September 2009

Shannon One Design Association

Courtesy of the Shannon One Design Association:

164newfull.jpgThe Shannon One Design sailboat (known as a 'SOD' or 'Shannon') has a long and colourful history going back to 1920, when it was originally designed by Morgan Giles. Despite its charming looks, the Shannon One Design is a very exciting boat to sail and fleets of SODs have been racing on Loughs Ree and Derg in Ireland since 1922. The racing is very competitive, and the sailing season is filled each year with a wide variety of events. SODA is governed by a committee made up of Shannon One Design owners and sailors.

The Shannon One Design Association (SODA) is the Governing Body for the Shannon One Design Sailing Class. SODA is responsible for fixing the class rules and also for the enforcement of those rules.

 

History

The Shannon One Design (SOD) is an 18 foot boat unique to the lakes of Derg and Ree on the Shannon river in Ireland. On the 29th January 1920 a meeting of delegates from the Lough Derg, Lough Ree and North Shannon Yacht Clubs was held in the Prince of Wales Hotel in Athlone to set about the introduction of a one-design class racing boat on the Shannon. The SOD 'Design 102' by Morgan Giles was based on his Essex One Design both in profile and in sections.

The first Shannon One design trial boat was ordered in 1921 from Walter Levinge by L. Graham (Boy) Toler, and named 'Phyllis' later numbered SOD 43 and renamed 'Red Boat' in 1923. The new class should have commenced numbering at No 1, but this did not happen. Numbering of the following boats began at number 32.

The Shannon One Design began to race in earnest in 1922. New hull and sail specifications were adopted in 1989 to take into consideration emerging marine technologies. There is keen competition in the two major regattas at Lough Derg YC and Lough Ree YC in August. The Shannon One design boat register now exceeds No. 175.

Sailing Shannons has always attracted families, and generations in many cases have been involved in campaigning the same boat down through the years. Indeed many of the same family names that attended that first meeting in 1922 still feature in SOD racing today. 

 

The Boats

The Shannon One Design is a wooden, clinker-built, eighteen-foot (5.49m) racing dinghy, propelled by a single gunter-rigged mainsail of 140 square feet (15.6 sq.m). The boat has a relatively narrow beam of 4 feet 10.5 inches (1.5m), and draws 4 feet (1.23m) with her centreboard down.

With a large sail and comparatively narrow beam, a Shannon One Design is a lively performer, especially in a fresh breeze, and requires a three-person crew for normal sailing. 

There has long been a strong boat-building tradition on Loughs Derg and Ree, and almost all Shannon One Designs have come from the yards of skilled local craftsmen.

The boats are unique to the river Shannon and are actively raced in both Lough Ree Yacht Club and in Lough Derg Yacht Club.

Shannon sailing attracts a wide range of sailors from far and wide, not simply limited to Shannon riverside dwellers. At the two main events each year, the week-long regattas at Ballyglass on Lough Ree and Dromineer on Lough Derg, up to 55 SODs have been counted. These will be sailed by a mixture of local sailors and others based in Dublin or elsewhere (as far away as the USA), most of whom return year on year to compete.

Above all, the Shannon One Design class is a lot of fun, in which conviviality, wit, character and friendship are on a par with the high quality of the racing. Individual boats seem to develop their own idiosyncrasies to complement the eccentricities of those privileged to sail them. There is a strong and growing presence of young people alongside the older sailors, and new boats are joining the fleet every season.

 

Shannon One Design Association, c/o Damian Maloney, Honorary Secretary, 35 Littlewood, Stepaside, Dublin 18. Email: [email protected]

 

In March 2009, Graham Smith profiled the class for Afloat magazine as follows: "As one of the traditional clinker-built boats, you could be excused for thinking that the venerable SOD would be a static class on the numbers front, but you would be very wrong indeed. The number of clubs racing SODs remains at three but with 115 boats on the books, it ranks as a top five class.

That figure represents a 4% increase on the previous year, as new boats are built each year, although the increase is not reflected in numbers racing in the various regional championships during the summer when turn-outs were disappointingly low (the average in four events was around a dozen).

A feature of the year was the wide variety of venues, not restricted to the usual Lough Ree or Derg Yacht Clubs but with events in Kilgarvan, Cong, Mountshannon and Lanesborough, representing four different counties. It also saw four different winners, with Damian Maloney, Mark McCormick, John and Stephen O’Driscoll and Eoin Carroll winning the Easterns, Westerns, Southerns and Northerns respectively.
The Nationals saw a marked improvement in numbers with 26 boats competing at Lough Ree YC, where local hot-shot David Dickson added to his list of successes.
National Champion: David Dickson, Lough Ree YC 

There is a space for Irish boating clubs and racing classes to use as their own bulletin board and forum for announcements and discussion. If you want to see a dedicated forum slot for your club or class, click here

Published in Classes & Assoc
24th September 2009

Irish Ruffian Association

Courtesy of the irish Ruffian Association website:

story.jpg The Ruffian 23 is a 23 foot keelboat which was designed and built by brothers Dickie and Billy Brown of Portaferry, Co. Down, 35 years ago. The Ruffian 23 is a great one design racing boat, an extremely family-friendly boat, and despite its size, the Ruffian 23 has cruised waters around Ireland, the UK, and further afield. Approximately 200 Ruffians were built and many are still raced regularly in Dun Laoghaire, Wicklow, Skerries, Baltimore, Carrickfergus, Strangford Lough, around the Clyde, the Isle of Man, and even as far afield as Hong Kong and Uruguay.

An annual feature of the Irish Ruffian calendar is the North v. South Team Racing event which is held alternately in Carrickfergus and in Dun Laoghaire.

The Dun Laoghaire Ruffians also hold an annual inter-club team racing event with the most recent event being contested by the National Yacht Club, the Royal St. George Yacht Club, the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, and Wicklow Sailing Club. It was held on June 29th and the holders, the National Yacht Club, retained the title.

The Irish Ruffian 23 National Championships took place over the weekend June 12–14 2009, hosted by the Royal St. George Yacht Club. Over 16 boats competed in a 7-race series over the 3 days.
 
Regional events take place each year – the Northern Championships hosted by Carrickfergus Sailing Club, the South East Coast Regatta hosted by Wicklow Sailing Club, and the South Coast Championships hosted by Baltimore Sailing Club.

A good fleet of Ruffians competes in the annual Lambay race, and a Ruffian, Shannagh, was the proud winner of the Lambay Lady trophy in 2004.

The original Ruffian was a 33ft Ocean Racer designed and built by brothers Billy & Dickie Brown in 1969/70. Such was her success that the brothers set up Weatherly Yachts and went into production with a smaller 23ft model.
 

Graham Smith wrote, in Afloat's March 2009 issue: "2008 marked the 35th anniversary of the Ruffians and the class celebrated by taking to the water in locations as far afield as Wicklow, Carrickfergus, Strangford Lough, Baltimore, Schull, the Isle of Man, Uruguay and Hong Kong! The Dublin Bay fleet assembled in a cruise-in-company in Dalkey Sound for some revelry to mark the occasion.   

In Ireland, there are 70 boats on the Ruffian books and while that figure is static, the fact that Schull has become a new venue is obviously a positive feature for the class enthusiasts. They will lose one enthusiast for next season though, with veteran Sean Murray retiring after 20 years of racing and extensively cruising his boat Icicle which will doubtless remain on the scene.

The highlight of the Ruffian competitive year is the National Championships and Derek Mitchell and the crew of Ruff Nuff from the Royal St George YC made it three wins in a row, finishing ahead of Robbie Keys from Skerries (who won the Traveller’s Trophy for his efforts) and 19 other boats. Next year, a team of 24 Ruffian sailors will travel to Hong Kong on St Patrick’s weekend for a team racing event against their Far East hosts. National Champion 2009: Derek Mitchell, Royal St George YC."

Irish Ruffian Association, c/o Cathy Booth, Secretary, 20 Highfield Grove, Rathgar, Dublin 6. Tel 01 496 2365, email: [email protected]

or

Bruce Carswell, Class Captain, email: [email protected] 

or

Alan Claffey, Hon. Secretary, tel: 087 818 0077, email: [email protected]

There is a space for Irish boating clubs and racing classes to use as their own bulletin board and forum for announcements and discussion. If you want to see a dedicated forum slot for your club or class, click here 

Published in Classes & Assoc
24th September 2009

Irish RS Class Association

New to Ireland, the RS is the fastest growing dinghy fleet in the country. RS's are high performance asymmetric spinnakered dinghies. The 13ft RS200 and the larger 14ft 10in RS400 combine to provide high performance racing for all crew weights and abilities. Class members range from mid teens to mid fifties and compete together. Asymmetrical sailing provides a unique challenge to sailors who want to learn new skills, with tactical fleet racing downwind as well as upwind. The performance will attract the adrenalin junkies!

 
The RS Class in Ireland

The Irish RS Dinghy Class Association was formed in 2003 to promote the RS class in Ireland. The Association has adopted two dinghies, the RS200 and the RS400 to suit all crew combinations. Both are modern asymmetric spinnakered boats, providing an unparalleled blend of performance, ease of handling and tactical racing.

The RS fleet in Ireland is testiment to both of the dinghy's popularity. With an average growth rate of almost 10 boats per annum, the class is already the leading asymmetric class in the country and rivals most conventional classes in numbers.

The Irish RS National Championship now in its seventh year, forms part of a European circuit with events in the UK, France, Holland, and Italy. The Eurocup event not only attracts International standard racing to local waters but provides an easy avenue for Irish sailors keen to compete abroad.

 

The Irish RS Association

The Irish RS Dinghy Class Association was set up in 2003 to promote the RS Class in Ireland.

In just a short period of time, the RS class has become the largest asymmetric class in Ireland, with over 40 RS dinghies regularly sailing today. Interest in the class continues to grow as racing asymmetrics dinghies attracts sailors from traditional classes looking for the added tactical challenges and new skills that asymmetrics provide.

The Irish National Championships held annually, form part of the RS European Circuit, drawing competition of the highest calibre from abroad to race in Ireland. For the Irish sailor, this not only brings international racing to home waters, but also presents a ready made international circuit for those who want to race further afield.

Adopting both the RS200 and RS400 dinghies means that sailors of all ages, sizes and abilities are catered for. The RS class currently has sailors ranging from mid teens to mid fifties, both male and female competing against each other.

Irish RS Class Association, c/o Richard Moran, Secretary, 34 Delgany Court, Delgany Park. Tel: 087 234 7157, email: [email protected]

There is a space for Irish boating clubs and racing classes to use as their own bulletin board and forum for announcements and discussion. If you want to see a dedicated forum slot for your club or class, click here 

Published in Classes & Assoc
24th September 2009

RS Feva Ireland Association

The following information courtesy of Killaloe Sailing Club:

Introduction to the RS Feva for Junior Sailing

RS Feva DinghyThe RS Feva/XL is a solid and roomy two-person dinghy constructed in polyethylene. The dinghy can be rigged with a gennaker and is an exiting and safe introduction to gennaker-sailing. The hull material is less fragile and does not require as much maintenance as fibreglass. Encapsulated buoyancy in the foam layer makes the RS Feva unsinkable. The mast is divided into two parts and can be stored along with boom in the length of the boat for easy transport.

A Big cockpit and high boom make the Feva really comfortable for youngsters and adults. The Feva is the perfect size and has rig options that allow easy handling by one sailor, family crews or friends. Her high volume hull makes light work of heavy sailors. Not only confidence inspiring and very easy to sail, the Feva is also the fastest of her type. A strict one design means no hidden costs, evenly matched performance and highly tactical racing.

In March 2005 the RYA annouced that the RS Feva was to become becomes a recognised junior class. The RS Feva has been recognised due to the boats popularity and the need to engage sailors through a modern dinghy. The class runs a comprehensive training programme and is highly attractive to young children.

Because it is handy on ground and joyful on the waves, the RS Feva is a first rate choice for clubs. RS Feva is also the dinghy for those parents who want to go sailing with their child.

Irish Feva Association, c/o Chris Craig, President, Beechfield, Monkstown Road, Monkstown, Co. Dublin. Email:[email protected]

There is a space for Irish boating clubs and racing classes to use as their own bulletin board and forum for announcements and discussion. If you want to see a dedicated forum slot for your club or class, click here  

Published in Classes & Assoc
24th September 2009

Puppeteer Class Association

puppeters_nationals042.jpgIn Afloat's March 2009 issue, Graham Smith wrote the following: "Essentially an indigenous racer, the Puppeteer has records of 53 boats being built over the years, with 31 of them based in Howth where they regularly get 20 out for club races. It has tried in recent years to make it a strict one-design, but with northern boats racing under IRC, there are considerable differences between the boats so travelling north isn’t worth it! Click here for all the latest Puppeteer news and updates.

The Nationals, therefore, are held in Howth and 2008 saw 19 boats contest the event. The names usually found at the head of the fleet – Clarke, Stanley, May – were the pre-race favourites as usual and it was Garrett May and his crew who made the most of the circumstances to emerge as overall winners. National Champion 2009: Garrett May, Howth YC."

 

Puppeteer Class Association, c/o Noel Davidson, President, 'Haven', 59 St. Peter's Terrace, Howth, Co Dublin. Tel: 086 25 99 531, email: [email protected]

 
There is a space for Irish boating clubs and racing classes to use as their own bulletin board and forum for announcements and discussion. If you want to see a dedicated forum slot for your club or class, click here   

Published in Classes & Assoc
24th September 2009

Irish Multihull Association

Cat Classes Sailed in Ireland

Racing Classes

Dart 18 – Blessington SC, Ballyholme YC, Swords S&BC

Dart 16 – Blessington SC, Ballyholme YC, Galway Bay SC, Swords S&BC, Mullingar SC

The Dart 16 and Dart 18 performance catamarans are raced in Irish Clubs by crews of all ages and are also ideal for fun 'off the beach' sailing. The Dart 16, with its furling jib and quickly reefed mainsail, is perfect for safe fun sailing. 

Irish International Dart Association, c/o Marjorie Mangan, Secretary, 47 Willington Crescent, Templeogue, Dublin 6w. Tel: 01 456 5060, email: [email protected]

 
Hurricane 5.9 – Swords S&BC, Blessington SC, Ballyholme YC

 

dart_hawk.jpgLeft: A Dart Hawk

Formula 18 – Dart Hawk, Blessington SC; and Hobie Tiger, Royal Cork YC, Galway Bay SC, Blessington SC

Spitfire – Blessington SC, Ballyholme YC

Shadow – Blessington SC,  Galway Bay SC

A-Class – Royal Cork YC

Hobie 18 and Hobie 16 – Blessington SC, Ballyholme YC, Swords S&BC, Galway Bay SC

Hobie have something to suit everyone, from youth to Adults, beginners to high performance racing – a double-handed and single-handed class for the more adventurous. Racing is available at home and there's a strong International circuit in Europe. Cruising, the class have been known to make the occasional coastal voyage from Cork to Glandore and Cong to Galway. Cruising around Belfast Lough

Irish Hobie Class Association, c/o Yvonne Sheehan, Secretary, Avonmore, Cork Road, Mallow, Co Cork. Fax: 087 747 6051, email: [email protected]

 

Multihull Cruisers – Racers

Catamarans and Trimarans over 20ft (6m)

In the mid-80s there was a growing fleet of Cruiser-Racers between 22ft and 35ft. These catamarans and trimarans raced at Multihull events with the smaller racing catamarans, usually racing on a longer offshore course.

Some were damaged in Hurricane Charlie and the fleet dispersed in the late eighties. There are quite a few of the larger catamarans and trimarans in clubs around the Country.

We would like to establish contact with the owners of these Multihulls with a view to keeping a database of these boats and hopefully, organising some events, maybe in conjunction with one of the events on the Catamaran Racing Calendar. This could take the format of a Rally, perhaps with some handicap racing.

If you have a Cruising or Racing Multihull over twenty feet in length, based in Ireland, please email us at [email protected] or telephone 353 1 4565060.

If you have stories and photos of your cruises and trips around Ireland or abroad, we will print them on this page.

We hope for a good response and we will keep our website page updated.

(Above information courtesy of the Irish Multihull Association)
 

Graham Smith wrote, in Afloat's March 2009 issue: "There are 43 multihulls – comprising various catamaran types – racing actively in Ireland in six locations, statistics which confirm that there has been a small increase over the past year and underlining the ongoing passion which the multihullers have for their particular branch of the sport.

Almost half of them made it on average to the five regional events held during the season, which saw four different winners. Andrew Gallagher of Royal Cork ended up as National Champion in a 25-strong fleet on his home territory, having also won the Easterns on Dublin Bay with crew Jimmy Nyhan.

Clubmate Rob Doyle won the Southerns (also at RCYC) and Blessington’s Simon Kearns took the Western title, but 2008 was otherwise the year of the Ballyholme pairing of Adrian and Mike Allen. Together they won the Northerns and Inlands but also had the distinction of topping the leaderboard at the Brightlingsea Open British Hurricane 5.9 event. National Champion: Andrew Gallagher and Jimmy Nyhan, Royal Cork YC"

Irish Multihull Association, c/o Yvonne Sheehan, Secretary, 'Avonmore', Cork Road, Mallow, Co. Cork. Tel: 087 7476051

There is a space for Irish boating clubs and racing classes to use as their own bulletin board and forum for announcements and discussion. If you want to see a dedicated forum slot for your club or class, click here   

Published in Classes & Assoc
23rd September 2009

Mermaid Sailing Association

The Dublin Bay Mermaid class was designed by JB Kearney in 1932 and still going strong today. From the oldest Amy (No. 1) to the youngest Azeezy (No. 189), this 17ft clinker built wooden dinghy provides challenging and exciting sailing for three person crews in all weathers. Click here for the latest Mermaid news and updates.

Mermaids can be found in Dun Laoghaire, Clontarf, Skerries, Rush, Wexford, Foynes and Sligo.

Mermaid Sailing Association, c/o Paddy Archer, President, Sandy Lane, Rush, Co Dublin. Tel: 01 843 7089

or

R. Galbraith, Hon. Sec., email: [email protected]

or, if you have any photos or other material for the Mermaid website, contact Peter Scallan at [email protected]

(Above details courtesy of Mermaid Sailing Association)

 

Graham Smith, in Afloat's March 2009 issue, wrote: "Not too many new Mermaids are built these days but while the class might be categorised under the heading ‘static’, with 189 boats on the register, it’s a very healthy static!

Although turnouts at regional events only manage the mid-teens, the National Championships generally sees a big effort from all the Mermaid clubs. Last year even saw an increase on 2007, possibly because Rush in north county Dublin is more convenient for more sailors than Tralee the previous year. Niall McGrotty of Skerries, who won that championship for the first time, retained his title from 33 other Mermaid crews.

On the regional front, Jonathan O’Rourke of NYC won the Southerns in Foynes and Wexford’s Derek Joyce took the Easterns at Skerries. National Champion: Niall McGrotty, Skerries SC." 

There is a space for Irish boating clubs and racing classes to use as their own bulletin board and forum for announcements and discussion. If you want to see a dedicated forum slot for your club or class, click here

Published in Classes & Assoc
23rd September 2009

Howth 17 Footer Class Association

March 2009 and Afloat's Graham Smith wrote: "Static yet still thriving best describes the Howth 17 Footers but with an 18th boat currently being built and due for completion this winter, the class will, for the first time in its 110-year history, consist of more than 17 boats. A TV documentary is being made next year to tell the story behind this classic gaff-rigged boat, following the Class through its winter preparations, the 2009 season and the new boat construction.

On the water this year, the National (World!) Championships were again won by Peter Courtney and his crew of Oona, a boat which celebrates its centenary next year and is still considered one of the babies of the class! The Championship attracted 14 of the 17 boats, one better than the previous year. National Champion: Peter Courtney, Howth YC."

Howth 17 Footer Class Association, c/o Brian Turvey, Secretary, Howth Yacht Club, Harbour Road, Howth, Co. Dublin

There is a space for Irish boating clubs and racing classes to use as their own bulletin board and forum for announcements and discussion. If you want to see a dedicated forum slot for your club or class, click here

Published in Classes & Assoc
Page 4 of 15

Annalise Murphy, Olympic Silver Medalist

The National Yacht Club's Annalise Murphy (born 1 February 1990) is a Dublin Bay sailor who won a silver medal in the 2016 Summer Olympics. She is a native of Rathfarnham, a suburb of Dublin.

Murphy competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the Women's Laser Radial class. She won her first four days of sailing at the London Olympics and, on the fifth day, came in 8th and 19th position.

They were results that catapulted her on to the international stage but those within the tiny sport of Irish sailing already knew her of world-class capability in a breeze and were not surprised.

On the sixth day of the competition, she came 2nd and 10th and slipped down to second, just one point behind the Belgian world number one.

Annalise was a strong contender for the gold medal but in the medal race, she was overtaken on the final leg by her competitors and finished in 4th, her personal best at a world-class regatta and Ireland's best Olympic class result in 30 years.

Radial European Gold

Murphy won her first major medal at an international event the following year on home waters when she won gold at the 2013 European Sailing Championships on Dublin Bay.

Typically, her track record continues to show that she performs best in strong breezes that suit her large stature (height: 1.86 m Weight: 72 kg).

She had many international successes on her road to Rio 2016 but also some serious setbacks including a silver fleet finish in flukey winds at the world championships in the April of Olympic year itself.

Olympic Silver Medal

On 16 August 2016, Murphy won the silver medal in the Laser Radial at the 2016 Summer Olympics defying many who said her weight and size would go against her in Rio's light winds.

As Irish Times Sailing Correspondent David O'Brien pointed out: " [The medal] was made all the more significant because her string of consistent results was achieved in a variety of conditions, the hallmark of a great sailor. The medal race itself was a sailing master class by the Dubliner in some decidedly fickle conditions under Sugarloaf mountain".

It was true that her eight-year voyage ended with a silver lining but even then Murphy was plotting to go one better in Tokyo four years later.

Sportswoman of the Year

In December 2016, she was honoured as the Irish Times/Sport Ireland 2016 Sportswoman of the Year.

In March, 2017, Annalise Murphy was chosen as the grand marshal of the Dublin St Patrick's day parade in recognition of her achievement at the Rio Olympics.

She became the Female World Champion at the Moth Worlds in July 2017 in Italy but it came at a high price for the Olympic Silver medallist. A violent capsize in the last race caused her to sustain a knee injury which subsequent scans revealed to be serious. 

Volvo Ocean Race

The injury was a blow for her return to the Olympic Laser Radial discipline and she withdrew from the 2017 World Championships. But, later that August, to the surprise of many, Murphy put her Tokyo 2020 ambitions on hold for a Volvo Ocean Race crew spot and joined Dee Caffari’s new Turn the Tide On Plastic team that would ultimately finish sixth from seventh overall in a global circumnavigation odyssey.

Quits Radial for 49erFX

There were further raised eyebrows nine months later when, during a break in Volvo Ocean Race proceedings, in May 2018 Murphy announced she was quitting the Laser Radial dinghy and was launching a 49er FX campaign for Tokyo 2020. Critics said she had left too little time to get up to speed for Tokyo in a new double-handed class.

After a 'hugely challenging' fourteen months for Murphy and her crew Katie Tingle, it was decided after the 2019 summer season that their 'Olympic medal goal' was no longer realistic, and the campaign came to an end. Murphy saying in interviews “I guess the World Cup in Japan was a bit of a wakeup call for me, I was unable to see a medal in less than twelve months and that was always the goal".

The pair raced in just six major regattas in a six-month timeframe. 

Return to Radial

In September 2019, Murphy returned to the Laser Radial dinghy and lead a four-way trial for the Tokyo 2020 Irish Olympic spot after the first of three trials when she finished 12th at the Melbourne World Championships in February 2020.

Selection for Tokyo 2021

On June 11, Irish Sailing announced Annalise Murphy had been nominated in the Laser Radial to compete at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Murphy secured the Laser Radial nomination after the conclusion of a cut short trials in which rivals Aoife Hopkins, Aisling Keller and Eve McMahon also competed.

Disappointment at Tokyo 2021

After her third Olympic Regatta, there was disappointment for Murphy who finished 18th overall in Tokyo. On coming ashore after the last race, she indicated her intention to return to studies and retire from Olympic sailing.  

On 6th Aguust 2020, Murphy wrote on Facebook:  "I am finally back home and it’s been a week since I finished racing, I have been lucky enough to experience the highs and the lows of the Olympics. I am really disappointed, I can’t pretend that I am not. I wasn’t good enough last week, the more mistakes I made the more I lost confidence in my decision making. Two years ago I made a plan to try and win a gold medal in the Radial, I believed that with my work ethic and attitude to learning, that everything would work out for me. It didn’t work out this time but I do believe that it’s worth dreaming of winning Olympic medals as I’m proof that it is possible, I also know how scary it is to try knowing you might not be good enough!
I am disappointed for Rory who has been my coach for 15 years, we’ve had some great times together and I wish I could have finished that on a high. I have so much respect for Olympic sailing coaches. They also have to dedicate their lives to getting to the games. I know I’ll always appreciate the impact Rory has had on my life as a person.
I am so grateful for the support I have got from my family and friends, I have definitely been selfish with my time all these years and I hope I can now make that up to you all! Thanks to Kate, Mark and Rónán for always having my back! Thank you to my sponsors for believing in me and supporting me. Thank you Tokyo for making these games happen! It means so much to the athletes to get this chance to do the Olympics.
I am not too sure what is next for me, I definitely don’t hate sailing which is a positive. I love this sport, even when it doesn’t love me 😂. Thank you everyone for all the kind words I am finally getting a chance to read!"

Annalise Murphy, Olympic Sailor FAQs

Annalise Murphy is Ireland’s best performing sailor at Olympic level, with a silver medal in the Laser Radial from Rio 2016.

Annalise Murphy is from Rathfarnham, a suburb in south Co Dublin with a population of some 17,000.

Annalise Murphy was born on 1 February 1990, which makes her 30 years old as of 2020.

Annalise Murphy’s main competition class is the Laser Radial. Annalise has also competed in the 49erFX two-handed class, and has raced foiling Moths at international level. In 2017, she raced around the world in the Volvo Ocean Race.

In May 2018, Annalise Murphy announced she was quitting the Laser Radial and launching a campaign for Tokyo 2020 in the 49erFX with friend Katie Tingle. The pairing faced a setback later that year when Tingle broke her arm during training, and they did not see their first competition until April 2019. After a disappointing series of races during the year, Murphy brought their campaign to an end in September 2019 and resumed her campaign for the Laser Radial.

Annalise Murphy is a longtime and honorary member of the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire.

Aside from her Olympic success, Annalise Murphy won gold at the 2013 European Sailing Championships on Dublin Bay.

So far Annalise Murphy has represented Ireland at two Olympic Games.

Annalise Murphy has one Olympic medal, a silver in the Women’s Laser Radial from Rio 2016.

Yes; on 11 June 2020, Irish Sailing announced Annalise Murphy had been nominated in the Women’s Laser Radial to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in 2021.

Yes; in December 2016, Annalise Murphy was honoured as the Irish Times/Sport Ireland 2016 Sportswoman of the Year. In the same year, she was also awarded Irish Sailor of the Year.

Yes, Annalise Murphy crewed on eight legs of the 2017-18 edition of The Ocean Race.

Annalise Murphy was a crew member on Turn the Tide on Plastic, skippered by British offshore sailor Dee Caffari.

Annalise Murphy’s mother is Cathy McAleavy, who competed as a sailor in the 470 class at the Olympic Games in Seoul in 1988.

Annalise Murphy’s father is Con Murphy, a pilot by profession who is also an Olympic sailing race official.

Annalise Murphy trains under Irish Sailing Performance head coach Rory Fitzpatrick, with whom she also prepared for her silver medal performance in Rio 2016.

Annalise Murphy trains with the rest of the team based at the Irish Sailing Performance HQ in Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

Annalise Murphy height is billed as 6 ft 1 in, or 183cm.

©Afloat 2020

At A Glance – Annalise Murphy Significant Results

2016: Summer Olympics, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Silver

2013: European Championships, Dublin, Ireland – Gold

2012: Summer Olympics, London, UK – 4th

2011: World Championships, Perth, Australia – 6th

2010: Skandia Sail for Gold regatta – 10th

2010: Became the first woman to win the Irish National Championships.

2009: World Championships – 8th

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