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Displaying items by tag: Mojito

Volvo Cork Week 2024 entries have been steadily climbing with a huge variety of boats and sailors from Ireland and all over the world expected to be competing at the Royal Cork’s famous regatta from 15-19 July.

The championship fleet boasts a fine array of race boats, including high performance carbon-fibre flyers to Quarter-Tonners.

Racing in sportsboats at Volvo Cork Week will be the 1720 class for the European Championship, the phenomenal Cape 31 class and, new this year, the RS21 keelboat class with boats available for charter.

For those new to racing, or for cruising boats that don’t want to bring a massive crew, the non-spinnaker/White Sail class offers an ideal programme to enjoy. For a unique experience, the Beaufort Cup provides offshore and inshore racing as an inter-services regatta within Volvo Cork Week.

The championship fleets are always a big feature of Volvo Cork Week, with a several well-known names and boats already entered for 2024. Quarter-Tonners already entered include Anchor Challenge, Panic and Diamond. Half-Tonners already entered include 2 Farr, with reigning ICRA Boat Of The Year Swuzzlebubble planning to enter soon.

Visiting boats such as Raptor, Flyover, Meridian, Allig8r and Valentina will have to get the better of local boats such as Ellida, Magnet and North Star if they are to lift the trophies.

There has been particular interest from the Welsh fleet, some of whom will also compete in the Kingstown to Queenstown race as part of the ISORA series. Entries include Impetuous, Faenol and Mojito — the former El Gran Senor. Several entries from Portishead have been received, including ScrumpyJ, Assassin and Ctrl-J.

The level of interest in non-spinnaker/White Sail classes is high, with many skippers keen to experience racing at Volvo Cork Week for the first time. Visiting boats will include Dreamcatcher, Apache, Hansemer and Calero. They will battle local boats including Sweet Dreams, Indulgence, Loch Greine, Morning After and Rosmarina for the silverware.

The RS21 keelboat class is set to make a splash at Volvo Cork Week 2024The RS21 keelboat class is set to make a splash at Volvo Cork Week 2024

Sportsboats

Notable entries for the 1720 European Championship include local boats Zing, Dark Side and Mini Apple, as well as visitors Mo and After Midnight.

The Cape 31 class previously attended Volvo Cork Week as a relatively new keelboat but is now firmly established as the most exciting one-design class in these waters. Volvo Cork Week is now part of the global Cape 31 2024 events circuit. The strong Irish fleet are expecting international competition from all over the world.

The RS21s will be keen to make a mark, as this is the first time the keelboat class will be part of the event. A unique element of this fleet is the availability of charter boats in ready to race condition for the week. These boats will be supplied by the class and managed at the event by Kenny Rumball of the INSS, making this a very attractive package for those that can’t bring their own boats to Cork. Contact [email protected] for more details.

Beaufort Cup

The Notice of Race for the Beaufort Cup has recently been published on the Volvo Cork Week website. The Beaufort Cup is a unique inter-services regatta, hosted by the Irish Defence Forces in conjunction with the Royal Cork Yacht Club.

A number of veteran teams from the USA have expressed interest in joining the competition, along with uniformed service teams from across Ireland and the UK. Any boat owner interested in chartering a suitable boat to one of the teams is encouraged to make contact by sending an email to [email protected].

Accommodation update

Additional local accommodation has been secured and more details are available on the Volvo Cork Week website. Competitors bringing campervans will be accommodated at the Crosshaven Rugby Club, which is provides appropriate facilities and is located around 1km from the Royal Cork Yacht Club. A regular bus service runs from Carrigaline and Cork City which stops directly outside the Royal Cork Yacht Club.

Social update

Daily entertainment will be provided at the Royal Cork Yacht Club for all competitors after racing, along with various promotional events and sponsor activities. The Ladies Gala Lunch, which will be hosted in aid of the RNLI, is planned for Wednesday 17 July.

For more information including race documents, marina Facilities, accommodation and the superb social programme, visit www.corkweek.ie.

Published in Cork Week
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The ISORA Champion, the J109 Mojito (Peter Dunlop and Vicky Cox), won Class One overall of the 23-boat IRC Welsh National Championships on Sunday (May 14).

After seven races sailed at Plas Heli, the Welsh National Sailing Academy and Events Centre, the defending champions counted four race wins to be 11 points clear of Andrew Hall's J125 Jackknife, whose last race victory saw him overtake Wilhelmus Batist's Only Magic for the runner-up slot.

The event incorporated the Celtic Championships, IRC 1 and 2 inshore and cruiser racing.

As regular Afloat readers will recall, Mojito won Saturday's 90-mile cross-channel ISORA race from Dun Laoghaire to Pwllheli on May 6th and now adds the Welsh IRC title to her 2023 early successes.

In the eight-boat Class 2 fleet, Adam Kyffin's Eazitiger won by two points after eight races sailed from Ian McMillan's Checkmate on 11. Third was Chris Seal's Brainstorm.

Class three, sailing on NHS handicap four, sailed Suspicious Minds, skippered by Gavin Nicholas, won the six-boat fleet sailing on NHS handicap.

All results here

Published in Racing
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The ISORA Champion, the J109 Mojito (Peter Dunlop and Vicky Cox), leads Class One into the final day of racing at the 23-boat IRC Welsh National Championships on Sunday (May 14).

After three races sailed at Plas Heli, the Welsh National Sailing Academy and Events Centre, the Pwllheli crew are four points clear of Wilhelmus Batist's Only Magic on nine. Third in the nine-boat fleet is Mike Crompton's Xpletive on ten points.

As regular Afloat readers will recall, Mojito won Saturday's 90-mile cross-channel ISORA race from Dun Laoghaire to Pwllheli on May 6th. 

In the eight-boat Class 2 fleet, Adam Kyffin's Eazitiger leads after four sailed from Ian McMillan's Checkmate. Third is Gary Ward's Altima.

Class three, sailing on NHS handicap four, sailed Suspicious Minds, skippered by Gavin Nicholas, leads the six-boat fleet.

Published in Racing
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After a successful Irish campaign that included wins in the 260-mile K2Q race from Dun Laoghaire to Cork Harbour and a Cork Week coastal win in July, the top Welsh J109 returned home to dominate the IRC Welsh National Championships.

The championships were again held at Plas Heli, the Welsh National Sailing Academy and Event Centre, with race management by Clwb Hwylio Pwllheli Sailing Club and the Royal Dee Yacht Club. They enjoyed excellent sailing conditions over the three days.

The three-day championship consisted of an IRC class competing for the Welsh National Champion title and a cruiser class racing under the progressive NHC rating system.

The event got underway with a Commodores reception on the deck at Plas Heli on Thursday and a great BBQ party with the Jac Dobson a'r band on Friday evening.

The IRC class enjoyed three days of racing various courses, managed by the RDYC from the Royal Dee committee boat Bacardee, in mainly light north westerly winds.

In form Mojito, fresh from an IRC Coastal class win at Cork Week Regatta, started with a win in race one and continued to win five more races out of the nine races sailed.

Second place was last year's winner Imposter (Richard Fildes), with Darling XX (Stephen Williams) third.

The NHC class enjoyed six races, managed by the PSC race management team from the PSC bridge, around the club's fixed marks and St Tudwals Islands. This class had very close racing with the progressive handicap system working well. Quattro (Avril banks) and Crud y Awel (Pete Driver) tied the class going into the last day, with Quattro (Avril Banks) winning the NHC cruiser class after a fine win in the previous race.

The final day's prizegiving was conducted on the deck at Plas Heli with prizes and trophies presented by PSC Commodore Gerallt Williams and RDYC Commodore Charlie Jones.

Published in J109
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The successful Welsh J109 Mojito (Vicky Cox and Peter Dunlop) that was crowned K2Q and Cork Week Coastal Class Champion earlier this month on the south coast returns to the east coast of Ireland for the last offshore fixture of July as the favourite in ISORA's for Saturday's ISORA cross-channel race from Dun Laoghaire to Pwllheli in North Wales.

Up to 11 starters from a pool of 21, including and six from Wales, are expected for Race No. 10 in the Musto ISORA 2022 Series and ISORA's sixth offshore race.

Royal St. George Swan 60, Lee Overlay Partners is expected to make her ISORA debut and the Northern Ireland yacht Excession from Belfast Lough is also slated to compete.

Samatom, the Grand Soleil 44, owned By Bob Rendell from Howth is racing to PwllheliSamatom, the Grand Soleil 44, owned By Bob Rendell from Howth is racing to Pwllheli

From 0800 hours, starting from Dun Laoghaire Harbour the fleet will sail to South Arklow to finish off Pwllheli. 

The course is approximately 120 miles long.

The course is as follows: STARTING LINE at Dun Laoghaire, Muglins Island (S) ISORA Dublin Bay Virtual Mark N53o17.110 W6o00.100 (P), South Arklow Cardinal Buoy N52o40.234’ W 5o58.767’(P) FINISH LINE – at Pwllheli 

Winds are forecast to be westerly at 10 knots with gusts up to 16  at start time.

Entrants for Race No. 10 in the Musto ISORA 2022 SeriesEntrants for Race No. 10 in the Musto ISORA 2022 Series

Published in ISORA
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28 sailing boats, the biggest fleet asembled so far is entered for tomorrow's (Saturday) Dun Laoghaire – M2 Buoy – Dun Laoghaire race starting at 10 am. This is the eighth race of the ISORA series and it is organised in conjunction with the Royal Alfred Yacht Club. The start line will be located in Scotsman's Bay. An updated entry list was published last night and is available for download below.
Published in ISORA

Irish Olympic Sailing Team

Ireland has a proud representation in sailing at the Olympics dating back to 1948. Today there is a modern governing structure surrounding the selection of sailors the Olympic Regatta

Irish Olympic Sailing FAQs

Ireland’s representation in sailing at the Olympics dates back to 1948, when a team consisting of Jimmy Mooney (Firefly), Alf Delany and Hugh Allen (Swallow) competed in that year’s Summer Games in London (sailing off Torquay). Except for the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Ireland has sent at least one sailor to every Summer Games since then.

  • 1948 – London (Torquay) — Firefly: Jimmy Mooney; Swallow: Alf Delany, Hugh Allen
  • 1952 – Helsinki — Finn: Alf Delany * 1956 – Melbourne — Finn: J Somers Payne
  • 1960 – Rome — Flying Dutchman: Johnny Hooper, Peter Gray; Dragon: Jimmy Mooney, David Ryder, Robin Benson; Finn: J Somers Payne
  • 1964 – Tokyo — Dragon: Eddie Kelliher, Harry Maguire, Rob Dalton; Finn: Johnny Hooper 
  • 1972 – Munich (Kiel) — Tempest: David Wilkins, Sean Whitaker; Dragon: Robin Hennessy, Harry Byrne, Owen Delany; Finn: Kevin McLaverty; Flying Dutchman: Harold Cudmore, Richard O’Shea
  • 1976 – Montreal (Kingston) — 470: Robert Dix, Peter Dix; Flying Dutchman: Barry O’Neill, Jamie Wilkinson; Tempest: David Wilkins, Derek Jago
  • 1980 – Moscow (Tallinn) — Flying Dutchman: David Wilkins, Jamie Wilkinson (Silver medalists) * 1984 – Los Angeles — Finn: Bill O’Hara
  • 1988 – Seoul (Pusan) — Finn: Bill O’Hara; Flying Dutchman: David Wilkins, Peter Kennedy; 470 (Women): Cathy MacAleavy, Aisling Byrne
  • 1992 – Barcelona — Europe: Denise Lyttle; Flying Dutchman: David Wilkins, Peter Kennedy; Star: Mark Mansfield, Tom McWilliam
  • 1996 – Atlanta (Savannah) — Laser: Mark Lyttle; Europe: Aisling Bowman (Byrne); Finn: John Driscoll; Star: Mark Mansfield, David Burrows; 470 (Women): Denise Lyttle, Louise Cole; Soling: Marshall King, Dan O’Grady, Garrett Connolly
  • 2000 – Sydney — Europe: Maria Coleman; Finn: David Burrows; Star: Mark Mansfield, David O'Brien
  • 2004 – Athens — Europe: Maria Coleman; Finn: David Burrows; Star: Mark Mansfield, Killian Collins; 49er: Tom Fitzpatrick, Fraser Brown; 470: Gerald Owens, Ross Killian; Laser: Rory Fitzpatrick
  • 2008 – Beijing (Qingdao) — Star: Peter O’Leary, Stephen Milne; Finn: Tim Goodbody; Laser Radial: Ciara Peelo; 470: Gerald Owens, Phil Lawton
  • 2012 – London (Weymouth) — Star: Peter O’Leary, David Burrows; 49er: Ryan Seaton, Matt McGovern; Laser Radial: Annalise Murphy; Laser: James Espey; 470: Gerald Owens, Scott Flanigan
  • 2016 – Rio — Laser Radial (Women): Annalise Murphy (Silver medalist); 49er: Ryan Seaton, Matt McGovern; 49erFX: Andrea Brewster, Saskia Tidey; Laser: Finn Lynch; Paralympic Sonar: John Twomey, Ian Costello & Austin O’Carroll

Ireland has won two Olympics medals in sailing events, both silver: David Wilkins, Jamie Wilkinson in the Flying Dutchman at Moscow 1980, and Annalise Murphy in the Laser Radial at Rio 2016.

The current team, as of December 2020, consists of Laser sailors Finn Lynch, Liam Glynn and Ewan McMahon, 49er pairs Ryan Seaton and Seafra Guilfoyle, and Sean Waddilove and Robert Dickson, as well as Laser Radial sailors Annalise Murphy and Aoife Hopkins.

Irish Sailing is the National Governing Body for sailing in Ireland.

Irish Sailing’s Performance division is responsible for selecting and nurturing Olympic contenders as part of its Performance Pathway.

The Performance Pathway is Irish Sailing’s Olympic talent pipeline. The Performance Pathway counts over 70 sailors from 11 years up in its programme.The Performance Pathway is made up of Junior, Youth, Academy, Development and Olympic squads. It provides young, talented and ambitious Irish sailors with opportunities to move up through the ranks from an early age. With up to 100 young athletes training with the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway, every aspect of their performance is planned and closely monitored while strong relationships are simultaneously built with the sailors and their families

Rory Fitzpatrick is the head coach of Irish Sailing Performance. He is a graduate of University College Dublin and was an Athens 2004 Olympian in the Laser class.

The Performance Director of Irish Sailing is James O’Callaghan. Since 2006 James has been responsible for the development and delivery of athlete-focused, coach-led, performance-measured programmes across the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway. A Business & Economics graduate of Trinity College Dublin, he is a Level 3 Qualified Coach and Level 2 Coach Tutor. He has coached at five Olympic Games and numerous European and World Championship events across multiple Olympic classes. He is also a member of the Irish Sailing Foundation board.

Annalise Murphy is by far and away the biggest Irish sailing star. Her fourth in London 2012 when she came so agonisingly close to a bronze medal followed by her superb silver medal performance four years later at Rio won the hearts of Ireland. Murphy is aiming to go one better in Tokyo 2021. 

Under head coach Rory Fitzpatrick, the coaching staff consists of Laser Radial Academy coach Sean Evans, Olympic Laser coach Vasilij Zbogar and 49er team coach Matt McGovern.

The Irish Government provides funding to Irish Sailing. These funds are exclusively for the benefit of the Performance Pathway. However, this falls short of the amount required to fund the Performance Pathway in order to allow Ireland compete at the highest level. As a result the Performance Pathway programme currently receives around €850,000 per annum from Sport Ireland and €150,000 from sponsorship. A further €2 million per annum is needed to have a major impact at the highest level. The Irish Sailing Foundation was established to bridge the financial gap through securing philanthropic donations, corporate giving and sponsorship.

The vision of the Irish Sailing Foundation is to generate the required financial resources for Ireland to scale-up and execute its world-class sailing programme. Irish Sailing works tirelessly to promote sailing in Ireland and abroad and has been successful in securing funding of 1 million euro from Sport Ireland. However, to compete on a par with other nations, a further €2 million is required annually to realise the ambitions of our talented sailors. For this reason, the Irish Sailing Foundation was formed to seek philanthropic donations. Led by a Board of Directors and Head of Development Kathryn Grace, the foundation lads a campaign to bridge the financial gap to provide the Performance Pathway with the funds necessary to increase coaching hours, upgrade equipment and provide world class sport science support to a greater number of high-potential Irish sailors.

The Senior and Academy teams of the Performance Pathway are supported with the provision of a coach, vehicle, coach boat and boats. Even with this level of subsidy there is still a large financial burden on individual families due to travel costs, entry fees and accommodation. There are often compromises made on the amount of days a coach can be hired for and on many occasions it is necessary to opt out of major competitions outside Europe due to cost. Money raised by the Irish Sailing Foundation will go towards increased quality coaching time, world-class equipment, and subsiding entry fees and travel-related costs. It also goes towards broadening the base of talented sailors that can consider campaigning by removing financial hurdles, and the Performance HQ in Dublin to increase efficiency and reduce logistical issues.

The ethos of the Performance Pathway is progression. At each stage international performance benchmarks are utilised to ensure the sailors are meeting expectations set. The size of a sailor will generally dictate which boat they sail. The classes selected on the pathway have been identified as the best feeder classes for progression. Currently the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway consists of the following groups: * Pathway (U15) Optimist and Topper * Youth Academy (U19) Laser 4.7, Laser Radial and 420 * Development Academy (U23) Laser, Laser Radial, 49er, 49erFX * Team IRL (direct-funded athletes) Laser, Laser Radial, 49er, 49erFX

The Irish Sailing performance director produces a detailed annual budget for the programme which is presented to Sport Ireland, Irish Sailing and the Foundation for detailed discussion and analysis of the programme, where each item of expenditure is reviewed and approved. Each year, the performance director drafts a Performance Plan and Budget designed to meet the objectives of Irish Performance Sailing based on an annual review of the Pathway Programmes from Junior to Olympic level. The plan is then presented to the Olympic Steering Group (OSG) where it is independently assessed and the budget is agreed. The OSG closely monitors the delivery of the plan ensuring it meets the agreed strategy, is within budget and in line with operational plans. The performance director communicates on an ongoing basis with the OSG throughout the year, reporting formally on a quarterly basis.

Due to the specialised nature of Performance Sport, Irish Sailing established an expert sub-committee which is referred to as the Olympic Steering Group (OSG). The OSG is chaired by Patrick Coveney and its objective is centred around winning Olympic medals so it oversees the delivery of the Irish Sailing’s Performance plan.

At Junior level (U15) sailors learn not only to be a sailor but also an athlete. They develop the discipline required to keep a training log while undertaking fitness programmes, attending coaching sessions and travelling to competitions. During the winter Regional Squads take place and then in spring the National Squads are selected for Summer Competitions. As sailors move into Youth level (U19) there is an exhaustive selection matrix used when considering a sailor for entry into the Performance Academy. Completion of club training programmes, attendance at the performance seminars, physical suitability and also progress at Junior and Youth competitions are assessed and reviewed. Once invited in to the Performance Academy, sailors are given a six-month trial before a final decision is made on their selection. Sailors in the Academy are very closely monitored and engage in a very well planned out sailing, training and competition programme. There are also defined international benchmarks which these sailors are required to meet by a certain age. Biannual reviews are conducted transparently with the sailors so they know exactly where they are performing well and they are made aware of where they may need to improve before the next review.

©Afloat 2020

Irish Sailing Performance Head Quarters

Irish Sailing's base for the exclusive use of its own teams are located on the grounds of the Commissioners of Irish Lights in Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

The Irish Sailing Performance HQ houses the senior Irish sailing teams such as Olympic Silver Medalist Annalise Murphy

The HQ plans were announced in May 2018 and opened in March 2019.

The HQ comprises a number of three converted shipping containers and a floating slipway and pontoon

The HQ aim is to improve both training and educational opportunities for them, thereby creating systematic medal potential.

The Performance HQ is entirely mobile and has space for briefings and athlete education, a gym, gear storage and a boat maintenance area.

The athlete briefing room can then be shipped directly to international competitions such as the Olympics Regatta and provide a base for athletes overseas.