Two races have been sailed in the McCarthy Insurance October White Sails League at Kinsale Yacht Club, with close competition in both IRC and ECHO handicaps.

Michael Carroll’s Chancer leads Class 1 IRC on four points. John Stallard’s Siboney and David Riome’s Valfreya are next on five points each. Five yachts are racing under IRC.

Under the ECHO handicap, Valfreya and Chancer are tied at the top on four points each, with Siboney third on six. Seven boats are racing ECHO handicap.

In Class 2 IRC, Patrick Beckett’s Miss Charlie maintains a lead of two points at the top, on a total of three, from Albert O’Neill’s Sallybelle, which is second on five.  Third is Dominic Falvey’s Swift on seven points.

Sallybelle leads under ECHO, on five points, from Dermot Lanigan’s Privateer and Miss Charlie, which are tied on seven. Eight yachts are entered in ECHO Class 2, four racing under IRC.

Kinsale Yacht Club began its October/November White Sails League on Saturday with John Stallard's Siboney winning Class 1 IRC, Michael McCarthy’s Chancer in second place and David Rione’s Valfreya third.

Class 2 winner was Patrick Beckett’s Miss Charlie; second Sallybelle (Albert O’Neill), third Chameleon (Padraig O’Donovan).

In ECHO 1, Siboney also leads. Privateer (Dermot Lanigan) leads ECHO 2.

Micheal O Suilleabhain may well be the name that goes into the records books.

But he will be the first to point out that not only was it a team effort, in fact, it was an entire Kinsale Yacht Club effort to start putting together an exemplary challenge – initially in times of pandemic and post-pandemic - for the J/24 Europeans 2022 at Howth, when the event itself was still a distant speck on the uncertain future horizon. But a widely-supported campaign on the ICRA K25 model was launched and maintained, gradually building momentum until they reached the big one itself.

There, many proven international stars were so busy keeping tabs on their familiar rivals that the rapidly-improving young Kinsale crew went into the final race with a fighting chance, and they emerged firmly in the podium frame, clearly also the best-placed Irish boat.

Michael Carroll’s Chancer won Kinsale Yacht Club’s ECHO Cruisers Spinnaker Fleet Race in the 'At Home' Regatta on Sunday.

Second was Samuel Cohen’s Gunsmoke II, and third Stephen Lysaght’s Reavra Too. Albert O’Neil’s Sallybelle won Whitesails ECHO with Anthony Scannell’s Hansemer second and Patrick Beckett’s Miss Charlie third.

Mixed Dinghies winners were Sarah Thuillier and Lucy Foster. Second Phelim Hanley and Matthew Keane, third Ollie Lyons & Will Burges.

The Topper fleet was won by Matt Mapplebeck. Second Emma Fitzgerald. Third, Charlotte Collins. The Optimist Class winner was Annabelle Wilson. Second, Oscar Dillon. Third, Ollie Cronin.

The event was sponsored by Victoria's Antiques.

Where other Irish harbours face the sea, Kinsale embraces it. And this generous geographical reality helps to provide a genuine sense of community interaction when any initiative at the hospitable south Cork port is put together to help get young people enthusiastically interested in boats and sailing.

But it’s a complex challenge. At a national level, this mixed though largely successful sailing year of 2022 has been remarkable for the emergence and rise of youthful Irish sailing talent, a situation which is as problematic as it is encouraging. It’s encouraging because in addition to enlivening the current scene, it bodes well for the future of our sport. But it is problematic in being a matter of continual judgment as to when an individual young sailor, or team of young sailors, should be highlighted – and to what level - in their growing achievements and potential.

It’s very easy to say that any publicity, if at all, should be kept very low-key until age 17. The simple ranking of ability, potential and maturity by something as narrowly-focused as the particular individual’s chronological age is now seen as almost embarrassingly unsophisticated, in an era when so many other measurable factors can be taken into account in a meaningful way.

Reports and images of sailing children – however mature they may personally be – has always been problematic, yet this photo of Ireland’s Rocco Wright aged 12 has long since gone global. Photo: North Sails 

Yet those who are trying to grapple with the big picture will inevitably find the number of statistics they deploy needs to get reduced to the basics, and in reporting and applauding junior achievement in Afloat.ie, we try to be restrained until the young star reaches the age of 17, and even then it is hoped to be moderate with publicity until they’re in their early 20s and evidently maturing well. 

STAR SHOWINGS NOWADAYS WILL BURST OUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA, NO MATTER HOW YOUNG THE PERFORMER

But there are some young sailors who manifest their talent at international level at such a young age that the good news keeps bursting out, however much the well-intentioned authorities, managers, coaches, parents and responsible communicators try to keep it under control. In the age of social media, rising stars not even into their teens are widely acknowledged in sailing as in other sports, becoming sources of too much interest before reaching the difficult years between 13 and 17 – and beyond – when so many factors for adult success and fulfilment are being set in place.

The International 420 is internationally significant as a youth class, yet it often presents problems for reporters as the young sailors will be at their most formative and malleable stage

We all know of cases where the bright early light of potential talent has been allowed to burn so strongly that it soon burns itself out. But equally, we can all remember nascent but initially, low-wattage talents which might – just might – have burned increasingly brightly over time to reach their full potential, had there been the right environment of the optimal amounts of publicity, practical encouragement, and tangible support.

But all this is in the assumption that a significant proportion of up-and-coming young sailors – and their parents - aspire to a career ladder which will take them onwards and upwards to the demands of top-level international competition and the concentrated effort of high-performance training, thereby satisfying national sporting authorities, for whom a steady stream of successful international headline-grabbing talent is essential for their added income from public funds.

For in the final analysis, all that decision-making politicos with budgets to spend will really understand in sporting achievement is a gold, silver or bronze medal, and preferably in the Olympics, though a razzmatazz-filled World Championship title will do in the interim. 

CLUB SAILORS THE BACKBONE OF OUR SPORT

Facing this noisy reality, we must remember that, increasingly, people are inclining to life at a more civilised level, with several sporting and recreational interests. And the backbone of Irish sailing is the club sailor who may aim at the occasional regional and national championship, but does not wish to sign up to a total all-consuming commitment on course to the highest level. They aspire instead to have sailing as part of a balanced and sensible lifestyle, ultimately with family at the heart of it.

Squib Class action at Kinsale. The family-friendly Squib successfully lends itself to worthwhile club racing and major championships without straying into the demanding realms of extreme commitment and total dedication

But nevertheless, there is a substantial area of interest and activity between the quietly routine life of club sailing and the all-absorbing demands of Olympian and other high-level life-consuming international ambitions. And we’ve been seeing much of that in Ireland this year with the National, Continental and World championships of classes which have managed to avoid the Olympic stranglehold, yet can still offer their members a complete suite of competition levels, from club racing to quite intense international contests, while keeping publicity and demanding expectations of the national squad’s performance within reasonable limits. 

THE ACTIVE AREA BETWEEN BASIC CLUB SAILING AND TOP-LEVEL COMPETITION

The classic case in point is the J/24, which you realize really is a unique proposition when one of their major championships comes to town. They don’t fit comfortably into any category, and they need a committed crew of five. Yet they have a devoted following worldwide, typified at the recent Euros in Howth by Germany’s Stefan Karsunke, who placed fifth overall with a crew of friends who have been happily sailing together for more than twenty years.

A boat and a sports level for all ages – the first race of the J/24 Euros 2022 at Howth is led by Seattle’s Admiral Denny Vaughan (USN, Retd), aged 83. Photo: Annraoi Blaney

In Ireland, it’s some years now since the then ICRA Commodore Nobby Reilly proposed the establishment of a programme to encourage and support Under 25s into J/24 racing as an identifiable group. At the time, some thought that pitching the upper age limit at 25 was putting it a bit high – surely any real talent would have clearly manifested itself long before that? But as it happens, the peculiarities of economic realities in recent years have put young people at a disadvantage in hoping to mount their own campaigns, and that U25 ceiling seems more appropriate than ever.

J/24 U25 SCHEME HAS HAD VARIED LEVELS OF SUCCESS

The idea has been successful in several clubs, albeit somewhat unevenly, and for the last three years an outstanding product of the scheme has been the Headcase campaigns, where a crew – some now past 25 - from four different clubs in three Provinces have stayed together to campaign in Karsunke style.

It’s a setup which can only work with a high level of commitment from at least five young sailors. But last October a group was inaugurated in Kinsale, with Mikey Carroll as Team Captain, and former KYC Commodore Dave Sullivan as Mentor was inaugurated, though it was February 2022 by the time they’d secured a boat and had it all up and running.

The dream comes true – the “Kids from Kinsale” (right) successfully playing the Big Boys Game in some perfect racing weather at Howth. Photo: Christopher Howell

But they were playing their cards very well indeed. For a start, they’d got themselves a gold standard boat. She may have been 31 years old, but she was the last J24 to be built by the great Jeremy Rogers of Lymington. As those of us who have had one will tell you, there are Jeremy Rogers boats. And there are “others”.

THE NAME “KINSAILOR” IS A STROKE OF GENIUS

A further stroke of genius was the choice of name. Failure is an orphan while success has many fathers, so it’s a moot point whom to praise. But whoever thought of calling the boat Kinsailor was a genius. For sure, if you’re naming a private boat for personal use, you can choose whichever whimsical name takes your fancy. But if you’re campaigning a community and club-supported boat with national and international effects in mind, a simple name which says everything in just one word is a pearl beyond price, and they have it here in spades.

The re-born Jeremy Rogers-built masterpiece is unleashed on the world in February 2022 with a real stroke of genius in the name.

Certainly it hit the spot in Kinsale, and they soon had a strong crew panel in place to get training under way. But while there were some regional contests to start testing their mettle, Headcase was away on a trail of success through regattas in Germany and the UK, and it was the Nationals at Foynes at the end of July before the lines of battle were clearly drawn.

The Kinsailor crew of Mikey Carroll, Leslie Collins. Rachel Akerlind, Michael O’Suilleabhain and Jack O’Sullivan put in a solid performance, winning the U25 section and placing eighth overall in a star-studded fleet. But it still looked as if the Headcase team were in a world of their own.

However, that special Headcase world seemed a little less elevated in the Easterns at Howth in the weekend preceding the Worlds at the end of August. Headcase was right there nearly all the way with 1,1,(8.0),2,1 but Kinsailor dealt deftly with the strong opposition with a 2,(13),4.1,2.

FINDING TURBO POWER

Then they seemed to find an extra gear with additional turbo-charging in the Euros themselves, and it all came right down to the wire last Saturday. Kinsailor’s final scoreline of 21,2,6,(27), 5,11,3,12,4,2 says a lot. With ten races possible though with only one discard even with total completion, a 21st in the first race usefully took the focus off them. It meant some further races with much better scores had to be sailed before they were in the area of being a marked boat.

Nevertheless despite that real upset of a 27th in Race 4, they were still in the hunt for a podium place, but the permutations were so abstruse that we thought it would be tempting fate even to mention any distinct possibility of such a thing in Afloat.ie. For Headcase was right back in the hunt with two bullets on the Friday.

Job done. The Kinnsailor team at Howth after sweeping to success in the final race in the Euros 2022 are (left to right) Mikey Carroll, Jack O’Sullivan, Leslie Collins, Francesca Lewis, Rory Carroll and Micheal O’Suilleabhain

But last weekend was a magic time for Kinsale up in Dublin. Off Howth, Kinsailor rocketed through to take a second and leap into third overall just one point behind the tied first and second boats. And across in Dun Laoghaire, Cameron Good of Kinsale Dragon Class fame finally broke a club drought of many years to win the Dragon Nationals.

TEAM RACING PROGRAMME FOR TOWN’S TEENAGERS

Flushed with success at these double achievements firmly based in healthy club sailing, Kinsale Yacht Club is examining an initiative by Vice Commodore Anthony Scannell, together with Kinsale Outdoor Education Centre and Kinsale Community School, to develop a Team Racing Programme for Teenagers.

It is envisaged that up to six boats will be made available by KOEC who will provide training and safety boat cover. The boats will be stored in the dinghy park of KYC, and all participants will be students of KCS. It is the intention that training sessions would take place on Wednesday afternoons and some Saturdays.

Ultimately the success of such a worthwhile and genuinely community-based sailing project will be dependent on the goodwill and tangible support of ordinary Kinsale YC members. But the remarkable success of the Kinsailor campaign has amply demonstrated that as a group and a community within the Kinsale community, Kinsale’s club sailors really are the backbone of much good work. They’re an example to us all.

Kinsale Yacht Club says it is examining an initiative with Kinsale Outdoor Education Centre (KOEC) and Kinsale Community School to develop a team racing programme for teenagers.

It’s envisaged that up to six boats will be made available by KOEC who will provide training and safety boat cover.

The boats would be stored in the dinghy park of KYC and all participants would be students of Kinsale Community School.

Training sessions would take place on Wednesday afternoons and some Saturdays. And places would be limited on the programme.

KYC is now seeking feedback from members to assess the level of interest “in what should be a great scheme”. Get in touch with KYC Vice Commodore Anthony W Scannell at [email protected].

After ten races, the J/24 European Championship hosted by Howth Yacht Club, concluded in a tie at 65 points, with the third-place team only one point back. That third-place team was made up of six junior sailors from the Kinsale Yacht Club, which has worked to create a squad of under 25-year-old sailors or U25s. Along with finishing third overall, one point out of first, Carroll’s team finished second in the Corinthian Class and first in the Youth Class. Micheál O’Súilleabháin was on the helm.

This was the first year sailing a J/24 for this young team. Crewmember Mike Carroll said, “Since we only started in the J24 class this summer, we didn’t know what to expect from ourselves at the event. We had some poor results earlier on in the regatta, but as the event went on, we improved and achieved a good level of consistency that we were happy with. We couldn’t afford another poor result as there was only one discard across the 10 races. We had a mix of all sailing conditions during the week, which led to it being a high-scoring event. Given that most boats had at least one or two bad scores, it allowed us to climb high in the results without needing to win races. What happened on the water exceeded our expectations.” By finishing second in the last race of the regatta, the team moved from sixth to third.

Kinsailor competing at the ten race J/24 European Championship at Howth Yacht Club Photo: Christopher Howell

The young team faced down some serious challenges, which they overcame. A week before the Europeans, while racing in the J/24 Easterns, they broke their mast and had to secure a loner. Their new UK Sailmakers mainsail was damaged when the rig came down, and they finished the Easterns with their delivery main. UK Sailmakers Ireland made an invisible repair in a few short days and had the main ready for the Europeans.

“The sails were fantastic”

Dave Sullivan, the team’s coach said, “It’s just brilliant that a team of kids from Kinsale can get a boat, set it up, and deliver a world-class performance -- all in less than a year. Phenomenal really; we are most proud of them.” The team came about as part of the Irish Cruiser Racing Association Under 25 initiative designed to create a pathway for junior sailors to progress into the adult sailing scene. Sullivan said that members of the Kinsale Yacht Club held a fundraiser to buy, ship to Ireland and prepare a J/24 for the club’s juniors to use. He took on the role of the team’s mentor. The original goal was to compete at the 2022 European Championships and the boat will stay available for juniors at the club for years to come.

Kinsailor is a Kinsale Yacht Club Under 25 initiative

Barry Hayes, President of UK Sailmakers Ireland said, “Our loft is doing everything to help young sailors excel. They are the future of the sport. Therefore, we are doing our best to help them get the best sails, learn how to use them so that they move up to the podium as quickly as possible. From centreboard to keelboats, UK Sailmakers is dedicated to helping the next generation of sailors.”

About the UK Sailmakers J/24 class sails, the team members said, “The sails were fantastic.”

The Kinsailor J24 crew with their prizes in Howth including Mikey Carroll, Jack O’Sullivan, Lellie Collins, Francesca Lewis, Rory Carroll and Micheál O’Súilleabháin

The four men and two women on KINSAILOR were:

• Mikey Carroll
• Jack O’Sullivan
• Lellie Collins
• Francesca Lewis
• Rory Carroll
• Micheál O’Súilleabháin

2022 J24 European Championships results

After a break of a few years caused by the pandemic, Kinsale Yacht Club’s annual RNLI fundraising night has returned.

A strong fleet of seventeen cruisers took part in the race for the Spalpeen Trophy which for many years the race has been sponsored by the Draper Family.

Race Officer Michele Kennelly set a course that aimed to have all back in time for the celebrations ashore which included a BBQ and a fundraising auction and raffle for the RNLI.

The race was won this year by Finbarr O’Regan’s J109 Artful DodJer, with Stephen Lysaght’s Reavra Too in second place and Sean O’Riordan’s Y-Dream in third place.

Cian McCarthy's Cinnamon Girl of the host club has added to her offshore wins this season with an overall IRC victory in the UK Sailmakers Ireland Kinsale Yacht Club Fastnet Race.

A strong fleet of eight started the UK Sailmakers Ireland Kinsale Fastnet race on Friday evening at 7 pm inside Kinsale Harbour.

The race was run in association with SCORA.

Entries were from along the south coast from Kinsale YC to the Royal Cork YC and on to Waterford Harbour SC.

Cian McCarthy (right) and Sam Hunt of Cinnamon Girl who won Kinsale Yacht Club’s Fastnet Race, sailing the course in 14 hours, 49 minutes and 5 seconds, winning under both handicap systems – IRC and ECHO. It was a battle between the double-handed Kinsale sailors and Brian Jones’ Jelly Baby from the Royal Cork in Crosshaven, which finished two-and-a-half minutes later, in a total time of 14 hours 31 minutes and 50 seconds

The fleet had a southwest wind gusting to 23 knots for a bumpy beat to the Fastnet with the tide against them until midnight. 

In second was George Radley's vintage Imp from Royal Cork YC. Third was Royal Cork YC's Jelly Baby (Brian Jones).

Royal Cork YC's J122 Jelly Baby (Brian Jones) Photo: David Cullinane

As regular Afloat readers will know, McCarthy, sailing with Sam Hunt, also scored a win in May's KYC Inistearaght Race and featured prominently, also two-handed, in June's 700-mile Round Ireland Race.

Scroll down for the results below.

Stephen Lysaght’s Reavra Two topped the 'TGIF' Mid Summer White Sails cruisers league series in IRC 1 fleet at Kinsale Yacht Club, sponsored by A J O’Brien Solicitors, with 11 points after six races.

Second was John Whelan’s Wheels on 13 and third Sean O’Riordan’s Y Dream on 15. Whelan won in ECHO handicap, with Anthony Scannell’s Hansemer second and Reavra Two third. IRC 2 fleet winner was Patrick Beckett’s Miss Charlie by one point, on a total of five, against Albert O’Neill’s Sallybelle on 6. ECHO handicap in Fleet Two winner was Martin Hargrove’s Deboah on 9 points from Sallybelle on 15 and Miss Charlie third on 18.

John Godkin’s GODOT won IRC 1 in the cruiser spinnaker midweek fleet series 2, sponsored by Barry Ryan Civil Engineering, on a total of 12 points after the sixth race, to win by half-a-point from Dan Buckley’s JUSTUS on 12.5 with Reavra Two third on 18. JUSTUS won in ECHO with Godot second and Y Dream third.

Fleet 2 IRC saw the club’s young sailors at the top in their J24, Finsailor on 10 points with No Notions (O’Sullivan/O’Regan) and Samuel Cohen’s Gunsmoke II finishing next overall, both on 13 points, No Notions won second on the tiebreak of higher overall average placings. Gunsmoke II turned that around in ECHO, taking first place with No Notions second and MIiss Charlie third.