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The Cove Sailing Club Wednesday night dinghy racing series overall league leader is Ruadhán Jackson, with Dan O’Regan’s Rankin 14 second and John Cotter third.

Rankin 14 is leading the Rankin Class with Owen O’Connell’s TR3 second.

MONKSTOWN BAY

MBSC has set its ‘At Home Regatta’ for Saturday, June 29. Evening league racing is scheduled for Tuesdays and Fridays throughout June.

Published in Cove Sailing Club
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Noted Royal Cork Yacht Club dinghy ace Tommy Dwyer swapped his National 18 for a smaller Rankin dinghy last weekend (August 12th) and, together with grandnephew Harry, won the Rankin Brothers Cup Cove Sailing Club regatta in Cork Harbour.

Nine Rankins took the starting gun for a two-race contest in what was described as a 'very competitive fleet'.

Maurice and Frances Kidney were second in R12, and Daniel and Grace O'Connell were third in R61.

Cove Sailing Club regatta also held racing for mixed PY dinghies, and there was a great turnout of Optimist junior sailors, with RCYC and MBSC sailors joining in.

Bob Batemans's Cove Sailing Club Regatta 2023 Photo Gallery 

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The highly anticipated Rankin Brothers Regatta Cup, which was set to take place this Saturday at Cove Sailing Club, has been postponed due to the anticipation of high winds. Instead, the dinghy event will now take place on Sunday afternoon in Cork Harbour.

The annual regatta is known as the "big event of the season" for the Rankin Class and draws in sailors from all over Cork Harbour.

Despite the delay, participants and spectators alike are still eagerly looking forward to the exciting competition and camaraderie that the event always brings.

Published in Cove Sailing Club
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The Rankin Class “big event of the season” is scheduled to be raced this Saturday at Cove Sailing Club – the Rankin Brothers Regatta Cup. First Gun will be at 2.30 pm.

The revival of the traditional, historic Rankin Class at Cobh, a two-person 12-footer dinghy, is an example of what the Class describes as “ordinary sailors with a love of the sport reviving a traditional, beloved local boat.” The Class members located Rankin dinghies in various places, which were unused, refurbished them and found new owners. They put a huge commitment into the Class for “basic and enjoyable sailing with an emphasis on family involvement.”

At present, Rankins are dominating Wednesday night dinghy league racing at Cove SC. Owen O’Connell is leading in Rankin 61 on 28 points from R30 (David and Richard Marshall) on 29 with Rankin 12 (Maurice and Francis Kidney) 3rd on 32. Three other Rankin comprise the top six in a mixed fleet, including Lasers, RS 400s, Fevas and Topaz.

The Class says it wants to encourage more people, including those new to sailing, to consider joining the Rankins and to look at their web page for more details here

Published in Rankin Dinghy
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John Cotter’s Miracle won the eleventh race of Cove Sailing Club’s Wednesday night summer dinghy league. Cathal and Ruadhán Jackson were second in their RS Feva XL. Kate and Tadgh Scannell were third in an RS 400. Overall, on 45 points, Maurice and Frances Kidney in RankinR12 are league leaders, with David and Richard Marshall in RankinR30 second on 49. Rankin61 (Owen O’Connell) is third on 52. Rankins still hold the top three places.

Published in Cove Sailing Club
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“A great Rankin day,” said Tommy Dwyer describing the annual Ballinacurra Race from Cove Sailing Club to the former port in East Cork. “It is the first time the Rankins have done so well in the race. We ghosted along for about two hours, and four Rankins were in the top five.”

Sailing Rankin R29 Tommy Dwyer, crewed by his grandnephew Harry Coole, won the Ballinacurra Cup, a cherished Cork Harbour Trophy dating back to 1947 when the Naval Service presented it to Cove Sailing Club. It is competed for by dinghies from harbour clubs.

Tommy, from Monkstown, is better known as one of the leading National 18 sailors in Cork Harbour, sailing out of the RCYC. He has also owned Rankin R29 for thirty years. 

Rankin dinghies made their mark at when the renowned Cobh boats formed the winning trio making it a ‘Rankin Day.’

Rankin R30, sailed by David and Richard Marshall Photo Bob BatemanRankin R30, sailed by David and Richard Marshall Photo Bob Bateman

The race course is from Cobh to the eastern end of the harbour at East Ferry, then up the Owenacurra River to Ballinacurra village, once an active port. The mecca there is Creenan’s Pub, hallowed location of the family which operated the last schooner to trade out of Cork Harbour, the famous Brooklands.

Twelve boats raced for the Ballinacurra Cup in a mixed fleet, including another older-style Cobh dinghy design, a T-Class. There were National 18s, a Topaz, a Solo and several Lasers.

Finishing second was Rankin R30, sailed by David and Richard Marshall. Rankin R14, sailed by Dan and Lola O’Regan, was third. Owen O’Connell sailing the T-Class Cliodna was fourth, crewed by Eamon Twomey. Another Rankin, R12, sailed by Maurice and Frances Kidney, was fifth. Conditions were light.

Wednesday night league at Cove Sailing Club

Rankins are also dominating the top of the Wednesday night league at Cove Sailing Club. Four of them are in the top six at present of the May/June event, in which there are 19 entries. Kieran Dorgan leads the league in his Laser. He won the Monkstown Bay SC Winter League in February. Second is the Rankin R30 sailed by David and Richard Marshall, third is George Radley’s Topper, and then there are three Rankins in 4th (R61 Owen O’Connell); 5th (R2 Johnny Horgan) and 6th (R12 Maurice and Frances Kidney).

The revival of the Rankin fleet over the past few years has been a notable achievement by enthusiasts for the boat at Cove SC. Older, unused boats were located, refurbished and owners found to use them, emphasising family involvement.

Rankin R39 – CooleenRankin R39 – Cooleen

The latest boat to join the fleet is Rankin R39 – Cooleen - which the Johanssen father and son crew, Eric and Flynn is sailing.

Published in Rankin Dinghy
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The second of the May/June series of Cove Sailing Club's midweek races was sailed on Wednesday, 17th May, in Cork Harbour.

A fine fleet of 19 boats took to the water, with Fevas, Rankins, and Lasers/ILCAs competing.

In his Laser, Kieran Dorgan took line honours and was a clear winner on corrected time in his first league outing.

ILCA 7 sailor Kieran Dorgan competing in the Cove Sailing Club Midweek League in Cork Harbour Photo: AfloatILCA 7 sailor Kieran Dorgan competing in the Cove Sailing Club Midweek League in Cork Harbour Photo: Afloat

Richard Marshall, sailing his Rankin, R30, continued his form, finishing second, having won the inaugural race.

In all, four Rankins finished in the top six on corrected time.

George Radley, in his Topper, Spice, finished third.

Eric and Flynn Johanssen in their newly restored Rankin, R39 – Cooleen Photo: Bob BatemanEric and Flynn Johanssen in their newly restored Rankin, R39 – Cooleen Photo: Bob Bateman

The Johanssen father and son team (Eric and Flynn) continue testing their newly acquired Rankin, R39 – Cooleen, recently restored by the Rankin class.

They are taking a very active part in the sailing at CSC.

With two races sailed, Rankins are in the top four places

  • Richard Marshall’s R30 on 3 points
  • John Horgan’s Freedom, TR2 on 7 points
  • Owen O Connell’s Helga R61, on 8 points
  • Maurice Kidney’s R12 on 9 points

Cove Sailing Club midweek racing Photo Gallery by Bob Bateman

Published in Cove Sailing Club

Rankins are dominating Wednesday night dinghy sailing at Cove SC in Cork Harbour. Fiona O’Connell’s R21 leads, with David and Richard Marshall’s R30 second and Maurice and Francis Kidney third in R12. Eight boats are entered.

There are also eight entries in the Sunday Optimist League for young sailors of the club. After the first race Theo Carney leads from Eoin Jones, with Ruadhan Jackson second.

The Friday night cruiser league is led, also after the opening race, by Cathy Mullan’s First 260, Angela; with Gary Mills second in the Shipman 28, Tonga and third Déjà Vu, the Sun Odysessy 37, owned by Brian Curtis.

Published in Cove Sailing Club
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A fine turnout of revived Rankin dinghies raced in a Cork Harbour mist and drizzle to commemorate the class founders in Saturday's Cobh People's Regatta. 

Fiona O'Connell's Rankin R21 was the overall winner of the 29 boat fleet after two races sailed, scoring a 3 and a 1.

Ewan and David O'Keeffe were second in R5.  Third was Richard Marshall in Rankin R30.

The packed regatta schedule included cruiser racing for the Titanic Trophy on Friday night.

It was followed by the Optimist Spit Bank Challenge plus racing for a fast dinghies fleet and lower handicap dinghies too.

Cruiser Racing involving other harbour clubs will be on Sunday, with the first gun at 1330.

A Rankin is a traditional wooden dinghy that was built in Cobh, of which it’s believed there were 80 and of which The Rankin Dinghy Group has traced nearly half.

The name of the Rankin dinghies is revered in Cork Harbour and particularly in the harbourside town of Cobh.

Maurice Kidney and Conor English are driving the restoration of the Rankin dinghies in Cork Harbour. They have discovered that Rankins were bought and sailed in several parts of the country.

Fiona O'Connell's Rankin R21Fiona O'Connell's Rankin R21was the winner

 Ewan and David O'Keeffe were second in R5Ewan and David O'Keeffe were second in R5

Third was Richard Marshall in Rankin R30Third was Richard Marshall in Rankin R30

Rankin Dinghies Race at Cobh People's Regatta Photo Gallery below

Published in Rankin Dinghy

There is a hectic weekend ahead in Cork Harbour with four events scheduled.

Cobh People's Regatta, the 1720 National Championships, the SB20 Southerns and the National 18's Lowflo Trophy are to be sailed.

Cobh People's Regatta will be held at Cove Sailing Club with racing for cruisers and dinghies. The packed schedule includes a commemorative event for the revived Rankin dinghy fleet on Saturday, for which the First Gun is at 1245.

Cruisers racing for the Titanic Trophy on Friday night are the first regatta event, with First Gun at 7 p.m. The Rankin dinghies will begin the racing on Saturday with their commemorative event for the Rankin Brothers Cup.

This will be followed by the Optimist Spit Bank Challenge starting at 1300 and followed by the Fast Dinghies fleet racing at 1330 and the Lower Handicap Dinghies at 1400. Cruiser Racing involving other harbour clubs will be on Sunday, with First Gun at 1330.

National 18's are racing for the Lowflo Trophy at Royal Cork Yacht ClubNational 18's are racing for the Lowflo Trophy at Royal Cork Yacht Club Photo: Bob Bateman

As Afloat reported previously, the 1720 National Championships, organised by the RCYC and the Sportsboat Class Association, start this Friday afternoon with two races. Four are scheduled for Saturday and three on Sunday.

The SB20s, also to be raced out of the Crosshaven club, have three races planned for Saturday and the same number on Sunday.

Colin Galavan and Richard Hayes from the Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire are sailing their SB20 Carpe Diem in the Southern class Championships at Royal CorkColin Galavan and Richard Hayes from the Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire are sailing their SB20 Carpe Diem in the Southern class Championships at Royal Cork

Published in Cork Harbour
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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