SID Newsletter June/July 2010
A busy two months has seen SID members sailing abroad, racing around Ireland, trying out a tall ship, getting to grips with offshore racing and night sailing and taking Obsession on it's longest cruise so far. Details of all these adventures and more in this edition of the newsletter.
SID Abroad
Minorca Trip
A group of SID members went on the now traditional dinghy sailing holiday to Minorca in early June. Regina reports:
SID members and some of their friends undertook another trip to the sailing school in Minorca for a week of splashes, heated debate and lots of dinghy sailing. This year, 18 people felt the warm waters of the Mediterranean and occupied 3 villas. Many thanks go to Marco for arranging the trip.
The Irish made their presence felt since they made up approximately a third of the school - and 80% of the advanced asymmetric class! Minorca sailing has a wide range of high performance dinghies with the latest addition, the singlehanded RS100, providing plenty of adrenalin rushes and some bruises to happy sailors this year.
The course instruction is carried out in two shifts, morning and afternoon and then in the late afternoon. For those who haven't been battered, bruised and befuddled enough there is the chance to sail any boat you wish with or without an instructor. This is a good way to get experience of a boat you haven't sailed regularly during the week and move you so far out of your comfort zone you won't be able to find it for a fortnight. Beginner windsurfing lessons were also available in the late afternoon by a very patient instructor who had to put up with at least two of the party showing somewhat less than an enthusiastic outlook to the lesson ("Oh god, I really can't take any more instruction").
While everyone came back as friends, there is still outstanding judgement awaited on the incident of the 'out of control monster RS800 'bearing down' on the little RS200 which was squashed up to harmless little lasers. Who is to blame for not giving way to starboard? Although 3 instructors seemed to think it was the RS200, it has been referred for further analysis and the tribunal report is expected to report in 2 years time - the phrase "never apologise, never explain" doesn't seem to be found in the rule book..
There were also reports, yet to be confirmed, of a dolphin in the bay. In particular, a flying dolphin was blamed for the large tear in the RS500 that Pierro and Stuart were sailing. While Stuart didn't see the dolphin, Pierro is quite sure of the sighting.
Jo, Damien and Claire were close contenders for the best bruise/ most bruised bodies with Jo coming out on the top for her spectacular final day sail on the RS100 for the regatta. Never one to take things easy.
The few hours that were not devoted to sailing, video analysis of sailing and reading the rules of sailing, (since reading them is a lot easier than complying with them), were spent in the local restaurants and bars (discussing sailing of course). Although the stocks of Magners aka Bulmers were in short supply, with even the display bottle being consumed, the novelty of getting three drinks for less than a fiver encouraged late nights and the formulation of great ideas. All in all, another enjoyable SID excursion.
Turkey Trip
Not to be outdone, a group of keelboat sailors under Tony's leadership undertook a cruise from Bodrun in Turkey in the second week of June. No details are available regarding this mysterious trip; clearly a policy of "what happens on the boat stays on the boat" is being observed. We can only speculate....
Belem Trip
The French tall ship "Belem" set sail from Roscoff in Btittany onJuly 9th en route to Dublin to celebrate Bastille week. The ship once belonged to the Guiness family. Amongst the trainess on board, SID was represented by Chris Reilly, who sent in this report:
http://picasaweb.google.com/carlospint/Belem_2010#
The trip was magnificent - a unique opportunity and highly recommended. We sailed out of Roscoff early on the 9th July.
The weather was ideal. We had good winds to take us up to the Irish sea. The wind did quieten down in the Irish Sea. Consequently, we were all able to go up to the top of the mast. It felt like being on top of the world. We also got an opportunity to go around the boat in the zodiac, where I took some of the pictures above. A very hands on experience. Teams pulling ropes to adjust the sails and the two main masts. We had a hand at the steering. We all had to participate in all watches - day and night. We all performed service as well as well as helping out in the cleaning of the ship. There were two chefs on board serving the best cuisine one could get.There were 14 Irish trainees and one journalist from the Irish Times. There were 45 French trainees and 20 permanent crew. We had one punch party, a cheili and one disco on board - no alcohol - and extremely enjoyable. The good weather on the Irish Sea enabled an enjoyable time. We were accompanied by two whales throughout the journey from France.
Everybody gelled together and had a good time. The captain of the boat was the best and the full time crew excellent. The ship is very well run and contains all facilities we required. And the French can be the best of craic when they get going. They were friendly and very accommodating of us, making us feel very comfortable.
When the ship eventually arrived in Dublin on the 13th July, the Irish contingent all received an invitation to the French Embassy on the evening of the 14th July to celebrate Bastille Day.
Offshore Racing
Round Ireland Yacht Race
In a first for SID, David, Jo and Piero participated in this year's Round Ireland race, which started on June 20th. The crew kept a blog during the race; in addition, Here is David's first hand account
Three of us took part in this year's Round Ireland yacht race aboard Sailing West's Reflex 38 "Intuition". The race started from Wicklow on Sunday 20 June at midday and finished on Friday at 23.20, with 37 boats competing, including some top race boats including an Open 60, an Open 40, Ker 39's etc .
It was a brilliant experience and we were extremely lucky with the weather - no gales and no rain. There were 10 of us aboard, split into 2 watches of 5 people - alternating 3 hours on, 3 hours off until we finished!
We had a good start down the East coast, andgained loads of places by risking crossing a sand bank near Wexford (with 10cm of water under us!). Then a few other boats took a better route after that and gained on us. I was really looking forward to seeing the famous Fastnet Rock (unlike Jo, who was snoozing and replied with a snort when she was informed that one of sailing's most famous sights was coming into view!!), we were very lucky to see it at sunrise and it was stunning, as was Skellig Michael, Fair Head and Rathlin Island.
We had amazing craic all the way up the West coast, true windspeed reached about 28-30kn, we were ripping along with our spinnaker up and the boat constantly humming with the speed! Helming with the spinnaker up while surfing the waves was scary/exciting as the threat of a nasty spinnaker wrap was only ever a couple of seconds away! Paul, our skipper, impressively demonstrated the art of helming at those windspeeds with the spinnaker up throughout the night, even when the spinnaker could not be seen!
The wind died and we were almost drifting for hours off Strangford Lough, but all boats had a similar story somewhere on the route - caught in a wind "hole" or stuck waiting for the tidal gate near Ratlin Island. We did really well in the extremely light conditions, inching past a few competitors.
One of the other Reflex 38's (Jaguar Logic) then tried to protest us for missing a race mark! Thankfully the crew of Galileo were straight on to their radio to inform Jaguar that we had indeed rounded the mark. The pressure was obviously getting to the cat! After we finished we found out about a second protest - apparently a boat (wonder who!) were complaiging that we missed the "Kish mark" - even though it was not a mark on this race!! Finishing ahead of Jaguar (on the water and on handicap) was very satisfying! We finished 15th overall and 5th (out of 10) in our class so we were pretty happy with our result. It was great to finish on a Friday night, close to some other boats (after a major tacking duel over the last few hundred meters of a 704 mile race!!) and to join the other crews in Wicklow's very friendly sailing club for a burger (the first "decent" food in a week!!) and drinks. All in all it was a wonderful experience and a lifetime's ambition fulfilled.
Thanks to our friends who were really encouraging and supportive by email and text, and who enjoyed following "Intuition" on the GPS tracker.
ISORA Racing
In other offshore racing news, Obsession participated in its second and third ISORA series races:
The ISORA Dun Laoghaire day race took place on June 13th. The course was from Dun Laoghaire to Rockabill and back via the Kish lighthouse and the race lasted about 8 hours. Obsession's crew for this race consisted of Donal, Bryan, Monica, Pat and Carlos. We started from the entrance to Dun Laoghaire Harbour and set off in the direction of Howth only to become (almost) becalmed under Howth Head. The only consolation was that boats inshore of us were even worse off. After clearing Howth we encountered a strong headwind and had a hard beat up to Rockabill. We rounded Rockabill being careful to avoid the numerous lobster pots and then had a clear run down to the Kish. The final leg, back to Dun Laoghaire was tricky with a westerly wind and a southgoing tide. We radioed in our imminent arrival at the finish (as per the race rules), but were initially classified as "did not finish", since our radio message had apparently not been received. After this confusion had been cleared up it emerged that we had done quite well, finishing 12th out of 17 competing boats and 6th in our class of 9 boats. All in all, an enjoyable day out and it was good to be up there in the middle(ish) of the fleet on only our second ISORA outing.
The ISORA night race to the North India Mark took place on June 23rd/24th
Peter reports:
This night race was the 7th in the ISORA series and the 3rd in which SID have been involved. The course for the race was very straightforward - Starting Line, Near entrance at DL Harbour - Muglins to Starboard - NORTH INDIA to Port - Muglins to Port - Finish Line - Mouth of DL Harbour. The prospect of an all night race intrigued and preparations commenced at 1800 to ensure readiness for a 1955 Warning Signal.
Captain and crew of Damien, Peter, Marco, Piero, Tom and Wyn ensured all was ready and Obsession was underway in good time for the 2000 gun. Following a good start which kept up well up with the fleet, wind direction dictated we would be beating all the way to the mark over 20 Nautical Miles away. A watch system was implemented and we settled in for a long night's racing ahead.
Night sailing can be lovely and we were enjoying some beautiful views of the south Dublin coastline as the sun set. Vigilance is the key as eyes become accustomed to the darkness and we started to distinguish port and starboard lights of our fellow competitors for traffic lights in Bray! The importance of vigilance was highlighted as we neared the mark in pure darkness and noticed a white mast top light on our port bow. This shouldn't have been of concern as it would indicate the boat was ahead of us and moving in the same direction. On closer examination we realised it was flying a spinnaker and heading straight for us. An emergency tack was called which took us out of the collision zone but still close enough to exchange words and receive the explanation that the other yacht's green lens had fallen off. A very serious situation avoided. Even when you are in the right always be prepared for the unexpected.
Our return journey was disappointing as the wind dropped to less than 5 knots. It was frustrating to arise and resume watch a hour after rounding the mark only to find it flashing a few hundred metres away. It didn't help either that the GPS kept advising that ETA back in DL would be somewhere between 1200 and 1600 on Saturday - I don't think so! A beautiful sunrise lifted some tired spirits but discretion became the better part of valour at 0400 and we motored back to the Marina arriving at 0600. A really interesting and enjoyable experience despite our tiredness and lack of wind on the journey home.
Inshore Racing
Ruffian North South Team Race
A report from Regina:
The Ruffian North - South Team Race took place on the weekend of the 19th of June. Twelve ruffian sailors from Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim visited Dun Laoghaire and were hosted by the Ruffian Association There was a pre- race meal on Saturday night and attempts to get the visiting team incapacitated for the next day backfired somewhat as many of the Dun Laoghaire sailors seemed to be holding the bar up late into the night. As a result the meeting time and racing start was slightly delayed on Sunday morning. Apart from that, everything went according to plan, the ruffians sailed from the National Irish Yacht Club, the weather was glorious, a sunny day with perfect wind conditions, (although it did manage to confuse helmsmen by veering 360 degrees in the afternoon) and everyone was keen to uphold pride in their national region.
The format of the event was that the Northern sailors crewed and helmed 3 Dun Laoghaire Ruffians and Southern Sailors crewed and helmed another 3 boats for team racing. Two Olympic style races were carried out in the morning and after lunch the Northern and Southern sailors swapped boats on the water, (ensuring there was no difference between teams depending on the boat and also a bit of sailor aerobatics), and another two races were carried out. Team racing is very tactical where, against instinct, you may have to help another boat gain a position for the sake of the team.
The Ruffian boats taking part were Ruff n Ready, Nuits St. Georges, Papillon, Blue Moon, Ripples and Carmen. Two SID members, Bernd and Regina had good fun crewing on Ruff n Ready and Papillion, two boats that we are usually pitted against (should that read "see in the distance" in DBSC races. Tales of the joys of ruffian sailing was swapped with the other ruffian owners and crew. It was brought home to us that one of the major differences in being a member of SID and being an owner or co-owner of a boat is in the expenses involved in sailing. While SID membership fees cover all insurance, mooring and maintenance expenses of the boat, owners have to shoulder the full cost of everything, on average about 4,000 euro a year for the top Ruffian boats.
The Northerners won the order of the day for this year. Next year the Southerners will travel north to try to retrieve the trophy.
Ruffian Championships
Ruff Diamond enterd the Ruffian Championships held in Dublin Bay on the 23rd - 25th of July. We didn't have crew available for the first day (Friday) so we just took part on Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday was certainly eventful, with Ruff Diamond the windward boat at the start line. The line was crowded and RD was pushed up close to the committee boat and forced to tack to avoid collision. With insufficient power for the tack, she stalled and in the words of one SIDer, "tried to have sex with the committee boat". The end result was some damage to the guard rail and forward stanchions sustained from contact with the committe boat's bow roller. Ruff Diamond retired from the race to assess the extent of the damage, but was fit to race again on Sunday.
This was an altogether less exciting affair with Tony, Regina, Gil Attila and Carlos trying their hand at the spinnaker. We ended up coming nowhere in the race and retired from the second race in order to practice our spinnaker skills near Dalkey Island. We had an enjoyable afternoon in good spinnaker conditions and learned quite a bit about the correct use of the spinnaker.
Night Sailing
A night sail, skippered by Bryan took place on the night of Saturday Juky 24th. Jessica reports:
While Dun Laoghaire celebrated the Festival of World Cultures Bryan, Linda, Attila, Gary, Susan and Jessica went on an adventurous night sail on Obsession on Saturday 24th July. The night was balmy and the breeze a steady Force four, gusting Force five. We met at the marina shortly before 10pm and adjusted to moving about the boat and preparing the rigging in the dark. We all had safety harnesses attached to our life jackets for use, if necessary, when out in the bay. By 10.50pm with the coloured lights and shouts coming from the merries behind us we left the harbour under full sails. We kept a good look-out at all times and faster than you can say "Plough and Cassiopeia" we had reached the roundabout mark by Howth. Maintaining an average speed of 6.4 knots and under the light of the silvery moon we were soon past Dalkey Island which was just about discernible as a darker silhouette against Bray Head. As we headed again towards Howth our only other companion was a ship in the distance making its way to Dublin Port. Again keeping an eye out for unlit racing marks we headed for home guided by the flashing Port and Starboard lights at the entrance to Dun Laoghaire, tying up at the Marina around 2am. As we had no time for tea while sailing and were in no rush we then recounted the experience again over Susan's lemon cakes, eventually getting home sometime in the early hours.
Anyone interested in going on the next night sail this Saturday should contact Bryan asap.
Calves Week
A visit to Calves week in Cork - the longest trip yet for Obsession as a SID boat - was organised and skippered by Donal. A large number of SIDers helped out with taking the boat down, taking part in the races and sailing her back.
The crew for the trip down consisted of Donal, Bryan, Pat, Marco and Neil. They left Dun Laoghaire on the afternoon of Tuesday July 27th reachin Arklow at 10pm after a mix of motoring and sailing in light winds and flat seas.
A 5am start the next day plus some friendly tides saw Obsession in Kilmore Quay by 5.30 on Wednesday evening. Another dawn start followed on Thursday, for the long trip to Crosshaven which was reached at 9.30 pm.
The last leg for the delivery crew was the trip from Crosshaven to Kinsale, where they were met by Jo, Linda, Peter and Carlos for dinner and drinks in a local hostelry, in preparation for a 7.30 am start the following day. Jo, Linda and Carlos luxuriated in a B&B while the Peter and the delivery crew roughed it on Obsession overnight.
The next day we rushed down to the boat at the crack of dawn, bade farewell to Pat and Neil (Bryan had left the previous day) and got to the start line for the race to Schull in good time, only to find that the start had been postponed because some of the competitiors hadn't turned up yet.
We finally got going with a crew consisting of Donal, Peter, Marco, Jo, Linda and Carlos and sailed out of the harbour past the Old Head of Kinsale into strong headwinds which we had to beat against all day. We eventually gave up a little after six pm when we were just past Baltimore, and motored the rest of the way into Schull.
The next day's racing was cancelled due to lack of wind, so we motored to Baltimore through the channels between Sherkin Island and the mainland practising our navigation skills to avoid hidden rocks.
Half of SID seemed to have arrived in Baltimore, either to instruct at Glenans or to attend courses or to just hang out, and we had a late night in Bushe's. Monica joined the boat here, replacing Jo and Marco.
The start of the race next morning was as quixotic as the day before, with the committee boat announcing over the radio that they didn't have any flags and several boats plaintively asking to be told their class. At least the starting gun didn't use live ammunition this time, as has happened before, according to Monica.....
The race itself was out around Sherkin Island the the West and Middle Calf Islands and involved some tricky tactical choices. Conditions were great and we had an enjoyable sail, crossing the finishing line just in front of another Sigma. There was (unsurprisingly) some confusion about our class, so we still don't know our overall place.
The next day the return crew consisting of Donal, Peter, Monica and Carlos set off on the long trip to Crosshaven. We had light winds and motored most of the day, getting in to Crosshaven around 6.30 pm.
The wind was stronger the following day and we needed two reefs and a number 3 jib in a rather lumpy sea with the wind on our shoulder. Monica rigged a preventer using a spinnaker sheet to avoid an accidental gybe as the boat corkscrewed in the waves and troughs. We noticed a rip in the mainsail; fortunately we had a spare on board and when we reached Kilmore at around 9pm we changed the main. This delayed us just long enough for the chipper to close, so it was crisps and Guiness for dinner, followed by beans on toast on the boat at midnight (thanks, Monica).
The next day was an easy day's sailing and we reached Arklow around 7.30 pm, after briefly contemplating the possibility of pushing on to Wicklow.
We finished the Calves trip in style the next day with perfect winds and speeds through the water of over 8 knots, plus a following tide and to top things off, a sudden squall just outside Dalkey Sound which necessitated a hasty dropping of the jib and starting of the engine.
Obsession finally docked in Dun Laoghaire marina at 5 pm on Friday after a trip lasting eleven days and covering 498 nautical miles.
Thanks to everyone who participated, and especially to Donal for organising and skippering the entire trip and to Monica "I haven't been seasick for 20 years" for managing to do a major cleanup of the boat while we were are sea.
Sid Dinner
The SID summer dinner took place on Thursday June 24th at Le Peniche on the Grand Canal. About a dozen SID members attended. Thanks to Sara and Bronagh for organising.
Everyone is invited to submit ideas to Bronagh on social activities that they would like the club to be involved in. Submission of ideas does not mean that you have to organise it (although of course the social committee always welcomes new members).
Club Promotion
And finally, a reminder from Regina
To ensure the long term security of any club it is important that there is a consistent stream of new members being introduced to the membership. New SID promotion material is on the way and will shortly be circulated to members. It is hoped that it would be displayed in workplaces, clubs etc. and may attract new sailors to the club. As always, is important to publicise our club to friends, foes and family.
The club is currently offering a discount of 25 euro on membership for members of other sailing and outdoor clubs such as Glenans and Glenwalk. If you know of any club that would like to be included in this, or would like to be involved in helping out with club promotion, please get in touch with Regina.
Happy Sailing....
