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Displaying items by tag: Sail Training International

A sailing initiative aimed at Irish participation in next year's Tall Ships Races in Waterford has been announced by a newly formed national organisation Sail Training Ireland.

Since the sinking of the Asgard II and the decision to wind up Coiste An Asgard, the Irish Sailing Association (ISA) has been facilitating a steering group with the aim of establishing 'Sail Training Ireland'.

The steering group has been working with Sail Training International to establish a sustainable organisation that will work with training providers and host ports to build Ireland's Sail Training Programme in the future.

The Tall Ships Race that visited Belfast last year is due to return to Waterford in 2011 and Dublin in 2012 is clear recognition by the race organisers of Ireland's popularity as a destination, and a credit to the host ports who are able to facilitate such a great occasion.

The working group are preparing for the launch of Sail Training Ireland in a few weeks and are currently putting together a feasibility study and business plan for the organisation that may be presented to the Minister in the New Year.

Sail Training International has awarded a bursary to Sail Training Ireland which will provide funding to support the participation of young people in The Tall Ships Races 2011 and 2012.

"The small group that has been working on this will put together a sensible, practical but ambitious plan to ensure the legacy of Coiste an Asgard...." explains Nigel Rowe, Chairman of Sail Training International, "....it will enable Irish youth to continue to benefit from the sail training experience".

Sheila Tyrrell, Chair of the steering group, who has a long history with sail training and in particular the Asgard remarks "The bursary from Sail Training International is very welcome and endorses the credibility of our plans to re-establish a national sail training programme. The steering group will be in a position to effect the launch of Sail Training Ireland this side of Christmas."

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Click this link to read all our Tall Ships Stories on one handy page


Previewing Ireland's Tall Ships 2011 Season


Can Ireland Get a New Tall Ship?

Published in Tall Ships
So far 23 Tall Ships are registered to be sailing into Waterford next year for the prestigious Tall Ships Races. Most of the entrants had participated in the previous race that was last held in the south-eastern city in 2005. Other vessels are expected to visit for the first time, for the four-day maritime spectacle. 

Waterford City will host day and night-time festivities, culminating with the 'Parade of Sail' on 3 July. On that day the fleet will set-sail down the Suir Estuary and head around Ireland's western seaboard on the first race leg bound for Greenock, Scotland.

The following 'Class A' (the largest tall ships) are so far confirmed: Christian Radich (Norway), Eendracht (Netherlands), Europa (Netherlands), Kaliakra (Bulgaria), Lord Nelson (UK), Pogoria (Poland), Royalist (UK) and the Wylde Swan from The Netherlands.

In 'Class B' vessels include the Jolie Brise, Maybe, Moosk, Provident, Swan, Spirit of Fairbridge, all from the UK. The category also includes Gedania (Poland), John Laing (UK), Ocean Spirit of Moray (UK) and Spaniel (Latvia) and two vessels from Belgium, the Rupel and Tomidi.

In addition the Dutch Urania is the first 'Class D' entrant to register for the Waterford event.

The Tall Ships Races is presented by Szczecin and organised by Sail Training International. Further information on participating as a sail trainee in The Tall Ships Races 2011 contact 051 849640 or www.waterfordtallshipsrace.ie and www.facebook.com/enjoywaterford

Looking for further reading on Tall Ships in Ireland? Click the links below:

Click this link to read all our Tall Ships Stories on one handy page


Previewing Ireland's Tall Ships 2011 Season


Can Ireland Get a New Tall Ship?

Published in Tall Ships

The Jubilee Sailing Trust's (JST) three-masted 'flagship' STS Lord Nelson arrived into Dublin today (Wednesday) as part of her sail-training programme. The barque is one of over 30 tall ships so far confirmed out of an expected 70 entrants for next year's Tall Ships Races starting from Waterford, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The famous race consists of three race legs, which starts with a customary 'Parade of Sail' that will depart from Waterford on 3 July 2011. The sailing spectacle is eagerly awaited and will mark the final day of the four-day long maritime festival that the 'Crystal' city is to host for the second time. As in 2005, the tall ships will grace both sides of the city quays along the River Suir from 30 June-3 July.

In the 'A' class tall ships (the large square-rigged vessels) the Lord Nelson will be sharing this category with a further six ships representing these impresssive vessels to include Christian Radich, Europa and the Polish Pogoria, which also called to Dublin recently.

The Lord Nelson will participate in the first race between Waterford and Greenock. From the Scottish port the tall ships will 'Cruise-In-Company' to Lerwick, the capital of the Shetland Islands. The race then crosses the North Sea to Stavanger, Norway and the final leg is to culminate in the Swedish west coast port of Halmstad in early August.

The Lord Nelson was designed by Colin Mudie and is specifically constructed to enable people of all physical abilities to sail side-by-side as equals. The vessel has an overall length of 54.7m and when under canvas (1,024m2) that's all 18 sails, Lord Nelson can achieve around 10 knots.

In addition to Lord Nelson, the JST which is run as a registered charity operates the SV Tenacious. Likewise this barque is designed for the same purpose and they can claim to be the only tall ships in the world having this distinction of providing sailing opportunities for all.

Since the charity started in 1978, over 36,000 people have sailed with the trust. Of those, over 24,000 people have sailed onboard Lord Nelson, which was launched in 1986, and 12,000 have sailed on Tenacious which was launched in 2000.

The countdown for the Waterford Tall Ships Races 2011 continues with less than 281 days to go!...The prestigious event is organised by Sail Training International in association with Szczecin.

Looking for further reading on Tall Ships in Ireland? Click the links below:

Click this link to read all our Tall Ships Stories on one handy page


Previewing Ireland's Tall Ships 2011 Season


Can Ireland Get a New Tall Ship?

Published in Tall Ships
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Dublin Bay 21s

An exciting new project to breathe life into six defunct 120-year-old Irish yachts that happen to be the oldest intact one-design keelboat class in the world has captured the imagination of sailors at Ireland's biggest sailing centre. The birthplace of the original Dublin Bay 21 class is getting ready to welcome home the six restored craft after 40 years thanks to an ambitious boat building project was completed on the Shannon Estuary that saved them from completely rotting away.

Dublin Bay 21 FAQs

The Dublin Bay 21 is a vintage one-design wooden yacht designed for sailing in Dublin Bay.

Seven were built between 1903 and 1906.

As of 2020, the yachts are 117 years old.

Alfred Mylne designed the seven yachts.

The total voting population in the Republic's inhabited islands is just over 2,600 people, according to the Department of Housing.

Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) commissioned the boat to encourage inexpensive one-design racing to recognise the success of the Water Wag one-design dinghy of 1887 and the Colleen keelboat class of 1897.

Estelle built by Hollwey, 1903; Garavogue built by Kelly, 1903; Innisfallen built by Hollwey, 1903.; Maureen built by Hollwey, 1903.; Oola built by Kelly, 1905; Naneen built by Clancy, 1905.

Overall length- 32'-6', Beam- 7'-6", Keel lead- 2 tons Sail area - 600sq.ft

The first race took place on 19 June 1903 in Dublin Bay.

They may be the oldest intact class of racing keelboat yacht in the world. Sailing together in a fleet, they are one of the loveliest sights to be seen on any sailing waters in the world, according to many Dublin Bay aficionados.

In 1964, some of the owners thought that the boats were outdated, and needed a new breath of fresh air. After extensive discussions between all the owners, the gaff rig and timber mast was abandoned in favour of a more fashionable Bermudan rig with an aluminium mast. Unfortunately, this rig put previously unseen loads on the hulls, resulting in some permanent damage.

The fleet was taken out of the water in 1986 after Hurricane Charlie ruined active Dublin Bay 21 fleet racing in August of that year. Two 21s sank in the storm, suffering the same fate as their sister ship Estelle four years earlier. The class then became defunct. In 1988, master shipwright Jack Tyrrell of Arklow inspected the fleet and considered the state of the hulls as vulnerable, describing them as 'still restorable even if some would need a virtual rebuild'. The fleet then lay rotting in a farmyard in Arklow until 2019 and the pioneering project of Dun Laoghaire sailors Fionan De Barra and Hal Sisk who decided to bring them back to their former glory.

Hurricane Charlie finally ruined active Dublin Bay 21 fleet racing in August 1986. Two 21s sank in the storm, suffering the same fate as a sister ship four years earlier; Estelle sank twice, once on her moorings and once in a near-tragic downwind capsize. Despite their collective salvage from the sea bed, the class decided the ancient boats should not be allowed suffer anymore. To avoid further deterioration and risk to the rare craft all seven 21s were put into storage in 1989 under the direction of the naval architect Jack Tyrrell at his yard in Arklow.

While two of the fleet, Garavogue and Geraldine sailed to their current home, the other five, in various states of disrepair, were carried the 50-odd miles to Arklow by road.

To revive the legendary Dublin Bay 21 class, the famous Mylne design of 1902-03. Hal Sisk and Fionan de Barra are developing ideas to retain the class's spirit while making the boats more appropriate to today's needs in Dun Laoghaire harbour, with its many other rival sailing attractions. The Dublin Bay 21-foot class's fate represents far more than the loss of a single class; it is bad news for the Bay's yachting heritage at large. Although Dún Laoghaire turned a blind eye to the plight of the oldest intact one-design keelboat fleet in the world for 30 years or more they are now fully restored.

The Dublin Bay 21 Restoration team includes Steve Morris, James Madigan, Hal Sisk, Fionan de Barra, Fintan Ryan and Dan Mill.

Retaining the pure Mylne-designed hull was essential, but the project has new laminated cold-moulded hulls which are being built inverted but will, when finished and upright, be fitted on the original ballast keels, thereby maintaining the boat’s continuity of existence, the presence of the true spirit of the ship.

It will be a gunter-rigged sloop. It was decided a simpler yet clearly vintage rig was needed for the time-constrained sailors of the 21st Century. So, far from bringing the original and almost-mythical gaff cutter rig with jackyard topsail back to life above a traditionally-constructed hull, the project is content to have an attractive gunter-rigged sloop – “American gaff” some would call it.

The first DB 21 to get the treatment was Naneen, originally built in 1905 by Clancy of Dun Laoghaire for T. Cosby Burrowes, a serial boat owner from Cavan.

On Dublin Bay. Dublin Bay Sailing Club granted a racing start for 2020 Tuesday evening racing starting in 2020, but it was deferred due to COVID-19.
Initially, two Dublin Bay 21s will race then three as the boat building project based in Kilrush on the Shannon Estuary completes the six-boat project.
The restored boats will be welcomed back to the Bay in a special DBSC gun salute from committee boat Mac Lir at the start of the season.
In a recollection for Afloat, well known Dun Laoghaire one-design sailor Roger Bannon said: "They were complete bitches of boats to sail, over-canvassed and fundamentally badly balanced. Their construction and design was also seriously flawed which meant that they constantly leaked and required endless expensive maintenance. They suffered from unbelievable lee helm which led to regular swamping's and indeed several sinkings.

©Afloat 2020