It’s prize-giving time down beside the Old Granite Pond. Last night (Friday), Commodore Eddie Totterdell presided over Dublin Bay Sailing Club’s annual re-distribution of their enormous cache of trophies in the National Maritime Museum in Dun Laoghaire. And tonight (Saturday), the Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association are holding their annual black-tie prize-giving dinner (and dance too, if the notion comes on you) just across the road in the waterfront National Yacht Club, the home club – as it happens – of both the DBSC Commodore, and ISORA Chairman Peter Ryan.

The National Maritime Museum is still thought of by more than a few as the being primarily the 180-year-old Mariners’ Church, notwithstanding the fact that the lease for the Church of Ireland to hand it over to the Maritime Institute was signed way back in 1974, making next year the Golden Jubilee of the beginning of the journey to becoming the Museum.

You can’t miss it….the former Mariners Church, now the National Maritime Museum (right) and the “new” Lexicon (left), with Dun Laoghaire Harbour beyond. It was thought the Lexicon would over-shadow the National Maritime Museum, but its location in the conspicuous church – with its re-purposing marking its Golden Jubilee next year – still tops them all

It achieved that status in 1978, when the newly-located museum was officially opened by President Patrick Hillery – as we shall see, he was a sailing man himself. But regardless of the passage of time, and even with the visionary and sympathetic re-purposing within, from the outside there’s no doubting this was originally a church, highly visible from all directions.

President Patrick Hillery with designer Billy Brown of Portaferry aboard the new Ruffian 23, which was making her debut at the 1976 Dun Laoghaire Boat Show. Two years later, President Hillary officially opened the newly-housed National Maritime Museum nearby in the former Mariner’s Church, by which time the Ruffian 23 class was becoming so popular as the latest long-lived Dublin Bay SC One-Design in Dun Laoghaire that in 2023 it has been playing a leading role in the Ruffian 23 International Golden Jubilee celebrations

In fact, it dominated the view from the harbour such that, back in the day, the crew of any Royal Navy vessel which happened to be anchored or moored in what was then Kingstown on a Sunday would be marched - in uniformed procession - from Traders’ Wharf to Morning Service, following which non-commissioned ranks would return to the ship, but officers might avail of the Sunday lunch options at the waterfront yacht clubs.

THE CHALLENGE OF RE-PURPOSING A CLASSIC CHURCH BUILDING

Traditional churches must be among the most focused buildings ever created. And as they always carry a whiff of their former consecration, the re-purposing of a classic church such as this has only a very narrow selection of options. Indeed, there are those who would argue that becoming the National Maritime Museum was the only acceptable option to give the building any future with which people could feel comfortable.

Certainly most of us find that the re-purposing of classic churches to become something like a restaurant, or even someone’s home, can have a slightly distasteful feeling to it. That said, at tonight’s ISORA silverfest in the National, they’ll fondly remember the late Dickie Richardson (1926-2015) of Holyhead, who brought ISORA into being 51 years ago, in 1972.

HEART OF OFFSHORE RACING IN A FORMER METHODIST CHAPEL

Dickie and his wife Elspeth made their second home in a former Methodist Chapel at Porth y Fellyn, that attractive secluded western end of Holyhead Harbour. But one of the reasons Methodism succeeded so well in Wales was because its Elders did not build their chapels to over-awe the nearby buildings and their occupants. On the contrary, they built them to fit in with the local vernacular street-scape, and thus Chez Richardson had no trouble in being re-purposed as the friendly and hospitable heart of real sailing in Holyhead.

Dickie Richardson (1926-2015) of Liverpool and Holyhead in 1972. The founding chairman in 1972 of ISORA succeeded - with his wife Elspeth - in converting a former Methodist chapel at Porth-y-Fellyn in west Holyhead into a hospitable family home. Photo: W M Nixon

Yet even with the Mariners Church’s suitable fit as the Museum, it has taken time for the general consciousness to become fully aware of the change. But in any case, all museums these days are having to re-think their contemporary relationship with the community they serve, and the Maritime Museum’s growing significance as the focus for contemporary events is something which was foreseen – or more accurately hoped for – by some of those visionaries who saw a new and very useful museum role for the de-consecrated church, and one of them was the ubiquitous Hal Sisk - he played key roles in both the new life for the Maritime Museum, and before that in the up-grading of what had been the Northwest Offshore Association to become ISORA.

The man who is everywhere – Hal Sisk in Dun Laoghaire with the historic schooner Atlantic in the background. His history of the 1870-founded Royal Alfred YC demonstrated the club’s pioneering role in promoting amateur sailing, he was involved in the early years of the Mariners Church in Dun Laoghaire becoming the National Maritime Museum, in 1971-72 he was a leading committee member in the NWOA becoming enlarged as ISORA, and currently he is much involved with Fionan de Barra in the revival of the Dublin Bay SC 21ft Class, which in 2024 will have their own designated line of moorings beside Dun Laoghaire’s East Pier off the National Yacht Club. Photo: W M Nixon

But now we’ve reached the happy stage of the Dun Laoghaire sailing community seeing the Museum as the natural location for any major social event which involves the members of all the harbour’s clubs, such as the launching of the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta or the annual distribution of the DBSC prizes. But equally there are more specialist events which lend themselves better to a clubhouse hosting, and the ISORA gathering in the National is something of a hot ticket.

DUBLIN BAY’S HOSPITABLE GOVERNING CLUB

Dublin Bay Sailing Club, on the other hand, has prided itself on being a club for everyone interested in all forms of sailing. Yet while it started in a very modest way in 1884, it developed with rocket-like speed to become the overall administrator of Dun Laoghaire racing. Within ten years of its founding, it was the harbour’s central authority for governing new One-Design classes, and less than twenty years after the very first DBSC race, it received the royal seal of approval, so to speak, when the Viceroy Lord Dudley joined the 1898-founded Dublin Bay 25 OD Class with his new boat Fodhla, built by James Doyle in what was then Kingstown.

The Seal of Royal Approval for DBSC – the Viceroy Lord Dudley threading several in-harbour needles with his new Dublin Bay 25 Fodhla to win a Kingstown regatta in 1902

You might think that this sort of direct involvement by those in power is now a long-lost relic of the rare old times. But under the state’s new management, we’ve seen the Sail Training Brigantine Asgard brought into being thanks to the somewhat unlikely combination - over time - of special efforts by Paddy Donegan and Charlie Haughey when they were in the role of Minister for Defence when their different parties were in power.

PRESIDENT HILLERY'S CALMING PRESENCE

But while both were personally seafaring enthusiasts, they could reasonably be described as representing the most colourful and contentious wings of their respective parties. So it was something of a relief for the more quiet-living section of the sailing community when the calming presence of President Hillery came with his new Ron Holland-designed Cork-built Club Shamrock Half Tonner Corcomroe to Dun Laoghaire, and entered into a friendly and long-standing agreement with leading Royal St George YC member Jack Craig to be his Sailing Master in the same way as – in the 1890s – Willie Jameson of the same club had been persuaded on board as Royal Sailing Master in the Prince of Wales’ mighty Watson-designed new cutter Britannia.

Thus President Hillery’s blessing in 1978 on the inauguration of the process of the Mariners Church becoming the National Maritime Museum carried weight. And it was preceded two years esrlier by his detailed visit to the newly-minted Ruffian 23 at the 1976 Dun Laoghaire Boat Show, so the celebration this year of the Golden Jubilee of the Ruffian 23 Class in Ireland and abroad – with Dun Laoghaire one of its continuing strongholds – is another example of Dublin Bay sailing going right to the top.

A light yet effective hand on the helm afloat and ashore – Tim Goodbody and his family’s contributions to sailing at many levels were recognised in two of the leading awards at last night’s DBSC prize-giving. Photo: Afloat.ie

But as it is a state of affairs which goes all the way back to the first Dun Laoghaire regatta of 1828, inevitably the end-of-season prize-giving roundup is a massively complex affair. And as with the racing afloat, it is a stress test for DBSC’s “standing army” of volunteers, led by Honorary Secretary Rosemary Roy.

Commodore Eddie Totterdell and his DBSC committee ahead of Friday night's packed annual prizegiving (below) in Dun Laoghaire's Maritime Museum Photos: Michael Chester

Thus we’ll highlight the premier awards, but getting to grips with the details of the new winners of the many other trophies can be a matter of personal study of the special DBSC Results below

DUBLIN BAY’S TOP PRIZE-WINNERS

Details of the DBSC Premier Awards 2023:

John Treanor and his victorious J112e Valentina Crew at the DBSC Prizegiving Photo: Michael Chester

The Dun Laoghaire Harbour Trophy

For the best new boat entered into DBSC Racing

Valentina. John Treanor

Tim and Richard Goodbody celebrate with the J109 White Mischief crew at the at the 2023 DBSC Prizegiving Photo: Michael Chester

The George Arthur Newsome Cup

For the most successful boat in one design racing

White Mischief. Tim Goodbody

The Waterhouse Shield

For the most successful boat in a handicap series

Windjammer. Lindsay Casey

The Dr. Alf Delany Memorial Cup

For the most successful Dinghy in the season

Orion. Noel Butler

The Brendan Ebril Memorial Cup

For the most successful boat that turns out week on week, not winning another trophy

Ruth. The Shanahan Family

The Viking Award

For selflessly giving of time and expertise for the betterment of the standard of sailing in Dublin Bay

Tim Goodbody.  for his support of DBSC and mainly for his work on course design for many years)

GOODBODY IN EVERY WAY

The prominence of the Goodbody clan and its Patriarch Tim Goodbody is so right and proper, as he’s a sailing genius both inshore and offshore - he was lead helm when the Dubois 40 Irish Independent was overall winner of the 1987 Fastnet Race and top scorer in that year’s Admiral’s Cup team. Yet he also is an exceptionally talented administrator, having been Commodore of the RAYC in its glory days when it led the sailing world with its innovative Heineken Super-League, he also found time to do his stint as Commodore Royal Irish YC, which is no sinecure, and yet he is happy to turn his talents to the most basic tasks, which for Dublin Bay SC was his massive input into the creation of challenging courses for racing within the relatively limited space which is available to the club.

The gang’s all here…..John Treanor’s new J/112E ValenTina took the DBSC’s Dun Laoghaire Harbour trophy for the best newcomer. Photo: Michael Chester

With the Royal Alfred YC now amalgamated into Dublin Bay SC, the key elements in the overall structure of the sailing for the entire membership of the four brick-and-mortar yacht clubs in Dun Laoghaire is unified, but the success in this arrangement is to be found in the strict restriction of DBSC’s remit to Dublin Bay sailing. This may seem so obvious as not to need clarification, but sometimes a hot-headed senior officer - having gained controls of the levers of power – will have a rush of blood to the head with ideas of geographic expansion.

In a year in which the great Liam Shanahan’s much-mourned death occurred at the age of 93, his family continued the tradition of keenly racing their award-winning J/109 Ruth. Photo: Afloat.ie/David O’Brien

However, after so many years of steady success, the DBSC administrators are well aware of the dictum that in order for the situation to stay the same, everything must quietly but steadily change. Thus traditionalists in DBSC are happy in the notion that their club is very directly still in the spirit established way back in 1884, yet those desiring innovation will – if their bright idea or new boat type is good – being quietly taken on board in the consistent yet ever-changing organization.

Former World Champion Noel Butler (in red) racing his RS Aero Orion to success and the DBSC Alf Delany Memorial Cup for 2023. Photo: Afloat.ie/David O’Brien

DUBLIN BAY DETAILS

With the nights closing in, an hour and more of a close study of all the DBSC results for 2023 proves to be an absorbing experience, and thanks to the steady collation of multiple reports by Hon.Sec. Rosemary Roy and her team, here they are in list form

2023	Citation	Trophies	Boat	Skipper
Premier Award	For the most successful new yacht in DBSC racing	DunLaoghaire Harbour Trophy	Valentina	John Treanor
Premier Award	For the most successful Dinghy for the season	Dr. Alf Delaney Cup	Orion	Noel Butler
Premier Award	For the most successful yacht in the Handicapped series	Waterhouse Shield	Windjammer	Lindsay Casey
Premier Award	For the most successful yacht in  One Design racing	George Arthur Newsom Cup	White Mischief	Tim & Richard Goodbody
Premier Award	For the most successful yacht frequently participated	Brendan Ebril Memorial Cup	Ruth	The Shanahan Family
Premier Award	For a notable contribution to Dublin Bay Sailing	The Viking Award	Tim Goodbody	Tim Goodbody
Combined Cruisers	Tuesdays		Hot Cookie	John O'Gorman
Cruiser 0	Series A Echo Thurs		D-Tox	Kyran McStay Paul Sherry
Cruiser 0	Series A Echo Sat		WOW	Tim Kane
Cruiser 0	Thursdays IRC Racing	Martin Cup	Prima Forte	Patrick Burke, Rigley Lemass
Cruiser 0	Thursdays Echo Racing	Knox-Gore Bowl	Prima Forte	Burke Fergus Rigley Lemass
Cruiser 0	Saturdays IRC Racing	Knox-Gore Trophy	Prima Forte	Burke Rigley Sean Lemass
Cruiser 0	Saturdays Echo Racing	Centenary Trophy	Prima Forte	Burke Rigley Lemass
Cruiser 1	Series A Echo Thurs		Ruth	The Shanahan Family
Cruiser 1	Thursdays IRC Racing	West Pier Officer's Cup	White Mischief	Richard & Tim Goodbody
Cruiser 1	Thursdays Echo Racing	Tiamat Trophy	Raptor	Denis Hewitt Paul Bradley
Cruiser 1	Saturdays IRC Racing	Weir Cup	White Mischief	Richard & Tim Goodbody
Cruiser 1	Saturdays Echo Racing	Osterburg Trophy	Bon Example	Colin Byrne
Cruiser 1	Thursdays Saturdays Overall J109	The Goodbody Cup	White Mischief	Richard & Timothy Goodbody
Cruisers 2	Series A Echo Sat		Peridot	Jim McCann, Yannick Charrier Paul Caden
Cruiser 2	Thursdays IRC Racing	Lady Shamrock Trophy	Alig8r	Brendan Foley
Cruiser 2	Thursdays Echo Racing	Centenary Cup	Alig8r	Brendan Foley
Cruiser 2	Saturdays IRC Racing	Silver Salver	Windjammer	Lindsay Casey
Cruiser 2	Saturdays Echo Racing	TP Early Memorial Cup	Windjammer	Lindsay Casey
Cruisers 2	Thursdays Saturdays Overall	The Brendan Briscoe Trophy	Windjammer	Lindsay Casey
Cruiser 2: Sigma	Thursdays Series A, B & Overall	JB Stephens Trophy	Rupert	Phillip & Richard Lovegrove
Cruiser 2: Sigma	Saturday  Series A, B & Overall	Rupert Bowl	Moonshine	Ronnie Moloney Fergus O Sullivan
				David O Flynn
Cruiser 3	Tuesdays ECHO Racing	(now) Whimbrel Rose Bowl	Jimmy Cricket	Mona Tyndall
Cruiser 3	Thursdays IRC Racing	Smalldridge Cup	Elient	Michal Matulka
Cruiser 3	Thursdays ECHO Racing	Annette Cup	Saki	Michael Ryan Ben Ryan Paget McCormack
Cruiser 3	Saturdays IRC Racing	Jack Kennedy Memorial Cup	Ceol Na Mara	Ed Melvin
Cruiser 3	Saturdays ECHO Racing	Mercia Cup	Wynward	Wyn McCormack Declan Collier
Cruiser 4	Thursdays & Saturdays IRC & overall	Trevor Wood	Boomerang   1367	Kirwan Family
Cruiser 5 a	Series A IRC Thurs		Persistence	Charles Broadhead
Cruisers 5 a	Series A Echo Thurs		Just Jasmine	Tim Costello Valda Boardman Walter Tyrrell
Cruisers 5 b	Series A Echo Thurs		Menapia	Patrick Madigan James McSweeney
Cruiser 5 a	Thursdays IRC Overall Div A	Burford Trophy	Playtime   2558	Johnnie Phillips Noel Kidney
Cruiser 5 a	Thursdays ECHO Overall Div A	Peigi Ban half model	Spirit	Colin O Brien Eamonn Gill
Cruiser 5 b	Thursdays ECHO Overall Div B	Galelleo Cup	Calypso	Howard Knott
Cruiser 5	Saturdays A and B IRC overall	White Sail Class Trophy	Playtime   2558	Johnnie Phillips, Noel Kidney
Cruiser 5	Saturdays A and B  ECHO  overall	Heineken Super League Cup	Deliverance	Pat Martin, Peter Richardson
B211	Tuesday ECHO Overall	Optec Trophy	Ventuno	Rowan Fogarty
B211	Thurs SCRATCH overall	Facet Jewellers Cup	Billy Whiz   2170	Jimmy Fischer Stafford Bagot
B211	Thursdays ECHO overall	Beneteau 21 Tray	Ventuno	Rowan Fogarty
B211	Saturdays SCRATCH overall	Beneteau 21 Cup	Billy Whiz   2170	Jimmy Fischer Stafford Bagot
B211	Saturdays ECHO overall	Jimmy Fischer Trophy	Ventuno	Rowan Fogarty
B211	Thurs/Sat Combined ECHO	Waterhouse Rose Bowl	Billy Whiz   2170	Jimmy Fischer Stafford Bagot
31.7	Series A Echo Sat		Extreme Reality	Nicholas Holman
31.7	Series B Echo Sat		Camira	Neil McSherry Brian Geraghty Ken Ryan
31.7	Thursday Racing Scratch	Feanor Trophy	Prospect	Chris Johnston
31.7	Thursday Racing Echo	Horrigan Cup	Kernach	Eoin O Driscoll
31.7	Saturday Racing Scratch	Arandora Trophy	Prospect	Chris Johnston
31.7	Saturday Racing Echo	Long John Silver Cup	Kernach	Eoin O Driscoll
Dragons	Thursday Racing	Oxford and Cambridge Cup	Phantom	Peter Bowring David Williams
Dragons	Saturday Racing	The Royal Irish Yacht Club Cup	Serafina	Ronan Murphy Alistair Kissane
Dragons	Combined Thursdays and Saturdays	Old Time Cup	Sir Ossis	Denis & Joseph Bergin
Glens	Tuesday Racing	Cut Glass Tumbler	Glenluce   67	Ailbe Millerick
Glens	Thursdays Racing	Pterodactyl Cup	Glendun   9	Alison O Brien Brian Denham David Houlton
Glens	Saturday Racing	Harry Maguire Memorial Cup	Glenluce	Ailbe Millerick
Glens	Thurs and Sats combined Combined	The McMullen Cup	Glenluce	Ailbe Millerick
Glens	Dalkey Island Race (Bobolink)	The HamiltonReid Cup	Glencoe	Rose Mary Craig
Glens	Crews Race	Mitchell Trophy	Glenluce	Ailbe Millerick
Ruffians	Tuesday  Racing	John Donnelly Perpetual Cup	Carmen	Brendan Duffy
Ruffians	Thursday Racing	Huet Trophy	Shannagh	Stephen Gill Padraig Mac Diarmada
Ruffians	Saturday Racing	British Airways Trophy	Ruffles	Michael Cutliffe
Ruffians	Thursdays and Saturdays combined	J.Lamont Trophy	Ruffles	Michael Cutliffe
Shipmans	Thursdays Series A		Jo Slim
Shipmans	Tuesday Racing	Cut Glass Tumbler	Gusto	Christine Heath
	Thursdays Series A & Overall	The Midweek Trophy	Twocan	David Freeman
Shipmans	Saturday Series B & Overall	The Melindi Cup	Invader
Shipmans	Thursdays and Saturdays combined	The Shipman Perpetual Trophy	Invader	Gerard Glynn
	Tuesday racing	The Equinox Trophy	Sneaky B	Charlotte O Kelly
SB20	Women on the water	tba	Sneaky B	Charlotte O Kelly
	Thursdays series A		Seabiscuit
SB20	Thursday Racing	The Crichton Cup	Carpe Diem	Colin Galavin Richard Hayes
SB20	Saturdays series A	Bealtaine Trophy	Leviathan	Tadgh Donnelly
SB20	Saturdays series B	Lunasa Rrophy	Black	James Gorman
SB20	Saturday Racing overall	Saturday SB20 Cup	Venues World	Ger Dempsey
Mixed Sportsboat	Thurs Series B & Sat Series B		Ram Jam	Austin Kenny
Mixed Sportsboat	Sat Series A		Sea Jade	Olivier Prouveur
Mixed Sportsboats	Tuesdays  Overall 8 Races	Cut Glass Tumbler	RS 21  291	Ciaran Georgieff
Mixed Sportsboats	Thursdays Overall 8 Races	Thursday Sportsboat Trophy	Big Bad Wolf	David Ryan
Mixed Sportsboats	Saturdays Overall 23 Races	Saturday Sportsboat Cup	Jambiya	Martin Ryan & Vincent Lattimore
Water Wags	Wednesday 1st Place	Goldsmith Cup	Puffin	Sean & Heather Craig
Water Wags	Wednesday 2nd Place	Bluebird Trophy	Moosmie	John O Driscoll
Water Wags	Wednesday 3rd Place	G.Pugin Meldon Trophy	Swift	Guy & Jackie Kilroy
Flying Fifteens	Thursdays Series A		Ffuzzy	Neil Colin
Flying Fifteens	Tuesdays		Snow White	Jill Fleming
Flying Fifteens	Thursday Racing	Flying Fifteen Gun	Mr Potato Head	Shane Mc Carthy
Flying Fifteens	Saturday Racing	Brian S Ryan Trophy	FOMO	David Gorman
Flying Fifteens	First in the Silver Fleet	Blake Cup	Rockaffellas	Adrian Cooper Joe McNamara
Flying Fifteens	Thursday Series A	Fifty Something Cup	Ffuzzy	Neil Colin Margaret Casey
Mermaid	Thursday  Racing	Stella Cup	Lively Lady	Geraldine O Neill Mick Hanney
Mermaid	Saturday Racing	Iolar Trophy	Jill	Pat Mangan Paul Smith
Mermaid	Thursday Racing(Special Conditions)	Amy Cup	Jill	Pat Mangan Paul Smith
Mermaid	Saturday Racing (Special Conditions)	J B Kearny Shield	Aideen	Dermot O Neill
Squibs	Thurs Series A & Sat Series B		Femme Fatale	Vincent Delaney
Squibs	Thursdays	Minx Trophy	Perequin	Noel Colclough
Squibs	Saturdays	Shannon Cup	Perequin	Noel Colclough
Dublin Bay 21s	Tuesdays	Daisey Picker Cup	Estelle	Sean Doyle
Dublin Bay 21s	Saturdays Overall	The Carson Challenge Cup	Garavogue	Fionan de Barra
Dublin Bay 21s	most success in 80% of races	The Inisfallon Cup		Hal Sisk. Most successful Skipper sailing all
				four boats in turn
Fireballs	Tuesdays	Nuit St. George Trophy	!4854	Cariosa Power
Fireballs	Saturdays	The Fireball Saturday Cup	14790	Paul ter Horst
IDRAs	Tuesdays Overall	Bay Cup	Dart	Pierre Long & family
IDRAs	Saturdays overall      28 Races	The Kennedy Cup	Dunmoaning	Frank Hamilton
IDRAs	Special Conditions	The Halfway Trophy	Chaos	Pam McKay
IDRAs	Special Conditions	Crews challenge Cup	Dart	Pierre Long & family
IDRAs	Special Conditions	Melampus Cup	Sapphire	Lorcan O Sullivan
PY Class	Tuesday Racing	Windmill Cup	Orion	Noel Butler
PY Class	Saturday Racing  27 races	Early Bird Trophy (re purposed)	Orion	Noel Butler
Laser Standard	Tuesday Racing	Lanavere Cup	Ug!	Ross O Leary
Laser Radial	Tuesdays	Sailcraft Tray Trophy	219126	Michael Norman
Laser Radial	Saturdays	Laser Saturday Trophy	219126	Michael Norman
Laser Radial	Tuesdays and Saturdays combined	DBSC Challenge Trophy	219126	Michael Norman
Juniors September series		Awarded to:-
PY Series	PY Junior Trophy	Alina Clarke NYC
Topper Series	Lawson Cup	Jamie Kirrane NYC
Optimist Series	Seapoint Cup	Jonathan Dempsey NYC
RS Feva Series	Mitchel Cup	Basile Dion Jacob Brown RSTGYC
Laser 4.7 Series	Jimmy Mooney Goblet	Conor Cronin RSTGYC
Laser Radial	tba	Sam Legge

 

ISORA SATURDAY NIGHT CONVIVIALITY

It’s in the best traditions of offshore racing’s proclivity for post-race conviviality that the Irish Sea overall results come to us as the menu for tonight’s ISORA dinner in the National YC. But with a sometimes convoluted history that goes back through several developing organisations to the channel matches of the late 1800s, inevitably some names veer slightly off course.

The mood of the ISORA prize-giving dinner in the National YC is well captured in this photo of Michael Boyd (at that time RORC Commodore) with champion Vicky Cox of Pwllheli, co-skipper of Mojito

RIPPLE EFFECT

Thus it takes an old hand of NWOA racing to realise that somewhere along the line, the “Ripple Cruising Club” emerged mistakenly from the Ribble Cruising Club, which since 1950 has been sailing on, and cruising from, the muddy waters of the River Ribble Estuary at Lytham in Lancashire. But as it was only seriously active on the offshore racing scene back in the early days of ISORA and before that in the early days of the Northwest Offshore Association and the Mersey & North Wales Joint Offshore Committee, it is now up there in lights as the Ripple Cruising Club Cup, won for the Class 2 Championship by Mark Thompson’s Jac y Do from the Welsh side.

ISORA’s 2023 results sheet

VIKING MARINE TROPHY

ISORA’s Viking Marine Irish Coastal series was one of the many trophies taken by Paul O’Higgins’ JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI (Royal Irish YC) racing in Class 0 - Rockabill also went on to successfully defend the overall trophy, challenged right to the end by Class 1 champions Vicky Cox and Peter Dunlop’s immaculate J/09 Mojito from Pwllheli SC, which also won Plas Heili Welsh Coastal series.

ISORA included the well-supported NYC Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race, which despite being raced in the 2023 summer’s supposedly only good weather month of June, is recalled as having been tough and cold if you were slugging it out towards Dingle.

Paul O’Higgins’s JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI (Royal Irish YC) successfully defended the ISORA overall title, but only by winning the concluding race in September

It was won by visiting American Cookson 50 Privateer (Ron O’Hanley), with Kinsale’s dynamic duo of Cian McCarthy & Sam Hunt racing two-handed in the Sun Fast 3300 Cinnamon Girl coming second, so the first ISORA boat to make the listings was Pete Smyth’s Sun Fast 3600 Searcher from Dun Laoghaire.

Finally, ISORA’s Pen Maen Plate (named for Pwllheli’s historic manor house of Penmaen, home of that heroically hospitable Welsh offshore racing enthusiast the late Anthony Jones) is for the member who best exemplified the spirit of ISORA in 2023. It was Sam Hall who was most personally was responsible for the vintage J/125 Jackknife (which he co-owns with his father Andrew) somehow appearing everywhere.

Only a slip of a boat, but she certainly gets about. The Hall family’s very special J/125 Jackknife from Pwllheli

This was exemplified by the Middle Sea Race from Malta in late October, when Jacknife successfully found herself in a head-to-head with Conor Doyle’s xP50 Freya from Kinsale. They were both well into the top of their class, but at the finish it was Jackknife which was leading this particular duel, spreading the word that in its 52nd season, ISORA is still very much a force to be reckoned with. And who knows, but in these health-aware times, we might actually see some dancing when Dead Ringers start to do their thing tonight, but back in the olden days when ISORA came into being, a dinner dance was usually described as “Drinking to Music”.

Friendships across the sea – ISORA is all about cross-channel camaraderie, and here, current Chairman Peter Ryan of Dun Laoghaire is helming the Pwllheli-based J/109 Mojito in the Fastnet Race

Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI rescued a swimmer who got into difficulty at The Forty Foot bathing area yesterday (Sunday 15 October). The volunteer crew were requested to assist the swimmer after she got caught in a current and was drifting close to a rocky outcrop.

The crew were alerted at 2.05 pm by the Irish Coast Guard that a casualty was struggling to swim ashore, being pulled by the current and drifting around the back of the 40 Foot and out of sight. Their swimming partner had made it ashore moments earlier to call 999 and ask for the Coast Guard. The inshore lifeboat Joval was launched within five minutes, helmed by Andrew Sykes, with volunteer crew members Gary Hayes and Ailbhe Smith aboard, and made best speed to reach the scene by 2.14pm.

Weather conditions were calm at the time with rippled water, however, sea temperatures were considerably lower than those recently.

Some quick-thinking bystanders threw a life ring to a group of kayakers in the water who threw the ring onwards to the swimmer to keep her afloat until the lifeboat arrived. The crew rescued the swimmer from the sea and brought her ashore to safety and into the care of waiting Dun Laoghaire Coast Guard unit, where, although very cold and tired with minor cuts and scrapes from the rocks, she did not require medical attention.

Speaking following the call out, Dun Laoghaire RNLI helm Andrew Sykes said: ‘It was fortunate that the life ring was in position on shore, and we would like to wish the casualty well and commend her partner and the bystanders for raising the alarm and responding safely.

‘We would encourage swimmers to never go alone and to always make sure that their activity is monitored by a colleague. Consider wearing a bright-coloured swim cap and carrying a mobile phone in a waterproof pouch. Conditions can change in a very short time, so we all need to be aware of potential risks and be well prepared before entering the water. Should you get into difficulty or see someone else in trouble, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.’

It seems the sailing world has “recovered from recovering from the pandemic lockdowns”, as the world’s year-round programme of major events – particularly high-profile offshore challenges – swings back into top gear. Not that some of these events didn’t somehow continue in certain places, but because of differing restrictions in different countries, some entries were precluded from travelling to participate in other jurisdictions, a situation that inevitably caused friction.

But memories of any unpleasantness are fading as new events try to find their place on the international stage. Yet with some international majors already through their Centenary, it takes a lot of doing, and then some, to establish your new place in the sun among the existing pillars of the fixtures list.

THE “FAMOUS FIVE” RACE TO AUCKLAND

Thus, there was some excitement a couple of months ago when the new Sydney-Auckland Race was announced by Australia’s Royal Prince Alfred YC, partly to find a worthy use for the club’s historic and prized Lipton Cup. But although something like twenty boats filed expressions of interest, when the 1,300-mile race started this morning in Sydney Harbour, the entry was just five boats.

Once upon a time, she was Eamonn Conneely’s TP52 Patches. But now she is Mike Martin’s Frantic, and she sails today in the new Trans-Tasman Sydney-Auckland race

It seems that as far as the Australian sailors and their public are concerned, their limited portion of sailing interest is consumed by the annual Sydney-Hobart Race at Christmas, the yearly betting-dominated battles of the Sydney Harbour 18 footers, and occasionally the America’s Cup if there’s Australian involvement.

And from a practical angle, you can see that where Sydney-Hobart Race participation can take less than a week all in, racing to the distant wilds of New Zealand – always an iffy business for an Australian in any case – is much more time-consuming when you add in having to get your boat back again across the temperamental Tasman Sea.

CLONTARF INVOLVEMENT

But as former Clontarf sailor Trevor Smyth – brother of Nicky and Pete, who are currently cutting the mustard with the Dun Laoghaire fleets – is racing to Auckland on Mick Martin’s TP52 Frantic, we have a specific interest in the outcome, increased if anything by the fact that Frantic was formerly Eamon Conneelly’s multi-successful Patches.

By the time they get to Auckland, Valetta in Malta will be a-buzz with the buildup to the Rolex Middle Sea Race, starting in a fortnight’s time With an entry of 109 boats with Conor Doyle’s 50ft Freya from Kinsale involved again after ORC success last year, and including some serious maxis, it’s holding up well.

That’s even though the 2021 staging of this annual classic is still a matter of some disgruntlement, as the prizes list was amended when the Maltese Coastguard came down heavily against the latter half of the fleet being permitted to even try to finish in Grand Harbour when a forecast severe northeasterly gale threatened to make the entrance extra-hazardous.

Maxis and Super-Maxis racing out of the entrance to Valetta Harbour. The threat of a severe nor’easterly in 2021 made this entrance potentially hazardous, and the Middle Sea Race times had to be adjusted to accommodate non-finishing boats

The subsequent re-jigging of the times deprived Tom Kneen’s JPK 11.80 Sunrise of a remarkable double – first overall in both the 2021 Fastnet and the 2021 Middle Sea – but right now the thoughts of the organisers should be inclining towards a very different problem.

MIDDLE SEA RACE HEADING FOR TROUBLED WATERS?

For the most southerly turning point in the Middle Sea Race is the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa. Until the Middle Sea Race brought this very special outpost of European civilisation centre stage, many of us only knew of Lampedusa as the ancestral home of Guiseppe Tomasini di Lampedusa, author of that magnificent novel The Leopard - reading it at least a couple of times helped many of us to get through the lockdowns.

But now for much of the world, Lampedusa is synonymous with some of the worst tragedies of the Mediterranean refugee crisis. The very thought of a yacht race. with a fleet including superyachts, using it as no more than a mark of their race-course makes for dreadful optics. Yet what else are the organisers to do? In times past, getting over those later stages to Lampedusa and back up to Malta has seen the race won and lost.

A recently-issued image of the course for the 606-mile Rolex Middle Sea Race, with Lampedusa the most southerly turning point, but somehow Africa has disappeared

So it simply wouldn’t be the Middle Sea Race without this now-tragic little place being a major turning mark of the time-honoured course. Thus the Royal Malta faces an unenviable quandary, as they’re damned if they do and damned if they don’t, caught between those who think that Lampedusa should be left out this time round as a mark of respect, and those who reckon that it’s in human nature that life must go on.

HAVE OFFSHORE RACERS TUNNEL VISION?

For many offshore racers are decidedly tough-thinking and ultra-focused types, who see a coastline only as somewhere to be raced along, rather than as places where people’s existences are lived out in all their sometimes tragic complexity.

Thus when the important marina offices at Falmouth Harbour in Antigua burnt down the other day just as the Caribbean sailing season is gearing up to swing into its busiest season, the powers-that-be wasted no time in assuring everybody that this local disaster would have no adverse effect on the annual staging of the RORC Caribbean 600 Race in February. So that’s all right then.

Antigua Yacht Club Marina offices burned down last Monday night

Starting pressures in the RORC Caribbean 600 Race, with crowded English Harbour and Nelson’s Dockyard in the background. The race will proceed in February 2024 despite the marina building at Falmouth Harbour next door being burnt down

GOOD NEWS FROM GREYSTONES

On a more cheerful note, the news that Pamela Lee of Greystones (though now based in France) has secured sponsorship from DFDS and Brittany Ferries for a two-handed Open 40 entry in the Transat Jacques Vabre from Le Havre to Martinique on October 29th scores high in many ways. She’s the first Irish female skipper to make the breakthrough, and she does so from a position of increasing strength, as the record two-handed Round Ireland time of 3 days 19 hours 41 minutes she set in October 2020 with Catherine Hunt in the Figaro 3 Iarracht Maigenta looks better and better with every passing month.

Pamela Lee (right) and shipmate Tiphaine Raganeau celebrate racing success aboard their Open 40

We’ll still be digesting the outcome of the Jacques Vabre when the Sydney-Hobart Race gets going on December 26th, a welcome relief from the Yuletide smother. As ever, Irish interest will first focus on which boat - if any - our own ex-Pat sailing superstar Gordon Maguire is racing. It’s particularly intriguing, as he raced this year’s Fastnet in Sean Langman of Sydney’s gaff-rigged Maluka, and got onto the podium in Class IV. But his exceptional talents would make him welcome in most boats in the healthy turnout.

Maluka launching into Cork Harbour, on her way to competing in the Fastnet Race 2023 with Sean Langman and Gordon Maguire leading the crew

2024 SHAPING UP TO BE SAILING’S “SUPERYEAR”

Thus there’s plenty of major sailing to carry us into 2024, but getting through 2024 with proper attention to every aspect of sailing is going to take some doing, as it’s filled with starred global events. European venues are particularly busy, as the 2024 Sailing Olympics are at Marseille in France from 28th July to 8th August, while just along the coast at Barcelona, they’re making a real meal of the 37th America’s Cup, as its various permutations will see action afloat from August 22nd until October 20th.

Olympic qualifier Finn Lynch at home in the ILCA 7. This weekend he’s a marked man racing Mermaids at Foynes in the Championship of Champions

For the Olympics, Finn Lynch has already secured his place for Ireland in the ILCA 7 class, which makes him something of a marked man in the multi-class Championship of Champions being raced in Mermaids at Foynes this weekend. But it will be edge-of-seat testing on the international stage for Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove to see if they can grab a final place in the 49ers, with the tension usually being maintained right into April.

INCREASING LATE SEASON PRESSURE ON DUN LAOGHAIRE

All of this taking place elsewhere should leave us with a relatively relaxed established programme in Ireland, but recent announcements show that it might be anything but relaxed. We’ll have the Round Ireland Race from Wicklow on Saturday, 22nd June, and then Volvo Cork Week from July 15th to 19th to leave a useful gap to get on further west for Calves Week in Schull which – if tradition is followed – should be from Tuesday, August 6th to Friday, August 9th.

The inaugural Key Yachting J Cup Ireland in August 2023, with forty boats in all, was the successful introduction of a new event

But there’ll be little relaxation among the organising classes after that, as the ICRA Nationals 2024 are scheduled for the Royal Irish Yacht Club on the weekend of August 30th-September 1st, the Key Yachting J-Cup Ireland 2024 is at the same host club on September 7-8th, and then on 10th to 15th September the IRC Europeans 2024 descend on Dun Laoghaire, an event which has the potential to be very big indeed.

THE YEAR WHEN IRELAND WAS REJECTED

We shall see. At least it’s a bit different from 1972, when the escalation of the Troubles in the north led to the RORC abruptly cancelling the scheduled RORC Cowes to Cork Race, and staging a Cowes to Santander Race instead.

Denis Doyle’s Robert Clark-designed and Crosshaven-built “White Moonduster” racing in the 1969 Fastnet. Three years later, she was obliged to race to Spain when Cork had been originally intended

This was more than brutal for Denis Doyle, as he was a flag officer of both the RORC and the Royal Cork. But as ever the gentleman, he raced his 47ft white Moonduster with good grace to Spain with the RORC fleet, and as usual Mary went on ahead to greet her husband and his crew when they reached the Real Club Maritimo de Santander.

Sure enough, there she was, fragrant and bright and cheerful as ever in her best summer frock. But she wasn’t waving a greeting from the club balcony. On the contrary, she was standing beside its still-smoking ruins, as the Basque separatists had seen fit to blow it up.

“Mary Doyle” called the skipper of Moonduster as the boat glided in engineless elegance towards the allotted berth. “Mary Doyle, I know you were very annoyed about them racing to Spain instead of Cork. But is that not going a bit too far?”

The Real Club Maritimo in Santander. The club was founded in 1927, but this clubhouse dates from the 1970s

Dún Laoghaire Harbour has marked a significant milestone as it welcomed its 100,000th cruise passenger, Melinda Berk from New York, who arrived on the Norwegian Dawn Cruise Ship.

To celebrate the occasion, Melinda was presented with a hamper of gifts, including a beautifully crafted wooden replica of the harbour. She was warmly greeted by Councillor Denis O’Callaghan, Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and the Dún Laoghaire Harbour Team.

Melinda Berk from New York is welcomed to Dún Laoghaire Harbour as the 100,000th cruise liner passenger by Councillor Denis O’Callaghan, Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council

The cruise industry is a significant contributor to the Irish economy, providing between €50-70 million per year, with €10-15m per year going to local economies, such as Dún Laoghaire. The Harbour has been working hard to maximize the benefit of cruise ship visits to the local area. Efforts have included extensive branding, a dedicated tourism office catering specifically to cruise ship passengers, and partnerships with the local business community and the DLR Chamber of Commerce.

Dún Laoghaire Harbour has welcomed 65 cruise ships in the current year alone, with an additional 20 expected in the coming weeks, bringing the total to 85 for the 2023 season. This marks a significant increase of 20 ships from last year, and nearly 100 ships are expected in 2024. Councillor Denis O’Callaghan said, "It is important that we showcase our local attractions to these visitors."

Frank Curran, CEO of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, said, "The team at Dún Laoghaire Harbour is committed to continuing their efforts to enhance the experience for cruise ship passengers and to drive economic growth in the region. With its breathtaking natural scenery and cultural heritage, Dún Laoghaire offers an unforgettable experience for all who visit."

A group of swimmers were rescued by Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI this morning near Dalkey Island on Dublin Bay.

The crew was on a training exercise in the station’s inshore lifeboat when they were alerted to an incident unfolding at Dalkey Island. The swimmers had become separated from their main group, and upon reaching shore, became concerned for their friends who had not returned.

A passing Dive Support RIB was flagged down and alerted the Coast Guard, who promptly tasked Dun Laoghaire’s inshore lifeboat. All swimmers were accounted for, and the remaining swimmers were brought safely ashore and assessed by ambulance crews.

This was the first callout for volunteer crew member Andrew Sykes, who had recently passed out as a Helm at Dun Laoghaire RNLI for the station’s Inshore lifeboat. Andrew joined the station at the age of 18 and has worked his way up to the senior position of lifeboat Helm after six years on the lifeboat crew.

Dun Laoghaire RNLI Deputy Launch Authority Dara Totterdell urged all swimmers to keep safety in mind, advising them to know the area they are swimming in, watch the tides and the sea state, have an agreed plan, and know their limits. The RNLI’s Float to Live campaign recommends anyone in difficulty to float on their back if in trouble and never hesitate to call for help.

“We would encourage anyone planning a water-based activity to be wary of sea temperatures and to wear a wetsuit as hypothermia can set in within minutes,” Totterdell said. “If you see someone who may be in trouble in the water, raise the alarm immediately and call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard. Time is always of the essence in these situations.”

The volunteer lifeboat crew of Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI has been kept busy over the past week, responding to ten calls for assistance from the Dublin Bay area.

The Coast Guard sought the help of the Inshore and All Weather lifeboats for incidents ranging from stricken craft to people in distress on the water.

The crew responded to calls from both the lifeboat station and their homes and businesses, launching in less than nine minutes to attend to the emergencies. The variety of callouts included broken down boats, fuel shortages, entangled sails, stranded fishermen, and walkers cut off by the tide at Sandymount strand. The crew provided assistance to the casualties and ensured their safe return to shore.

Dun Laoghaire RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager Ed Totterdell expressed his appreciation for the dedication of the volunteer crew. "Behind every call out, no matter how minor or major, is a person in difficulty and unsure of what to do to get themselves to safety. We have a fantastic team of volunteers here who train for every type of call out and will look after people when something goes wrong on the water."

Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI inshore lifeboat

As summer weather continues, Totterdell reminds water enthusiasts to prepare for emergencies with basic safety measures. He advises ensuring the seaworthiness of boats and engines, having enough fuel for the trip, wearing lifejackets or flotation devices, and informing someone on shore of their plans. He also encourages carrying a means of communication, such as a VHF radio, and knowing how to dial 999 or 112 to reach the Coast Guard.

Rescue services rescued a man from off Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Sunday afternoon (August 13th).

Coastguard Rescue Helicopter 116, Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI, the local Coastguard unit, and nearby pleasure craft were all involved in rescuing a man 'treading water' in Scotsman's Bay. 

Coastguard Rescue Helicopter 116 - operating over Dun Laoghaire in the search and rescue of a man in the water in the south of Dublin Bay Photo: Afloat

After a search that began at Sandycove Point and the Forty Foot Bathing Place, local yachts and Rescue 116 located the man in the middle of Scotsman's Bay, who was retrieved from the water by Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI's inshore lifeboat.

The lifeboat requested an ambulance to meet it on its return to the Harbour with the casualty.

New ship fender installation is underway at Dun Laoghaire Harbour's Carlisle Pier. 

The installation of nine new fenders supported on tubular piles will increase the capacity and flexibility of the quay for berthing a range of vessels which moor at the Harbour.

These visitors to 'berth number three' include Navy ships, cruise liners, wind farm service and research vessels, beam trawlers and visiting superyachts. 

The project requires the demolition and removal of three existing concrete buttresses and steel fender collars. 

It is a busy time for upgrading the 200-year-old harbour as the fender installation occurs as separate €2m works are underway to the revetement at the back of town's East Pier.

The works follow extensive repairs since 2018, when Storm Emma caused serious damage to the East Pier.

Due to strong winds, Sunday's (July 2) classic boat/yacht parade at Dun Laoghaire Harbour was cancelled this afternoon.

This event was arranged in association with Dun Laoghaire's Coastival Festival, a week-long series of events and activities that culminates in the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

Sailing classes that were planning to participate included iconic Dublin designs - Water Wags, Dublin Bay 21s, IDRA 14s, Mermaids, and Glens.

Event organiser Hal Sisk says the parade will be rescheduled.

Other inaugural Coastival events did survive today's strong gusts, including the kite flying festival to the east of the harbour on Newstownswmith Green, where expert kiters gave workshops on kite aerodynamics and design.

A Kite Zone featuring stunt kites, large static kites and tournaments hosted by Francois and the Pure Magic team. During the Coastival event at Dun Laoghaire, master kite flyers demonstrated their skills and creations 

A €2M repair project to Dun Laoghaire's East Pier Revetment (the concrete slope behind the East Pier) commenced on 19th June, and works there will continue for approximately 16 weeks.

As Afloat reported previously, this important repair scheme to the 200-year-old harbour is funded by the Brexit Adjustment Local Authority Marine Infrastructure Scheme 2022-2023.

Access to the revetment behind the pier will be closed off from the Bandstand to the Lighthouse Battery throughout this project.

The €2M repair project to Dun Laoghaire's East Pier focuses on the Revetment or the concrete slope behind the East Pier

The works follow extensive repairs since 2018, when Storm Emma caused serious damage to the East Pier.

Also pictured by Afloat in 2018 was damage to the stonework of the town's West Pier roundheads. There are growing fears that this surface damage may indicate further damage undermining the structure of the pier roundhead.

The current works are being undertaken by Mayo-based Cunnigham Civil and Marine, who have carried out extensive work on Ireland's islands and lighthouses.