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Displaying items by tag: AClass tallships

As part of today's celebrations to mark the 180th anniversary of the Royal Irish Yacht Club, in Dun Laoghaire, a flotilla of yachts 'dressed overall' set off on a cruise-in-company around Dalkey Island, writes Jehan Ashmore.
The boats headed down Dalkey Sound and as they briefly entered into Killiney Bay some of the participants hoisted their mainsail prior to making a northerly return via The Muglins before heading back to their homeport, where the club is the oldest of the four main waterfront yacht-clubs.

At the same time across Dublin Bay, the Norwegian square-rigged tallship Statsraad Lehmkuhl was underway from her River Liffey berth at Sir John Rogersons Quay, where the 321" foot vessel had made a two-day visit to Dublin Port.

As the public boarded one of the largest tallships in the world, they were given a taste of what to expect a year from now, as the capital prepares to be the host-port of the final race-leg of the Tall Ships Races. The sailing spectacle was last held in 1998 and the high-profile event in August 2012 is expected to draw around 100 tallships.

Published in Dublin Bay
In glorious sunshine an estimated 200,000 visitors flocked to see the Tall Ships in Waterford on the final day of the festival before tomorrow's departing 'Parade of Sail' spectacle writes Jehan Ashmore.

Scenes of the tallships moored alongside the north and south quays and the surrounding festivities are captured by Gary O'Mahony. SCROLL DOWN FOR PICS.

Tall_Shipsjehan

The Columbian Navy's Sailing Training Ship ARC Gloria. Photo: Jehan Ashmore

This is the second year in which the city has been the host port of the Tall Ships Race and the prestigious event is to return for a third time. The next occasion has not been confirmed but it would be several years away according to Sail Training International, the organisers of the famous race.

View Waterford's Parade of Sail Photo Gallery Here

Published in Tall Ships

About the Melges 15 Dinghy

The Melges 15 was designed by Reichel/Pugh and built by Melges.

The design prioritises stability, comfort, ease of use, and performance. 

The Melges 15 is built to be sailed by everyone from friends and couples to families and kids. The design offers performance, comfort, and stability in one sleek package.

The Melges 15’s stable hull shape and ergonomic cockpit make it a suitable layout for adult racing and educational sailing. Easy conversion from a club configuration (non-spinnaker) to a one-design setup, provides more versatility to club programs and options for individual owners.

“The Melges 15 creates a clear pathway for junior sailors to get started and stay excited about sailing while also being comfortable and accessible enough for adults to learn, race, or cross-train,” according to Harry Melges III.

With the main design goals focused on stability and performance in various conditions, the boat features a narrow overall beam and a flat cross-section shape for stability, righting moment, and ease of planing. For a more forgiving feel upwind and to navigate larger sea states, the Melges 15 has just the right amount of fore and aft rocker.

Melges conducted extensive research and product testing to produce this layout factoring in cockpit depth, backbone height, and floor plan. The result, they say, is a comfortable environment for both the skipper and crew. The deeper cockpit takes the load off the sailor’s knees helping them feel locked into the boat while the high boom and gnav vang system work together to make the boat easier to manoeuvre.

The asymmetric spinnaker offers an additional performance element, while the single-pull launch and retrieval system makes handling the sail easy and fast.

 

At a Glance - Melges 15 Specifications

  • LENGTH 15 ft 
    BEAM 5 ft 6 in
    DRAFT 2 ft 7 in 
    HULL WEIGHT 230 lbs
  • SAIL AREA
    MAIN 93.6 sq ft 
    JIB 39.8 sq ft 
    ASYMMETRICAL SPINNAKER 156 sq ft 
  • CREW 2

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