A great article on the growth of the RS fleets in Ireland this year.
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Dún Laoghaire Dinghies. The home of dinghy sailing in Dun Laoghaire.
Monday, December 23, 2013
RS "Propoganda" in Afloat, makes for a good read.
If Santa Brings you an RS200 or an RS400 this Christmas
A great article on the growth of the RS fleets in Ireland this year.
A great article on the growth of the RS fleets in Ireland this year.
Lasers: New Years Day Race, Howth, 1st Jan 2014, Warning signal 11:55
Testing your resolve..
More information and an entry form on hyc.ie
http://www.hyc.ie/openevents14/default.asp
More information and an entry form on hyc.ie
http://www.hyc.ie/openevents14/default.asp
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Saturday, December 21, 2013
David O'Brien in Irish Times
Sailing as we know it is “officially over”. That was
the dramatic message coming from the two-day World Yacht Racing Forum
and Yacht Racing Design and Technology Symposium held in Gothenburg.
Admittedly
the statement was aimed at a professional yacht racing audience rather
than the vast bulk of enthusiasts who continue to enjoy their sport as
normal, but increased concern about waning numbers at home was expressed
at the same time in Dún Laoghaire at the recent Dinghy and One Design
Keelboat Racing Advisory Group (Dokrag) convention at the National Yacht
Club.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Mad Moths!
The Irish Moth fleet got onto the water on Sunday, despite the strong winds.
The Irish Moth Tour- "The Curra dinghy Christmas Cracker 2013"
The Irish Moth Tour- "The Curra dinghy Christmas Cracker 2013"
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Sunday, December 15, 2013
Frostbite Series 1 - it's a wrap!
While the weather hasn't been kind over the last few weekends, the calendar has marched on and we have come to the end of Series 1 in the Frostbites.
The results are here.
Thanks again to Olivier and all the helpers at the DMYC!
Onwards to Series 2!!
The results are here.
PY Dinghies - http://goo.gl/Uli4eu
Junior PY Dinghies - http://goo.gl/8EMhLz
Laser class - http://goo.gl/rCzYd8
Laser Juniors - http://goo.gl/ZGXkIQ
RS class - http://goo.gl/34VNtv
Fireball class - http://goo.gl/BI2H2r
Thanks again to Olivier and all the helpers at the DMYC!
Onwards to Series 2!!
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Abersoch Dinghy Week - 20th-25th July 2014, Wales
South Caernarvonshire Yacht Club is proud to announce that Crewsaver will be the title sponsors of Abersoch Dinghy week in 2014.
There is dinghy racing for the Laser, Solo, Single Handed Mixed dinghies, Laser Radial and Phantom classes and a handicap race for Toppers, Tera's, Cadets, Mirrors, Miracles and Fevas in the morning. In the afternoon there is racing for RS 200s, Asymmetric Dinghies, RS400s, Fireballs, Slow Mixed Dinghies and Fast Mixed Dinghies.
For the younger beginner sailors there is Oppie and Tera training in the afternoon and for the younger more advanced Optimist sailors there will be coaching in the mornings with a national coach followed by racing in the afternoons.
Racing Starts on Sunday 20th July 2014 at 11am for the morning fleets and 2pm for the afternoon fleets. Races are usually 2 hours long and extended over 6 days with the normal 5 races to count.
Plans for a lively entertainment program are in motion with Dinghy Weeks favourite band Elephant Juice already confirmed, a paddle boarding competition, and a quiz night to test your physical and mental strength.
For further information about Crewsaver Abersoch Dinghy Week please contact:
Andy Teague: +44 (0) 7971 785527
Jude: +44 (0) 1758 712338
E: info@scyc.co.uk
There is dinghy racing for the Laser, Solo, Single Handed Mixed dinghies, Laser Radial and Phantom classes and a handicap race for Toppers, Tera's, Cadets, Mirrors, Miracles and Fevas in the morning. In the afternoon there is racing for RS 200s, Asymmetric Dinghies, RS400s, Fireballs, Slow Mixed Dinghies and Fast Mixed Dinghies.
For the younger beginner sailors there is Oppie and Tera training in the afternoon and for the younger more advanced Optimist sailors there will be coaching in the mornings with a national coach followed by racing in the afternoons.
Racing Starts on Sunday 20th July 2014 at 11am for the morning fleets and 2pm for the afternoon fleets. Races are usually 2 hours long and extended over 6 days with the normal 5 races to count.
Plans for a lively entertainment program are in motion with Dinghy Weeks favourite band Elephant Juice already confirmed, a paddle boarding competition, and a quiz night to test your physical and mental strength.
For further information about Crewsaver Abersoch Dinghy Week please contact:
Andy Teague: +44 (0) 7971 785527
Jude: +44 (0) 1758 712338
E: info@scyc.co.uk
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
No Racing Sunday 8th Dec
There was no racing on Sunday 8th December due to strong winds.
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Wednesday, December 4, 2013
December 1st challenges
What a set of challenges we all faced!
The committee faced a very unstable wind, changing direction far to much and too frequently. The sailors faced a chilly day with large fleets and confused breezes.
Who would handle it best? The answer was clear in all the fleets.
In PY Tom Murphy walked away with it. His K1 and his tactics had great effect and he finished more than 5 minutes ahead of a tight group of two IDRA 14s. The OK Dinghy and the 470 were a minute further back from them and only 5 seconds apart. After that there was a gap of 15 minutes on corrected time to the next finishers! Unusually large gaps in PY, which is typically very tight.
The Laser fleet saw new challenges to Dave Cahill's dominance. Richard Harding won, with Cahill second and a returning Graham Elmes showing his speed to come in 3rd. With 22 boats on such a quiet day it was a challenge to keep the boat moving, and the leaders deserved their results. It was interesting to note that the Lasers didn't catch the IDRA 14s, which they would normally do. Sloops faster than cat rigged boats in such light airs, perhaps?
The RS400s had their way in the RS fleet again, taking the top 3 spots. Actually rather a surprise in such light airs to see the RS200s so far back. Emmet Ryan finished clear ahead in his cool grey boat, with O'Leary next and Algeo 3rd. These top 3 finished just 3 mins apart, impressive in such light airs.
Rumball, Clancy and Malcolm took the top 3 spots in the Fireballs, and it's a tight battle on the overall results there too. First, second and third are on 12, 15, and 16 points respectively. Tight stuff!
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| K1 - 1st place in PY |
Who would handle it best? The answer was clear in all the fleets.
In PY Tom Murphy walked away with it. His K1 and his tactics had great effect and he finished more than 5 minutes ahead of a tight group of two IDRA 14s. The OK Dinghy and the 470 were a minute further back from them and only 5 seconds apart. After that there was a gap of 15 minutes on corrected time to the next finishers! Unusually large gaps in PY, which is typically very tight.
PY Results - http://goo.gl/QGICtS
PY Juniors - http://goo.gl/BgIqqA
The Laser fleet saw new challenges to Dave Cahill's dominance. Richard Harding won, with Cahill second and a returning Graham Elmes showing his speed to come in 3rd. With 22 boats on such a quiet day it was a challenge to keep the boat moving, and the leaders deserved their results. It was interesting to note that the Lasers didn't catch the IDRA 14s, which they would normally do. Sloops faster than cat rigged boats in such light airs, perhaps?
Laser Results - http://goo.gl/KOUnjt
Laser Juniors - http://goo.gl/Hx3MHA
The RS400s had their way in the RS fleet again, taking the top 3 spots. Actually rather a surprise in such light airs to see the RS200s so far back. Emmet Ryan finished clear ahead in his cool grey boat, with O'Leary next and Algeo 3rd. These top 3 finished just 3 mins apart, impressive in such light airs.
RS 200 and 400 - http://goo.gl/4tTNR8
Rumball, Clancy and Malcolm took the top 3 spots in the Fireballs, and it's a tight battle on the overall results there too. First, second and third are on 12, 15, and 16 points respectively. Tight stuff!
Fireball - http://goo.gl/muQFba
Again, the number of juniors was truly impressive and a great day was had by all.
Roll on Xmas!
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Monday, November 25, 2013
Light wind, light fleet
With many of the Toppers sailing in Dun Laoghaire in their own event rather than the Frostbites and several other people staying onshore to watch the rugby, the fleet was a little light this weekend. A light fleet matched the light wind, which was a classic example of Frostbite Flukey. You can see the slow speeds in the OK Dinghy's GPS track here.
In the PY fleet the IDRA14s and the OK Dinghy sailed away on the water, with Frank Hamilton's IDRA14 taking the win by more than 2 minutes over Sheehy's OK Dinghy, but all four of these finishing more than 6 mins clear of the next boat. This pattern was repeated in all the fleets.
Dave Cahill continued his domination in the Lasers, taking a huge win from Conor O'Leary. Even in a reduced fleet there were 15 boats racing.
The RS fleet saw Emmet Ryan sail to a monster win in his RS400. He finished legs ahead and more than 4 mins clear on corrected time. Andrew Algeo was 2nd in another RS400.
Victory in the Fireballs went to Conor Clancy, with Butler and Rumball taking 2nd and 3rd.
All in all a quiet day for sailing, but good fun again!
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| Nice roll tack, but what's the bit of duct-tape? |
PY Results - http://goo.gl/QITtgj
Laser Results - http://goo.gl/JGG90e
The RS fleet saw Emmet Ryan sail to a monster win in his RS400. He finished legs ahead and more than 4 mins clear on corrected time. Andrew Algeo was 2nd in another RS400.
RS Results - http://goo.gl/0PrkZ0
Victory in the Fireballs went to Conor Clancy, with Butler and Rumball taking 2nd and 3rd.
Fireball Results - http://goo.gl/yJocA4
All in all a quiet day for sailing, but good fun again!
Friday, November 22, 2013
Dinghy & One Design Keelboats Convention (Rescheduled) - Saturday 30th November, NYC, Dun Laoghaire
The ISA Dinghy / One Design Racing Advisory Group would like to hear
from you, the sailors, on matters relating to the future of Dinghy and
One Design racing in Ireland. On behalf of the chairman Margaret
O’Donnell the ISA would like to extend an invitation to all sailors to
attend and to contribute at the Dinghy & One Design Keelboats Convention.
Part 1 – Data: 10.30am – 11.15am
Part 2 – Events: 11.30am – 12.15pm
Dinghy & One Design Keelboats Convention
- Date: Saturday, 30th of November
- Time: 10.15am
- Venue: JB Room in the National Yacht Club, Dun Laoghaire
- Chair: Margaret O’Donnell
Part 1 – Data: 10.30am – 11.15am
- Advisory Group presents its participation figures.
- Classes to provide their figures for boats racing in fleets nationally.
- What are the trends, are the figures reliable?
- Feedback is needed from classes and clubs; what can they provide? How can we easily collect data on an ongoing basis?
Part 2 – Events: 11.30am – 12.15pm
- Are there too many events or not enough? Ideas for some events discussed.
- Should / could some regional events be merged?
- How can we encourage youths in to senior classes? How can classes manage the transition?
- How can the ISA help classes to help themselves?
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Tips from the top: What to eat on race day
http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/food-and-drink/olympic-sailor-annalise-murphy-i-have-a-very-sweet-tooth-1.1600273
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Well outside!
Another day and the DMYC fleets got to sail well outside the confines of the harbor.
On the day the committee were miracle workers to get a race off at all, and a reasonably good one too! Very variable winds made it hugely uncertain that we'd race, but patience and persistence paid.
Results are here.
PY Overall
PY Junior
Laser Overall
Laser Junior
RS Overall
Fireball
Everyone was greatly cheered to see Des picking up the mug for the day in his Finn. A great show!
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| Two tracks of the two courses - RS400/Fireball and the others |
Results are here.
PY Overall
PY Junior
Laser Overall
Laser Junior
RS Overall
Fireball
Everyone was greatly cheered to see Des picking up the mug for the day in his Finn. A great show!
Monday, November 11, 2013
A black mark for the RS fleet!!
The water was full of dinghies. There were 20 PY dinghies, 28 Lasers, 12 Fireballs and 10 RS 200/400s, now in their own separate class after the change in SIs. It's worth pointing out again the number of juniors racing in the DMYC series. It's a great and successful aspect of the winter sailing and makes the DBSC's exclusion of juniors even more of a puzzle. Summer sailing should be like this too!
With the National Team Racing Championships and several junior squad trainings taking place inside the harbor the DMYC Committee took the fleets outside to open water. The new trapezoid course took a little longer to set up but a 5 minute postponement allowed the wind to settle too, and off we went on a long 4-lap trapezoid course.
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| DMYC Frostbites Outside the Harbor |
The PY fleet was led around by the IDRAs, with the Finn and OK Dinghy close behind on the water. But the many Toppers were chasing hard and stayed well in touch on corrected time. Frank Hamilton's IDRA was the clear winner, with nearly a minute lead at the end. Fergal O'Flaherty was 2nd, with a solid block of 4 Toppers next.
Friday, November 8, 2013
DMYC Change to Frostbite Sailing Instructions
After the huge increase in boats entered in the DMYC Frostbites, the committee has decided to rearrange the classes and have published a new SI (see below)
They have decided to:
Please make sure to “spread” the word among the various Clubs and classes.
They have decided to:
- Create a “RS Class” regrouping RS400s and RS200s.
- Change the “default” course from a triangle to a trapezoid. (This is to avoid situations whereby the PY class comes back through the start line at the end of their first lap while we still try and start other classes, notably the Fireballs)
- The Fireball Start is pushed back by 3 mins.
Please make sure to “spread” the word among the various Clubs and classes.
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Monday, November 4, 2013
Frostbites HO!
It's that time of year again. The DMYC Frostbites started up again with a HUGE fleet in PY and Laser and about the same size in Fireballs as last year.
The main feature in PY was the burgeoning RS200 and 400 fleets. Many new boats, recently bought. It was a great sight. Plus, in contrast to the DBSC in the summer racing where juniors aren't allowed, juniors are fully welcome in the DMYC Frostbites. They were there in RS200s, Toppers, etc. Great to see. And they won too, in PY.
The results are online at DMYC.ie and you can also see them in this post below. The OK Dinghy version of events is online here.
In any case it was a great day.
More pics below. But - an important question! Who'll write up the Laser and PY stories? Volunteers, please.
The main feature in PY was the burgeoning RS200 and 400 fleets. Many new boats, recently bought. It was a great sight. Plus, in contrast to the DBSC in the summer racing where juniors aren't allowed, juniors are fully welcome in the DMYC Frostbites. They were there in RS200s, Toppers, etc. Great to see. And they won too, in PY.
The results are online at DMYC.ie and you can also see them in this post below. The OK Dinghy version of events is online here.
In any case it was a great day.
More pics below. But - an important question! Who'll write up the Laser and PY stories? Volunteers, please.
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Sunday, November 3, 2013
Moths on Irish Times
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Dinghy Convention Postponed to Nov 30
The ISA has postponed the Dinghy Convention to November 30.
See their page for more detail.
See their page for more detail.
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Friday, October 25, 2013
Ireland's Dinghy discussions going global
With the upcoming convention in Dun Laoghaire (see previous article), there's a lot of discussion on where the future of Irish dinghy sailing lies. Elite sailing? Traditional Classes? Where?
Now we see that there's interest well beyond these shores. Sailing Scuttlebutt, one of the world's major sailing news and discussion sites, has picked up on the theme again and is exposing our debates to a wider audience.
Do you have a point of view?
If so, go add your ideas to the discussion in either location (or both) where it's now out there.
Ireland's Afloat is the main location, see here.
http://afloat.ie/sail/isa/item/23663-cost-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-small-boat-sailing
and Scuttlebutt's discussion is here.
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2013/10/23/revitalizing-traditional-linkages/
Now we see that there's interest well beyond these shores. Sailing Scuttlebutt, one of the world's major sailing news and discussion sites, has picked up on the theme again and is exposing our debates to a wider audience.
Do you have a point of view?
If so, go add your ideas to the discussion in either location (or both) where it's now out there.
Ireland's Afloat is the main location, see here.
http://afloat.ie/sail/isa/item/23663-cost-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-small-boat-sailing
and Scuttlebutt's discussion is here.
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2013/10/23/revitalizing-traditional-linkages/
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Friday, October 18, 2013
Dinghy & One Design Keelboats Convention, Sat 2nd Nov @ 10.15am
"The ISA Dinghy & One Design Racing Advisory Group would like to hear from you, the sailors. We urge all sailors with an interest in the future of Dinghy and One Design racing in Ireland to come along, participate and contribute at our upcoming Dinghy & One Design Keelboats Convention."
Read more on sailing.ie
- Date: Saturday, 2nd of November
- Time: 10.15am Venue:
- JB Room in the National Yacht Club, Dun Laoghaire
Read more on sailing.ie
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Island Trial - the phone killer
With the DBSC season coming to an end it was time to see if there was one last chance for The Island Trial.
With conditions unsuited for the kites it fell to some more traditional craft to attempt the defeat of the leading Moth.
What happened? Well a phone was killed. And some sailors said some naughty words. Out loud.
To read the full story go to www.islandtrial.com.
With conditions unsuited for the kites it fell to some more traditional craft to attempt the defeat of the leading Moth.
What happened? Well a phone was killed. And some sailors said some naughty words. Out loud.
To read the full story go to www.islandtrial.com.
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Monday, October 7, 2013
Cycle Superstore Sail/Cycle Challenge
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| Winners Theo Lyttle and Neil O'Toole |
35 cyclists lined up in the club for the start of the cycle. The route took them over the Vico road towards Enniskerry village.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Vote for Annalise Murphy - Seahorse Sailor of the Month
Annalise Murphy (IRL)
Redemption at last for the popular and bubbly Irish sailor who dominated the opening days of the London 2012 regatta in the women's Laser Radial fleet only to tumble to the leather medal as the event reached its final denouement. Murphy crushed all her previous Olympic rivals at this year's Radial Europeans, winning seven of the first eight races... plus the final medal race just to be certain.Keep it up, madam.
Cast your vote, submit comments, even suggest a candidate for next month at seahorsemagazine.com/sailor-of-the-month
Seahorse Sailor of the Month is sponsored by Harken McLube, Dubarry & Musto. Who needs silverware, our prizes are usable!
Monday, September 30, 2013
Light & Bright, 2013's a Wrap
The last Saturday of the 2013 Season was fittingly "Light and Bright". The biggest decision being made ashore before racing was whether or not to bring the wind proof top.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
High Performance Dinghy Presentation Evening & Debate - NYC Friday 4th October 18:30
“JUST DO IT” – NYC – Friday 4th October @ 18;30 (as featured in the Irish Times 27th Sept)
Interested in those skiffs or mad foiling machines? Don't know how to get started or involved? Then this event is for you...We'll try and cover everything you want to know on Skiffs, 49er, 29er, Moth etc...
The objectives of the evening are:
For the evening, each speaker will have:
Interested in those skiffs or mad foiling machines? Don't know how to get started or involved? Then this event is for you...We'll try and cover everything you want to know on Skiffs, 49er, 29er, Moth etc...
The objectives of the evening are:
- To inform potential new comers
- To see what level of interest there is to get into that scene...create an attendance / database list
- To detail what we are trying to achieve by coming together and what are potential routes to continue on from here if interested. (Create Yahoo Group? Facebook page? Committing to program to get involved with particular boats or to try a few, training hard in one class to perform)
- To promote the around the island challenge
- To explore the room to develop a series for Hi Perf Dinghies in Dun Laoghaire, within or outside of DBSC, elsewhere in Ireland....
For the evening, each speaker will have:
- a Promotional video
- Clean and tidy example of boat rigged outside the JB room for viewing
- a Short presentation detailing:
- How old is the design. Pros & cons
- Realistic budget to buy (new / 2nd hand) and sail the boat.
- The "real world" physique or characteristics needed to sail the boat including ideal crew / helm weight etc...
- to have fun
- to compete
- Why they chose the class
- Strength/quality of the fleet now and what it's expected to be in the future...in IRL? In UK? Further?
- Andddddd mention your top recorded speed!
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Cycle Superstore Sail Cycle Challenge, RStGYC, Sat 5th & 6th October
Cycle Superstore Sail Cycle Challenge, Royal St George YC, Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th October - Enter online
Note - this year includes a start for Laser Radials!Day 1, Cycle
Cycle, Saturday 5th October
Start time: 1300 sharp from the Club Forecourt
Route: The event will feature a cycle of 64 km, starting at 13:00 on Sat 5th October from the Club. The cycle will finish back at the Club at about 17:00. Have a look at the route on the link for full details.
We invite everyone to come along. You may participate in the cycle or the Laser racing alone, but as the weekend is all about the social we would encourage everyone to jump on a bike and do a few km. The cycle route will take us up to Enniskerry in the Wicklow mountains, so the roads are quiet and the scenery great.
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Monday, September 9, 2013
September Series
Meantime, while many of the ex-juniors are still bringing boats back to the forecourts, the juniors are already back to business.
The September Series, run out of the NYC, brings together some of the newest competitors and some pretty skilled ones. And everyone has a great time.
Results pending (or at least we can't see them at the moment).
The September Series, run out of the NYC, brings together some of the newest competitors and some pretty skilled ones. And everyone has a great time.
Results pending (or at least we can't see them at the moment).
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Thursday, September 5, 2013
What more could you ask for??
Dublin Bay and Dun Laoghaire are showing the world - and the locals - that Dun Laoghaire is a globally fantastic location for dinghy sailing.
Wind, waves, even sunshine. What more could you ask for?
You'll hear the world's sailing media talking about the great conditions and facilities here. If you've watched our summer reporting you'll know that these kind of conditions are far from rare.
Get out here! No excuses!
Wind, waves, even sunshine. What more could you ask for?
You'll hear the world's sailing media talking about the great conditions and facilities here. If you've watched our summer reporting you'll know that these kind of conditions are far from rare.
Get out here! No excuses!
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| Start! |
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| He is, without doubt, THE MAN. |
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| Dublin Bay. WOW. |
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| She is, without doubt, THE WOMAN! |
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| You GO! |
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| Waves and wind and sun. What else do you need? |
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| An Irish hero for today and tomorrow! |
All pics from Richard Langdon Ocean Images
Sunday, August 25, 2013
After their boat sinks, two Aussies are left floating around in their lifeboat
All of a sudden one of them spots a funny looking bottle bobbing in the water and pulls it out. He sees something written on the bottle but can't quite read it so he gives it a bit of a rub.. SHAZAM..... out pops a genie!
"For releasing me from the bottle I will grant you one wish" the genie says.
The guy glances at his mate, smiles and without further hesitation says, "I wish the whole ocean was beer!"
The genie claps his hands together and BOOM, there's a blinding light and the genie is gone. The guy quickly leans over the side of the boat and takes a big swig of "water". "You're not gonna believe this mate, but it's really beer!"
His mate screws up his face and says "That's just bloody brilliant mate! Now we're going to have to piss in the boat!!"
There was no genie required for an Australian sailor visiting Dublin Bay this weekend. In town for the European Championships and taking up the DL Dinghies invite to join in the local racing, he conjured up two incredible displays of what it's like to be at the top of the Laser game. Even a call of nature while ahead at the leeward mark of the first race didn't dent his lead. Between races, gentleman that Jared West is, he imparted details of the latest techniques for downwind sailing in Lasers. It's a shame us mere local mortals are still trying to master basic s-turns!
On the race course it was a day as tricky as any we have seen over the whole summer. Oscillating shifts were probably the easiest pattern to spot, getting in phase with the oscillations whilst avoiding the car parking lot sized holes was another matter entirely.
In both starts the pin was favoured and it seemed the middle left of the beats, while downwind in the first the left out in more tide seemed to pay. The second had Euromillions written all over it, very light breeze from the off, 3 (ambitious) rounds, a big left shift, dark menacing clouds and a very big wind hole called for massive amounts of patience. Jared, this was not normal. Our very best wishes for your Europeans Bid.
Results as always here http://www.dbsc.org/index.php/results
For more on this story visit the Irish OK Dinghy Association Website
"For releasing me from the bottle I will grant you one wish" the genie says.
The guy glances at his mate, smiles and without further hesitation says, "I wish the whole ocean was beer!"
The genie claps his hands together and BOOM, there's a blinding light and the genie is gone. The guy quickly leans over the side of the boat and takes a big swig of "water". "You're not gonna believe this mate, but it's really beer!"
His mate screws up his face and says "That's just bloody brilliant mate! Now we're going to have to piss in the boat!!"
There was no genie required for an Australian sailor visiting Dublin Bay this weekend. In town for the European Championships and taking up the DL Dinghies invite to join in the local racing, he conjured up two incredible displays of what it's like to be at the top of the Laser game. Even a call of nature while ahead at the leeward mark of the first race didn't dent his lead. Between races, gentleman that Jared West is, he imparted details of the latest techniques for downwind sailing in Lasers. It's a shame us mere local mortals are still trying to master basic s-turns!
On the race course it was a day as tricky as any we have seen over the whole summer. Oscillating shifts were probably the easiest pattern to spot, getting in phase with the oscillations whilst avoiding the car parking lot sized holes was another matter entirely.
In both starts the pin was favoured and it seemed the middle left of the beats, while downwind in the first the left out in more tide seemed to pay. The second had Euromillions written all over it, very light breeze from the off, 3 (ambitious) rounds, a big left shift, dark menacing clouds and a very big wind hole called for massive amounts of patience. Jared, this was not normal. Our very best wishes for your Europeans Bid.
Results as always here http://www.dbsc.org/index.php/results
For more on this story visit the Irish OK Dinghy Association Website
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
CRO
Each week over this glorious summer either Hugh Sheehy or Paul Keane have written a report after racing on Tuesday or Saturday. They would dearly love for others to get involved and put across their point of view. In fact it was an early idea of the current PY Committee that the 4th placed finisher would always be the one to write the report. Maybe that's another initiative we can roll out for next year.
We have finally been rewarded with a race report by the man seen in the video below. This wobbly footage (the cameraman was supposed to be doing flags or hooter or something..) is CRO winning last Saturdays windy race. He clearly thought he was sailing in the Caribbean and may still have some water in his head. He apologises in advance for lack of PY'ness.
No point
So Tuesday evening in Scotsmans bay, fleet exit the harbour with a nice 15-18knot SW wind promising interesting racing with commitee obviously expecting the forecast to hold true and the wind to stay... Setting a lengthy course in contrast to recent weeks.
But in true Dublin bay fashion, as the start approached the wind buggered off. The fireballs, PY, IDRA's & mermaids had some breeze, but lasers had Zero, it took several attempts for half the fleet to make it over the start. As the lack of wind finally affected the whole fleet, they all bunched up somewhat at the first windward, with some heading left for wind, some staying up the middle on the small gusts and shifts and1 or 2 heading to teddys for 99's.....
By the top mark in the lasers, Sean Craig led the way and got around in lucky wind against a strong tide while a close nit bunch including some tall skinny young fair haired pro lookin bloke led by the a Croatian and followed by Ross OLeary & ex "Hottest Irish Male Olympian 2008" (as voted by U-magazine) Phil Lawton - with Keaner unashamedly holding up the rear for now.
In patchy breeze, some took the wise option and called it a day at the leeward mark, having proven their points, Craiger and Matty ODowd headed to McDonalds for dinner.
Tide now flooding hard and wind clearly on its way home from Copper face jacks..... Lead to a frustrating and challenging beat. Benefitting the stealthy Colin Galavan, Dwyer and Keane, fighting his way back to pass the Croatian from almost a leg down... The Croatian admitting later, he almost "lost his point"...
After about 30 mins of snakes and ladders... Galavan took the horn, O'Toolavic nabbed 2nd off a valiant Dave Dwyer, Ross in 4th with Keaner battling back to 5th (I think, my mind was on the awesome RIYC €6 dinner surprise awaiting me on shore!!) go look at the results yourselves!!!!..... Mmmm pasta bolonaise."
Cheers,
CRO
We have finally been rewarded with a race report by the man seen in the video below. This wobbly footage (the cameraman was supposed to be doing flags or hooter or something..) is CRO winning last Saturdays windy race. He clearly thought he was sailing in the Caribbean and may still have some water in his head. He apologises in advance for lack of PY'ness.
No point
So Tuesday evening in Scotsmans bay, fleet exit the harbour with a nice 15-18knot SW wind promising interesting racing with commitee obviously expecting the forecast to hold true and the wind to stay... Setting a lengthy course in contrast to recent weeks.
But in true Dublin bay fashion, as the start approached the wind buggered off. The fireballs, PY, IDRA's & mermaids had some breeze, but lasers had Zero, it took several attempts for half the fleet to make it over the start. As the lack of wind finally affected the whole fleet, they all bunched up somewhat at the first windward, with some heading left for wind, some staying up the middle on the small gusts and shifts and1 or 2 heading to teddys for 99's.....
By the top mark in the lasers, Sean Craig led the way and got around in lucky wind against a strong tide while a close nit bunch including some tall skinny young fair haired pro lookin bloke led by the a Croatian and followed by Ross OLeary & ex "Hottest Irish Male Olympian 2008" (as voted by U-magazine) Phil Lawton - with Keaner unashamedly holding up the rear for now.
In patchy breeze, some took the wise option and called it a day at the leeward mark, having proven their points, Craiger and Matty ODowd headed to McDonalds for dinner.
Tide now flooding hard and wind clearly on its way home from Copper face jacks..... Lead to a frustrating and challenging beat. Benefitting the stealthy Colin Galavan, Dwyer and Keane, fighting his way back to pass the Croatian from almost a leg down... The Croatian admitting later, he almost "lost his point"...
After about 30 mins of snakes and ladders... Galavan took the horn, O'Toolavic nabbed 2nd off a valiant Dave Dwyer, Ross in 4th with Keaner battling back to 5th (I think, my mind was on the awesome RIYC €6 dinner surprise awaiting me on shore!!) go look at the results yourselves!!!!..... Mmmm pasta bolonaise."
Cheers,
CRO
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Drafty Duties
Every fleet has an obligation to provide some helping hands on the Committee Boat at various specifiied dates throughout the sailing season and Saturday 17th August was one of the PY days. Paul Keane and David Dwyer stepped up and spent a day onboard.
The Freebird Committee Boat is amazingly well organised and it is very interesting and good fun to watch the racing from a different angle. Jobs we're allocated after docking out, tying up ropes and hauling fenders inboard. Paul was put on flags. David was on the hooter. Brian Matthews was PRO with Barbara calling the time and Noelle keeping records.
On 3 minute rolling starts there are a lot of flags going up and down in conjunction with the various sound signals. Luckily there is a laminated sheet showing what happens each minute and once the sequences start it's fairly easy to just keep the flags rolling. In addition to the start sequences there are interruptions like OCS boats which must be dealt with.
It was a fairly windy day and with the Optimists taking up the Western Part of the bay for their Nationals PRO Brian Matthews decided to set a course in Scotsmans Bay. A call was made to station a RIB at the harbour mouth which could convey the change of course area to any boats that looked like they were heading to Seapoint.
A windward/leeward course was opted for and shortly after the first start sequence started we realised the Freebird was drifting. 2 hooters from Dave, Paul raised the AP and Brian quickly restarted the engines and lifted the anchor (all done remotely from the cockpit) and then motored back onto station. Probably less than five minutes lost before we restarted the sequence.
After the second round a line squall could be seen coming down the course so a decision was made to shorten the courses and get the boats finished. In the video below Matthew O'Dowd from the RSG is seen tearing down the course in his laser, it gives an idea of the wind on the day. Shortly after this a friend of Matthew's lost his rig in another Laser. At this point N over A was raised and all of the fleets were sent in.
Next year the PY Fleet will be trialling a Committee Boat duty rota whereby everyone in the fleet will at some point have to share in our collective responsibility to provide help.
See you all on Tuesday.
The Freebird Committee Boat is amazingly well organised and it is very interesting and good fun to watch the racing from a different angle. Jobs we're allocated after docking out, tying up ropes and hauling fenders inboard. Paul was put on flags. David was on the hooter. Brian Matthews was PRO with Barbara calling the time and Noelle keeping records.
On 3 minute rolling starts there are a lot of flags going up and down in conjunction with the various sound signals. Luckily there is a laminated sheet showing what happens each minute and once the sequences start it's fairly easy to just keep the flags rolling. In addition to the start sequences there are interruptions like OCS boats which must be dealt with.
It was a fairly windy day and with the Optimists taking up the Western Part of the bay for their Nationals PRO Brian Matthews decided to set a course in Scotsmans Bay. A call was made to station a RIB at the harbour mouth which could convey the change of course area to any boats that looked like they were heading to Seapoint.
A windward/leeward course was opted for and shortly after the first start sequence started we realised the Freebird was drifting. 2 hooters from Dave, Paul raised the AP and Brian quickly restarted the engines and lifted the anchor (all done remotely from the cockpit) and then motored back onto station. Probably less than five minutes lost before we restarted the sequence.
After the second round a line squall could be seen coming down the course so a decision was made to shorten the courses and get the boats finished. In the video below Matthew O'Dowd from the RSG is seen tearing down the course in his laser, it gives an idea of the wind on the day. Shortly after this a friend of Matthew's lost his rig in another Laser. At this point N over A was raised and all of the fleets were sent in.
Next year the PY Fleet will be trialling a Committee Boat duty rota whereby everyone in the fleet will at some point have to share in our collective responsibility to provide help.
See you all on Tuesday.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Tide tactics
Tuesday saw the committee and the racers confronted by a delicate combination; a tide absolutely whooshing up towards the "windward" mark and a breeze that was playing hide and seek rather expertly.
Mind you, it was warm and dry and really a rather pleasant evening so everyone took on the challenges in good humor. Several boats stayed out after the racing until it was getting dark.
But - before all that the racing was the main priority.
After a short postponement the committee sent the Fireballs off first. Even though the line had only been dropped minutes beforehand, there was already a huge boat bias and the mark was almost a fetch on starboard.
The PY start lined up and Sheehy's OK Dinghy won the start, hitting the boat end with speed (ehem) and almost hitting a port-tacking IDRA14 that was - and stayed - over the line. Des Fortune's Finn and Tom Murphy's K1 footed fast out to the left looking for stronger tide while the OK Dinghy pointed high and stuck to the inside of the course, hoping for more right shifts. The rightie came just as the OK Dinghy approached the mark, turning the beat into a fetch and leaving Fortune and Murphy downtide of the mark AND on the wrong side of the shift. Argh.
Meantime, the Lasers were coming in pursuit.
Mind you, it was warm and dry and really a rather pleasant evening so everyone took on the challenges in good humor. Several boats stayed out after the racing until it was getting dark.
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| Drifting home as the sun sets. A good evening. |
After a short postponement the committee sent the Fireballs off first. Even though the line had only been dropped minutes beforehand, there was already a huge boat bias and the mark was almost a fetch on starboard.
The PY start lined up and Sheehy's OK Dinghy won the start, hitting the boat end with speed (ehem) and almost hitting a port-tacking IDRA14 that was - and stayed - over the line. Des Fortune's Finn and Tom Murphy's K1 footed fast out to the left looking for stronger tide while the OK Dinghy pointed high and stuck to the inside of the course, hoping for more right shifts. The rightie came just as the OK Dinghy approached the mark, turning the beat into a fetch and leaving Fortune and Murphy downtide of the mark AND on the wrong side of the shift. Argh.
Meantime, the Lasers were coming in pursuit.
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Sunday, August 11, 2013
Amazing breeze - speedy K1
Another beautiful day in a glorious summer that we'll long remember. And Seapoint threw up a tactically challenging day for the dinghy sailors that they'll remember too.
Francis Barry's Laser and Tom Murphy's elegant K1 joined the racing so there were enough boats to make up for the absence of some regulars and the short postponement allowed everyone to get to the start on time after a slow sail out. Sadly the K1's outhaul broke just before the start of Race 1, with insufficient time to make a repair before the guns.
Race 1 saw Sheehy's OK Dinghy and Keane's Laser dominate from the beginning. Both hit the favoured pin end with clear air and good speed and both quickly tacked onto a long port fetch towards the windward mark, leaving the rest of the boats far behind almost immediately.
With bizarre bands of breeze across the course Sheehy first climbed way above Keane, only for Keane to climb back at the end of the beat. Dwyer and Barry got caught on the wrong side of shifts so they were well behind by the first mark and the race became a private match race between the top 2.
Sheehy seemed to have an edge upwind, with Keane faster downwind. After sailing in close company for the whole race Sheehy finally took the gun by a few seconds, and with it the race win. (result here)
Race 2 was much more interesting!
(Aidan Tarbett was on the water and got some lovely pictures too. He'll be on the water again this coming Tuesday.)
Francis Barry's Laser and Tom Murphy's elegant K1 joined the racing so there were enough boats to make up for the absence of some regulars and the short postponement allowed everyone to get to the start on time after a slow sail out. Sadly the K1's outhaul broke just before the start of Race 1, with insufficient time to make a repair before the guns.
Race 1 saw Sheehy's OK Dinghy and Keane's Laser dominate from the beginning. Both hit the favoured pin end with clear air and good speed and both quickly tacked onto a long port fetch towards the windward mark, leaving the rest of the boats far behind almost immediately.
With bizarre bands of breeze across the course Sheehy first climbed way above Keane, only for Keane to climb back at the end of the beat. Dwyer and Barry got caught on the wrong side of shifts so they were well behind by the first mark and the race became a private match race between the top 2.
Race 2 was much more interesting!
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Wednesday, August 7, 2013
No Tuesday Racing = Island Trial instead
With Tuesday evening racing cancelled - apparently due to a tradition - ten boats went out to find other amusement. Lasers, K1s, Finns and Flying Fifteens hit the water to sail the Island Trial. This was the largest mass attempt on the route since the event started. The Mermaids annual "Meg Cup" was previously the biggest, albeit not on the formal trial course.
On this night the wind wasn't set for a fast time but it's always an adventure in a small boat. See the full report on the Island Trial site here.
On this night the wind wasn't set for a fast time but it's always an adventure in a small boat. See the full report on the Island Trial site here.
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Monday, August 5, 2013
Foiling for everyone
As seen on Sailing Anarchy
Updated 8 Aug - more details about the foils are emerging
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Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Karate Kid Sailing
In the 1984 film Karate Kid a young boy is groomed in martial arts. The film spawned the famous phrase "wax on, wax off". Last nights DBSC race was characterised by squally unpredictable conditions and schooled every sailor in "wind on, wind off".
Further to recent discussions at DBSC Committee level there was a shakeup in the start sequence and the Fireballs were first off. In a display of how far reaching the DL Dinghies communications channel has become no PY boats lined up for the first start presumably because everyone had heard of the SI change.
PY were the second fleet to go, Sheehy in the OK looked like he got a good start and was on the right side of the pack as everyone headed into Scotsmans Bay out of the tide and looking for the left shift.
A healthy Laser fleet which was bolstered by Michael Delaney, Gary O'Hare, Theo Lyttle (has he got the bug back?) and that "Gun for Hire" Mr Ronan Keneally sailing in Dan O'Connells boat started the chase to the PY fleet 3 minutes later.
3 rounds of a good sized triangular course, a beat that wouldn't settle into any discernible pattern and streaky wind lines downhill which allowed seemingly healthy leads to evaporate saw a lot of attrition and a fair amount of swimming.
In PY a distracted Sheehy decided he wasn't in a racing mood and went off to see how fast an OK would go on power reaches. Tom Murphy kept plugging away in the K1, in close contact with the leading Mermaids and IDRA14s, with Pat McGoldrick battling to the finish in the Vago.
In the Lasers Keneally, Lyttle and Galavan (in training for his Europeans bid) made the early running and a big gust as they rounded the first windward mark ensured they had a buffer right to the end.
Results for PY here
Laser One Design Results here
Further to recent discussions at DBSC Committee level there was a shakeup in the start sequence and the Fireballs were first off. In a display of how far reaching the DL Dinghies communications channel has become no PY boats lined up for the first start presumably because everyone had heard of the SI change.
PY were the second fleet to go, Sheehy in the OK looked like he got a good start and was on the right side of the pack as everyone headed into Scotsmans Bay out of the tide and looking for the left shift.
A healthy Laser fleet which was bolstered by Michael Delaney, Gary O'Hare, Theo Lyttle (has he got the bug back?) and that "Gun for Hire" Mr Ronan Keneally sailing in Dan O'Connells boat started the chase to the PY fleet 3 minutes later.
3 rounds of a good sized triangular course, a beat that wouldn't settle into any discernible pattern and streaky wind lines downhill which allowed seemingly healthy leads to evaporate saw a lot of attrition and a fair amount of swimming.
In PY a distracted Sheehy decided he wasn't in a racing mood and went off to see how fast an OK would go on power reaches. Tom Murphy kept plugging away in the K1, in close contact with the leading Mermaids and IDRA14s, with Pat McGoldrick battling to the finish in the Vago.
In the Lasers Keneally, Lyttle and Galavan (in training for his Europeans bid) made the early running and a big gust as they rounded the first windward mark ensured they had a buffer right to the end.
Results for PY here
Laser One Design Results here
Monday, July 29, 2013
First and Second Division
Saturday was another of those glorious days where you'd wonder why all the dinghies in the park aren't on the water. Nevertheless, the PY sailing saw a typical fleet on the startline. Finns, Lasers, OK Dinghies and Laser Vagos all out there in the sunshine.
Will Nesbitt was out in Neil O'Toole's Laser, thereby confusing the results, and Colin Galavan was out but missed the first race, thereby denying himself results to match his speed.
The racing saw definite divisions in speed.
In Race 1 Paul Keane was in Division 1 - or the Premiership for you young folk - all by himself. Sheehy's OK, Tate in the Finn and Nesbitt in the Laser all finished close together in Division 2, but well behind the storming Keane. The Vago brought up the rear of the field, finishing with the Flying Fifteens who had done one extra lap.
Will Nesbitt was out in Neil O'Toole's Laser, thereby confusing the results, and Colin Galavan was out but missed the first race, thereby denying himself results to match his speed.
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| Race 1 |
In Race 1 Paul Keane was in Division 1 - or the Premiership for you young folk - all by himself. Sheehy's OK, Tate in the Finn and Nesbitt in the Laser all finished close together in Division 2, but well behind the storming Keane. The Vago brought up the rear of the field, finishing with the Flying Fifteens who had done one extra lap.
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Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Up the Right Wing for Teddy's Ice Cream Lovers
The promised stiff breeze and anticipated boat handling test quickly fizzled away to light breezes right after the Laser start. This left a lopsided race course with no option but to bang the right side on the beats, practically joining the queue for Teddy's Ice Cream on the shore of Scotsmans Bay. I'll have a flake with that please.
It was good to see Theo Lyttle back out on the race course after a long break. He pushed Paul Keane right to the end, particularly with some magical mystery in-phase attacking leaps on the last beat.
Richard Tate did enough in his RS to claim 2nd spot and the podium was completed by Colin Galavan who only got past a storming Alan McNab (in a rare outing - let's be seeing more of you!) at the final leeward mark.
There was a fine gathering in the RIYC afterwards for a plate of food, a drink and good chats. Welcome Susie, Joan and Peter - our new Laser Radial squad who we hope to see training on the race courses in preparation for next year from now till the end of season.
It was good to see Theo Lyttle back out on the race course after a long break. He pushed Paul Keane right to the end, particularly with some magical mystery in-phase attacking leaps on the last beat.
Richard Tate did enough in his RS to claim 2nd spot and the podium was completed by Colin Galavan who only got past a storming Alan McNab (in a rare outing - let's be seeing more of you!) at the final leeward mark.
There was a fine gathering in the RIYC afterwards for a plate of food, a drink and good chats. Welcome Susie, Joan and Peter - our new Laser Radial squad who we hope to see training on the race courses in preparation for next year from now till the end of season.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Laser Connaughts - Lough Ree
There were a number of Dun Laoghaire sailors - both young and old - at this weekend's Laser Connaughts in Lough Ree. And several took podium places!
Congratulations to Conor Byrne RStG (2nd Overall in Laser Standard), Cian Cahill RStG (5th Overall and 1st Youth, Laser Standard) and Sean Craig RStG (9th Overall and 1st Master, Laser Standard) in particular.
Please read the detailed report on Afloat.ie
Results download here
Congratulations to Conor Byrne RStG (2nd Overall in Laser Standard), Cian Cahill RStG (5th Overall and 1st Youth, Laser Standard) and Sean Craig RStG (9th Overall and 1st Master, Laser Standard) in particular.
Please read the detailed report on Afloat.ie
Results download here
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Saturday, July 20, 2013
Dis-mastery
A day of more Mediterranean conditions combined with bad luck, some bad sailing and some really great sailing. What a day!
No Vagos turned up today but there was a good supply of Lasers (Keane, O'Toole, Walsh), the OK Dinghy and also Richard Tate - that sailor of every class - who was borrowing Alain Deladienee's Laser. He's now sailed RS400, Finn, OK Dinghy and Laser in this series. What else can he try? In any case it was a good fleet on a truly glorious day.
The first race started with Sheehy's OK Dinghy putting on a masterful demonstration of how to hold position on the start line. Unfortunately for him, this demonstration took place well after the starting signal. Apparently irons and the piano are highly compatible.
Ultimately Race 1 saw a Keane horizon job - but only after O'Toole's dismasting. Race 2 a multiway ding-dong battle to the finish. See below for the detail.
No Vagos turned up today but there was a good supply of Lasers (Keane, O'Toole, Walsh), the OK Dinghy and also Richard Tate - that sailor of every class - who was borrowing Alain Deladienee's Laser. He's now sailed RS400, Finn, OK Dinghy and Laser in this series. What else can he try? In any case it was a good fleet on a truly glorious day.
The first race started with Sheehy's OK Dinghy putting on a masterful demonstration of how to hold position on the start line. Unfortunately for him, this demonstration took place well after the starting signal. Apparently irons and the piano are highly compatible.
Ultimately Race 1 saw a Keane horizon job - but only after O'Toole's dismasting. Race 2 a multiway ding-dong battle to the finish. See below for the detail.
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| Race 1 - Results (Note: Tate sailing Deladienee's boat) |
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Dinghy Sailing round up in Irish Times
Nice to see the dinghy fleets getting a mention.
http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/other-sports/dinghy-sailors-at-full-stretch-both-at-home-and-abroad-1.1467916
http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/other-sports/dinghy-sailors-at-full-stretch-both-at-home-and-abroad-1.1467916
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Monday, July 15, 2013
PY/Laser fleet: Youth before Wisdom - but only just!
The biennial Dun Laoghaire Regatta is the Irish Sea's biggest sailing event. This year saw nearly 400 boats, many from the UK, and thousands of sailors in 25 fleets.
The PY fleet was almost a Laser one-design event, with three Laser Vagos and one OK Dinghy racing among 12 Lasers.
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| 1st: Frank "The Kid" Devlin |
Four days of intense racing with winds between 5 and 12 knots saw Frank Devlin in a Laser the winner by a single point from Hugh Sheehy in an OK Dinghy. Ross O'Leary took 3rd ahead of Neil O'Toole and Paul Keane, all in Lasers.
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| 2nd: Hugh "The Cat" Sheehy |
Frank, a member of the local youth Laser squad, put on a demonstration of dinghy sailing technique over the first two days and took 4 wins in the 5 races. Only Neil O'Toole took a race win from "The Kid" over these first two days. However, the senior sailors have been around the block and weren't slow to learn new tricks. The next two days were full of excitement.
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Sunday, July 14, 2013
DLR - Saturday Update
Saturday saw lighter but still quite consistent winds on the dinghy course and all the fleets got in three races on good courses. The race management has been absolutely top class too.
The results are all online http://dlregatta.org/2013/Results_2013.asp?Menu=Results. Note that the PY results have now been corrected.
It's TIGHT at the top in Fireballs, with Brian Byrne and the Clancy brothers all on 16 points after the Clancys had a comparatively bad day on Saturday while Byrne put in firsts across the board.
In the IDRAs the best Dun Laoghaire boats is sitting in 4th, with Sutton and Clontarf boats leading the way. Frank Hamilton is best of the DL boats by a margin.
PY had tight finishing again in all races, with 5 boats usually finishing within a minute and race 2 ending in a dead-heat for 1st. Frank Devlin didn't dominate like he had previously, but is still the clear leader in his Laser, with Sheehy's OK Dinghy in 2nd and Ross O'Leary 3rd in another Laser.
PY+ has been a bit disappointing. The International 14 has put on a great show but we've only seen the foiling moths on one day.
The results are all online http://dlregatta.org/2013/Results_2013.asp?Menu=Results. Note that the PY results have now been corrected.
It's TIGHT at the top in Fireballs, with Brian Byrne and the Clancy brothers all on 16 points after the Clancys had a comparatively bad day on Saturday while Byrne put in firsts across the board.
In the IDRAs the best Dun Laoghaire boats is sitting in 4th, with Sutton and Clontarf boats leading the way. Frank Hamilton is best of the DL boats by a margin.
PY had tight finishing again in all races, with 5 boats usually finishing within a minute and race 2 ending in a dead-heat for 1st. Frank Devlin didn't dominate like he had previously, but is still the clear leader in his Laser, with Sheehy's OK Dinghy in 2nd and Ross O'Leary 3rd in another Laser.
PY+ has been a bit disappointing. The International 14 has put on a great show but we've only seen the foiling moths on one day.
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Saturday, July 13, 2013
DLR - half way through
The DLR has so far been gifted with decent wind and indecent weather. Uninterrupted sun and warm winds. We'll think the recession is over or something!!
In any case, the various fleets are having great sailing. Highlights have to include the foiling Moths blasting through the Fireball fleet at ridiculous speeds.
Results are online at http://dlregatta.org/2013/Results_2013.asp?Menu=Results , although as of Friday evening the PY results are a work of creative fiction on the part of the scorers. We'll try again to get them fixed.
Photos are online on fotosail.com, with the scenes linked on the left hand side of the link below.
This photo (http://www.fotosail.com/events/2013dlregatta/fri-seapoint/fri-spnt-win-moth/d015_8820.jpg) shows Dublin Bay sailing in some of its most diverse forms.
In any case, the various fleets are having great sailing. Highlights have to include the foiling Moths blasting through the Fireball fleet at ridiculous speeds.
Results are online at http://dlregatta.org/2013/Results_2013.asp?Menu=Results , although as of Friday evening the PY results are a work of creative fiction on the part of the scorers. We'll try again to get them fixed.
Photos are online on fotosail.com, with the scenes linked on the left hand side of the link below.
This photo (http://www.fotosail.com/events/2013dlregatta/fri-seapoint/fri-spnt-win-moth/d015_8820.jpg) shows Dublin Bay sailing in some of its most diverse forms.
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Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Moths
We missed one piece of high flying (literally) dinghy news from last weekend.
Dun Laoghaire has been gradually building up a fleet of International Moths, led graciously by marvelous nutters like John Chambers. Now it's the refuge of bored Olympians too, with Rory Fitz, Annalise M and suchlike all making the leap.
This week, apart from admiring their bravery and persistence as they zoom around the harbor we can also admire their results in the recent UK Nationals where Rory was 23rd and John was 35th in a fleet of 70. And this is without them having access to any regular class racing.
Serious kudos!!
It also gives more seriousness to the hope that the upcoming DLR will have enough wind to get this lot foiling. It'll be quite a show.
Dun Laoghaire has been gradually building up a fleet of International Moths, led graciously by marvelous nutters like John Chambers. Now it's the refuge of bored Olympians too, with Rory Fitz, Annalise M and suchlike all making the leap.
This week, apart from admiring their bravery and persistence as they zoom around the harbor we can also admire their results in the recent UK Nationals where Rory was 23rd and John was 35th in a fleet of 70. And this is without them having access to any regular class racing.
Annalise was there too but couldn't sail the first half of the event.
It also gives more seriousness to the hope that the upcoming DLR will have enough wind to get this lot foiling. It'll be quite a show.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Feva Win, 200 Place, 400 solid showing!
The RS Nationals ended in Cultra today and saw the Dun Laoghaire boats put in a seriously good performance across the board.
In the Fevas the Higgins pairing put on a serious last day push, taking all 1sts and 2nds and taking the overall victory by 2 points. Now that's the way to become National Champions!!
In the 200s the Craig/Foley pairing finally got just pipped for 2nd Irish boat and 4th overall, but 3rd Irish boat is a solid showing. Noonan/King held onto 6th overall, maintaining yesterday's position. Meantime Toterdell/Kelly jumped up to 9th from 13th with a strong last day - probably the best of the Dun Laoghaire boats on the last day. The Hinkson and Cassidy pairings more or less held position with consistent performances.
Meantime the 400 fleet saw the DL boats experience mixed fortunes again. The Ryan brothers put in several 3rds and 4ths but could only fight up to 8th overall. Still, that's 3rd or 4th Irish boat and looking at the names well behind them shows the top class level they're operating at. As yesterday, Olympians and other household names well below them in the results!! Arthur Mehigan held steady but dropped a few places as his very consistency meant that the discard didn't help him much. Richard Tate climbed from 41st to 37th on the last day.
All in all a successful showing for Dun Laoghaire. Champions in Fevas and rankings among the top few Irish boats in 200 and 400. And probably good tans too!
Results here
Photo Gallery here. Photos all remain copyright of the original photographer.
In the Fevas the Higgins pairing put on a serious last day push, taking all 1sts and 2nds and taking the overall victory by 2 points. Now that's the way to become National Champions!!
In the 200s the Craig/Foley pairing finally got just pipped for 2nd Irish boat and 4th overall, but 3rd Irish boat is a solid showing. Noonan/King held onto 6th overall, maintaining yesterday's position. Meantime Toterdell/Kelly jumped up to 9th from 13th with a strong last day - probably the best of the Dun Laoghaire boats on the last day. The Hinkson and Cassidy pairings more or less held position with consistent performances.
Meantime the 400 fleet saw the DL boats experience mixed fortunes again. The Ryan brothers put in several 3rds and 4ths but could only fight up to 8th overall. Still, that's 3rd or 4th Irish boat and looking at the names well behind them shows the top class level they're operating at. As yesterday, Olympians and other household names well below them in the results!! Arthur Mehigan held steady but dropped a few places as his very consistency meant that the discard didn't help him much. Richard Tate climbed from 41st to 37th on the last day.
All in all a successful showing for Dun Laoghaire. Champions in Fevas and rankings among the top few Irish boats in 200 and 400. And probably good tans too!
Results here
Photo Gallery here. Photos all remain copyright of the original photographer.
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Saturday, July 6, 2013
Three way tie in glorious conditions
With several other events on around the country, e.g. the RS Nationals (see below), there was only a depleted fleet on the DBSC Dinghy course today. However, there are new faces turning up and adding spice to the racing.
Charles Dwyer (not yet formally entered) was out on the water competing, with Paul McDermott out to observe and start his training for international events later in the year. The committee set a 3-lap triangle course for the first race. A LONG one, with 1.3km beats. Sheehy's OK Dinghy got the start all wrong, with Keane and Dwyer correctly placed and in close contention. The beat saw Dwyer easing ahead, with Sheehy dropping off the back and seeming slow. Despite hard work from the chasing two, Dwyer cruised ahead and it was Dwyer, Keane and Sheehy at the finish.
Race two was with a 2-lap windward leeward, but still with a 1.3-1.4km beat. The start saw all three boats at the pin and reasonably even. Dwyer went for the pin end flyer and - after recent experience with other boats - Sheehy let him get away with it. Meantime a blind and deaf Squib got right in the mix but Keane managed not to be obstructed too badly. Up the first beat the two Lasers were within spitting distance with the OK Dinghy tight behind. Dwyer fouled the offset and had to re-round, leaving him trailing slightly.
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| Glorious conditions and tight racing |
Race two was with a 2-lap windward leeward, but still with a 1.3-1.4km beat. The start saw all three boats at the pin and reasonably even. Dwyer went for the pin end flyer and - after recent experience with other boats - Sheehy let him get away with it. Meantime a blind and deaf Squib got right in the mix but Keane managed not to be obstructed too badly. Up the first beat the two Lasers were within spitting distance with the OK Dinghy tight behind. Dwyer fouled the offset and had to re-round, leaving him trailing slightly.
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Feva good, 200 fair, 400 not so good
The RS Feva, 200 and 400 Nationals are on this weekend in Cultra. It seems fair to say that the Dun Laoghaire contingent are having a varied time of it so far.
In the Fevas there are Dun Laoghaire boats in 2nd and 3rd (the Higgins pair and Rafferty/Coleman), and the contingent from the George is very strong overall. Kudos!
In the 200s the top Dun Laoghaire boat is in 5th (Craig/Foley), with Noonan/King in 6th, Totterdell/Kelly in 13th, with the Cassidy and Hinkson pairings in 15th and 17th respectively. Not bad.
The 400 fleet is seeing the Dun Laoghaire boats having a torrid time. In a difficult regatta where more than half the fleet didn't even finish the 3rd race, the normally consistent Ryan brothers are carrying an 18th place and are running in 9th overall. Given their normal standard they're unlikely to be happy with that!! Meantime Arthur Mehigan is holding 29th with a fairly even set of results and Richard Tate is having a fun but frustrating weekend in 41st. It's got to rank as an "Oh dear" for Dun Laoghaire in the 400s, although with Olympians in 11th and regular Laser Masters regional winners in 20th the standard of the fleet can't be overstated.
Let's hope things pick up on Sunday!
Event results here, and photo gallery here. All photos remain copyright of the photographer!
In the Fevas there are Dun Laoghaire boats in 2nd and 3rd (the Higgins pair and Rafferty/Coleman), and the contingent from the George is very strong overall. Kudos!
In the 200s the top Dun Laoghaire boat is in 5th (Craig/Foley), with Noonan/King in 6th, Totterdell/Kelly in 13th, with the Cassidy and Hinkson pairings in 15th and 17th respectively. Not bad.
The 400 fleet is seeing the Dun Laoghaire boats having a torrid time. In a difficult regatta where more than half the fleet didn't even finish the 3rd race, the normally consistent Ryan brothers are carrying an 18th place and are running in 9th overall. Given their normal standard they're unlikely to be happy with that!! Meantime Arthur Mehigan is holding 29th with a fairly even set of results and Richard Tate is having a fun but frustrating weekend in 41st. It's got to rank as an "Oh dear" for Dun Laoghaire in the 400s, although with Olympians in 11th and regular Laser Masters regional winners in 20th the standard of the fleet can't be overstated.
Let's hope things pick up on Sunday!
Event results here, and photo gallery here. All photos remain copyright of the photographer!
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Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Tricolour Telltale
Let's hope the Harbour Company don't take down the wonderful Irish Tricolour on the end of the East Pier any day soon. This evening, in a scene played out across each deck and launching area, all of the dinghy crews hoped that the flag would fly and there'd be some wind out on the bay. It didn't look likely from the shore for quite a while! All eyes on the flag!
But despite initial appearances the sailors were greeted by a neat 6-10 knot SE~SW shifty breeze out in Scotsmans Bay with a short wind over tide chop. OOD Ben Mulligan's prayers were answered by a breeze that lasted nicely for the duration of the racing and not much more.
An early casualty in the PY Fleet was Sheehy in the OK Dinghy, adjudged to be some boatlengths over the line he dutifully re-started about a minute later. Mind you, Tate's RS400 hadn't gone anywhere much either, having had a dreadful start too while the Mermaids and IDRAs headed up the beat.
Tate passed them all and already led at the first mark. Then the Red Bull effect really took over. Tate and the RS400 found enough power to fly on the runs and Tate was gone. The second run was where he dominated, powering down the run on a right hand shift and pulling out a huge lead. Sheehy overhauled and passed the Mermaids and IDRA14s in a more gradual fashion, still hoping to make up for that start.
Meantime there was a returning face in the pursuing Lasers. Charles Dwyer Esq of Cork graced the fleet with his speedy presence and excellent sense of humour. We hope to see more of him and fellow Corkonian Ronan Keneally over the coming weeks.
At the first mark it was very close with O'Toolivic, Dwyer, Galavan and Keane bow to stern, followed by Walsh and Barry. Keane went left on the run while the others sailed the conservative direct line. At the bottom Keane edged inside all three to round in a lead which he held to the finish. Keeping speed on the run was key for the Lasers too, with the waves at a tricky angle to the wind offering gains and frustration in equal measure.
Overall Tate won by a mile with Keane best of the Lasers. The gap from Tate to Keane was 4mins 48seconds on corrected time. That's HUGE. Sailed well, the RS400 can be untouchable on its day. Galavan was another 1:39 back from Keane. O'Toolivic was just 8 seconds back from Galavan and Sheehy's OK Dinghy only 19 seconds from there. Tight from 3rd to 5th but big gaps for 1st and 2nd. (O'Dwyer isn't entered yet so didn't get a recorded finishing time.)
Walsh was next with Francis Barry further back and McGoldrick's Vago taking the final finishing position.
Results here.
But despite initial appearances the sailors were greeted by a neat 6-10 knot SE~SW shifty breeze out in Scotsmans Bay with a short wind over tide chop. OOD Ben Mulligan's prayers were answered by a breeze that lasted nicely for the duration of the racing and not much more.
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| Drifting home after the breeze |
Tate passed them all and already led at the first mark. Then the Red Bull effect really took over. Tate and the RS400 found enough power to fly on the runs and Tate was gone. The second run was where he dominated, powering down the run on a right hand shift and pulling out a huge lead. Sheehy overhauled and passed the Mermaids and IDRA14s in a more gradual fashion, still hoping to make up for that start.
Meantime there was a returning face in the pursuing Lasers. Charles Dwyer Esq of Cork graced the fleet with his speedy presence and excellent sense of humour. We hope to see more of him and fellow Corkonian Ronan Keneally over the coming weeks.
At the first mark it was very close with O'Toolivic, Dwyer, Galavan and Keane bow to stern, followed by Walsh and Barry. Keane went left on the run while the others sailed the conservative direct line. At the bottom Keane edged inside all three to round in a lead which he held to the finish. Keeping speed on the run was key for the Lasers too, with the waves at a tricky angle to the wind offering gains and frustration in equal measure.
Overall Tate won by a mile with Keane best of the Lasers. The gap from Tate to Keane was 4mins 48seconds on corrected time. That's HUGE. Sailed well, the RS400 can be untouchable on its day. Galavan was another 1:39 back from Keane. O'Toolivic was just 8 seconds back from Galavan and Sheehy's OK Dinghy only 19 seconds from there. Tight from 3rd to 5th but big gaps for 1st and 2nd. (O'Dwyer isn't entered yet so didn't get a recorded finishing time.)
Walsh was next with Francis Barry further back and McGoldrick's Vago taking the final finishing position.
Results here.
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Monday, July 1, 2013
DL Regatta Countdown and SI's
The countdown to the fifth edition of the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta has begun! There are 5 main items of info you need to know.
1. Sailing Instructions
SI’s are now available on the Event Website.
These are low resolution and not suitable for printing – hard copies will be issued to skippers at Registration
2. The Regatta Race Office
The race office, with posting of all results & with the event Jury will be situated in portacabins adjacent to the Harbour Plaza beside the Royal St George YC. The Race Office will be clearly identified.
3. Registration Hours at Race Office
Results, photos etc will be posted on Facebook and the event website during the Event.
Gareth Craig of Fotosail and Aidan Tarbett of Aidan Tarbett Photography will be setting up photo displays of racing each day in the Royal St George YC and Royal Irish YC. You will be able to purchase photos at the Regatta if you wish.
5. Event Social Programme
The Regatta Social Programme is now published on the event website. Copies are also available in all waterfront yacht clubs.
The 4 Waterfront Yacht clubs are putting on a magnificent entertainment program over the 4 days with a great variety of music, trad sessions, rock bands and jazz–something for everyone, whether sailing or preferring to stay ashore. Pigs on Spits, Thai Food, Seafood bars are but some of the food options along with Drinks Promotions and Class Receptions.
HH Games are back with ‘Get your Kit on’ so watch out for them after racing, along with United Airlines who are giving away 2 economy tickets from Dublin to the USA. Winner will be announced at the Closing Ceremony.
1. Sailing Instructions
SI’s are now available on the Event Website.
These are low resolution and not suitable for printing – hard copies will be issued to skippers at Registration
2. The Regatta Race Office
The race office, with posting of all results & with the event Jury will be situated in portacabins adjacent to the Harbour Plaza beside the Royal St George YC. The Race Office will be clearly identified.
3. Registration Hours at Race Office
- Tuesday 9th July 1500 – 2100
- Wednesday 10th July 1100 – 1900
- Thursday 11th July 0900 – 1300
Results, photos etc will be posted on Facebook and the event website during the Event.
Gareth Craig of Fotosail and Aidan Tarbett of Aidan Tarbett Photography will be setting up photo displays of racing each day in the Royal St George YC and Royal Irish YC. You will be able to purchase photos at the Regatta if you wish.
5. Event Social Programme
The Regatta Social Programme is now published on the event website. Copies are also available in all waterfront yacht clubs.
The 4 Waterfront Yacht clubs are putting on a magnificent entertainment program over the 4 days with a great variety of music, trad sessions, rock bands and jazz–something for everyone, whether sailing or preferring to stay ashore. Pigs on Spits, Thai Food, Seafood bars are but some of the food options along with Drinks Promotions and Class Receptions.
HH Games are back with ‘Get your Kit on’ so watch out for them after racing, along with United Airlines who are giving away 2 economy tickets from Dublin to the USA. Winner will be announced at the Closing Ceremony.
Nice and restful - NOT.
Saturday was supposed to be a nice moderate day with sun and warm westerlies. Two out of three ain't bad, I suppose.
We had the sun and the warm westerlies but calling them "moderate" might be a bit kind.
With Tate as OOD and the Ryans still not back from Kinsale there was no RS on the line and with many of the Lasers off at the Leinsters in Wexford we might have expected a small fleet, but a good gaggle of Lasers and the OK Dinghy were out there to do battle. Keane, Harding, Nesbitt, Walsh, Dwyer, all in Lasers and Sheehy in the OK Dinghy..
With the wind rising the fleet was a bit lineshy on the first start on a 3 lap trapezoid course. Sheehy's OK got the best start and was fast up the first beat, leading the Lasers around the top mark. Keane caught up on the reach before the fleet headed onto the run.
Sheehy, with insufficient vang, put on an impressive display of bow dancing before finally stopping to inspect the bottom of the hull. Keane fell over laughing, allowing Harding into the lead while Dwyer took a sensible time-out. Keane, despite the capsize and a number of chicken gybes on the rest of the first lap, sped up on lap 2 and managed to catch the more conservative Harding for a solid race win.
Race 2 was set on a shorter 2 lap windward-leeward course. Again Sheehy's OK Dinghy led off the line but Harding's Laser led to the top mark with Sheehy and Keane tight behind and pinned by a Mermaid. Keane took the lead at the bottom mark with Harding immediately behind and Sheehy about 30m back after sailing a rather conservative and heavily-vanged run. Walsh was further back after a bad start, but hanging in there in serious wind.
Up the beat the leading Lasers went right and the OK went up the middle. At the mark Harding led again, having shown great upwind speed. Sheehy had recovered ground too and tacked into line immediately behind Harding and immediately below Keane's Laser. The three rounded in a tight bunch with two Mermaids.
Keane again sailed the run best, pipping Harding by at the line by 11 seconds and Sheehy by 19 seconds. Walsh came to the line shortly afterwards having sailed a solid race, with the rest retiring. A windy day.
The slightly sheltered harbor weather station showed force 7 gusts and they were there...no doubt.
Race 1 here.
Race 2 here.
We had the sun and the warm westerlies but calling them "moderate" might be a bit kind.
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| Force 7 gusts during the racing |
With the wind rising the fleet was a bit lineshy on the first start on a 3 lap trapezoid course. Sheehy's OK got the best start and was fast up the first beat, leading the Lasers around the top mark. Keane caught up on the reach before the fleet headed onto the run.
Sheehy, with insufficient vang, put on an impressive display of bow dancing before finally stopping to inspect the bottom of the hull. Keane fell over laughing, allowing Harding into the lead while Dwyer took a sensible time-out. Keane, despite the capsize and a number of chicken gybes on the rest of the first lap, sped up on lap 2 and managed to catch the more conservative Harding for a solid race win.
Race 2 was set on a shorter 2 lap windward-leeward course. Again Sheehy's OK Dinghy led off the line but Harding's Laser led to the top mark with Sheehy and Keane tight behind and pinned by a Mermaid. Keane took the lead at the bottom mark with Harding immediately behind and Sheehy about 30m back after sailing a rather conservative and heavily-vanged run. Walsh was further back after a bad start, but hanging in there in serious wind.
Up the beat the leading Lasers went right and the OK went up the middle. At the mark Harding led again, having shown great upwind speed. Sheehy had recovered ground too and tacked into line immediately behind Harding and immediately below Keane's Laser. The three rounded in a tight bunch with two Mermaids.
Keane again sailed the run best, pipping Harding by at the line by 11 seconds and Sheehy by 19 seconds. Walsh came to the line shortly afterwards having sailed a solid race, with the rest retiring. A windy day.
The slightly sheltered harbor weather station showed force 7 gusts and they were there...no doubt.
Race 1 here.
Race 2 here.
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Laser Leinsters - tight results!
Lasers from Dun Laoghaire put in a strong performance at the Leinsters but were pipped at the post in the end. Matty O'Dowd was equal on points with Chris Penney after the 4 races but ended up in second overall on countback. Still a very strong performance! Conor Byrne was pipped for 3rd place by 1 point, with Ulster's Conor Simms taking the place. Again, kudos!
In the Masters Sean Craig was first with Ross O'Leary in 3rd. These overall results are very strong across the board. Well done all!
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Laser Leinster Championship Std 2013
Entries: 17 Races Sailed: 4 Discard: 1
| Series Place | Sail No | Type of Boat | Class | Helm | Club | Series Points | Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 | Race 4 |
| 1 | 201566 | S | Chris Penney | East Antrim BC | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| 2 | 181999 | S | Mathew o'Dowd | Royal St. George YC | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| 3 | 185104 | S | Conor Simms | Royal Ulster YC | 10 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 5 | |
| 4 | 198554 | S | Conor Byrne | Royal St. George YC | 11 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 4 | |
| 5 | 193562 | S | Oisin McClelland | Ballyholme YC | 19 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 1 | |
| 6 | 197364 | S | Sean Murphy | Kinsale YC | 19 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 10 | |
| 7 | 178335 | S | M | Sean Craig | Royal St. George YC | 20 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 11 |
| 8 | 201365 | S | M | Stephen Penney | East Antrim BC | 20 | 9 | 12 | 5 | 6 |
| 9 | 155068 | S | M | Ross o'Leary | Royal St. George YC | 21 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 14 |
| 10 | 191670 | S | M | Colin Galavan | Royal Irish YC | 24 | 12 | 11 | 6 | 7 |
| 11 | 185043 | S | Peter Cameron | East Antrim BC | 25 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 8 | |
| 12 | 198560 | S | Henry McLaughlin | Carlingford Lough YC | 25 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | |
| 13 | 181674 | S | M | Troy Hopkins | Howth YC | 39 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 13 |
| 14 | 173164 | S | M | Timmy Washington | Wexford Harb. B&TC | 40 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 12 |
| 15 | 178689 | S | M | Tommy Fallon | Wexford Harb. B&TC | 43 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 18 |
| 16 | 180237 | S | M | Paul Ebrill | Wexford Harb. B&TC | 47 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 18 |
| 17 | 137120 | S | Don Ryan | Wexford Harb. B&TC | 54 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
A report by the Royal George team - taken from their newsletter - is available in the full article.
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