Those of us who have found it challenging enough to get a sailing dinghy with a purpose-designed road trailer into a road-ready and race-ready condition was in awe this week of the achievements of Aongus Ó Cualáin of Connemara and his team with their Galway Hooker at the Old Gaffers’ Dublin Bay Diamond Jubilee Regatta last Saturday.
Their gleoiteog mor Blat na hOige is a lot of boat to be transporting right across Ireland on a slightly-modified lorry. But as the boat in some form or other has been around since 1895 or so - and with the family for much of that time - the honour of Connemara was at stake.
To talk of “Mission Achieved” is scarcely adequate. They dismissed queries about their superb suit of white sails by pointing out that tan-barking or the larding of pitch onto hooker sails is a relatively new idea in terms of the boats’ very long history. And then, despite a rather light breeze on Dublin Bay, they went out and won the Asgard Trophy, a prize of unrivalled historical significance as it was presented to the DBOGA by John Kearon, the conservator of Erskine & Molly Childers’ Asgard.
Game, set and match to Connemara.
Blat na hOige with a suit of sails “to die for”. Photo: Afloat.ie
