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Displaying items by tag: Storm Debi

Galway Bay Sailing Club (GBSC) has shared with Afloat.ie photos of before and after its clean-up operation following the devastation caused by Storm Debi last week.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, some 20 boats and dinghies parked at the club were seriously damaged or destroyed during the storm on Monday (13 November).

And the juniors bore the brunt of the storm, with the club lamenting that their fleets “have been wiped out”.

After removing the damaged boats | Credit: Pierce PurcellAfter removing the damaged boats | Credit: Pierce Purcell

For one senior member now based in the US, John Buckley, it brought back memories of Hurricane Debbie in 1961 and its own trail of destruction.

On Saturday morning (18 November) some 50 club members turned up with their families to clear the wreckage and get boats home to start the repair and replacements lists.

GBSC Commodore Johnny Shorten and Vice-Commodore Pat Irwin praised the members coming to the rescue and said they are determined to get the place sorted. They are currently involved completing a building programme to enhance the training facilities and equipment storage sheds.

Published in Galway Harbour

Blackrock Diving Tower in Galway’s Salthill has been closed due to damage wrought by Storm Debi.

Galway City Council says it will remain closed “until damage is assessed and repairs are complete”.

Galway city and county sustained both flooding, power cuts and structural damage in the storm, with boats being thrown up on a pier at the Claddagh in the city.

The Pier Head Bar in Kinvara, well known to sailors, was forced to close, while a number of businesses in Clarenbridge and in Oranmore on the south side of the bay were also severely damaged.

The city’s Local Coordination Group (Galway City Council, HSE, An Garda Síochána and the Fire Services)confirmed on Monday evening that all roads in the city are now open, with the exception of Silver Strand, which will open on Tuesday.

“Many thanks to the public for their cooperation and to our crews for their work on the ground today. Thanks to all from the HSE, An Garda Síochána, Uisce Éireann, the Civil Defence, the Harbour Master, and the Fire Service,” the city council said in a statement.

Published in Galway Harbour
Tagged under

In an update on Storm Debi, Galway City Council has warned of flooding, overtopping, damage to exposed and vulnerable structures, disruption to services and transport, power outages, and fallen trees/ branches.

A red weather alert has been issued by Met Éireann for 14 counties, including Galway,ahead of Storm Debi.

Galway’s local co-ordination group meets at 7am on Monday to review the impact of the storm, but has already put a number of measures in place from Sunday night.

Salthill promenade from Threadneedle road roundabout to Galway Business School will be closed, as will Silverstrand road and a section of the Rosshill road until the red warning is lifted.

Ballyloughane Road (beach) remains open, but road users are advised to avoid the area during the red weather alert, the city council says.

Motorists are advised to remove cars from car parks at Salthill, Tofts, Silverstrand and Ballyloughane Beach. Toft and Salthill carparks are closed to the public.

Sandbags have been placed at the Tourist kiosk in Salthill; Claddagh Hall; Galway Fire Station at Fr Burke Road; the Spanish Arch; and the Galway Docks area beside the pedestrian crossing (St Nicholas Street).

A red wind warning for Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, Clare, East Galway and South Roscommon will be in place from 2am until 5am.

Another separate red wind warning will be in place for Dublin, Kildare, Laois, Louth, Meath, Wicklow, Offaly, and Westmeath from 5am to 8am.

Published in Weather
Tagged under

Met Éireann has issued a Status Red wind warning for counties Clare, Galway, Roscommon, Offaly, Westmeath for Monday (13 November) with the arrival of Storm Debi.

And a Status Orange warning will be in effect on and off the East Coast from counties Wexford to Down, with a Status Yellow warning for the rest of the island of Ireland’s coastline.

Met Éireann’s weather warning states that conditions will be “extremely gusty on Sunday night and Monday due to Storm Debi with potential danger to life”.

Possible impacts include damage to exposed and vulnerable structures; disruption to services and transport; significant power outages; and fallen trees/branches.

High winds — reaching as much as violent storm Force 11 from Mizen Head to Valentia to Slyne Head — will be accompanied by heavy rain with a chance of embedded thunderstorms and hail.

In addition, a small craft warning is in effect from 11pm on Sunday (11 November) until late on Tuesday (14 November) as south-easterly winds veering south-westerly will reach Force 6 or higher.

Waterways Ireland advises masters and owners of vessels on the inland waterways not to undertake unnecessary journeys and to check mooring lines regularly throughout this period.

Waterways users are advised that jetties and quay walls may be slippery due to the heavy rainfall. Additional precautions should be taken when operating on or near water during Storm Debi.

Published in Weather

Royal St. George Yacht Club

The Royal St George Yacht Club was founded in Dun Laoghaire (then Kingstown) Harbour in 1838 by a small number of like-minded individuals who liked to go rowing and sailing together. The club gradually gathered pace and has become, with the passage of time and the unstinting efforts of its Flag Officers, committees and members, a world-class yacht club.

Today, the ‘George’, as it is known by everyone, maybe one of the world’s oldest sailing clubs, but it has a very contemporary friendly outlook that is in touch with the demands of today and offers world-class facilities for all forms of water sports

Royal St. George Yacht Club FAQs

The Royal St George Yacht Club — often abbreviated as RStGYC and affectionately known as ‘the George’ — is one of the world’s oldest sailing clubs, and one of a number that ring Dublin Bay on the East Coast of Ireland.

The Royal St George Yacht Club is based at the harbour of Dun Laoghaire, a suburban coastal town in south Co Dublin around 11km south-east of Dublin city centre and with a population of some 26,000. The Royal St George is one of the four Dun Laoghaire Waterfront Clubs, along with the National Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC) and Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC).

The Royal St George was founded by members of the Pembroke Rowing Club in 1838 and was originally known as Kingstown Boat Club, as Kingstown was what Dun Laoghaire was named at the time. The club obtained royal patronage in 1845 and became known as Royal Kingstown Yacht Club. After 1847 the club took on its current name.

The George is first and foremost an active yacht club with a strong commitment to and involvement with all aspects of the sport of sailing, whether racing your one design on Dublin Bay, to offshore racing in the Mediterranean and Caribbean, to junior sailing, to cruising and all that can loosely be described as “messing about in boats”.

As of November 2020, the Commodore of the Royal St George Yacht Club is Peter Bowring, with Richard O’Connor as Vice-Commodore. The club has two Rear-Commodores, Mark Hennessy for Sailing and Derek Ryan for Social.

As of November 2020, the Royal St George has around 1,900 members.

The Royal St George’s burgee is a red pennant with a white cross which has a crown at its centre. The club’s ensign has a blue field with the Irish tricolour in its top left corner and a crown towards the bottom right corner.

Yes, the club hosts regular weekly racing for dinghies and keelboats as well as a number of national and international sailing events each season. Major annual events include the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta, hosted in conjunction with the three other Dun Laoghaire Waterfront Clubs.

Yes, the Royal St George has a vibrant junior sailing section that organises training and events throughout the year.

Sail training is a core part of what the George does, and training programmes start with the Sea Squirts aged 5 to 8, continuing through its Irish Sailing Youth Training Scheme for ages 8 to 18, with adult sail training a new feature since 2009. The George runs probably the largest and most comprehensive programme each summer with upwards of 500 children participating. This junior focus continues at competitive level, with coaching programmes run for aspiring young racers from Optimist through to Lasers, 420s and Skiffs.

 

The most popular boats raced at the club are one-design keelboats such as the Dragon, Shipman 28, Ruffian, SB20, Squib and J80; dinghy classes including the Laser, RS200 and RS400; junior classes the 420, Optimist and Laser Radial; and heritage wooden boats including the Water Wags, the oldest one-design dinghy class in the world. The club also has a large group of cruising yachts.

The Royal St George is based in a Victorian-style clubhouse that dates from 1843 and adjoins the harbour’s Watering Pier. The clubhouse was conceived as a miniature classical Palladian Villa, a feature which has been faithfully maintained despite a series of extensions, and a 1919 fire that destroyed all but four rooms. Additionally, the club has a substantial forecourt with space for more than 50 boats dry sailing, as well as its entire dinghy fleet. There is also a dry dock, four cranes (limit 12 tonnes) and a dedicated lift=out facility enabling members keep their boats in ready to race condition at all times. The George also has a floating dock for short stays and can supply fuel, power and water to visitors.

Yes, the Royal St George’s clubhouse offers a full bar and catering service for members, visitors and guests. Currently the bar is closed due to Covid-19 restrictions.

The Royal St George boathouse is open daily from 9.30am to 5.30pm during the winter. The office and reception are open Tuesdays to Fridays from 10am to 5pm. The bar is currently closed due to Covid-19 restrictions. Lunch is served on Wednesdays and Fridays from 12.30pm to 2.30pm, with brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 3pm.

Yes, the Royal St George regularly hosts weddings and family celebrations from birthdays to christenings, and offers a unique and prestigious location to celebrate your day. The club also hosts corporate meetings, sailing workshops and company celebrations with a choice of rooms. From small private meetings to work parties and celebrations hosting up to 150 guests, the club can professionally and successfully manage your corporate requirements. In addition, team building events can utilise its fleet of club boats and highly trained instructors. For enquiries contact Laura Smart at [email protected] or phone 01 280 1811.

The George is delighted to welcome new members. It may look traditional — and is proud of its heritage — but behind the facade is a lively and friendly club, steeped in history but not stuck in it. It is a strongly held belief that new members bring new ideas, new skills and new contacts on both the sailing and social sides.

No — members can avail of the club’s own fleet of watercraft.

There is currently no joining fee for new members of the Royal St George. The introductory ordinary membership subscription fee is €775 annually for the first two years. A full list of membership categories and related annual subscriptions is available.

Membership subscriptions are renewed on an annual basis

Full contact details for the club and its staff can be found at the top of this page

©Afloat 2020

RStGYC SAILING DATES 2024

  • April 13th Lift In
  • May 18th & 19th Cannonball Trophy
  • May 25th & 26th 'George' Invitational Regatta
  • July 6th RSGYC Regatta
  • August 10th & 11th Irish Waszp National Championships
  • August 22- 25th Dragon Irish National Championships / Grand Prix
  • Aug 31st / Sept 1st Elmo Trophy
  • September 6th End of Season Race
  • September 7th & 8th Squib East Coast Championships
  • September 20th - 22nd SB20 National Championships
  • September 22nd Topper Ireland Traveller Event
  • October 12th Lift Out

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