#LambayRace - Howth Yacht Club’s annual Lambay Race, which goes back at least as far as 1904 and maybe even further, is set to make the best of the current spell of summer weather this Saturday 4 June, writes WM Nixon.
A comprehensive programme with sponsorship from Davy Group will see upwards of a hundred keelboats of all shapes and sizes being catered for in a variety of courses all of which take in the historic island.
Despite being within a dozen miles of Dublin city centre, Lambay continues to have one of the most perfectly unspoilt coastlines anywhere in Ireland.
For the classic Howth 17s of 1898 vintage, the traditional course will be provided, starting from a shore line at the end of the East Pier, and sailing through the sound inside Ireland’s Eye before going on north to round Lambay. A similar start and course will also be provided for other classics and old gaffers.
For more modern boats, racing will be provided in Howth’s unrivalled main sailing area between Ireland’s Eye and Lambay, but although proper windward starts and several angles of sailing will be provided on multiple legs, here too the fleet will at some stage round Lambay.
The race schedule – which sees the first pier starts at 11.30am, and the Committee Boat starts north of Ireland’s Eye from 12 noon onwards – will be shaped to have the fleet finished well within time to enjoy a very full hospitality programme including barbecues, live music and entertainment far into the night.
And at some stage the famous Lambay Lady trophy will be awarded to the winning boat which has the largest margin between her time and that of the second boat in her class.