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Meet Exec Committee 2024
From Left to Right
Honorary Treasurer Alex Ward
Vice Commodore Colin Robinson
Captain Tarek Qutteineh
Honorary Secretary Ed Winton
Commodore Rob Milligan
Rear Commodore (Shore) David Anderson
Member Fiona Hutchinson
Rear Commodore (Sailing) Stephen Polly
Member Mark Bickerstaff (not in the picture)
David bidding for Gold Fleet – Report from Taggarts Icebreaker 2023/2024 Series 2 Race 4
Another glorious spring like day for the biggest fleet yet for race 4 of the Taggart’s Icebreaker. Colin Leonard just back from the ILCA 7s World Masters championships in Australia showed us why he won the silver medal well by winning. David Wilson is bidding for promotion from the silver to gold fleet by being in 5th position overall. Conor Simms still leads the way with his dad John and Jonny Henry close behind. Emma Pierce won the radial fleet finishing halfway up the full rig fleet.
In the large dinghy fleet Bob Espey and Michael Ferguson continued their winning ways closely followed by Peter Kennedy and Stephen Kane. Christina Cunningham was the first of the RS Aeros.
It was perfect conditions for the catamarans who looked fantastic twin wiring with their kites up. Ageless Adrian Allen showed the rest of the fleet how it’s done.
Small dinghy fleet numbers were bolstered by a few Toppers and Annika Hunter in a Laser 4.7 led from start to finish.
Click here to see the results page.
Report from Taggarts Icebreaker 2023/2024 Series 2 Race 5
Sunday saw another cracking day racing at the Taggarts Icebreaker at Ballyholme Yacht Club. With the relatively high water and NE wind building, launching can really be quite challenging, that said one of more experienced sailors came up with a novel solution of using the wall of the slip as a ‘mounting block’, entangling his Laser on an abandoned trolley to hold the boat steady and then arriving at the start line late, but still managed a very respectable 5th place. Perhaps there is some merit in this type of race preparation.
The Committee boat set up position just east of the Club and fleets set off on time beating to the NE Mark at Ballymacormick Point. A great start was had by Maxi who lead the Class away. John Simms who was late to the party tacked off early to get clean air and had a great sail. The fleet started to spread out a bit at the weather mark and as the sailors came towards the turning mark the wind shifted slightly right and a course change followed. Unfortunately, this wasn’t picked up by Richard Ramsay who sailed to the wrong mark before realising his mistake and correcting himself. With the wind again shifting, this time back to the original course axis, the course was changed again. On this lap there was a lot of position changes as the fleet sailed for the finish. The bullet was taken by Colin Leonard, our recently retuned silver medalist in his class at the ILCA 7 World Championships in Adelaide, Australia, followed closely by Conor Simms with Jonny Henry in third. In the Silver it was great to see David Wilson continuing his great run of form, finishing in ninth and fifth overall. Mark Mackey was hot on his heels but not enough time to catch David. Charlie West-Hurst took third place, finishing 12th. In the Bronze fleet, despite the earlier antics, Richard Ramsay had a great 8th position, taking the win for the Bronze fleet from his son Peter Ramsay who was 3 places behind, and Chris Mackey taking third in 16th position. Chris’s performance means he continues to lead the Whiskey Cup. In the Radial fleet we only had the one sailor, Emma Pierce who had a great sail with the Laser Standards / ILCA 7. There was RYA NI Training on this weekend for the ILCA 6 class at Ballyholme Yacht Club, which took a number of the fleet away, so next week will undoubtedly see an increase in numbers. Next Sunday will see the first discard come in to play and overall results will /may change.
We saw another good turn out in the Large Dinghy fleet with Barry Swanston swapping his F18 for a Contender. There was no Bob Espey this week and his place was covered by Michael Gunning who was sailing with Michael ‘Chunky’ Ferguson in the RS 400. Michael Gunning was charged with the responsibility of trying to keep Flipper and Stephen Kane in their RS 400 at bay, but that wasn’t to be with Flipper and Stephen taking an early lead and one they never lost. Robert Eadie took a commendable third place with Sandra Halliwell not too far behind in the RS Aero. It was great to see the 29er back out and after a wee bit of bother and strong swimming at the turning mark on lap 2, Jakub Ozarek and crew made a concerted effort to catch up with the fleet.
In the small dinghy fleet we saw a great performance by Annika hunter in her ILCA 4, taking line honours, however an even stronger sail by Mathew Holden in his Topper saw him pip Annika to the post by 8 seconds on corrected time, with James Eadie taking 3rd place.
The overall results at the moment for the ILCA / Laser fleet are, Conor Simms, leading with Jonny Henry, second and John Simms third. In the Large Dinghy fleet, Bob Espey & Chunky Ferguson lead with Flipper & Stephen Kane second and Sandra Halliwell third. In the ILCA 6 fleet Emma Pierce leads from Cormac Byrne and Jess Mackey. In the slow Dinghy Class, Annika Hunter leads from Stephen & Rhemy Polly and Mathew Holden in third. In the Multihull class, Adrian Allen & Barry Swanston lead over Richard Swanston & Ollie Haig.
Click here to see the results page.
Report from Taggarts Icebreaker 2023/2024 Series 2 Race 7
Race 7 of the BYC Icebreaker was cold, wet and windy day. Early updates from the RO was for a wind range of 19knots gusting 25 knots with conditions to be monitored; but that racing would be on. For the sailors arrival to the club, the breeze had dropped slightly since those initial updates. Direction from the east/north east, which was blowing directly onto the slipway which always going to make launching and recovery difficult. After some deliberation of whether to go out, many sailors took the decision that the rugby, and Mother’s Day would take priority.
Once launched, the sailors were in for an interesting day on the water. The RO opted for course 11, a course not used very often but consisted which consisted of a beat and run alongside the beach, starting from the front of club then a course quick beat to the south east mark on the far side of the bay. Due to the wind direction through the night, a large swell was coming in to the bay from a North North-easterly direction , this meant that the first leg on starboard (sailing directly into the swell) was very tricky to manoeuvre through. The lasers started first, with good starts from Jonny Henry, Colin Leonard, Conor Simms. Colin and Conor trucked out to the left hand side with Jonny tacking out to the right side to find clear wind. Colin had the better breeze coming in from the left to lead round the first mark with Conor following in closely, both sailors rounding in a large squall of breeze. This created a large separation to the trailing fleet, with Jonny rounding third with club veterans/legends Charlie Taylor and John Simms close behind. Colin and Conor battled down the first run with Colin managing to nudge ahead to gain mark rights at the leeward club mark, this positioning would remain until the end of the race, with not too much separation between the pair over the next two laps.
The RO then opted to go to course 3 from here, with a tough reach to the North-West and then an equivalent tough beat to the North-East. The waves state and wind was a lot higher on the outside of the bay, which meant boat handling was quite hard for the fleet, but the left for a joyous epic beam reach from the north east back to the club, with excellent surf conditions. The results for race where the leading group with Colin winning followed by Conor, a gap back to third with Jonny Henry and then another gap to the chasing pack of Charlie Taylor 4th, Mike Kimber in 5th, who sailed a brilliant last beat and John Simms in 6th.
In total 14 lasers went out with 12 finishing and 2 retiree’s . 4 fast dinghies with 2 finishing and 2 retirees.
Many thanks to the Aidan Pounder (RO) and the safety boat teams for running racing in the difficult conditions. And as always, big thank you to the event sponsor Taggarts
Click here to see the results page.
MCCANLIS TAKES VICTORY IN FINAL RACE OF THE TAGGARTS BALLYHOLME ICEBREAKER 2023/24
The bright blustery conditions of Sunday morning gave way to light, veering winds for the final race of the Taggarts Ballyholme Yacht Club Icebreaker 2023/24. Race Officer Aidan Pounder set a good beat to the north east for the first lap before a second lap in a variable easterly.
As usual, the ILCA fleet were enthusiastic to start and a few too enthusiastic, including Andrew Henry returning to the fleet after a prolonged absence in yacht racing. The middle of the line got away cleanly and Gareth McCanlis after his near miss last week was straight to the front of the pack. Bill O’Hara didn’t miss a shift or a puff all beat and led at the windward mark with Jonny Henry using pressure on the right to get round the mark in third. Meanwhile, contenders for the Whisky Cup and Overall win eyed each other cautiously…in general somewhat further down the pack than intended. Soon though Colin Leonard and Conor Simms had pushed up to make up the top 5. In large part aided by being far enough back to benefit from a shift to the right down the run.
A quick course change later and Bill O’Hara was a contender for mug of the day for failing to read it correctly. John Simms and he have been given remedial lessons on the difference between “10” and “11.” Gareth sailed a fast and clever beat and stretched to a healthy lead. He was never at any risk of being caught. Colin, with one eye on Conor and the overall trophy almost allowed Jonny Henry, Cavan Fyans and Jonathan McAlister back in after a further right shift but did enough to round in second. It finished Gareth followed by a large gap and then Colin, Jonny, Cavan, Jonathan and Conor. Ed Winton took another whiskey cup victory.
The light and variable conditions made for tight racing in the large dinghy fleet. Peter Kennedy and Stephen Kane, or was that Gareth Flannigan and Jeremy Tomalin, sailed a strong first beat but in their enthusiasm got caught in the bunch of the ILCA fleet at the leeward mark. Bob Espey and Michael Ferguson deftly maneouvred around the chaos to take the lead and defended the favour right side of the beach to extend away to win. Gareth and Jeremy came second, with Martin and Vicky Dews enjoying the conditions in third.
In the small dinghy fleet, Rhemy Polly, with Stephen Polly (Rear Commodore Sailing) sailed to another victory.
Denis Finlay Memorial Trophy 2024
Topper Traveller 2024 at BYC – Sunday, 21st of April
We had a great weekend hosting the Topper Traveller event and BYC had some great winners!
Thanks to all our sailors, Ballyholme support team and parents for a great competition across 3 races . It was also great to see so many of our senior cadets Charlotte, Charlie, Isabel, Emily and Joseph coaching on the Saturday and mentoring on Sunday. They provided novice cadets with a very enjoyable and supportive event experience!
Ballyholme does Adelaide, ILCA Masters Worlds 2024
By Colin Leonard
I joined Bill O’Hara and Conrad Simpson in Adelaide after their warm up regatta in New Zealand. At this stage with a little over a week until racing in the ILCA Masters Worlds I was jet-lagged, and Conrad was sporting some mild tennis elbow. We got some good training in but two things were learnt very quickly. Firstly, there was a lot of weed. Secondly, when the sea breeze blew things got kind of windy! Add in a shallow venue and 2m waves and 20-25 knots is seriously challenging on boats, body and mind. Sadly Bill fell foul of the conditions and suffered a rib injury that resulted in him not racing.
Conrad and I were racing in separate starts. Conrad in the Grand Master fleet with such luminaries as Mark Lyttle (Irish Laser Olympian 1996) and Brett Beyer (16 times Masters World Champion). I was in a start with the combined Apprentice and Masters fleets, a line with about 40 boats including two Olympians. Day 1 saw light conditions and I was pleased with an initial second, although failed to make a decision on the last beat in Race 2 and went from 2nd to 6th by taking the worst of both sides of the beat. Day 2 and 3, had a fresh breeze from the start. A high pressure ridge was driving 15-20 knots of gradient southerly over South Australia so when the sea breeze that often blew that hard on it’s own kicked in it was always going to be a tough few days. Consistently racing in more than 20 knots, and gusting above 30 knots was exhilarating. Although at times more about survival. Conrad and I both sailed consistently but he suffered a Black Flag and I had a bit of a shocker in Race 6. I was lying second, well clear of 3rd but in a tight race with 1st in my fleet and the older Masters fleet racing on the same track. In my exertions I ran out of energy, and shortly after seeing a shark spent a considerable amount of time swimming and fell to sixth. I never seemed to capsize when I saw dolphins.
The rest day was appreciated by all but the conditions had taken their toll on Conrad and reluctantly he retired to attend to his back and tennis elbow. I was a little jealous of his extra rest. The second half of the regatta was a little lighter. We had one slightly lighter race as the sea breeze filled in (usually marginal hiking building to 15 knots) and then one slightly windier (15-20 knots). I was consistent, with highlights being getting a yellow flag for rocking. Although I was still able to get back to second. On the final day the sea breeze was late arriving and within a minute after the start there was a 40 degree left shift. I had started conservatively mid line and found myself in a dire situation but was able to get back to 6th leaving it all to be done on the final race. The wind was up, and frustrated by the first race I summoned the energy to lead round the windward mark having engaged a low and fast mode for the whole beat. I couldn’t hold on downwind but 2nd was enough to secure a silver medal at my first Masters Worlds.
Adelaide was an amazing venue, and the club a great example of volunteers and community, a bit like Ballyholme but with better weather. I could get used to 22 degree water and think the Icebreaker will come as a shock.
Taggarts Icebreaker race 3
A Sunny Sunday with a 15 knot Westerly breeze greeted the racers for an earlier start due to the Ireland match against Italy starting at 3pm. In the laser class the usual suspects were at the top of the fleet, with Garth Flannigan on his latest come back beating Connor Simms in the gold fleet. The silver fleet is to date led by David Wilson (no pressure) who has some notable gold fleet racers in his wake. Ed Winton leads the bronze fleet so also on the trophy hunt. The laser Radial fleet was won by Cormac Byrne who was doing so well he was mistaken for a full rig.
A few RS400s have joined in the fast handicap fleet, this bolsters the numbers with Bob Espey and pro crew Chunky leading the way. In the slow handicap Rhemy Polly had her first race capsize, going for a swim but all is well her grandad stayed dry.
Click here to see the results page.
Next week we will be reporting on the amazing silver medal win of our own Colin Leonard who took the medal at the Adelade Australia ILCA7 World Maters Championships. Congratulations we are very proud of your achievement Colin. He is presently on his return journey and we are looking forward to his report .
Wind Powered Zero Carbon Guinness World Record
Ballyholme Yacht Club were delighted to host Artemis Technologies in their support of Mixed Catamaran Olympic medallists, John Gimson and Anna Burnet, who we are delighted to report, set a new record (subject to ratification) for the fastest crossing across the North Channel yesterday, Tuesday 26th September 2023. The starting point was off Ballyholme Yacht Club and would see the Olympic Foiling Nacra 17 cross the North Channel finishing at Portpatrick, Scotland.
“Embarking on this Guinness World Record attempt is not just about the thrill of setting a new record – it’s a testament to our unwavering commitment to a cause greater than ourselves. Beyond the excitement of the race, we’re using this opportunity to shine a light on the critical issue of climate change. With every mile we cover between Ballyholme and Portpatrick, we’re reminding the world that urgent action is needed to protect our environment. It’s not just a record we aim to break – it’s a wake-up call we hope the world will heed.” John Gimson and Anna Burnet
Artemis Technologies’ accompanied the Nacra17 in their zero-carbon hydrofoil with a full support team.
Optimist Irish National Championships a blast
Despite Storm Betty, the IODAI championship held 17-20 August was a huge success with almost 130 competitors getting to experience a plenty of racing and a full range of sailing conditions over the course of the event! So many people remarked on what a brilliant place Ballyholme is and the warm welcome they received at BYC.
This is the third major event hosted by BYC this summer which would be impossible without the amazing efforts of the member volunteers who step forward to help. From everyone involved in the race office, race management on the water and the so-important safety crews, to those on the slipway (both in and out of the water!) launching and recovering 128 boats each day, to those who kept volunteers and sailors fed from the galley.
Special thanks go to PRO Ruan O’Tiarnaigh, RO Aidan Pounder and Event Safety Leader Mike Meharg, and to Shaun and Cathy Doran, and Emma and Mark Holden for the massive effort put into planning and running the event. You all did BYC proud!
You can read more about the event on the BYC website, on the members’ Facebook group, on the Afloat website and you can also feast your eyes on all the marvellous photos taken by Wavelength Image
RS FEVA Northerns, East Down Yacht Club, August 2023
The most recent RS Feva class event were the Irish Northerns hosted by EDYC.
15 boats competed, with visiting crews camping in the beautiful lough shore grounds of the club. The fleet were made extremely welcome and provided with dinner and a quiz on the Saturday evening by the EDYC volunteers.
Saturday saw great winds, competitive sailing and some challenging courses with outer buoys hiding close in to the shoreline. Sunday was quieter, so more challenging to those who prefer a sailing blast, in comparison to stealthy light wind sailing whilst being carried back and forth by a strong tide. Emily & Annabel Ridout took the main trophy, and Sally Nixon & Jessica Dadley won first Juniors, with Polly Robinson & Zara Whelan coming a close second. Peter & Mat Ridout were first family (apparently this was actually won by Emily & Annabel, but the organisers felt sorry for Peter & Mat), and Aileen Smith & Louis / Andrew took the second family prize.
Chloe Whyte and Greta Qutteineh were congratulated by the organisers for sterling work aboard the committee boat on both days – and we now know the reason for long pauses between races is actually due to the volume of work aboard, rather than coinciding with breaks for tea, cakes and sandwiches.
The next Feva event is on the afternoon of 7th October at RNIYC. Three races and a BBQ.
All Feva sailors welcome – especially those just starting.
Ballyholme Yacht Club was delighted to host the Minister of State for NI, Steve Baker on 22 August, along with the Mayor of Ards and North Down, Cllr Jennifer Gilmour. The Minister enjoyed a great sail with Adrian Allen in his F18, and even tried his hand at Waszp sailing under the watchful eye of Bob Espey. A capable sailor, Minister Baker had nothing but praise for the club and our fantastic sailing area here in Bangor.
Rob Milligan, Commodore
Please click HERE to read the full article on Ards and North Down Borough Council website.
RS Feva Championships 2023, Follonica, Italy
The Ridout family flew over to Follonica, to compete with the top 211 boats from 14 countries at the RS FEVA World Championships. The 5-day event kicked off with a grand parade through the town and fireworks at midnight.
Emily and Annabel qualified into gold fleet while Peter and Mat competed in silver in the “family class”. After five great days of racing, with day two bringing thirty knot winds and a massive swell, everyone was tired, but the amazing venue and friendly competitors made the journey to Italy well worth it. Around 50 Fevas travelled from the UK, and the event was won by Ben Greenhalgh (grandparents from BYC) and Tom Sinfield who both sail in North Wales.
The RS Feva class is fun, furious, and very friendly.
If you are 8-18 years old and interested in Feva sailing, get in touch with Glynis or Mat Ridout.
The world championship next year will be held end of July in the Netherlands and plans are afoot for a larger NI group to go.
The Multihull Championships concluded at Antrim Boat Club on Sunday the 6th. August,Adrian Allen and Barry Swanston regained the Irish title after an exciting high wind tussle with the 2022 Champions Matt and James McGovern. Sean Lemonnier and Ally O’Sullivan Galway Bay Sailing Club winning the Junior prize.The fleet came from the four corners of Ireland, with one competitor Wyatt Orsmond flying in from Portugal.Saturday’s four races were sailed in fantastic Lough Neagh conditions of 15 – 20 knot winds with no quarter being given between 5 of the leading catamarans. The rest of the fleet including two talented Junior sailors from Galway who swapped positons throughout the racing. At the end of the day Adrian and Barry had a small lead over last year’s champions, all to play for on Sunday. Sunday arrived to sunshine and calmer weather. Three race were to be held in the lighter airs. Lough Neagh served up flukey lake conditions with sharp increases of breeze from mirror like flat water. Racing got underway in a solid force 2-3 the two leaders jousted with each other only to find Matt McMurtry/Emma combo and Watt and Tom Murphy ruining the party, a 4 way fight now. Unfortunately the last race had to be abandoned after the wind came up briefly to 25knots dropped to 5 -10 knot to allow the course to be changed and race started then abandoned as it switched twice through 180 degrees and disappeared. Our very own National RO Aidan Pounder was masterful in his control and race management. The IMA would sincerely thank all at Antrim Boat Club and their members for their enthusiasm and friendliness. The club is a superb example of the organisation for an excellent championship. |
Junior Committee
Alongside our Committee, BYC have recently established a Junior Committee. There are seven members each with their own position.
The members are:
- Annika Hunter as Junior Commodore
- Charlie O’Malley as Vice Junior Commodore
- Niamh Pyper as Honorary Secretary
- Eva McDonough as Treasurer
- Hannah Archer as Water Sports Representative
- Effie Lappin and Chloe Whyte as Shore Representatives
Irish Sailing Awards 2022
Success for Ballyholme Yacht Club at the Irish Sailing Associations Awards in Dun Laoghaire on Saturday, 25th of March 2023.
Winners & nominees in two categories.
Water Quality in Ballyholme Bay
We have had some correspondence back from DAERA and NI Water in relation to water quality in Ballyholme Bay, please click on this link for more information.
BYC Tree Planting Day 2024
A group of hardy BYC sailors braved the chilly easterly to climb Cave Hill for some tree planting with #woodlandtrust and were rewarded with great views over the Lough. They planted over 550 saplings to help off set carbon emissions of the RIBs during the ILCA 6 European Championships which BYC are organising along the guidelines of #sailorsforthesea for the Clean Regattas certification. A big thank you to all the members who helped out!
BYC Tree Planting Day
Glas-na-Bradan Wood
Saturday, 11th March 2023 at 11am
After our very successful Tree Planting day last year we are once again aiming to carbon off-set our 2023 events with a local tree planting day with the Woodland Trust.
So join us at Glas-na-Bradan Wood in the Belfast Hills to plant some trees.
Aidan Pounder – RYA Lifetime Commitment Award 2022
Aidan has been a key player in Ballyholme Yacht Club’s success for many years. A member since childhood, he has served as Powerboat Instructor, RYA Principal, Rescue Convenor, Rear Commodore Sailing and most recently, as an outstanding Commodore. As Commodore through the pandemic lockdowns, he set up a working group to maintain close liaison with RYANI and co-ordinate volunteers, preparing plans and risk assessments and ensuring that guidance and regulations were complied with. He was instrumental in increasing the membership of the club, encouraging the relatively new sport of paddle boarding, and sea swimming. He led the way as one of its first qualified SUP instructors. He has championed both the cadet programme and the successful training programme for disadvantaged children, demonstrating that sailing and water sports are for everyone. Aidan has been very supportive of volunteers and meticulous in crediting those who have given their time. He is now a qualified National Race Officer and remains an integral part of Ballyholme Yacht Club.
Reducing BYC Bills – we need your help
Some of you will have noticed little plastic covers to the light switch in toilets and changing rooms. The down position for these lights are ‘auto’, the lights come on as you enter the room and will go off automatically. The covers are to prevent accidentally moving the switch from ‘auto’.
We are looking at other measures to reduce our utility cost and seek your support to keep all our fees lower particularly with the use of the hose (switch it off as soon as you can) and length of showers, particularly kids! BYC is on a water meter so every bit counts!
Thanks for your support.
Sporting events showing in the Members’ Lounge
Ulster Rugby
Pilates with Lisa Tomalin
Friday, Jubilee Room
9.30am – 10.30am
To book your place contact Lisa on 07975701682
Price for 6 weeks:
£36 – Members, £42 – Non-members
Pay as you go: £8.50 (Please contact Lisa to book your space)
Bar Opening Hours
Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday: 19:00-21:00 (open for Poker Nights first and third Tuesdays and advertised Cruise n Craic)
Wednesday: CLOSED
Thursday: CLOSED
Friday: 16:00-24:00
Saturday: 15.00-24:00
Sunday: 14.00-20:00*
Under Northern Ireland licensing laws bar staff will stop serving an hour before the closing times indicated. All members and their guests MUST be off the premises at the closing time.
*(If there are groups of people wanting to stay on and use the bar after this time it will remain open until 21:00)
Snow Patrol ‘Prinks’ at the Club- Wednesday, 31st August
We will have the Members Lounge open on Wednesday 31st August before the Snow Patrol concert in Bangor.
It is expected that as well as the 5000 people attending the concert, the bars around town will be busy with other people who just want to see and hear what’s going on.
Our plan is to open at 3pm and stay open until 7pm when concertgoers can dander round Seacliff Road and enjoy the gig!!
Members can of course bring guests but please ensure they are signed in as normal in the Visitors Book.
BYC at the Feva World Championship 2022
Weymouth & Portland Sailing Academy, England, 21-27th July 2022, by Glynis Ridout
Feva Frenzy abounds as BYC’s double-handed fleet of RS Fevas dramatically increase over 2022. Four of our sailors, Matt & Peter Ridout, Emily & Annabel Ridout and one Beachmaster, Glynis Ridout, took part in the UK RS Feva Nationals in May and more recently the RS Feva World Championships in July. Both events were held at the Olympic venue of Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy in England. The buzz was tangible at the World’s as 370 sailors came together to compete.
Our BYC teams commented on the super vibe and the friendliness of the class both on and off the water and how much their skills have improved from the experience provided by sailing in large fleets. The sail tell-tales were clinging on for dear life during the first 3 days of sailing and our own BYC sailors have plenty of stories of wipe-outs to share! Next year the UK Nationals will be held in Pwllheli Sailing Club, Wales and the World’s in Italy.
Optimist Irish Nationals 2022
11th – 14th August 2022, Royal St George Yacht Club
A fleet of over 120 boats, including a strong contingent from GB, was racing over 4 days in fabulous but challenging conditions.
BYC’s Matthew Holden won 2nd in Senior Silver Fleet with an overall position of 18th and he was 10th Irish boat. As a result Matthew’s now been upgraded to Gold fleet.
A fantastic result for his first year in Senior fleet!