Ireland Afloat Magazine – Spring 2016 by Ireland Afloat Magazine

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AFLOAT 2016 SPRING ISSUE

Printed and published in Ireland by: Baily Publications Ltd., PO Box 12561 Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, Ireland. t: +353 (1) 284 6161 e: info@afloat.ie w: www.afloat.ie Distributed by: N. Ireland – WNS/ Menzies/Easons. R of Ireland – Newspread/ Easons and Newsbros. Scotland/Wales – Menzies. Isle of Man – G.E. White Produced by sailors for sailors Managing Editor David O’Brien david@afloat.ie) Contributing Editor William Nixon Sub-editor Willie Pembroke Design Colin McEndoo: (colin@afloat.ie) Contributors Jehan Ashmore • Bob and Claire Bateman • David Branigan • Georgina Campbell • Des Burke-Kennedy • Dag Pike • Gill Mills • Fiacc O Brolchain • Markham Nolan • Elaine Taylor • Bob Hobby • Dermot Russell • Tom MacSweeney • Shay Fennelly • Graham Smith • Tony Jones • Simon Everett Disclaimer The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of its publisher. Advertisements designed by Baily Publications Ltd to appear in Afloat magazine are protected by Irish copyright law.

Contents Spring 2016

6 Irish Sailing Association News

Try sailing initiative and a new sailing passport for sailing outlined by ISA President David Lovegrove

News

MGM Boats make E1m Jeanneau sale; Bottlenose dolphins seen off Dublin for first time in over three years; Talk of Youghal marina is 'premature'; Voyages in IWDG's Celtic Mist reveal plenty of marine wildlife; Reader leads Gardai to 'stolen' Welsh yacht; Strangford Lough to host coastal rowing 'skiffie' worlds; Powerboating's 'venture cup' has Dublin launch and lots, lots more

22 Coastal Notes

Donegal puts itself on the cruising map

Inland Waters News

25 Dubarry Nautical Crossword

A nautical crossword with a great boating prize of Dubarry deck shoes

Racing Round up

Winter wins in the Caribbean for Fogerty and O'Coineen, team racing heads west plus all the dinghy racing news for the summer season ahead

50 years of Fireballs Celebrations at the Royal St. George YC

38 Irish Sailing Awards Liam Shanahan is Afloat's 2015 Sailor of

the Year

46 Soundings

Wicklow Hills produce a cruising star

Will new laws hinder canals?

Cover Caption: This secret cove is to be found on Waterford’s Copper Coast, midway between Dungarvan and Dunmore East. Photo: Courtesy ICC This page: Schull Sailing Club host an inaugural 16 team–International Schools Team Racing Championships in West Cork in March

NEXT ISSUE Summer Afloat PUBLISHED: Mid June COPY DEADLINE: Last week of May

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X Yachts X-35 E83,500 Posted by Crosshaven Boatyard

SAILING CRUISERS

MOTOR CRUISERS

Westerly Tempest 31 Bavaria 30 Cruiser Pirate 17 Hunter 240 Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 47 Jeanneau Sun Fizz 40 Westerly Griffon Oyster 39 Leisure 27' IP23 Motor Sailer Colvic Watson 28 Corby 25 Atlantic Clipper 36 Ketch Colvic Bluewater 58 McMillan 24 Gaff Cutter Sadler 25 Bavaria 33 Cruiser CORBY 25 Beneteau First 305 Sangermani 60' Yawl Hunter 41 DS Jeanneau Sun 2000 X Yachts X-35 Sigma 33 X-Yachts X-302 Jeanneau Sun Fizz 40 Westerly Griffon Oyster 39

Jeanneau Merryfisher 635 e29,500.00 OSM 606C Cruiser e13,500.00 Tyrrell Pilot Cutter 45 e39,500.00 e59,000.00 Nimbus 280 Coupe Jeanneau Merry Fisher 925 e74,000.00 e34,950.00 Starfisher 670 Colvic Northerner Sealion e24,950.00 e69,950.00 Aquador 26 HT e54,500.00 Finnmaster 7600 e235,000.00 Oyster LD43

e35,500.00 e49,950.00 e3,000.00 e12,950.00 e90,000.00 e47,750.00 e12,500.00 e64,500.00 e15,950.00 e17,500.00 e19,750.00 e39,500.00 e19,500.00 e179,000.00 e19,950.00 e7,950.00 e64,950.00 e29,500.00 e28,000.00 e200,000.00 e139,000.00 e10,950.00 e83,500.00 e23,000.00 e59,000.00 e47,750.00 e12,500.00 e64,500.00

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FISHING BOATS OSM 510 Skellig Half Decker Mitchell 31 MK 11 Rodman 620 Seamark 26 23' Tremlett Sea Launch

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AFLOAT 2016 SPRING ISSUE

Try Sailing programme ISA President, David Lovegrove on an enhanced get started initiative Spring is traditionally the time when most sailors’ dreams turn with eager anticipation to the approaching season. However, the ISA has used the dormant months to plan and prepare for the forthcoming season. Shortly we will be launching a number of exciting new initiatives which we hope will help increase participation and also improve the skills of existing sailors. Following on the success of the pilot programme in 2015, the 2016 Try Sailing programme will see a greatly enhanced package of assistance available. This will include: a Try Sailing Bursary, the Schools Try Sailing Initiative for Primary and Secondary Schools as part of Active School Week, the Corporate Cup Training Programme for new sailors to try Keelboat and Cruiser racing, the Round Ireland Trophy, Volvo Cork Week Try Sailing Invitational Cup and the Scouting Ireland Try Sailing Programme. There will also be Sailability Programmes catering for those Clubs who specifically want to facilitate people with disabilities to enjoy sailing and Family Fun initiatives to encourage club members to bring their family along and try the full extent of what the Club has to offer. The Try Sailing Programme is supported by the ISA’s dedicated Try Sailing website and PR Toolkit and by the Regional Development Officers team who will be on hand to help each Club develop their

own Participation Programme. On the Training side, the new simplified Small Boat Sailing Scheme (SBSS) syllabus and Advanced Instructor Endorsement will be introduced for the 2016 season in conjunction with the electronic logbook and Sailing Passport. These changes are in response to the feedback to put more focus on the development of skills and the logging of time on the water than on the acquiring of certificates. The SBSS will now focus on introducing sailors to the sport, their acquisition of basic skills and encouraging them to experience a broad range of sailing activities. The higher level racing aspects will from now on form part of a new Coaching Programme aimed specifically at those who wish to progress further into competition. The new Coaching Programme will help existing sailors improve their skills so as to get more enjoyment from their participation in racing. The scheme will be based around Clubs and Classes with the objectives of providing them with a framework to provide a high standard of affordable coaching for their members, the creation of training structures to develop the pool of suitable coaches and the provision of course materials, aids and mentoring to assist this pool of qualified coaches. The objective of this is to help those sailors at club or

class level who are not part of the ISA Performance activities. We will be assisting Classes and Clubs with the introduction of the programme and running a number of pilot projects during the season and look forward to hearing from Classes and Clubs wishing to be involved. This time of year is also the time of conferences. The Cruising conference was held in Howth Yacht Club on 20 February and was a sell-out success. We were fortunate in having some top class speakers who delivered excellent presentations. The main priority for the representation policy group is the ongoing issue which is causing frustration to many cruising sailors, and that is the current lack of a statutory registration system for small craft. The ISA will continue to lobby hard to try and speed up the process to establish the registration system for pleasure craft. Other areas being addressed include the passenger boat regulations which continue to restrict the activities of our cruising schools. The tax on green diesel and the foreshore licensing issues are also on the policy group's agenda. The race officials held their conference on 28 February. It was an interesting event with Anthony O’Leary giving the “view from the tiller”. This is always a fascinating session as it gives race officials first–hand feedback of what sailors are looking for in race management. The new website, which is focused on how the ISA can assist clubs and classes in improving their range of services to their members, is divided into four sections, which reflect the main thrust of ISA activities under the Strategic Plan. The four areas are: Try Sailing, Racing, Cruising and Training. The site will undergo further development in the coming months.

People at every level can get involved with bringing newcomers into the sport. Showing how it’s done with a Toppper Topaz at a Try Sailing Women on Water event is former Olympian Cathy MacAleavey (left) with sailing newbie Sarah Byrne Photo: ISA

So with all this activity taking place, it only remains for me to wish you well in your preparations for the new season and hope that we all have fair weather.

0431

©Tommy McAnairey

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AFLOAT 2016 SPRING ISSUE

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AFLOAT 2016 SPRING ISSUE

NEWSINBRIEF

Cork Week launched

Schull Marina 'needs funding' Funding for a 235–berth marina and pier extension in Schull must be a priority for the next Government, according to former Cork mayor and General Election candidate Alan Coleman, who says the E6m project requires E2.5m from the State before planning permission for the scheme expires in 2017.

ISA's big sporting grant The Irish Sailing Association received E323,000 in this year's sporting payout from Sport Ireland (formerly the Irish Sports Council). It marks a reduction of just E100 on 2015's grant, from a package of more than E10m. Rowing Ireland was also awarded E210,000 in the annual funding round.

Battle over Cork Harbour Progressive maritime developments in Cork Harbour could be scuttled by plans for two waste incinerators in Ringaskiddy angering residents in what's described as one of the world's most beautiful natural harbours, not to mention port upgrades that could restrict the sailing area, a local meeting heard in February.

Boat mods warning Unapproved modifications to a lobster boat - including conveyer-grade rubber laid on deck and a 2m wide opening in the transom bulwark - may have contributed to the loss of a crewman who drowned after going overboard from the MFV Our Jenna off Donegal last summer, according to the MCIB's official report.

Launch party – Adrian Yeates, MD Volvo Car Ireland, Lt Commander, Ultan Finnegan, Irish Naval Service, Minister for Agriculture Food Marine and Defence, Simon Coveney, Kieran O'Connell, Rear Admiral Keelboats, and Chairman Cork Week 2016, Commandant Barry Byrne, John Roche, Admiral, Royal Cork Yacht Club, Major General Kieran Brennan of the Beaufort Cup and Deputy Chief of Staff Operations and Commodore Hugh Tully, Flag Officer Commanding the Naval Service

Volvo Cork Week is aiming to return to its glory days in July with ambitious plans for the event revealed at a regatta launch on board Irish Naval Service vessel, LE Roisin, writes Claire Bateman. Minister for the Marine Simon Coveney took time out from a busy political schedule to attend the ceremony in Cork Harbour. Held on a biennial basis by Royal Cork Yacht Club, Volvo Cork Week is one of Ireland's Grand Prix sailing events. It takes place

from July 10th to 15th, and primarily attracts sailors for the quality of its racing. As previously reported by Afloat.ie, this year’s racing includes a new event, the IRC European Championships, which will be an event in itself, based on the platform of Volvo Cork Week. The first edition of the RORC IRC National Championship took place in 2000, and has done so every year since. There are now seven IRC National Championships throughout the world, but up until now, there has been no continental event.

Laser Radial Worlds Dun Laoghaire Harbour and the Royal St George Yacht Club will host the 2016 Laser Radial Youth Worlds and Men's Worlds. Both events will run concurrently for one week from 23–30 July, attracting over 400 competitors from more than 30 nations to the south Dublin sailing hub.

Thomson's lost yacht found The remains of Alex Thomson's IMOCA 60 Hugo Boss have been discovered in a remote part of coastal Chile – a decade after he and the crew abandoned the vessel off South Africa on the first leg of the 2006-2007 Velux 5 Oceans race when a broken keel led to capsize.

Found – Thomson's yacht ashore in Chile Photo: Cristian Donoso

AFLOAT 2016 SPRING ISSUE The queen of all fleets. Denis Doyle's legendary Moonduster was the flagship of Irish offshore racing for twenty years. Bob Bateman's 1988 classic photograph of Denis Doyle at the helm. Inset: the poor condition of Moonduster's varnished stern. Photo: Lars KlingstrĂśm/ Facebook

Tears for Frers There was plenty of comment on social media in February about the current condition of the much loved Irish yacht Moonduster, the former Round Ireland record holder skippered by the late Denis Doyle of the Royal Cork Yacht Club. 'Sad to see this. Many happy hours on that beautiful vessel in and out of Cork Harbour', says Stu McLoughlin echoing

many similar comments about the state of the one time pristine Frers 51 that was the pride of the Irish fleet in the 1980s. Doyle owned four different Moondusters in his long career. His last boat, arguably the best known, the varnished Frers, was sold to Norway around 2005 where she is still sailing but as can be seen in the inset above

not in the same state as she had been in Crosshaven. '...She's in a shocking state, clearly her current and previous owners never cared too much about her. However, she's still salvageable but for how much longer? says Mark Richards on Facebook.

Gerry Haggas RIP Irish sailors of the 1970s will agree that the ISORA wasn't complete without Sundancer, the Elizabethan 30 of Gerry Haggas (1919-2016). Yet that was only one of many boats the Yorkshireman campaigned in a lifelong contribution to North Wales and Irish Sea competition. Full obituary at: tinyurl. com/jj9q345 The late Gerry Haggas chose his boats well - he was most associated with the deservedly successful Elizabethan 30 Sundancer over decades of successful ISORA campaigning

Keith Roberts and his son, Graham, discovered CFCCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unmanned research vessel while kayaking in Ireland. The boat has traveled 6,000 miles in eight months. Photo courtesy CFCC

Research boat crosses Atlantic An American college's unmanned research vessel has been found on a Connemara island. Kayaking father-son duo Keith and Graham Roberts discovered the miniature boat on the rocky shore of Illaunurra some eight months after students put it to sea 6,000 miles across the Atlantic off Cape Fear, North Carolina.

AFLOAT 2016 SPRING ISSUE

NEWSINBRIEF Westport coastguard plans Plans have been lodged for a new coastguard station in Westport. Proposed for a site on Mayo County Council land next to the old boathouse on Westport Harbour, the station would comprise a three-storey building with a boathouse and a sloping grass bank, plus a new access road.

Bring Naomh Éanna home A new campaign has been launched to bring the Naomh Éanna back to Galway. The historic vessel has been derelict in Ringsend for decades, but its engine room is still operational – and campaigners say it could be sailed back to its home port of Galway for refit as a tourist attraction.

Bantry Bay Harbour works An E8.5m upgrade to Bantry Bay's main harbour got underway in February. BAM Civil Ltd was appointed main contractor for phase one of the inner harbour project, which involves the creation of a 20-berth marina and extension of the main pier, plus dredging for access in all tidal conditions.

Clare lifesavers dominate Clare lifesavers were dominant once again at the latest Irish Water Safety Nationals, hosted by the University of Limerick in mid February. Defending their titles in several key events, Clare won the Junior Boys, Men's and Mixed Masters contests, but were pipped by Wicklow in the Junior Girls' standings.

This Island Nation by Tom MacSweeney

A life–long passion for sailing

Marking Ted Crosbie's retirement from the race course

I will miss Ted Crosbie from racing this season. A chat with him in the clubhouse before RCYC weekly racing was enjoyable. He had an enthusiastic determination to get out on the water and sailed 'Excuse Me' into the prizewinning places on many an evening. When he announced his retirement from racing at the final Thursday Night League last September, he was given a standing ovation in the clubhouse. Despite being a leading national newspaper owner for a long time Ted, in his 80s, has never sought personal publicity. He started sailing at the age of 10. “You get into sailing if your father wants someone to pull up an anchor”. He described for me how he crewed for his father, sailed in 12-footers, then in the first of the Irish Dinghy Racing Association’s IDRAs when they were introduced in 1947. He sailed on the famous Cork One Designs that could be bought for ninety pounds after the Second World War. “They were a smashing boat, carried a lot of sail.” And those who sailed them dressed for the occasion: “White cable-stitch jersey, white trousers, you didn’t go out in them badly dressed.”

who train and encourage young sailors. “When I started I got my boat out in May, sailing in shorts, shirt and sandals until September, had no lifejackets or the equipment, clothing, safety boats and lifejackets of today, which are a great benefit.” Why did he decide to retire from racing? Ted tells me he was rescued from the water twice by his family after becoming detached from the boat, once en route back from the Scillies to Cork: “I don’t think there is a boat hook strong enough to get me back on the boat now and I don’t want to put the crew through the strain,” he laughs. “But I’ll go sailing if I get asked,” he says, with his final admonition that sailing is, definitely, a ‘sport for life’ but “you have to find a bit of time for it and, if you have a family, don’t let it hog your whole life and try to take your family with you.” Listen to Ted talking with Tom MacSweeney on the podcast here: http://goo.gl/QTI2YB

Ted recalls the days of boat building in Cork and legendary names - George Bushe, Richard Leonard, amongst others and regrets the loss of “the great skill of shipwrights which has disappeared.” He talks about the days of the Royal Munster YC in Cobh and its amalgamation with the RCYC, of which he is a former Admiral and Life Member of honour. “My real sailing career started in ‘73/’74 when there were five Trappers 28s and we had great racing.”He is enthusiastic for Cork Week this year and commends those

Ted Crosbie - I’ll still go sailing if I get asked. Photo: Bob Bateman

M SS NG B TS OF Y CHT CH ND RY, BO T EQ IPM NT, M R NE EL CT ON CS & SA ETY?

AFLOAT 2016 SPRING ISSUE

NEWSINBRIEF

DAILY ENEWS

NI angling goes paperless Come April, all paper-based angling permits in Northern Ireland will be replaced by e-records, which will be available to purchase online via NI Direct or authorised local distributors. The new system also ends the requirement for anglers with disabilities to travel to Portadown to avail of concessionary permits.

Suir ferry on market The Passage East Ferry Company, which runs car ferry services across the River Suir between Passage East and Ballyhack, is going on the market with the pending retirement of founder Derek Donnelly. In operation since 1982, the company employs 16 full time and experienced a 5.4% passenger number rise in 2015.

Harbour capital grants Repairs to damaged harbour walls at Castlepark in Kinsale (above) were included in the E4.5m package for 90 harbours. Photo: Wavebreak

February saw the announcement of a E4.5m package to assist in the development and repair of 90 Local Authority-owned harbours and slipways. It forms part of the 2016 Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme, whereby the State co-funds up to 75% of approved project costs. See the full list of grants awarded online here: http://goo.gl/CEzhIu

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2016's first salmon Ireland's first salmon of 2016 was caught in mid–January – a first for Lough Currane in Co Kerry as angling guide Neil O'Shea landed a 10-pounder taken near 'The Bridge'. It also marked O'Shea's third maiden catch on the lough, after claiming honours in 1986 and 2009.

Lagan rescue boat vandalised

New Clontarf clinker The first addition to the clinker fleet in over 35 years will launch from the Clontarf Yacht & Boat Club on 25 June. The Ronan Melling-guided build will be named Fourteen Number 166 in a special clubhouse reception on the day, which also marks the 70th anniversary year of the IDRA 14.

Handicap fees increase Yacht handicapping fees for Ireland's cruiser fleet will rise by 12.5% for the coming season, prompted by changes in sterling exchange rates. For an average sized boat, that means a total cost of E177 in 2016 as opposed to E162 last year. ECHO fees for 2016 remain unchanged.

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Lagan Search and Rescue's RIB returned to action in early February after a crowdfunding campaign helped fund vandalism repairs. Almost E1,200 was raised in the week after the vessel was the victim of vandals who pulled a hydraulic ram from its steering system and caused damage to its hull.

Riveting – Clontarf's new wooden IDRA 14 dinghy nears completion

AFLOAT 2016 SPRING ISSUE

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AFLOAT 2016 SPRING ISSUE

IN BRIEF NEWSINBRIEF Dinghy racing scene split Keelboat racing accounts for two-thirds of active racing sailors – but a thriving junior single-hander dinghy ‘pathway’ scene is the envy of all other fleets, comprising 31% of all dinghy sailors – and more than half of all dinghies, according to an ISA 'snapshot' survey of club racing published in January.

Spiddal man's fishing fine Dara Conlon pleaded guilty to possession of an illegally caught salmon at Spiddal Pier on 2 July last year at a Derrynea District Court hearing on 14 January. Conlon was observed net fishing near the mouth of the Boluisce River and found to be in possession of a salmon concealed in his boat.

Royal Alfred 'incorporated' into Dublin Bay Sailing Club

The worst kept secret in Dublin sailing circles became public after a Royal Alfred Yacht Club EGM voted in favour of the motion 'that the Royal Alfred Yacht Club be incorporated into Dublin Bay Sailing Club'. RAYC Commodore, Barry Mac Neaney and Chris Moore DBSC Commodore say they are satisfied at the outcome and look forward to implementing the incorporation over the next few weeks. Both Commodores say they are 'committed to ensuring that the ethos of the Alfred will be nurtured and its traditions honoured'.

ICRA calls for more sailors, more sailing A buoyant ICRA conference at the Castletroy Park Hotel in Limerick yesterday saw Simon McGibney of Foynes Yacht Club succeed Norbert Reilly of Howth Yacht Club as Commodore. It is the first time ICRA has elected a Commodore from the west coast. An attendance of 80 sailors representing all the major sailing clubs on the east, south and west coasts participated for the first time in a round table format to encourage ideas from the floor on the future direction WINTER VALET ICRA should take in order to growSERVICE the cruiser racing sector in 01 Ireland. Tel: 280 4286

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sails@downersails.ie InEmail: an enthusiastic gathering, www.downersails.ie Reilly summarised initiatives needed to achieve 'more sailors/more sailing' or as McGibney described it 'more bums on boats'.

New canoeing CEO

Jenny Egan's Rio focus Lucan paddler and Rio 2016 hopeful Jenny Egan says she was "on cloud nine" for most of 2015 with a bronze at the Worlds in the Czech Republic, followed by strong finishes in Baku, Milan and Hungary. It's just the boost needed as her pre-Olympics training kicks up a gear.

Leading sailing school chief Alistair Rumball of AGENTS FOR the Irish National Sailing School in Dun Laoghaire and sailmaker Des McWilliam from Crosshaven made excellent presentations on their training initiates for the cruiser racing sector that are attracting increasing numbers and improving skills and feeding members to Clubs. Reilly also highlighted the ICRA Crew Point project SAIL SERVICE LOFT which it is hoped will lead to identify areas within clubs of people who would like to go sailing and link them up with owners.

NEW SAILS Roger Bannon

Canoeing Ireland appointed Karl Dunne as its new chief executive earlier this year. Prior to his new role, Dunne had been general manager of the governing body for 70 affiliated clubs in the Republic of Ireland since March 2012. One of his first tasks involves finalising a new strategic plan.

John Leech gave a strong safety awareness talk and Afloat.ie's Winkie Nixon entertained with his views on ICRA's role and its positive approach to listening to its market.

SAILS AND CHANDLERY

Bannon resigns from ISA ISA treasurer Roger Bannon has resigned from his voluntary role, citing personal work commitments. The former president of the ISA from 1994 to 1996, Bannon is credited with the 1993 joint membership scheme, and headed the 2013 call for change that led to reforms under current ISA president David Lovegrove.

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AFLOAT 2016 SPRING ISSUE

NEWSINBRIEF

Longboats return to Boyne

Crosshaven gets new lifeboat

Longboats were back on the River Boyne after a 1,000 year absence in February, thanks to Alistair Rumball and his Irish National Sailing Club Marine Services team, who provided support for water-based scenes filmed in the Drogheda area for the next series of History's hit TV show Vikings.

After 14 years of service, Crosshaven RNLI's Atlantic 75 lifeboat Miss Betty will be replaced this summer with an Atlantic 85 class RIB, John and Janet, equipped with radar and directionfinding technology plus space for stretchers and an extra crewman. John and Janet will be dedicated on 11 September.

OPV twinned with Waterford LÉ James Joyce, the Naval Service’s newest Beckettclass OPV90, was twinned with the city of Waterford on Sunday 17 January in a special ceremony at Frank Cassin Wharf. The twinning consolidates an existing fundraising relationship between the Naval Service and staff from the paediatric ward at University Hospital Waterford.

Coaching grant for classes The ISA has proposed a limited E400 grant towards professional coaching fees to assist in increasing racing participation for ISA-affiliated classes in 2016, other than Olympic and Pathway classes. While many have welcomed the initiative, some have declared it 'insufficient' as it could amount to just E20 a boat.

Breaking News Daily Irish boating news on www. afloat.ie

Viking longboats reappear on the River Boyne

SMA IMOCA yacht repaired Repairs were completed in Kinsale in late January on the SMA 60 recovered 100 miles off the Irish coast in the New Year. Despite damage to its mechanical propulsion system, Paul Meilhat's 60–footer - abandoned on 15 December during the IMOCA Transat – was readied for the water with a new sail wardrobe. French SMA Yacht was recovered and brought to Crookhaven

Summer contentment. The late Ray Fielding at his ease in Dick Gibson’s garden, August 2015. Photo: Dick Gibson

Dr Raymond Fielding RIP Irish sailing, and Cork sailing in particular, lost a great enthusiast for boats - both cruising and racing offshore - in Dr Ray Fielding, a stalwart of the Irish Cruising Club and Royal Munster Yacht club for six decades, who died aged 80 on 5 February. Full obituary at tinyurl.com/hv7wjml

NEWSINBRIEF Celtic Mist revelations Rare sightings of blue and beaked whales are among the continental shelf finds by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group since 2012 on board its research vessel Celtic Mist. Last year, the IWDG switched to the 37ft yacht Jessy of Adrigole, which will embark this August on a lengthy exploration from Castletownbere to Brittany.

Andrea Brewster and Saskia Tidey (foreground) have a six-nation fight for Olympic selection in the 49erFX class in Spain. Photo: Brian Carlin

49erFX duo's last chance

Youth Worlds controversy

A late Algerian entry meant no re allocation of the African Rio place for which Irish Olympic 49erFX campaigners Andrea Brewster and Saskia Tidey were in line. The Irish debutantes now need to be the top non–qualified European team in a do–or–die regatta in Palma at the end of March. At almost 100,000 tonnes, the very large cruise ship, Mein Schiff 4 with a passenger capacity for 2,506 anchors less than one nautical mile off the East Pier, Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Photo: Jehan Ashmore The 46m brig Morgenster

Sail training opportunities

DLR resists liner limits Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown councillors' move to limit the size of cruise ships allowed to berth in Dún Laoghaire Harbour – with fears over extensive reconstruction to accommodate 'supersized' ocean liners – has been opposed by council management, with chief executive Philomena Poole citing the harbour's existing listing as a protected structure.

Cork's new Beaufort Cup This year's Cork Week will also see the inaugural Beaufort Cup for international services teams. It's hoped that defence force teams will be joined by services such as police, fire, rescue, RNLI and coastguard from Ireland, Europe and beyond for the event, part of the 1916 Rising centenary.

Royal Cork's own Antix (Anthony O'Leary) will compete in July's Cork Week Regatta. Photo: Bob Bateman

Sail Training Ireland has announced its tall ships voyages for youth sailors in 2016. The 46m brig Morgenster will embark on three trips in May and June, while crews will be welcomed on Dutch ketch Maybe for a series of 11-day voyages from April under the Leargas Youth Exchange programme.

World Sailing has published its report into discrimination at the 2015 Youth Sailing Worlds in Malaysia last November, which saw two Israeli athletes blocked from competing in controversial circumstances. The former International Sailing Federation (ISAF) says it deeply regrets the situation in its full report, available at tinyurl.com/jlksc98

Strangford hosts Skiffie Worlds Strangford Lough will stage the coastal rowing Skiffie Worlds this July. Traditionally styled, evocatively named and community-built 22ft wooden St Ayles skiffs from as far afield as Tasmania will add a truly international flavour to the six-day rowing event from 24-30 July for teams of four plus cox.

Busy 2016 for research The Marine Institute’s ShipTime Programme will fund 256 days at sea this year for marine science researchers to carry out surveys on board the RV Celtic Explorer and RV Celtic Voyager - only part of a busy 2016 schedule that includes fish stock assessments, environmental monitoring and seabed mapping surveys.

AFLOAT 2016 SPRING ISSUE

NEWSINBRIEF

Venture Cup launched

Diesel laundering threat The effects of diesel laundering over decades in South Armagh are being felt even greater today, say Dundalk anglers, who claim that open dumping of waste from the process of converting dyed agricultural diesel for illegal road use is polluting the River Fane – a source of drinking water for Louth's county town.

NI Marine Plan advances Stakeholders will be engaged on Northern Ireland's draft Marine Plan before the end of March following its sustainability appraisal. Work has already progressed on other impact assessments, from rural proofing to habitats, and an online viewer with relevant data will be made available in time for the public consultation.

Cork ports' big trade Total traffic through the Port of Cork and Bantry Bay Port Company reached a total of 11m tonnes in 2015, signalling a return to pre-recession figures. The Port of Cork was particularly strong with a 10% rise on 2014 traffic, an 8% increase in container volumes and a whopping 20% growth in oil cargo.

Dolphins return to Dublin Bottlenose dolphins were spotted between Killiney and Dun Laoghaire in mid–January – the first sighting off South Dublin since August 2012 when a pod of three dolphins that had delighted locals for two years moved on around the coast towards Kerry. It's as yet unclear if this is the same group returning.

Motor racing star Bruno Senna and global adventurer Bear Grylls will be in the thick of the action in powerboating's Venture World Cup, as 25 teams race around Ireland via the Wild Atlantic Way and the rugged North Coast from Cork Harbour to Dublin from 10 June. Roaring down the River Liffey at the Venture Cup launch

Youghal Marina 'just talk'

With the sun out, and the tide in, Youghal looks to be an ideal location for the easy installation of a marina….Photo: W M Nixon

New berthing facilities in Youghal may finally be happening, with works earmarked on a 20m pontoon and visitor moorings in time for the summer season. But the Youghal Maritime Development Group, which has long campaigned for such developments, says the news is "just talk" until a firm commitment is given. The south coast harbour was granted funding for eight visitor moorings in February. See page 12.

Hook Head 'new Dingle'? Martin Colfer's whale-watching tour off Waterford in mid–January not only sighted a humpback whale and fin whales but also more than 95 dolphins – enough to claim Hook Head as the 'new Dingle'. It's thought that warming oceans are bringing cetaceans to Irish waters in much greater numbers.

Reader spots 'stolen' yacht An Afloat reader's tip led gardaí to recover a yacht 'stolen' in North Wales in a north Dublin estuary. The 38ft ketch named 'Fram' was found in Malahide Marina, one of Ireland's most popular boating inlets, within hours of Afloat.ie reporting its apparent theft in mid–January. FRAM, the yacht 'stolen' in Holyhead, was recovered in Malahide, County Dublin

AFLOAT 2016 SPRING ISSUE

Located at Greystones Harbour For lift out services, contact Graeme on 086 170 8875 Front Row L. to R. Michelle D'Arcy, Chair Bar House Catering and Communications, RCYC Admiral John Roche, RCYC Vice Admiral, Captain Pat Farnan. Back Row: Rear Admiral Dinghies, Stephen O'Shaughnessy, Rear Admiral Cruising, John O'Connor, Rear Admiral Keelboats, Kieran O'Connell, Simon Brewitt, Chair, Marina and Facilities and Hon. Secretary/ Treasurer, Pat Harte Photo: Robert Bateman

Royal Cork's new admiral

Vice–Admiral John Roche was duly elected as the new Admiral of the Royal Cork Yacht Club at the venerable club's 295th AGM on 18 January, taking the helm from Admiral Pat Lyons. The evening also saw the election of officers to the executive committee for a two-year term.

Ireland’s leading boat repair facilities, located on the East coast SErvIcES • Insurance work approved • On-site Work Arranged • repairs & Maintenance Services • Structural repairs • Osmosis Treatment • Keel Blasting & Fairing • High Quality Paint Finishes • Engine Installations The Boat Yard, Sea road, Newcastle, co. Wicklow Phone: 01 281 9175 Mobile: 086 170 8875 Website: www.noonanboats.com

Sowrey 'fired' over Rio Former World Sailing CEO Peter Sowrey claims he was 'fired' after just six months for pushing to move this year's Olympic sailing venue from the polluted Guanabara Bay. "I was told to gag myself on the subject," he said, adding that the board felt he was "way too aggressive".

Atlantic Youth Trust gala Tall ship advocates the Atlantic Youth Trust hosted their inaugural conference and gala at the Galway Bay Hotel on 12 March. The day also doubled as a fundraiser for a West of Ireland Bursary Fund for youth sail training, along the lines of those already established in Drogheda and West Cork.

AFLOAT 2016 SPRING ISSUE

NEWS

IN BRIEF

‘Isabella Purchase’ takes to the sea following the naming ceremony

Edinburgh Marina greenlit Planners have approved the revised masterplan for Edinburgh Marina. The 300-berth marina, residential, retail and spa hotel development – believed to be the first marina next to a European capital in several decades – will be the focal point of Granton Harbour’s regeneration, just 2.5 miles from Edinburgh city centre.

Cork rowers' new clubhouse Rowers and dignitaries attended the ribbon-cutting for Cork Boat Club's renovated clubhouse in Blackrock. The 18-month project funded by club members, Cork City Council and a E100k grant under the Sports Capital Programme also saw the restoration of the Victorianera coastguard station on the club's grounds.

The lifeboat crew take the vessel Happy Socks under tow and bring her safely to Castletownbere

Adventurer's boat recovered Castletownbere RNLI recovered a British adventurer’s rowboat abandoned in a hurricane some 400 miles off Portugal. Sarah Outen MBE completed her London2London expedition rowing, kayaking and biking in stages around the Northern Hemisphere in November – but was forced to evacuate her boat Happy Socks last summer after 143 days at sea.

Irish Olympian rounds Antigua

Dublin rejects tall ships Dublin backed out of its bid to host the 2019 Tall Ships Races after Dublin City Council deemed the E3m costs too high - exceeding its annual budget for festivals including the now annual Riverfest. Business leaders described the move as "disappointing" in light of the economic boost from the 2012 event.

'Hurricane' winds recorded The Dublin Bay weather buoy reported gusts of 60 knots – not far off hurricane strength – as Storm Frank, the sixth winter storm of the season, intensified over the capital's waters on 30 December. Hurricane strength is usually taken to mean winds of greater than or equal to 64 knots.

Beijing 2008 Finn Olympian Timothy Goodbody completed the Round Antigua Race on 16 January, covering the course of just over 50nm in a Laser dinghy – a first for the race – in a time of 10 hours and 48 minutes, which has since been set as the Laser record to beat. Dublin Bay sailor Timothy Goodbody was welcomed ashore with a couple of beers by a visiting Royal St George YC party on Pidgeon Beach after the circumnavigation of Antigua by Laser dinghy

New pot fishing measures Since February, a new Statutory Instrument has introduced measures for non-commercial crab and lobster pot fishing, bringing them into line with strict regulations on the commercial side to support sustainable seafood. It follows an extensive consultation process involving the National and Regional Inshore Fisheries Forums and public feedback.

Lobster pot fishing – Every marine user has a part to play in contributing to healthy marine ecosystems

AFLOAT 2016 SPRING ISSUE

MGM does €1m deal & opens doors in Malahide MGM Boats got 2016 off to a flying start at the London Boat Show in January with a E1m order for five new Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 389 yachts. The order for the Marc Lombard designs comes from the Gibraltar– based Allabroad Sailing Academy and expands its Mediterranean fleet from six to 11. Meanwhile, the leading Irish yacht broker has opened a new sales office at Malahide Marina to add to its presence on the East Coast. It's part of an expansion that brings "new boat opportunities with Sunseeker, Jeanneau, and Aquador brands" for sale, according to MD Gerry Salmon.

MGM has announced the sale of five brand new Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 389 to Allabroad Sailing Academy in Gibraltar. Pictured left to right : Antoine Chancelier (Chantiers Jeanneau) Dave Punch (Allabroad Sailing) John Mc Donald & Ross O'Leary (MGM Boats)

NEXT ISSUE N D I R E L A

Summer Destination Derry Sail Ireland’s North West and discover Donegal’s rugged coastline and the River Foyle to the walled city of Derry~Londonderry for the Clipper Race Stopover

MGM has opened a brokerage office at Malahide

Will Cork reclaim its moniker as the Venice of Ireland?

Preview - Volvo Cork Week & IRC Europeans, Royal Cork YC - Laser Youth Radial Worlds, RStGYC - Brewin Dolphin Commodore’s Cup , Cowes - Ireland's Team for the 2016 Sailing Olympics, Rio de Janeiro - Mirror Europeans , Royal Cork YC

In Review - ICRA Nats ,Howth - Volvo Round Ireland Race, Wicklow - Belfast Lough Classics Carrickfergus & Bangor

New guide to open up Cork's waterways A unique new tidal guide assisting river users to circumnavigate the city’s waterways was launched in March. Corkumnavigation is a pocket-sized map published by Cork’s community boatyard, Meitheal Mara. The guide is aimed at helping locals and visitors alike discover

the city from a new angle by kayak, canoe or rowing boat. It is available to puchase on the afloat.ie website According to Cathy Buchanan of Meitheal Mara,''very few people know that you can actually row or paddle all around the city, and experience a very different and special side

of Cork. As several of the bridges are particularly low and some weirs quite high, they can only be passed at certain tides. With the Corkumnavigation guide you can successfully navigate the city’s 29 bridges and eight weirs at various stages of the tide.''

Plus all our regulars - Irish Sailing Association News - Coastal Notes - Inland Waters News - Racing Round up - Dubarry Nautical Crossword - Soundings

Summer Afloat PUBLISHED: Mid June COPY DEADLINE: Last week of May contents may vary

AFLOAT 2016 SPRING ISSUE

NEWSINBRIEF Watchdog eyes trawlers

Jennifer Guinness

More than 2,745 trawler inspections were carried out in 2015, with 10 vessels detained by the Naval Service for breaching rules, according to the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority. The low level of non-compliance "reflects the genuine effort" by many fishermen to comply with new regulations, said SFPA chair Susan Steele.

It’s a cold wet night in May 1986, but the big catamaran is on track to a new Round Ireland Record, the helmsman has the boat going sweetly, and in the tiny cabin Jenny Guinnness decides that the watch below need a little whiskey as a warmer, and Josh Hall and Robin Knox-Johnston agree. Photo: W M Nixon

Dredge plans info needed

Jennifer Guinness, who was one Ireland's most accomplished amateur sailors, died in January aged 78 after a battle with cancer. From a maritime family, she more than a match for her husband, the late Howth YC Commodore John Guinness, and lived for sailing in all its forms. Full obit at tinyurl.com/hvlsn8l

The EPA has requested more details as it assesses Dublin Port's plans to dump 10m tonnes of "seabed material" in the Irish Sea off Howth as part of its channel dredging to ready for next-generation cruise liner traffic. Some 700 submissions have been made, most in opposition to the plans.

Coastguard chopper record Two call–outs on St Stephen's Day brought the Irish Coast Guard's annual helicopter mission total to the 1,000 mark for the first time since the service began in 1991. Sligo's Rescue 118 airlifted a young boy with leg injuries, while Shannon's Rescue 115 flew an Aran Islands pregnancy medevac.

New bass bag limit Pending new legislation based on EU rules for recreational bass fishing, Inland Fisheries Ireland has restricted such fishing to catch-and-release till 30 June, after which a one-fish bag limit will apply till year's end. It forms part of emergency measures intended to address declining bass stocks across northern Europe.

This Canadian Coast Guard hard hat ended up washed up on a beach in Tramore, Ireland. (Submitted by Waterford In Your Pocket/Facebook)

The new Greystones Sailing Club building nears completion

New lease for Greystones Canada coastguard hat found The Canadian coastguard hat found on a Co Waterford beach before Christmas may have been traced to Newfoundland. Tramore man Craig Butler found the barnacle-encrusted hat while surfing and traced it to the Canadian Coast Guard – which confirmed that it would be been worn by an officer of its environmental response unit.

Greystones Sailing Club signed the lease for its new clubhouse just before Christmas. Construction and fit-out will continue on it and similar facilities for the Co Wicklow town's angling, rowing and diving clubs and Sea Scouts, with a view to opening this summer, at a cost of E4m.

“Small enough to take care of you, Big enough to take care of the opposition”

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Youth sailors from the National Yacht Club training on Dublin Bay in one of the Club's new fleet of RS Venture dinghies. Sailing students will move to an online, cloudbased logbook this season Photo: David O'Brien

'Sailing Passport' Heralds N Era For ISAew Training 's Programm es

It's shaping up to be a year of big changes for trainees, tutors and coaches with the Irish Sailing Association as the organisation evolves to meet the demands of 21st– century sailing.

After taking on board feedback from the training review that formed part of last year's fiveyear strategic plan, 2016 will see a number of new initiatives introduced – and trainee sailors will be among the first to see the benefits. These improvements include the simplification of the Small Boat Sailing Scheme, and changes to instructor endorsements to better differentiate between training for specific skills and holistic coaching, as well as putting greater focus on gaining skills and logging time on the water rather than trainees simply collecting certificates. One of the biggest shifts internally in the association is the introduction of new technological solutions to reduce administration time and associated costs to training centres throughout

Ireland. And for the ISA's current crop of trainee sailors, the public face of that will be the new 'Sailing Passport' scheme. Essentially an online, cloudbased logbook – accessible from computers, tablets and smartphones anywhere there's an internet connection – the Sailing Passport will replace existing paper-based methods of recording on-the-water activities and achievements. Whether racing, cruising or just having fun, trainees will be able to record their sailing activities in a format that allows them and their instructors to easily track their progress in acquiring and developing the skills needed for any particular course or module. Trainees in the Small Boat Sailing Scheme will be the first

to benefit from this initiative before it's rolled out to power boating, windsurfing, cruising and other activities across the board. Patrick Blaney has been leading the research and development of the Sailing Passport for the ISA and is co-ordinating its introduction in association with the association's Regional Development Officers. As he explains, the passport is a response to the perception expressed in feedback to the ISA's Strategic Review Group that the association's training schemes were too focussed on certification landmarks over individual sailors' development of skills. "It's also part of the ISA development strategy to grow the levels of sailing activity outside of the

traditional structured courses, particularly for young sailors," he says. "The passport, as an online logbook, is designed to facilitate this by focussing on skills and experiences, not on certificates, and to do so in the 'modern' way – dispensing with paper logbooks that are easy to lose or damage, while also enabling training programmes to be distributed to users more efficiently online." Inspiration for the Sailing Passport comes from a similar system in use by Sail Canada for the last five years. That project was developed by former sailing instructors with digital and sports management knowhow, and has since been adopted by skiing chiefs and other sporting organisations in Canada.

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WIN A PAIR OF DUBES!... The ISA's version is licensed from a sister programme called ChecKlick, and is already fully operational for the Small Boat Sailing Scheme, loaded with all the relevant Joe Soap Cards for skills development that student sailors will see checked off by their club or instructor as they progress, whenever or wherever they access their secure passport online. But the system also allows individual sailors to add their own records for activities, goals and achievements as they track their training steps with greater accuracy, making for a more holistic approach to sail training over the previous 'gotta catch 'em all' collection of certificates. The end result also serves as a kind of 'sailing CV', says Blaney, particularly useful for those working towards accreditation as a coach or instructor. Trialing of the system has lead to some early positive feedback including this from Aengus Kennedy, principal of Rathmullan Sailing and Watersports School in Co Donegal: "We started to use the ChecKlick system in 2015. The system is straightforward to use and the online tutorials work well as training manuals. Staff were up to speed quickly. Instructors have the opportunity to update each student's progress throughout courses from their smartphones or devices which they embraced. Being able to print either certificates or a list of tasks achieved for each student at our leisure is a distinct advantage. Having a database of all

students' work and not paper logbooks is a big improvement." The Sailing Passport will mean reduced costs for sailors and administrators alike, with access to the system costing E3 per participant. With current paper log books costing E5 a pop, and certificates at E2 each, the savings will be significant over time, Blaney underlines. Yet the costs are secondary to the vision of a more nimble, focussed ISA that this project represents, something also reflected in the streamlining of the Small Boat Sailing Scheme itself. That sees the revision of its upper-tier modules into a single level for each of three streams – Advanced Boat Handing; Start Racing; and Kites & Wires & Adventure – and the introduction of a new single Advanced Instructor Endorsement which will enable more and more clubs and training centres to acquire the resources necessary to offer the full suite of training modules. What this all ultimately means for trainees is more choice and more flexibility in terms of where they can go to learn the skills they need, and what paths they can take to hone their preferences on the water, without being discouraged by the need for certification in skills that may block their advancement. The coming year will reveal whether the ISA's first raft of changes will indeed encourage a brighter future for Ireland's young sailors.

Win a pair of Dubarry GORE-TEX lined Clipper deck shoes in our Nautical Crossword 1

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Afloat magazine in association with Dubarry brings you a nautical crossword. Complete the crossword, cut it out and send it to Dubarry/Afloat crossword, PO Box 12561, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. Entries to be received no later than Friday 30th May 2016 and entries must be on official entry form (below). The first correct entry out of the hat will receive a pair of Clipper 2000 shoes. Employees, relatives and friends of Baily Publications and Dubarry are ineligible for this competition.

Across 1. Predatory plant that can be spun very flat. (5,7) 7. I would love to say these words in a marriage ceremony! (1,2) 9. Cried when we got the point. (4) 10. Creature who makes a lair in rubbish. (6) 11. A cardinal leaves an Ulster county to get wine. (4) 14. Started to see Ben embrace Georgia. (5) 15. These secure some hair. (5) 16. Detest headgear, to a point. (4) 18. The language witnessed when Ms Fonteyn lost the head! (5) 21. Reset, reset in a curt way. (5) 22. The savage group destroyed Rhode. (5) 23. It helps you navigate back and forth. (5) 24. Initially, even lonely boatmen enjoy this German river. (4) 25. Writing material quite unlike cheese. (5) 26. It's arid before Father returns with a nymph. (5) 29. One trick seen on a computer screen. (4) 33. A thousand different ladies are not as special as her! (6) 34. Survey some interpol laboratory workers. (4) 36. Will she help you hang out the clothes? (3) 37. Such coastal emergency response may arise from a career issue. (3-3,6) Name

Tel No’s.:

The winner of our Winter Issue Crossword is:

Joe Griffin of Dunboyne, Co. Meath

Down 1. Compete - with five, that is. (3) 2. They're edible? That's crazy! (4) 3. It is certain that the user is confused. (4) 4. The shelf went ahead to the outskirts of Grange. (5) 5. She can be seen in Brittany, always. (5) 6. Make mine a type of bread! (5) 8. Under control, but not on an odd Achill location. (2,2,4,4) 9. The shred's testament is an elusive thing. (4,1'3,4) 12. This beetle may mark a sailor. (6) 13. This flower tears around. (5) 14. A novice in the group? How tasteless. (5) 17. Pilot around the marina. (6) 19. It would make one blush to be wounded thus. (5) 20. Dense part of a gothic keystone. (5) 27. Parts of a tree running on out through soil, initially. (5) 28. Three articles sequentially name a town in Limerick. (5) 30. Lady - perhaps Russian - breaks out of gaol. (4) 31. American lake that is part of a series. (4) 32. Depict the heart of a saga. (4) 35. The slippery one turns up in a Munster river. (3)

Address

Shoe size:

Gordius / Afloat No. 164 Winter Solution Across 1. Tomfoolery 6. Beau 10. First 11. Stillness 12. Mascara 15. Toted 17. Suez 18. Imam 19. Eased 21. Bitumen 23. Swede 24. View 25. Edge 26. Incur 28. Dashing 33. Make a wish 34. Likes 35. Nosy 36. Main course Down 1. Toff 2. Marmalade 3. Optic 4. Laser 5. Rain 7. Elect 8. Upside-down 9. Blitzen 13. Asti 14. Assured 16. Midshipman 20. Spinnaker 21. Beermat 22. Ewes 27. Cakes 29. Ashen 30. Hello 31. Pisa 32. Isle

AFLOAT 2016 SPRING ISSUE

coastal notes

Donegal puts itself on the cruising map Rugged Donegal in the far northwest of Ireland is unknown territory for many Irish people whether by land or sea - and even more so for people from further afield writes W M Nixon. The new Small Boat Harbour facility at Killybegs greatly improves the cruising options in Ireland's rugged but beautiful northwest region. The pontoons were supplied and fitted by Oliver Shortall's Inland and Coastal Marinas Ltd of Banagher in County Offaly.

An H Boat in cruising mode. Paul & Eimile McSorley’s cruise in Donegal in 2015 with with the H Boat Wild Cat was awarded an ICC Trophy

A Land Apart – Donegal is Ireland’s ultimate cruising challenge

Yet for people who live in this picturesque but challenging region, it’s the hub of the universe, and for Donegallocated sailing enthusiasts, it can be a cruising paradise. This was brought home to the rest of us at the recent Irish Cruising Club prizegiving, when the Glengarriff Trophy for the best cruise in Irish waters went to Dr Paul McSorley, who sails from Lough Swilly. Despite 2015’s mixed weather, he made a very detailed cruise of the Donegal coast with his daughter Eimile in the 27ft International H Boat Wild Cat. While the H Boats were developed in Finland as a fast weekend cruiser with genuine race potential (they’re now an International Racing Class), it’s unlikely that designer Hans Groop envisaged them cruising the monumental Donegal coast with its challenging location on the Wild Atlantic Way.

Yet on a good day, you could see resemblances between the myriad of islands on the Finnish coast and the maze of islands north and south of Arranamore between Dawros Head and Bloody Foreland, the area on which Wild Cat’s cruise was concentrated. The difference, of course, is the tide. But Donegal aficionados reckon that the tide adds a special spice in which the Baltic is woefully lacking... Whatever, there’s no doubt that Donegal is a special place for many cruising folk, and in recent days the ever-curious Norman Kean and Geraldine Hennigan of Courtmacsherry, who edit the Irish Cruising Club Sailing Directions, have been in Donegal sussing out welcome new developments. In a sense, it was something of a home-coming, for when Norman first came from Scotland to settle in Ireland to work in a chemical plant in Derry, Lough Swilly Yacht Club became his home base, and it

was a cruise from there to the Faroes in an own-built Sadler 25 which first put him on the cruising map. In Donegal in late February 2016, they found that the further you go south, the more promising are the developments. Best of all is the mighty fishing port of Killybegs on the south coast facing into Donegal Bay, a wonderful natural harbour for a bustling place which is said to be a town of 23 millionaires. For although not everyone does well in the fishing, some busy and innovative types do very well indeed. For quite some time, there’s been talk of the provision of pontoon facilities in Killybegs, but for 2016 Donegal County Council - where Cathal Sweeney has become the enthusiastic harbour engineer - have just gone ahead and done it with a minimum of fanfare, installing a 63-berth pontoon setup with plenty of

room for expansion. At present it’s called a “Small Craft Harbour”, which at first you might think reflects the reluctance of local authorities, the further north you go in Ireland, to describe a new amenity of this type as a “marina”. A case in point is Ardglass in County Down where the excellent little marina – one of the greatest boons to East Coast cruising – is still referred to as the “Phenick Cove Boat Park”. On the other hand, Cathal Sweeney sounds a nononsense kind of guy, so maybe he won’t describe the very welcome new facility in Killybegs – which will transform Donegal as a cruising ground in providing a convenient base where a boat could be confidently left with good if distant communications with the rest of the country – as a marina until it has the full shoreside facilities.

AFLOAT 2016 SPRING ISSUE

coastal notes

Then the cruising options from Killybegs have been improved too, as to the westward a fine big pontoon has now been provided at the west pier in the lovely inlet of Teelin right beside the majestic cliffs of Slieve League. But then as we head north along the massive Atlantic seaboard, proper facilities are sparse enough, though in the case of both Burtonport and Bunbeg, it’s surely only a matter of time before a proper recreationaluse pontoon or two gets installed. Cruising Donegal’s north coast, it still remains a source of wonder and delight that Tory Island now has a proper pier, albeit a tiny one, at

which a cruising yacht can confidently overnight. And further east we hear that the most sheltered anchoring spot on the entire north coast, Fanny’s Bay on the west side just inside the entrance to Mulroy Bay, is a real possibility for a small marina facility. Nevertheless,in cruising Donegal, your first requirement is for your vessel to have her own fully operational and very substantial ground tackle, for apart from this being the seamanlike approach, the choice of anchorages which opens up when you know you’ve an anchor which will hold, and a windlass which

will retrieve it, is almost boundless. In the northeast of this enormous county of Donegal, there has of course long been a convenient if somewhat tideridden pontoon at Rathmullan on the west shore of Lough Swilly, but across-lough at Fahan, the marina – the great white hope of Donegal sailing – continues in a sort of semi-functional limbo, an unfinished, disconnected piece of work which nevertheless gives enough hint of what might be, if only someone could find a way through various legal and commercial impasses. Up to the north of Inishowen,

what was hoped to be a “marina” at the lovely little bay of Bunagee at Culdaff has seen its pontoon damaged in winter storms, for even in summer this is a restless if attractive anchorage. But on the east coast of Inishowen the Greencastle-Moville area has seen significant improvement with summer harbour for Moville Yacht Club close south of Greencastle, where the main harbour itself has seen work resumed on some improvements. So Donegal calls. It may get some of the roughest weather in Europe, but when summer comes to stay for a week or two, it’s a cruising paradise.

This is the start of something very worthwhile – the first pontoon berths in place in Killybegs in Donegal in the last week of February. Photo: Geraldine Hennigan

Storm damage to one of the Bunagee pontoons. Photo: Geraldine Hennigan Greencastle is a fishing port where occasionally working boats and leisure craft can become very crowded……Photo: W M Nixon

Bunbeg on Donegal’s northwest corner is a little port which would benefit from a modest pontoon facility. Photo: W M Nixon

After many years, the shoreside cohesion of Fahan Marina on Lough Swilly with its landward neighbourhood south of Buncrana still seems a long way off. Photo Kevin Dwyer/Courtesy ICC

….but immediately south of Greencastle this new pontoon facility provides a summer berth for local craft. Photo: W M Nixon

The berthing facility at Bunnagee near Culdaff took a battering in the winter storms. Photo: Geraldine Hennigan

The new Greencastle pontoons looking east across Lough Foyle. In time, an additional sheltering pier may make this a more attractive proposition for visiting cruising boats. Photo: W M Nixon

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'Voyages and Visits' guide

Hard to find anyone not enthusiastic about the project

Waterways Ireland's latest tourism guide for Voyages and Visits was officially launched at Belfast's Holiday World Show in January. The free guide – available from the Waterways Ireland website - contains essential navigational and practical information for planning a voyage or visit to Ireland's eight main inland navigations.

What's on Ireland's waterways

'Laws will hinder canals' Reduced services and prohibitive rules on Ireland’s canals will result from the new Heritage Bill if it comes into law, says the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland (IWAI) Heritage Minister Heather Humphreys introduced the bill - and its changes to the Canals Act – to the Seanad in January as a “robust framework” for canals management. But the IWAI argues that it does not put user requirements, local communities or tourism at its heart - and will ultimately force boats into other waterways with more userfriendly regulations and without “oppressive” penalties. The IWAI claims support from members of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht who discussed the matter on 25 March 2014, with various members highlighting the large increase in fees as “unacceptable” and the proposed fiveday berthing rule as “unworkable”.

Also criticised by the IWAI is the new Canals Act provision for the appointment of “officers” to carry out searches and seizures on boats and personal property along the River Barrow and Grand and Royal Canals - activities normally limited to the likes of specially trained Gardaí and customs officers. “Politically, this is now a very big issue,” said the IWAI ahead of the General Election on 26 February. Emphasising that Ireland’s boating community “is not averse to appropriate management, facility provision, and access to waterways,” the association added that “as the lifeblood of the navigations, [boats] need to be welcomed not subjected to reduced services and prohibitive enforcement practices.”

Waterways Ireland is producing a 'What's On' guide including details of various festivals and events occurring within an eightmile corridor of the inland waterways under its remit. Over 8,000 copies of the guide will be distributed free of charge to both local and national markets.

Erne no longer a lock European Tour officials have withdrawn their commitment to host the Irish Open at the Lough Erne Resort after changes at the executive level. Owned by American business tycoon Tony Saliba, the Faldo Championship Course was given the nod in early 2014 to host Ireland's most prestigious golf event.

82 salmon rivers open New regulations for wild salmon and sea trout fisheries saw 50 rivers fully opened to anglers in 2016, with a further 32 on a catch-and-release basis. Assessments by the Independent Standing Scientific Committee for Salmon saw 64 rivers closed – one more than 2015 – due to lack of surplus fish.

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JOIN THE EXPERIENCE IN 2016! Do it your way and create your unique Blueway Experience! Whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re into paddling, walking, cycling, or simply hooked on the outdoors, make yours a trip to remember!

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#BluewayDoItYourWay

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RACING R

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Winter wins in the Caribbean for Fogerty and O'Coineen, team racing heads west plus all the dinghy racing news for the summer season ahead Conor Fogerty's BAM, the class three winner in the Caribbean 600. Photo: Tim Wright/RORC

Howth's Caribbean 600 win Conor Fogerty's BAM won Class 3 in RORC's Caribbean 600 after a tense battle with minutes to spare. In another top result for Howth YC, Kieran Jameson's Southern Child finished third in IRC 2 and 25th overall. RORC Commodore Michael Boyd was best in fleet on Andy McIrvine's Belladonna.

Enda third in IMOCA Transat Irish solo sailor Enda O’Coineen finished third in a 3,400-mile IMOCA Ocean Masters Transat from the Caribbean to France. His IMOCA 60 Kilcullen Voyager crossed the finish line off Port la Forêt on 20 December with a time of 13d 22h 19min 55s after starting a day behind the fleet. Meanwhile, O'Coineen is running as an Independent Candidate in the election to Seanad Éireann in the National University of Ireland Constituency. Read more here: http://goo.gl/zuQHok

Enda celebrates in style after finishing third overall

Top ten for Seaton/McGovern Irish hopes of a top-ten finish at this year's Olympics were boosted by a highly credible placing by Rio-qualified Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern at the 49er World Championships. The Belfast Lough duo finished 10th overall in the 68–boat fleet in Clearwater, Florida this February.

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Competitive model racers Home-build model boats are just as competitive as their production counterparts, says model racer Gilbert Louis, who credits class rules allowing for creativity in hull design options - wood or fibreglass - in fostering a healthy DIY scene that both keeps costs down and ensures evolution in the IOM class.

UK sportsboats unite

Derry Clipper winners celebrate in Da Nang Vietnam

Dublin Bay Sailing Club's efforts to unite sportsboat classes are being echoed in Britain with the formation of the new UK Sports Boat Association. The class is aimed at any sportsboat with an LOA between 5 and 9.15m, including designs from the Seascape 18 to the Farr 280.

Clipper win for Derry Derry~Londonderry~Doire won the Da Nang New Discovery of Asia Race, the Irish boat's first victory of the Clipper series after a challenging 28 days at sea in mid–February. The team also won the ocean sprint and came second in the scoring gate to take home 16 points overall.

Viper 640 at Cork Week The Viper 640 one–design will feature at Cork Week in July - with a view to the increasingly popular international sportsboat class being adopted in Ireland. Afloat's 2014 Sailor of the Year Anthony O'Leary can already sing its praises after strong results in last year's Miami Race Week.

Finn Lynch racing for Ireland

The Viper 640 in Ireland this Summer. Photo:Tom Gruitt

Get Finn Lynch to Rio! The National Yacht Club has renewed its appeal for Finn Lynch ahead of a three-way men's Laser dinghy Olympic trial in Palma in March and Mexico in May. The club seeks E25,000 to cover these final trips and a new boat for the 2012 Youth Worlds silver medalist.

Nigel Biggs from the Royal Irish YC was a prize winner at Key West 2016

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Best known for world class one-design racing yachts and Olympic Finn dinghies, Petticrows Ltd has now developed a streamlined, easy-to-fit conversion kit for pre-2015 Dragons to comply with new class rule changes mandating a permanent mast chock. The new kits are available for £195 plus VAT.

SB20 coaching clinic The Irish SB20 class association is staging a racing strategy clinic under the guidance of worldrenowned coach Mark Rhodes in conjunction with the Howth Yacht Club Spring Warmer Series from 9-16 April. The sportsboat class has also launched a new website for the 2016 season at sb20ireland.com.

Irish boats at Key West Lightning, thunder and torrential rain brought January's Key West Race Week to a close for Tschüss, a MAT 1180 with a Cork-connected skipper and a big Irish crew that finished fourth in class, and Nigel Biggs' Royal Irish YC C&C 30 Checkmate, which finished sixth from 11.

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Firefly racing for Irish varsity honours at Kilrush in County Clare Photo: UCD Sailing Club

29er youth crew wanted After coming close to qualifying for the 2015 Youth Worlds after only eight months in a 29er, Royal Cork youth Harry Durcan is seeking a crew to compete at the front of the 29er fleet in European, World and Youth World Championships, with the ultimate goal of medaling at these events.

UCD reigned at the Varsity Team Racing Championships at Kilrush Marina in County Clare, the last national event of the year in the college sailing calendar. The event kicked off on Thursday with 27 teams from 11 different universities from Ireland and the UK competing in 4 different round–robin flights. UCC1, Loughborough University, CIT and UCD1 came out on top of each flight after the first day. The teams were split into Gold, Silver and Bronze for a second round–robin on Friday before entering the knock–out stages on Saturday. The quarter finals saw

some intense racing with Trinity winning over the undefeated reigning champions, UCC1. UCD1 raced UCD2 in the semi–finals and Trinity came up against Loughborough University.

Ratings offer UK choice The UK's IRC Nationals are among 11 regional and special championships around Great Britain and the Channel Islands to be fought out under the IRC Rating rule, giving plenty of choice for Irish sailors - though the Scottish Championships clash with the Irish Nationals at Howth YC from 10-12 June.

The best–of –five final came down to colours rivals, UCD and Trinity in light, challenging conditions. While Trinity won the first race, UCD came back with 3 consecutive wins, taking the varsities title. UCD2 were the third placed team. Full Results: Gold Fleet: 1.UCD1 2. TCD1 3.UCD2 4.Loughborough University

Close Crossing: Royal Cork in red narrowly cross ahead in there round robin match against the DutchPhotos Zagas

Road to Rio – Irish Lasers in Gran Canaria

RCYC Second at Greek 2K Regatta Royal Cork Yacht Club was represented at a 2K Team Racing Regatta hosted by the Yacht Club of Greece in early March. The two boat team, skippered by Fred Cudmore and George Kingston finished second, to a very strong Spinnaker Auspicious team, representing Spinnaker Sailing Club from the UK. The racing took place on the Saronic Gulf, F o r

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Ballyholme's James Espey (right) makes a start at the Laser European Championships. 11 male and female Laser sailors, inlcuding the Rio Olympic trialists from around the Irish coast competed in the March championships in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Full report on Afloat.ie here: http://goo. gl/LMlgJd

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UCD win varsity championships at Kilrush marina

2016 Photos: Bob Bateman

National Championships

Eight National Championship Titles & Corinthian Cups

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Progressive ECHO & IRC

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June 2016 Howth Yacht Club

Photo: ICRA Boat of the Year: George Sisk’s Farr 42 Wow from the Royal Irish Yacht Club

For more information: www.cruiserracing.ie

Irish Cruiser Racing Asscociation

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Fireballs' Golden jubilee A unique gathering of more than 200 Fireball sailors drawn from five decades met at a refurbished Royal St George Yacht Club on Saturday 6 February to mark 50 years since the plywood dinghy first arrived in Ireland, and to celebrate memories of a golden age for dinghy sailing.

You’ll have glimpsed the online photo gallery on Afloat.ie and heard the reports of the International Fireball Dinghy Class 50th Anniversary Irish Reunion last Saturday night in the Royal St George YC in Dun Laoghaire. Fifty years, by George……Most sailing folk still think of the Fireball as a fresh and unique off-the-wall sailing phenomenon, a crazy European take on the skimming-dish scows of the lakes of America’s mid-West. And we think of these very special racing dinghies as being something as new as tomorrow, ingenious boats for ingenious owners who like to do all sorts of personal tunings and tweaks to their pride-and-joy. So it brings us up short to find them celebrating their Golden Jubilee. W M Nixon gives his own take on the Former Fireball Fanatics.

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The inspiration for the Fireball design more than fifty years ago came partially from the classic scows of the lakes of mid-western America. This is a Melges Class A Scow.

If you’re from anywhere well outside the bubble which is southeast Dublin, you’ll assume that a group of guys who regularly drink in a place called the Tramyard will be a bunch of winos. But those in the know are well aware that the Tramyard in Dalkey is a more-than-agreeable coffee house where a regular group of morning habituees supping the essence of the sacred bean is a gathering of sailing friends who have been mates since studying in college or whatever they were doing at that exciting time of life, when all things were possible, and just to have an idea was enough to have the energy to implement it and do something with the result. As this Tramyard crowd have been regularly together for so long, they have not noticed the effects of the passing of the years on each other. So when Derek Jago got to reflecting among them last Autumn that maybe their best sailing years were spent in the Fireball Class, and that it was amazing to think it had been around for fifty years, former Fireball champion Brian Craig immediately suggested that if Derek would organise a post-50th Anniversary Reunion of the Irish Fireball Class past and present, then he – Brian - would see about making the Royal St George Yacht Club available as the venue, for after all it was the George – home club for most of them - which had the biggest Fireball fleet in the great days of the class’s Irish glory.

Of course, when you do organise something like this, you will know what your own close circle of old friends now look like. But it’s a fascinating exercise in the observation of the aging process to wheel in people you mightn’t have seen in thirty and more years.

Doing the business. John Lavery and David O’Brien on their way to winning the Fireball Worlds at Dun Laoghaire, September 1995 Photo: Shane O’Neill

In fact, it might have been fraught with a certain risk of non-recognition of faces from the distant past. But the Irish Fireball Class was not only an outstanding success in its peak years, it went on to send out rising stars who were to make their mark in many other areas of sailing. Consequently last Saturday night proved to be a gathering of familiar faces of whom, in some cases, folk were saying: “But I never knew you were ever a Fireball sailor”. Yet not only were they Fireball sailors once upon a time, but they were very proud of the fact. For in the nicest possible way, the Fireball was and is a bit of a cult thing. She was designed by Peter Milne, who at the time of her creation was working on the drawings for the latest Donald Campbell world water speed record challenger. In the midst of such a hothouse of technology and massive expenditure, it seemed like a breath of fresh air to take a little time out to create a boat which reduced sailing to its absolute essentials, and he did it so well that Peter Milne thereafter never quite matched this one divine inspiration.

The party happens – Derek Jago (left) with former Fireballers Howard Knott, Peter Stapleton and Hilary Knott. Photo: Fotosail

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The founding father – Roy Dickson with his sons Ian (left) and David on Saturday night at the celebration of the Irish Fireball Class. Photo: Fotosail

The first in Ireland –Roy Dickson’s No 38 making a tentative visit to Dun Laoghaire in September 1962.

And it was truly inspirational. After all, who would have thought that a minimalist boat, with just about zero freeboard and skinny with it, and with her slim hull further reduced in volume by having a cut-off pram bow, who could have thought it would be such a superb sailing machine when she’d a crew who gave total commitment to the concept and realised that the use of the trapeze was what Fireball sailing was all about?

Roy’s first Fireball, no 38, made a tentative appearance across Dublin Bay in Dun Laoghaire at the end of the 1962 season, and next Spring it was revealed that other sailors from the north shore were following in his footsteps. They’d already set up a class association with Peter O’Brien as Chairman and Eddie Kay as Honorary Secretary, and it was expected that up to 20 Fireballs would be racing in Ireland by the end of the 1963 summer.

Jan van der Puil (left) with 1995 World Champion John Lavery. Photo: Fotosail

Well, the first in Ireland was Roy Dickson of Kilbarrack and Sutton on the north shores of Dublin Bay, a man who cannot contemplate any boat without thinking about ways of improving it. He’d already been taking several sails on the wild side by building a Jack Holt-designed 16ft Hornet with a sliding seat in the manner of Uffa Fox’s famous sailing canoes, so when the design of the Fireball first appeared in Yachts & Yachting magazine in 1962, it was a eureka moment.

It was an extraordinary breakthrough, the memory of it all made even more vibrant by the fact that Roy Dickson himself was there in Dun Laoghaire that Saturday night, his innovative Fireball years recalled as just another chapter in his own fantastic sailing career, which has gone right to the top both inshore and offshore. Early days – at an IYA Easter Meeting in Wexford the new Fireballs cut a dash by comparison with the older IDRA 14 and Enterprise in the background. Photo: W M Nixon

Champions – Roy Dickson crewed by David Lovegrove after successfully defending the Fireball Nationals in 1966.

Celebrating the Fireball – Anthony and Sally O’Leary, with Cathy McAleavey and Con Murphy. Photo: Fotosail

The Fireball spoke eloquently to several successive waves of Irish sailors, and in the period between the mid 1960s and the late 1990s, you’d be hard put to say just what was the key year, with an early dose of extreme excitement being the Fireball Worlds at Fenit on Tralee Bay in 1970, John Caig from England being the winner. For although an unmatched high was reached in 1995 when John Lavery and David O’Brien of the National YC won both the Europeans and the Worlds in a mega regatta staged by their home club on Dublin Bay, at other times Adrian and Maeve Bell from the north – they were with Lough Neagh SC at the time - were very much in the international frame, counting many major titles.

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Fireballs on an early outing to Sligo, where the Worlds were staged in 2011.

There’s still as little bulk to the boat as possible, but they’re now built in GRP, as seen here with Frank Miller's boat at the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta. Photo: VDLR

As for staging Fireball World Championships, Ireland has stepped up to the plate four times, with a particularly epic Worlds in Kinsale in 1977 where the Godkin brothers set the pace in the local fleet. Then there was the glorious home win at Dun Laoghaire in 1995. And the most recent Worlds in Ireland were at Sligo in 2011, where the great Gus Henry may have been best known as a stalwart of the GP 14 Class, but he too is a top sailor who savoured the Fireball experience. At the height of the class’s popularity, nearly three quarters of the boats in Ireland were said to be an own-build, and Roy Dickson was the pacesetter in innovation. It’s said that if Roy turned up at a major international regatta with some completely new but barely perceptible additional feature on his boat, by the next championship you could be reasonably sure that at least half the fleet would have copied him. But for some years now the class has seen plastic boats in the ascendant, which restrains the innovators. And numbers in Ireland are admittedly no longer so spectacular, for in its top years the truly active Fireball fleet here numbered 70 boats, which for an out-and-out performance dinghy was quite something.

Current Irish Fireball Class Chairperson, seen speaking at last Saturday’s party, is Marie J Barry. Photo: Fotosail

We can always use a cover like this – welcome news with David O’Brien and John Lavery from the Sept/Oct 1995 Afloat.

Yet while the fleets are reduced, the memories if anything are stronger than ever. The photos reveal the calibre of the people who were and are involved in Fireball racing in Ireland – it’s a national Who’s Who of sport afloat. And if that weren’t enough, the roll call of those who preceded John Lavery and David O’Brien in the intense battles to win the World Championship is of truly global stature in international sailing. The first one of all in 1966 was Bob Fisher, no less, crewed by Richard Beales. Then Steve Benjamin of the US was in fine form in the 1970s, as he won in ’76 and then defended successfully at Kinsale in 1977. But in 1978 at Pattaya in Thailand, a new name came centre stage – the one and only Lawrie Smith. Then in 1981 the Worlds winner was future top dinghy designer Phil Morrison, with Fireball mods and tuning worthy of Roy Dickson. In 1994 it was ace sailmaker and multi-champion Ian Pinnell who won the Fireball Worlds, and this set the bar high for John Lavery and David O’Brien in Dublin Bay in 1995. Faced with the challenge, they implemented a rigorous two-year training and competition programme in the countdown to the big one, and it all came out as planned. As the Fireball Worlds 1995 were staged in September, the rest of the Irish sailing community were well home from holidays and back at the day job, so those driving home from work on the Friday night heard it on the car radio as one of the top stories on the evening sports news. Ireland had won a world title. Better still, it was in sailing too. And it was on the peaktime national news. It was a moment to be recalled and savoured many times in Dun Laoghaire in February.

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Irish Sailing Celebrates the B est of the B est February's Irish Sailing Association Annual Awards ceremony undoubtedly conveyed three clearcut messages The first is that, in global sailing terms, we’re a wet and breezy little island which nevertheless punches way above its weight. The second is that we live comfortably with a long and very distinguished history of recreational sailing which puts most other nations in the shade. And the third is that Ireland is definitely not the greatest place in the world to be a professional sailor. W M Nixon takes a look back at Thursday’s annual prizefest. Those unfamiliar with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland might think it odd that, in just two short years, its splendid College Hall, at the very epicentre of Dublin on Stephen's Green, has come to be seen as the most natural focal point for the annual honouring of our top sailors and clubs. But in terms of being a setting which lends itself very positively to such a gathering, College Hall is right on target. It’s a splendid room which is confident with

itself without being over the top. It comfortably accommodates the crowd of between 180 and 200 who have come from all over Ireland to celebrate what’s best in our sailing. And as if that weren’t enough, the RCSI has remarkable links with sailing going back more than a hundred years. So after last year’s first use of the venue, which stemmed from a typically far-sighted suggestion by ISA Board Member Brian Craig, people were keen to go back. And it wasn’t because no-one could think of anywhere better. On the contrary, it was because we’d found that the College of Surgeons is one of those wonderful buildings which make you feel better just from being in it. So in the early days of Spring when we wonder if summer is really going to come at all, a bit of a party in the College of Surgeons is just what the doctor ordered. And as for those doctors and surgeons from the RCSI going sailing, we’ll return to that at the end of this piece. But what of the event itself?

Illuminating. At the week’s Irish Sailing Awards ceremony, Afloat.ie Sailor of the Year 2015 Liam Shanahan spoke for Irish sailors everywhere as he outlined his philosophy of Corinthian sailing combined with family values and shared experience. Photos: Cathal Noonan/INPHO

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Well, with the Afloat.ie Sailor of the Year award going to a determinedly Corinthian skipper who cheerfully admitted that there’s any amount of professional sailors out there who could probably beat the pants off him, but nevertheless his core interest is offshore racing with family and friends, and if they win within those self-imposed limitations, then so much the better….. There it was, the real voice of Irish sailing, and no mistake. But what about the clubs through which we go sailing? How can they carry such a wealth of history, and yet be of any contemporary relevance? Here again, the evidence speaks for itself. The new Mitsubishi Motors Sailing Club of the Year has a wonderful history going back to 1831, yet in terms of sailing achievement and voluntary input into the local, regional and national organisation of sailing, it is making a fantastic contribution. And as for its relevance to sailing in the future, independently of the Club of the Year adjudication taking place, this same club was comfortably on its way to being the top ISA Training Establishment in its region, and on the shortlist for the national title too. If that’s not an illustration of the way that Irish sailing honours its past while living in the present and looking to the future, then I don’t know what it is. But what’s this third point about Ireland being a cold place for professional sailing? Here again, the assembly in the RCSI was very representative of our Irish sailing population. For sure, there are some very distinguished Irish professional sailors, and there are certainly Irish owners who are prepared to pay the top talents to sail with them. But there’s something about the Irish sailing scene which is inimical to such a set–up at home. By all means do it where the weather’s usually benign, and there’s lots of money floating around. But in the Irish climate you sometimes have to be so keen to go sailing despite hostile weather that you just have to rely on nutty amateur crew - the professionals know there’s much better and more reliable pickings elsewhere. Thus we’ve come to the ironic situation that our top home-based professional sailors are actually our Olympic hopefuls. It’s extraordinary when you think that the modern Olympics were “re-founded” in 1896 in order to celebrate amateur sport, yet now in Ireland just about the only homebased sailors who can be said to be professional are the Olympic aspirants. And if they haven’t accepted that they need a professional approach, then they’re not really at the races at all.

Ronan O Siochru with the President Got him! Sailor of the Year 2014 Anthony O’Leary unavoidably missed last year’s awards ceremony, and then in 2015, although though he was Sailor of the Month for April, there were very few people around in October when he successfully defended the Helmsmans Championship Salver. So it was taken secretly to this week’s ceremony, where more than 180 people cheered him to the rafters.

Paralympic sailors Ian Costello and John Twomey

Declan Magee – a sailing man – with Events Organiser Ciara Dowling, who kept the show on the road Dragons Den star Bobby Kerr – a sailing man himself – was the lively Master of Ceremonies

The College Hall in the RCSI provides an ideal setting for the annual gathering for Irish sailing’s national awards.

Ronan O Siochru with the President

Pierce Purcell of Galway Bay SC with the RIYC’s Michael Boyd, Commodore of the Royal Ocean Racing Club

Sailors talking about sailing. The Awards Ceremony provides a cherished opportunity for sailors from every discipline to shoot the breeze together.

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Thus although the friendly Olympian presence of Annalise Murphy, James Espey and Saskia Tidey was much to be welcomed in the very representative throng, generally anyone who was there with any sort of a professional interest in sailing had it as part of a larger business in which actually going sailing is only a small part of the total set–up. Admittedly we did have one Olympian who received an award, John Twomey who took the title in December for his qualification for the Paralympics in September 2016. And he came with added laurels, as on the very day of the ceremony, it had been announced that he and his crew of Ian Costello and Austin O’Carroll had moved up to fifth in the World Rankings. But if you suggested to John Twomey – headed for his 11th Olympiad – that he’s a professional sailor, he’d be convulsed in mirth. Real life is related to an accountancy practice in Kinsale. So the only other monthly awardee who could remotely be said to be a professional sailor was August winner Ronan O Siochru. who skippered the winning Irish Offshore Sailing boat Desert Star to victory in the 33-strong Sailing Schools Division in the Rolex Fastnet Race 2015. But he’s very definitely running a business - and a very demanding one at that – in which going sailing is only part of it. Thus what the ceremony was all about was volunteerism and amateur sport, and in case anybody missed the point, it was supposed to be a bit of fun. In this spirit, the greatest trophy in Irish sailing, the mighty salver for the Helmsman’s Championship, was given an outing. The All Ireland Helmsman’s Championship being an amateurs-only affair, as it is held over an October weekend, inevitably by the time its award ceremony for the salver is shaping up it’s well into Sunday evening. It’s getting dark, and everyone’s tired and wants to go home. So inevitably the handing-over of the historic trophy is a downbeat and somewhat rushed affair. But as the ISA Annual Awards ceremony is all about handing over prizes with as much ceremony as possible, it was arranged for the salver – which had been hurriedly handed over to successful defender Anthony O’Leary in Dun Laoghaire back in October – to be smuggled out of the O’Leary household down

in Crosshaven, secretly taken to Dublin, hidden away in the College of Surgeons, and then formally presented as a surprise extra to the great man after he’d received his Sailor of the Month award for April. He blushed. Before all this, we’d been setting the scene with the ISA Youth Sailors of the Year, who were 420 Worlds Bronze Medallists Douglas Elmes and Colin O’Sullivan, and the ISA Training Centre of the Year, which was Mullingar Sailing Club from Westmeath which headed the Western Region, and overall came in ahead of Foynes YC from the Southern Region and the Royal Irish YC from the Eastern Region. But for the RIYC Commodore James Horan, the good news was only beginning, as his club was then announced as the new Mitsubishi Motors Sailing Club of the Year for a host of excellent reasons. We’ll list them in more detail hon Afloat. ie in due course when the traditional handing-over ceremony for the old ship’s wheel trophy is held in the RIYC clubhouse later in the Spring. But meanwhile we saw ample reason for it, as two of the Sailor of the Month awards went to very active RIYC members, George Sisk and Tim Goodbody. Then came the Sailor of the Year announcement. Anyone who was following the voting in the Afloat. ie poll will know it was running very close. But as the poll SAILING results are only a quarter of the adjudication process, CLUB it was just a couple of days ahead of OF the awards ceremony when the judges THE finally made their decision. They came YEAR down in favour of Liam Shanahan both for his wonderful and very sporting victory in the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race with his family’s J/109 Ruth, and his subsequent success in retaining the Irish Sea Annual Championship title.

John Treacy, CEO of the Sports Council, with Liam Shanahan and ISA President David Lovegrove

The youngest award winner was Topper champion Geoff Power of Waterford Harbour SC at Dunmore East

Olympian and rising stars – James Espey, Aoife Hopkins and Saskia Tidey

The new Mitsubishi Motors Sailing Club of the Year is the Royal Irish YC – Commodore James Horan with Billy Riordan of Mitsubishi Motors and David Lovegrove