 Having spent the two days before the regatta looking at torrential rain showers and some serious wind I have to acknowledge that the weather gods shone down on us for this weekends club regatta. No rain at all over the course of the weekend and a steady enough breeze without too many changes of direction over both days.  The wind was from east/south east direction on Saturday and gave us a nice stretch of the lake to play with , allowing us to put a reasonably lengthy beat into play. The first of the four races was run as a starboard course but this was changed for the next three as the wind strengthened, shifted and settled. The difference in breeze showed in the length of each race with the first race taking almost an hour and the subsequent races taking between thirty five and twenty five minutes to complete.  All competitors were issued with a warning regarding the start line and general behaviour but in true Cullaun style this was not heeded and there were numerous incidents over the course of the day with the protest committee dragged out of cobwebs and put into play at the end of the day.  There was some pleading of the fifth amendment and some interesting and entertaining conversations around the rules, the reality and the murky history of Cullaun sailing club and its adherence to racing rules. But protesting has its place and it is probably about time we used it since we now have a lot of boats of all ages travelling and competing in other clubs and events.  There was some tight racing throughout the day for second place with all manner of boats in the mix for line honours and for handicap position. Chris Cather and Andrew made a storming return to racing by casually running in four first places with a nonchalance that hides their competitive spirit. The RS’s although in the fray from the outset are hindered by a substantial handicap so even though they were in the mix, the enterprises and GP’s moved ahead on paper .  All racing was done by four o clock and Margaret, who had volunteered to look after the BBQ, had everyone fed and watered by five. All sensible people headed home to get a nights rest apart from a few clowns who ventured out to sample some Tulla nightlife.  The following morning greeted us with beautiful sunshine and a lovely fresh breeze and two panadol. The change in wind direction meant lengthening the course slightly with the addition of an extra triangle but this did not lengthen the duration of the races. Some shifty conditions to begin with led to some more tight races for the second and third positions with the fleet bunched up throughout the first two races. Chris and Andrew took the lead again during race one and two and discarded the third race in order to help with the marking ashore.  The wind increased to a lovely level for race two and created some challenges for all, but in particular the RS fleet, which tend to be just a little more tippy than the rest of the boats on the water. Rescue were kept busy for the afternoon attending capsizes and taping together boats. There were some more collisions and 360’s to be done as things picked up but there was all to play for by the time the third race began.  Some competitors helpfully advised the committee boat throughout the day on a variety of matters, from the length of the line to the number of races that should be held, but in the end after no discussion at all, the committee boat agreed that the heavier wind that had arrived for race three was very sailable and that the onus was on sailors to know their limits rather than on the OOD to cancel racing for all.  This final race changed the results as Kevin withdrew after some upside down antics at the weather mark and Jim and Matt stormed ahead to win the final race (with some interesting manoeuvres on the run). Tom and Leila sailed a tight race and took an excellent second with George and Frank coming in third. Tim and Ruth finished just within the time limit after sailing brilliantly in challenging conditions and proving to themselves that they were more than capable in this weather.  There were no more incidences to report after the race and at no point did the safety boat get stuck in the reeds. The committee boat did not get stuck in the reeds while failing to rescue the safety boat and two youth sailors were not sent out with a rope to pull the whole sad flotilla in while being beaten with an oar by the committee boat and the children’s welfare officer. Margaret stoked up the BBQ again and all were off the water and derigged for the prize giving at three. Chris and Andrew took to overall win and the Donnellan trophy with Jim and Matt taking second place (and flying a spinnaker, which has been photographed and sent on to Kevin Donlan) and Kevin Mulcahy and Martin Golden coming in Third. Laura Collins and Robert Stafford won the junior fleet. 2nd Tim Normoile and Ruth Golden. 3rd KSC Stephen O Brien and Aoibhe Ryan, Pat Culoo and Martin Bon KSC best visiting Boat. My sincere thanks to Mike Hayes for his assistance on the committee boat (and to Maureen for the food. Apparently the five dime bars I brought for the two days would not have been enough for the average dairy farmer to survive on). To all those who did rescue (Gillian, Pat, Kevin, Patrick, Emmet, and Richard) and to Billy and Chris for helping with the results. Also thanks to those who helped with the organising and to the usual suspects for tidying and locking up at the end of it all. Many thanks to the visitors from Killaloe who made the effort to come over and compete. We will reciprocate next year for sure. Des Mac Mahon OOD assisted by Mike Hayes          The cooler series starts Sunday September 11th and with some youth training sessions and pre-entry scheduled for October and the GP14 Munster championship finishing off the season on the first weekend of November. Copyright (C) 2022 Cullaun Sailing Club. All rights reserved.Update Preferences | Unsubscribe |
Last week eight young sailors travelled from Cullaun Sailing Club, Kilkishen to Viana do Castelo, Portugal to represent Clare and Ireland in the EU Atlantic Games
The Atlantic Games took place from 11 to 15 July 2022 and brought together 400 young athletes aged 12 to 18, from the cities, regions and countries of the Atlantic Arc. The delegations were from Andalusia, Asturias, Brittany, Cantabria, Cornwall, Devon, Scotland, Galicia, Ireland, Normandy, Norte Portugal, New Aquitaine Basque Country, Pays de Loire and Wales.
The Cullaun Sailors were represented by Laura Collins, Noah Doherty, Lucas Donlon, Grace Golden, Ruth Golden, Aoife Hawkins, Rory O’Sullivan and Robert Stafford as they Sailed in Lasers and 420 boats. The conditions were ideal for sailing and the young sailors leant a lot about sailing in the sea and the flag representations for the racing circuit. Whereas we didnt win any medals this time the ethos of the games and the mixing of different nationalities at these events proved very popular with all involved.
Cullaun Sailing club has been very busy this year with Summer camps being run for the last six weeks and two more weeks to finish a very succesful season with over 100 children learning the art of sailing and twenty four adults signed up for Adult Introductory courses.
More Images Here
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For reasons beyond the clubs control and with regret we have to cancel the 2nd week of Camp 3.
Junior Sailing Summer Camp 3 will now run as a one week Camp ( 4th to the 8th ) of July.
The club sailing committee is contacting everyone booked on Camp 3 to offer alternatives,.
If these solutions are not suitable to arrange a full refund of any payments.
If you need to Please contact Margaret Hynes – margaretmhynes@gmail.com or 087 947 6753, Any queries at all .
If you are happy to proceed with a one week Camp. Revised Cost of Camp 3 Week 1 as follows
€160 per person. Boat owners €145. A deposit of €50 per person is payable on booking.
Please read the FAQ section about the Summer Camps HERE or phone Margaret at 0879476753
The Junior Sailing Summer Camps for children aged 10-17yrs take place every summer. Each camp takes place over two weeks. BOOK Summer Camp 1 : 6th -17th June 2022. click on Camp one and proceed with payment.
Cost of camp : €320 per person. Boat owners €290. A deposit of €50 per person is payable on booking.
Please read the FAQ section about the Summer Camps FAQ for Parents HERE or for any queries Margaret at 0879476753
Bookings
Powerboat Training will take place at the club 18th June
Are you over 16 and up for a challenge. Are you a parent of children that are learning to sail in the club. Here is another opportunity to learn to drive a powerboat. If sailing isn’t your thing and want to try something new. It is also another way you can get close to the action on the water. This 1 day course is subsidised by the club.
1 Day – Powerboat Training Level 1 Certificate, June 18th 2022./ 8.30-4.30 It is subsidised for paid up Club Members. @ €85.00. It is also open to non Members @ €170. queries to margaretmhynes@gmail.com
Location Cullaun Sailing Club
What’s covered ? Level 1 –
- Preparation of powerboat for going to sea or Lake
- Starting the engine and safety checks
- Basic manoeuvres and ropework, e.g. parking and tying up to a dock
- Undertaking a RIB trip
- High Speed Handling
- What to do in a Man Over Board situation
- Booking at PayPal Here or Phone Margaret at 087 94 76 753
Summer Racing Thursday Evenings
Our summer racing series starts Thursday 5th May, and we are so looking forward to it. The clubhouse is open at 1800 and first gun is at 1900 sharp every Thursday evening
Club Open Day
Come down and visit the club. Our Open day Sunday the 8th May. This is a great opportunity to see our Club which is an Irish Sailing Accredited Training Club. Learn more about the Summer Camps, Irish Sailing Course syllabus, and the sailing passport pathway. On Open day members will have dinghies rigged if visitors would like to get out for a spin on the water.
Our Commodore, Margaret Hynes and her son Sean represented Cullaun Sailing Club at the Wayfarer International championships in Florida March 7-11th 2022.
42 teams gathered in Lake Eustis SC, following long plane and car journeys, digging out snow covered boats and towing borrowed boats . Glorious sunshine and above normal temperatures of 30 degrees greeted us as we grappled to get used to the heat and overcome jet lag! Lake shores are home to alligators- waiting for feeding, so no apres swimming after sailing!
Summer Camps 2022 will run in two week blocks from beginning of June for 8 weeks ( 4 x 2 wk camps).
Camp 1: June 6th – 17th.
Camp 2: June 20 – 1st July
Camp 3: July 4 – 15th
Camp 4 : July 18 – 29th Inclusive.
Summer Camp Bookings / deposits open in March. Cost per 2 week course €320. Boat owners €290.
The club needs volunteers for lots of activities, shore duty is an essential one if there is any club activity on the lake. Its ideal if you don’t sail or have a junior member out sailing, or you are a sailor with no crew for that day.
The main duty of a shore person is to monitor VHF radio contact with the safety boats on the water. Keeping a half an eye on the compound and maybe helping with the trolleys when boats are returning to shore. Its easy, most of the time you can relax in the clubhouse watch the sailing with a coffee, bring a friend. Email our sailing secretary Chris to get on the rota for when we open back up. chriscaher@gmail.com
Margaret would like thank all those who offered to volunteer their help with the (cancelled) junior Easter camps. She is setting up a Whatsapp group for parents of U16 Junior sailors in 2021, if you want to be included, click the link https://chat.whatsapp.com/IyTStbqxMsE9w6JigCsi2u . Looking forward to lots of competitive sailing with our Junior sailors. We now have four RS200s at the club following the news that three more Junior members have acquired RS 200s over the winter.
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