BYC Bulletin Board | Ballyholme Yacht Club

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Meet Exec Committee 2025

Left to right:

Gareth Kelly : Rear Commodore – Shore

Alex Ward : Honorary Treasurer

Tarek Qutteineh : Club Captain

Rob Milligan : Commodore

Mark Bickerstaff : Member

Barbara Polly : Rear Commodore – Sailing

Ed Winton : Honorary Secretary

Colin Robinson : RTC Principal

Fiona Hutchinson : Member (not in picture)

RYA Northern Ireland Awards 2025

We had a fantastic evening on Friday celebrating the achievements of clubs from across Northern Ireland at the RYA NI Awards. We are incredibly proud of all those who were nominated and those who won – your hard work and dedication truly shine!

🎉 Congratulations to Ballyholme Yacht Club members who received the following awards:

🏆 Young Powerboater of the Year – Hunter Reddy
🏆 Young Volunteer of the Year – Joseph Robinson
🏆 Club Race Coach of the Year – Dan McGaughey
🏆 Junior Female Sailor of the Year – Emily and Annabelle Ridout
🏆 Youth Male Sailor of the Year – Bobby Driscoll (RNIYC/BYC)
🏆 The Chair’s Award – The BYC Europeans Team

Awarded in recognition of the extraordinary efforts by so many volunteers who delivered the outstanding 2024 ILCA 6 Youth European Championships.

👏 Well done to all! Your achievements continue to make our club proud.

🌟 We also want to recognise our incredible nominees — being shortlisted is a huge honour in itself:

Instructor of the Year – Hannah Archer & Kaitlyn Eadie
Race Official of the Year – Aidan Pounder
Junior Female Sailor of the Year – Emily McAfee
Junior Male Sailor of the Year – Leo West-Hurst
Youth Female Sailor of the Year – Charlotte Eadie
Youth Male Sailor of the Year – Dan Palmer
Club Project of the Year – BYC 2024 ILCA 6 Youth European Championships

To all our winners and nominees – thank you for representing Ballyholme Yacht Club with such distinction. Here’s to an even brighter year ahead!

Chief Medical Officer welcomes new community defibrillator in Ballyholme

Chief Medical Officer Professor Sir Michael McBride welcomed efforts to increase the number of community defibrillators, when he launched a new community defibrillator at Ballyholme Yacht Club.

Each year in Northern Ireland, approximately 1,400 cardiac arrests occur outside a hospital environment, with survival rates of less than 10%. In July 2014, the Department of Health launched the Community Resuscitation Strategy, which aims to increase survival for those who suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, by increasing the number of community defibrillators and people trained to take action.

Chief Medical Officer Professor Sir Michael McBride said: “Deaths arising from cardiac arrests devastate many families every year and I am keen to increase the numbers of AEDs available to the public.

“For every minute that passes without CPR, there is a 10% decrease in the survival rate. With immediate bystander CPR the decline is more gradual, averaging 3-4% per minute. That’s a very stark statistic but there are things we can all do to help to improve the survival rate.

“I very much welcome the efforts being made by all community groups and sports clubs to increase the numbers of community defibrillators and trained individuals who can respond to a cardiac arrest.”

There are currently over 3,700 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) available to the public and it is hoped these numbers are increased further.

Barbara Polly, Rear Commodore, of Ballyholme Yacht Club said: “We were delighted to welcome the Chief Medical Officer to Ballyholme Yacht Club to launch our new community defibrillator.

“While preparing for the European Youth Sailing Championships last summer, where we had almost 400 competitors from 32 countries, we felt we should share our AED with the wider community.

“The nearest AED was a ten minute walk away, and with Ballyholme being such a vibrant and active community, we feel installing this defibrillator, which was funded by the Yacht Club, makes emergency equipment more accessible, significantly increasing the chances of a positive outcome when a cardiac arrest occurs.”

Sunshine for the last Taggarts Ice breaker at BYC

Sunday saw the final Taggart ice breaker at Ballyholme yacht club. The start sequence was held from the battery on shore. With the wind shifting from north to northeast 15mins before the start our ever-eager ILCA fleet all tried to start at the favourable end of the line resulting in several general recalls, even the black flag didn’t deter many from starting too early. The large dinghies were finishing their first round and coming through the start line at the same time giving as the ILCS eventually got off the start line giving Julie Wilson and her team in the battery a very stressful time. To quote one of the team Julie was the queen of triple hooters, time count down and shouting numbers all at the same time. Thanks to the battery team for all their support and efficiency.

Richard Swanston and Russell Finlay cleaned up in the multihull fleet winning both parts of the series, great to see these flying machines trapezing around the bay.In the ILCA 6 fleet formally known as the Radials for those who like old money Joseph Robinson won part one and Ian Taylor part two taking the overall prize.

To round up a very successful winter series it couldn’t happen without the volunteers to whom the sailors and committee members are eternally grateful, Our race management with Robin Gray, Race officers, Aidan Pounder, David McMullan, Catherine Gallagher. Simon Baillie, Jonny Mitchell and their teams with rescue and safety boat support, all the maintenance and preparation ashore. The marks team led by Doug Rennie who also does the results with Stephen Polly. Lastly thanks to the sailors and visitors for turning up to enjoy the great racing at Ballyholme Yacht Club.

Fast dinghy fleet- Winter Series overview

Each race day a competitive fleet of ‘fast dinghy’ sailors took to the water, eager to test themselves in a range of challenging conditions. Most hoping for the preceding laser fleet start to be a general recall so that the double handers have clear air around the first lap, which unfortunately only happened twice during the series.

In addition to the established RS Aero, RS400, Laser 2000 and Phantom dinghies, this series saw an expanding list of designs to include an RS200, a GP14 and a Melges 15. The various dinghy time handicaps no doubt giving the results officer a headache each week.

Entry numbers varied from week to week. In the majority there are between one and four RS400’s, one or two Laser 2000’s, between one and six RS Aero’s, and the sole representations of RS200, GP14, Phantom and Melges 15.

Overall winner of the fast dingy fleet winter series was none other than BYC Commodore Rob Milligan in his RS Aero. Second were Robin Flannigan and Diane Burgess in a RS400.

Thank you to the on and off the water volunteers, committee and sponsors. And well done to all the sailors and their cheer squad for turning up each week. The competition and banter is mighty.

Taggarts Icebreaker Sunday 9th March 2025

Simms leading ILCA 7 gold fleet in The Taggarts Icebreaker series. With only three races left in Taggarts Icebreaker series it’s all to sail for many of the competitors.

The last few races of the series increase the competitiveness for the sailors as they now know who they need to beat and by how many places each week.

Sunday saw a good North Easterly breeze with the sunshining on the bay giving the many walkers a great view of the racing, sea state was a bit bumpy adding to the fun. The committee boat with Race Officer Aidan Pounder assisted by newly qualified Hilary West-Hurst set a butterfly course.

The ILCA 7s and 6s with nearly a 30 strong fleet were first off, the start line. A clean start was recorded with the aid of photographic evidence. The race was won by Danial Palmer followed by the usual suspects of Conor Simms and Jonny henry. Slow then fast handicap started followed by a fleet of 4 Catamarans. All fleets got off with clean starts making the committee boats tasks more straightforward. The wind direction was in the Battery teams favour ensuring all the sail numbers were easy to read as they crossed the finish line. Our amazing rescue team didn’t have too many capsizes this week and thanks go to all the volunteers both on and off the water who make the sailing happen.

As with all series in sailing once a certain number of races have been completed competitors get to discard their worst result. In the ILCA 7s Conor Simms is leading at this stage with Jonny Henry 6 points behind. Andrew Henry leads the silver fleet with Francis Kennedy the bronze. Charlie Winton is at the top of the ILCA 6 fleet while Garth Flannigan and Knox Wilson have a comfortable lead in the Fast Dinghy class with Martin and Vicky Dews second. Aaron Moore leads the slow Dinghy fleet and Swannie aka Richard Swanston and crew the multihull class. See you all next week on the water as the series nears the finish.

Sundays Taggarts Icebreaker at BYC

Fingers were crossed by the Race Officer David McMullan and the sailors that the forecasted wind drop in speed would come in on time to allow racing to go ahead. Twenty-one ILCAs took to the water with five fast dinghies, numbers were down as a few sailors opted to stay at home than risk the challenging conditions. Hilary West-Hurst who recently passed her Regional Race Officers course assisted David with the start in a RIB. Both fleets got off with clear starts in what the sailors described as very Frisky conditions. Who needs sit ups when you can hike like mad in a dinghy in windy conditions.

Our rescue team were kept busy with quiet a few capsizes; many being righted in record time as the very competitive fleet worked to keep their position in the race. In the ILCA fleet Colin Leonard got off the start line first and held the lead throughout the whole race. Connor Simms and Jonny Henry battled it out for second and third respectively with lots of switching places.

The next group of ILCAs had great fun changing places, with most capsizing they had to keep very focused throughout the race. John Simms finished 4^th with Andrew Henry 5^th Warren Polly 6^th and Charlie Taylor 6^th.

In the large dinghy fleet Gareth Flannigan and crew Knox Wilson were impressive to watch with great displays of downwind techniques managing to keep upright throughout the race and finishing first. The remaining large dinghies in Aeros had great fun selecting which rig to use for the windy conditions and maybe Des Magee would have preferred a different one!! John Woods finished second, Sandra Halliwell 3^rd and Des in 4^th.

The Mackey eye Care Mug of the Day went to Stephen Polly who couldn’t manage to hold on to the finish board and it blew into the sea, thankfully Davy Wilson saved our environmental status by rescuing it, a man of many skills.

Thanks, as always to the committee boat team, rescue crews, Race officer and battery teams who make sailing possible.

Junior Ice Breaker – Saturday 22nd February

With the weather at least five degrees warmer this week, the biggest JIB yet, was attended by 23 boats. The wind was 6-8 knots from WSW gusting 15. Despite swinging breeze the course held a solid beat for all the races. Dan put in a clean performance in the ILCA again. The fevas again were dominated by the Rideout family with hot sailing between their two boats including a close call port and starboard upwind. There were three different winners- Alex, James and Polly in the three races in the topper fleet, with impressive leeward mark rounding skills on display from Matthew and Vaughn.

The cubes built on their upwind and downwind techniques from last week and then did some basic mark rounding focusing on in wide-out tight tactics. Evie B is pushing on her starts and seems to be enjoying the competitive side. Zoe is improving on the downwinds and with her gybes.

Thanks again to all the volunteers on the water and to James and Deidre on shore.

Hopefully we will get as good a turn out next week.

January Sprint Racing at BYC

Saturday saw almost 30 dinghies’ taking to the water for the warmup before the second part of Taggarts Ice Breaker starts next week. There was sunshine after the storm with calm seas and chilly winds. A fluctuating west, south westerly breeze it was a good day to be out in the bay.

The event showcased an inspiring all-female Race Management team on the Committee Boat, a shining example of BYC’s efforts to support the RYA’s initiatives in promoting and trying to make the sport more appealing to women. With the highly successful Woman on Water programmes held throughout Northern Ireland, the RYA has been actively encouraging female participation in the sport. On the Committee boat our Race Officer Catherine Gallagher took the lead, assisted by Elaine Taylor, Glynis Ridout and Aileen Smith who completed the Race Officer Course a couple of weeks ago. Their expertise and teamwork were crucial in keeping everything running smoothly. Also on board was the female Safety boat crew Claire Dobie and the RIB was helmed by cadet Dessie Gillespie. Dessie’s father James has been a volunteer RNLI crew for many years.

The team successfully ran five races with short windward leeward legs. There was a lot of jostling of places making the racing interesting for everyone. The results were swiftly messaged ashore with Stephen Polly hot on sail wave with the overall results published quickly.

The overall winners of the slow handicap class were father son duo Mathew and Peter Ridout claiming four first places. They were hotly pursued by Peters sisters Emily and Annabel Ridout in second place. Fantastic to see the whole family out enjoying the sport together.

In the ILCA 6 fleet Joseph Robinson took the win having Autum Halliday keeping him on his toes for all five races finishing second overall.

The IlCA 7 fleet was the largest and five quick races in quick succession gave them all chance to sharpen their starting tactics. Dan Palmer has been putting in some great results at events last year took the first prize (gold fleet) with two first places and three seconds giving him a clear lead over second Peter Cameron and third Jonny Henry. Mark Mckee won the silver fleet.

Thanks go to the rescue/safety boat crews and team who launched all the RIBs after a busy few weeks of winter maintenance. All the hard work that goes on behind the scenes is greatly appreciated. Thank you to all those who volunteered to make it a great day’s racing. The member’s lounge was buzzing afterwards with Davy Wilson giving us a few tunes on his guitar, a man of many talents.

Pre-Celtic Cup Training at BYC

After storm Eowyn came sunshine emerged into the bay as our young Topper sailors took to the water for their performance training with RYA Topper Class Head Coach Luke McIlwaine assisted by Lucy Kane. This training weekend provided additional preparation ahead of next weekend’s Celtic Cup which will be held at Killyleagh. The Celtic Cup will see the NI Sailing Team compete against our home country rivals, the Scottish Sailing Team and the Welsh Sailing Team. Sunday morning saw strong winds with gusts of 25 knots, but these young sailors were not put off and took to the bay to sharpen up their skills. Hot chocolate was a treat after being out in the cool breeze. Pictured from left to right: Leo West-Hurst, Charlotte Eadie, Zoe West-Hurst, Polly Robinson and Emma West- Hurst. Best of luck to the team for next weekends competition!

Boxing Day Regatta: Tight Races and Thrilling Victories Across Fleets

The annual Boxing Day Regatta was a spectacle of skill, strategy, and sportsmanship, with nearly 70 boats taking part in back-to-back races in light south-westerly winds. The event, which featured five distinct fleets, saw a variety of boats competing in both small and large dinghy classes, as well as catamarans and the ILCA divisions. In the small dinghy class, Aaron Moore claimed victory in the Topper Class, maintaining a solid lead throughout the day. Moore was closely pursued by Matthew Holden and Emily McAfee, both racing in ILCA 4s, who finished in second and third, respectively. The large dinghy class saw a thrilling contest in the RS400’s between Bob Espey, sailing with Mike Ferguson, and the pairing of Garth Flannigan and Jessa Tomlin. After a closely contested set of races, Espey and Ferguson emerged victorious, edging out Flannigan and Tomlin on a count back. The intense battle at the front of the fleet was a highlight of the day, showcasing tactical sailing and teamwork. In the catamaran class, Adrian Allen and Barry Swanston showed their mastery of multi-hull sailing to secure the top spot. One of the most anticipated parts of the regatta was the return of Joni Rock in the ILCA 6 class. After a break from competitive sailing, Rock proved unbeatable, taking first place with a dominant performance. Her victory marks a successful comeback, and her return to form adds excitement to the ILCA 6 fleet in future regattas. The ILCA 7 class featured nearly 30 boats, and the racing at the top was incredibly tight. Newly engaged Conor Simms emerged as the overall winner, narrowly defeating James Moore on count back. Gareth McAnliss claimed third place, also benefiting from a count back over Warren Polly and Jonny Henry, who rounded out the top five. The ILCA 7 fleet proved to be one of the most fiercely contested, with close racing throughout the field.

The Boxing Day Regatta’s success was a testament to the dedication of the many volunteers who contributed their time and effort to make the event run smoothly. Race Officer Aidan Pounder played a crucial role in ensuring efficient operations on the water, while the rescue teams prioritized safety throughout the day. The shore teams worked tirelessly behind the scenes to manage logistics and provide essential support. A heartfelt thank you goes out to all the volunteers whose hard work and enthusiasm made the event a seamless success. In addition to the regatta, the club raised an impressive £2000 for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) through a combination of the Boxing Day Regatta, Bay Swim, and Christmas Draw. The regatta itself featured exciting races and displayed exceptional sportsmanship across all fleets. As the event came to a close, the sailors shared a strong sense of camaraderie and eagerly looked forward to future regattas.

BYC Boxing Day Swim Raises Over £1,000 for RNLI

The BYC Boxing Day Swim, a cherished annual tradition, kicked off with excitement and enthusiasm, as local swimmers braved the cold waters to raise funds for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). The event was not only a highlight for the community but also a successful fundraiser, with over £1,000 raised for this vital cause. The morning began with a lively warm-up session led by Julie and Kellie from the swim committee, who guided participants through a series of stretches on the slipway to prepare them for their chilly dip. The atmosphere was festive and supportive, with eager bystanders offering cheers of encouragement as swimmers took the plunge into the cold sea. A special thank you goes to the dedicated teams who made the event possible. Kayakers, paddleboarders, and rescue crews worked together to ensure the safety of all participants, while the shore team managed the logistics, providing hot drinks and snacks to help swimmers warm up after their refreshing swim. Tea, coffee, mince pies, and biscuits were served to the cold but elated swimmers, making for a warm and welcoming post-event gathering. The success of this year’s swim is a testament to the spirit of the community and the continued generosity of those who support the RNLI. This annual event has become a wonderful way to bring people together, raise awareness of the lifesaving work of the RNLI, and raise much-needed funds to keep the lifeboat service running. With £2,000 raised this year, the Boxing Day swim is an important contribution to the RNLI’s efforts in saving lives at sea. A heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone who took part, from the brave swimmers to the dedicated volunteers and supporters. Your involvement helps ensure that the RNLI can continue its life-saving work for years to come. Well done to all involved, and here’s to next year’s swim!

BYC Prize Giving.

Saturday night we held our annual prize giving to celebrate our sailors achievements and thank and recognise our volunteers. It’s thanks to all the volunteers on shore and on the water that make our sailing possible. . Unfortunately we can’t give everyone a prize but be reassured every volunteer is appreciated.

Thank you to Robin Gray for comparing the evening and setting out the prizes in order, to the silver polishers and sandwich makers. Included are photos of all the winners who attended last night, there are a few missing but the list of winners is included.

The special prizes are awarded by the committees except the Vice commodores cup and the Martin Imrie the commodores cup of which we only find out on the night.

The first prizes awarded were the competition ones.

The presentation to Rob of a wooden plaque was made from the EURILCA committee to BYC for hosting the event.

Ryan Glynn in the J24 Europeans and team Headcase the only non professional competitor team presented a framed photo to BYC . Unfortunately Ryan wasn’t able to attend in person .

Also pictured is Rob holding the ILCA club of the year silver platter along with Joseph Robinson ILCA 4 Irish champion, Dan Palmer ILCA 6 Irish champion missing is Dan McGaughy ILCA 7 Irish Champion. Fantastic sailing, well done.

Of the special prizes

The Pounder Cup for services to sea swimming , Julie Wilson for almost 13 years volunteering either on shore or kayaking.

The Niall Cup, Cadet Volunteer of the year, Hannah Archer for the time and dedication to cadet sailing and activities.

The Jack Austin Memorial Trophy, Cadet of the year, a difficult decision however Joseph Robinson with his ILCA 4 1st Irish champ win, his contribution to the schools cup and helping get BYC ILCA club of the year, along with his volunteering, coaching junior cadets a deserved winner.

BSC McKenna 1903 Trophy for Sailor of the year – this is always a difficult one, we had a few contenders

Dan McGaughy- Irish ILCA 7 Champ, 2nd ILCA 7 in the Munster Championships , he also competed in and campaigned BYC at the Portuguese National finishing 14th , British Nations 28th and the Keil Olympic week in the silver fleet.

Colin Leonard , 2nd in ILCA 7 worlds

Paul Prentice and Squawk 2nd British sigma 33 Nationals.

Robert Espey and Michael Mikey Ferguson , R/S 400 Irish champions, Winners of the 2024 Champions Cup, Champions of Champions.

The Prize went to Bob and Michael Well done for campaigning BYC you both also deserved a prize for being the best dressed last night.

The Rescue Shield, Cox of the year, Dave Hooper

Rescue Trophy, Cadet Rib driver of the year, we have so many young and amazing rescue drivers being mentored by Stephen Glasgow and his team, well done to them all. The nominees were Mathew Glasgow , Dessie Gillespie and Hunter Reddy. The award went to Hunter Reddy.

The Rescue Plaque, Rescue crew of the year, Brian Service.

The Vice Commodores Cup, this was awarded to Rachel Nixon, Rachel is an ambassador for sailing at both BYC and Donaghadee and across NI. Promoting it as a sport within north down with the council and helping put BYC on the map. She has been at the inception and consistent in her support of the Woman on Water programme and ensuring it is continues to be in the spotlight across NI. Rachel was very involved at the recent EURILCA event on the results team with Paul Wyness from BYC, together they help run our amazing results. Thank you Rachel.

The Martin Imrie Trophy. Our Commodore Rob Milligan began by presenting an additional prize to Robin Gray for his time and expertise with the race Management and organisation of the EURILCA Championship this summer.

He then went on to award Aidan Pounder with the Martin Imrie special trophy. Aidan was instrumental in securing the European ILCA championship this year at BYC the planning, applications, grants, council permissions , meetings co ordination involved was colossal. It saw BYC run an amazing event both on and off the water with fantastic community feedback. Aidan thanked Rob making sure to emphasise it was a massive team effort.

Well done and thank you to everyone who continues to make BYC the special club it is.

BYC Pair are All Ireland Champions!

Robert Espey and Michael Ferguson from Ballyholme Yacht Club won their place in the annual Senior Helmsman Championship by winning the 2024 Irish RS400 National Championships in Carrickfergus Sailing Club. Another local club, Royal North of Ireland YC, ran this year’s Senior Helmsman Championship in RS400’s. 18 Irish National Champions and Olympians from all over Ireland assembled at RNIYC on Saturday, only to be greeted by rather unfavourable weather conditions. The call was made to cancel all racing on Saturday, as the gusts were over 30 knots. This meant an early start for Flight 1 on Sunday morning.
The format was simple; 3 races per flight with the top 5 (out of 9) in each flight go into the final.
“…We had a strong flight but came top of the group with a 2nd , 1st and 3rd place in Flight 1. Keeping things simple was always in the back of our minds – cleans starts and a good first beat was always the goal. We achieved this and learned how to position well on the downwind stretches. This settled any nerves and we waited ashore while Flight 2 went ahead. Once Flight 2 was over, we were quickly assembled for the final. All the big names were there, no place to hide but we were confident and just knew we had to stick to our game plan. We wanted a good ‘banker’ of a result in Race 1 and we were happy with a 3rd. Race 2 was the same. Picking off places all round the course we got another 3rd. After some quick math, we knew that in the worst-case scenario, we would be second. For Race 3, we started on port at the committee boat and again had a good strong beat resulting in another 3rd. By now we thought we were 1 point behind Rob (49er Olympic team) and
3 points ahead of Finn Lynch (last year’s winner and Olympian). Our maths and memory of the results was poor…it turned out we had a 3 point lead and were in 1st place. We only found this out after racing! Nearly everyone had a big score while we had a consistent score line of 3rd , 3rd and 3rd . Before the last race, we chatted pre-start and said if we needed to gamble on the last beat we would (still thinking we were in 2nd place). We would risk everything for a chance of winning.
An average start for us and we went right upwind with Finn and Rob. Unbelievably the boats lying 1st , 2nd and 3rd overall were 8th , 9th and 10th round the windward mark. No gains were made downwind and we took the unfavoured bottom mark just behind Rob. We were 9th. Risk time! We went for our fast low mode, something we do in breeze and sailed straight through the lee of Rob and shot forward. Small right shift and we tacked. We were up to 7th at the top mark and managed to take another boat on the final downwind, crossing the line in 6th place. We had no idea if that was good enough for even a top 3 spot.
Then the camera boat came over and started taking photos of us! Had we done it!? On the way in, Finn said we were 2nd, a point behind Ross McDonald, so we went from a high to a low with a brave face on. On the slipway we were met with our trailer/trolley from the shore teams and handed the results page. We won by one point! Unreal!
We have both raced in the Senior Helmsman’s before but this was the first win for either of us! The goal at the start of the year – win the nationals, qualify for the Helmsman’s and win that too! 2024…job done – tick!
Prize giving was great and lifting the top prizes above our heads was even better!
We want to say a big thanks to all the other competitors for making this year’s event so special with the cream of Irish sailing on show. Thanks also to RNIYC and the boat owners who loaned their boats, all deserve a mention!
Also thanks to our wives for looking after the kids all day on Sunday in the rain! Already looking forward to trying to retain the top prize next year!”
(Summary by crew Mike Ferguson)

BYC sailor wins British Olympic sailing Champions Paris 2024 ILCA 7 in Charity raffle.

Olympic sailor Mickey Beckett personally delivered the ILCA 7 to BYC on Wednesday morning. Mickey raffled the boat he used in the Paris 2024 Olympics to raise an amazing £18,000 for the Bart Simpson Foundation .
The UK wide raffle ticket was won by Mark McKee from BYC . Receiving the boat on Mark’s behalf is Dan McGaughey ( ILCA 7 Irish Champion ) , Iszult Spears and Polly Robinson .

Mickey also attended the RYANI 50th Anniversary Dinner on Friday evening where he spoke on a panel with Olympion Bill O’Hara also from BYC.
Mickey also delivered goodie bags from Ovington sent to Dan McGaughy , Iseult Speers ( pictured with Mickey ) and Cormac Byrne . Their entry to the ILCA UK open National Championships in Weymouth in the summer won BYC a brand new Ovington ILCA7 to promote ILCA sailing at our club . As a club the standard of youth sailing is fantastic and we are very proud of them all .

Pictured with Mickey Becket are from left Dan McGaughey ILCA 7 Irish campion 2024, Polly Robinson and Iseult Spiers

Mickey Becket with his Paris 2024 Ilca 7

Almost perfect conditions for the Taggarts Icebreaker.

With a brisk North-west breeze, it was always going to be difficult to set a decent first windward leg. RO Catherine Gallagher set a line from the Southwest mark with all bets on a general recall for the laser fleet. With nearly forty boats pushing the line this turned out to be the case

The lasers having a general recall meant the large dinghy’s had a clear race track.. What more could the fast handicap fleet of 11 boats wish for? The additional wish was the handicapper and course 4 being on the side of the faster asymmetric.

Off the start Oliver & Nelson in the Melges 15 had the best start, leading the Fletcher & Smith and Flannigan & Burgess in the RS400s, and most of the rest of the fleet off to the port hand side of the first beat. Oliver & Nelson had a very close lead over Fletcher & Smith for the first two laps with only a couple of boat lengths between them. Oliver being the wily old team racer was keeping Fletcher at bay on the downwind turning marks. Both nearly being “Hurricanced” – not in the cocktail sense – on several occasions. The Melges 15 showing good speed on the close reach against the RS400s with the RS400 marginally faster upwind.

On the 3rd and final beat the wind dropped but the chop stayed. Fletcher & Smith finally made it past Oliver & Nelson and led at the final top mark by around a minute. Flannigan & Burgess still in third with the Laser2000s and the Areo’s losing ground in the dropping breeze.

With line honours heading the way of Fletcher & Smith the handicap win was Oliver & Nelson’s to lose. They didn’t. Finishing a minute back Oliver & Nelson won by 50 seconds on handicap from Fletcher & Smith in second, Flannigan & Burgess a further 2 minutes back. Smith & Smith (who went for a post-race swim) in a Laser2000 fourth, and Woods in an Aero6 fifth.

The laser fleet were better behaved for their second start. Daniel Palmer took the win closely followed by Jonny Henry and Conor Simms in a hard-fought race. In the silver fleet Jonny’s brother, Andrew is leading the series coming seventh in this race. John Kennedy leads the Bronze with a respectable twenty.

Autumn Halliday won the Laser radial in front of Ian Taylor who still leads the series by only two points.

Four Multihulls took to the water with one capsizing just over the start line giving a challenging start to the ILCA fleet and the safety boat.

The fleets were kind enough to finish nicely spread out so the Battery Hens could read the sail numbers, with 38 ILCAs this can be very challenging. Thanks to the Committee boat, Rescue, results and Battery Teams for excellent Race management.

Report By Paddy Oliver from the Fast handicap fleet.

Windy and Shifty conditions for the Junior Icebreaker……

The 2^nd JIB Sprints of the season went ahead in blustery winds from the southeast providing challenging conditions for the young sailors.

The windward leeward course of 2 laps with a flukey upwind leg to the BYC club house proved a real challenge for the sailors. The Feva class was well attended with 6 boats on the water and had well contested starts with some boats attempting to port tack the fleet. In race 1 the Feva’s lead changed on both laps with the Nolans pipping the Ridout sisters to 2^nd place. The Toppers starting after the Feva’s did have the benefit of being shown where the bright pink windward mark was located, however more than half the Toppers took the easier fetch to an alternative pink mark at Luke’s Point. They all did sail the correct course, just a longer one, with Alex Eadie and Zoey West-Hurst cruising into 1^st and 2^nd place. In the 4.2 fleet, Emma West-Hurst sailed strongly to come in amongst the 5.3 sailors.

The 2^nd race was quickly underway with 2 Feva’s being well over the line but quickly returned back to restart and competed strongly in the race, positions changed regularly over both legs. The finish line saw Emily and Annabel Ridout coming in 1st followed by Peter and Matt Ridout. Some gear failures and an unruly spinnaker forced Polly and Sophie to return to shore to make repairs and running again to be ready for race 3.

Now knowing where the windward mark was the Toppers set off for race 2. The final leg up to the leeward mark was very competitive with Matthew Glasgow coming in first closely followed by Alex Eadie and Zoey. In the 4.2 fleet, Emma West Hurst, Max Boyd and Rory McGovern all finished in a tight bunch at the end.

The final race provided some extra spills with a Feva crew departing the boat whilst blasting along with the kite up, they made a quick and safe recovery, well done. The Feva finished with a repeat of Race 1, with the Nolans first followed by the Ridout sisters.

Alex Eadie got her second win of the day followed by Aaron Moore in 2^nd and Zoey delivering a consistent top 3 position.

The Qube squad skipped racing due to the higher winds and went on the water with coach Russel Finlay. The sailors swapped in and out of the RIB onto 2 Qubes and practised upwind sailing skills and gybing downwind between the gusts, proving the benefit of finding a more sheltered spot in the bay to train.

Many thanks to the coaches and the on-water and shore support teams, not to forget the very important Hot Chocolate provided by Glynis’s team in the Galley. Fingers crossed for fair winds this coming Saturday.

Report by Colin Robinson with input from cadets, Sophie Cairns, Polly Robinson and Rebecca Reddy.

Taggarts Junior Icebreaker.

With 29 boats on the water, the Ballyholme Yacht club junior icebreaker got off to an incredible start with champagne sailing for all 3 races!! Despite the winter rolling in fast, we certainly embraced a good day on the water. Along with the RS Fevas, Toppers and ILCA’s were the Qube dinghies led by Russel Finley. Russel is coaching the BYC beginners to gain confidence in competitive racing and taking part in the junior icebreaker is a great way to enable this. With Colin Robinson and Kirsty Mcarthur manning the committee boat we had 3 starts for 3 races. Thanks to them we enjoyed three perfect starts.!! Not forgetting our amazing shore team led by Deidre Gilpin and her helpful daughter Kiki. All these volunteers both on and off the water help make our fantastic sailing opportunities possible . An amazing start to the Taggarts junior icebreaker. Let’s hope it continues to what we hope will be a perfect winter sailing season.

Write up Isobel Nixon

Simms starts last and finishes first in Race four of Taggarts Icebreaker at BYC

This Sunday’s Taggarts Icebreaker race was looking ominous with a breeze forecasted for an average of 13-14 knots increasing to 17knots with gusts upwards of 35knots by 2-3pm. 27 boats launched five retiring as the wind increased. Race officer Stephen Polly opted for course four (a “Butterfly Course”) the wind direction was mostly Southerly; laying the start line at the Northeast mark by Ballymacormick point.

The lasers/ILCAs were first to start, Warren Polly was first to round the windward mark at the banks lane Southeast mark followed by Jonny Henry and Daniel Palmer. The next leg was an intense tight reach to Luke’s Point Northwest mark where the lasers could quickly get up on to the plane! Jonny at this point had got the better of Warren to lead on to the following beat, Jonny continued this led to the start/finish marks at BYC battery but the top three were only separated by boat lengths. Jonny was now followed closely by Dan who had moved into second place with Warren tight on his transom. The breeze had moved more into a more South Westerly direction with the race officer selecting course three (“Triangle course) going on a run to the Noth West at Luke’s Point followed by a beam reach to the Northeast at Ballymacormick and then a long beat back to the Battery for the remaining laps.

In the fast dinghy fleet there were 4 starters to brave the conditions. Dave Fletcher/Ryan Smith in their RS 400 were the quickest round the course winning over the water, but it was the commodore Rob Milligan who stayed close behind to win the race 12 seconds on handicap. Dave and Ryan were enjoying themselves so much they did an extra lap.

In the ILCA 6/Radial class, there were 4 starters. Joseph Robinson winning the race from Ian Taylor, all other boats retiring. Joseph is spending a lot of time training these days and it’s paying off.

Richard Swanston in the multihulls despite having some gear failure and having to retire brought a very smiling crew Cameron Wallace ashore, he thoroughly enjoyed crewing on these fast high-performance catamarans.

Back to Ilca fleet where positions were starting to change after lap 1. Conor Simms, who had launched late, very late, missing the start by over 1 minute was able to sail himself through the fleet to round the final mark of lap one within boat lengths of the top three. Following some large squalls on the next two off wind legs, Conor was up to second just behind Dan who had now moved into first. Up the next beat Conor showed some good hiking legs with the building breeze to move into first and extend all the way to the top of the beat at BYC Battery going into the final lap. Despite a capsize wipeout down the next run in a large squall, Conor had enough of a lead to right his boat up and carry on for the race win. Dan held his own behind finishing second which was very respectable as this is his first year in the larger ILCA 7 rig. Warren covered Jonny up the last beat for third and fourth respectively. The fleet behind battled the harsh conditions with a total of 17 finishing and only 2 retirees.

Big thanks from the fleets to the race officer and his team for a great day’s racing, the battery crew for their excellent continued efforts and the resilient rescue volunteers for keeping the fleet safe. They had their hands full with a lot of boats capsizing in the large squalls throughout racing and they got very wet in the rain

thank you again.

Report by Conor Simms

Ballyholme Taggarts Icebreaker race two.

Bobby Driscoll Takes the ILCA 7 Win

Week two of the Taggarts ice breaker brought tough, mind breaking conditions with a notorious southerly and winds rarely above 8 knots. Race officer Davis McMullan on the committee boat set a fair windward start in the south easterly breeze. An hour before the start the bay looked too calm for racing, loud sighs of relief could be heard when the breeze filled in. The Taggarts Icebreaker has become the very competitive highlight of our sailors’ weeks.

Bobby Driscoll who took the ILCA 7 win reported the following: This was a race that would outline those who are quick thinkers and those like Alex Ward, who remain only to chase the post sailing pint. The start was under the uniform flag with a slight pin end bias for those who dared to put themselves under more pressure. Just after the warning signal, in the prestart sequence the left-hand side of the bay looked preferable with more consistent wind. A couple of seconds before the start of the ILCAs, everyone had made their quick attack on the start line to maintain a good upwind position.

I didn’t have the greatest start near the pin however with a very quick decision of tacking and played a short, sweet shift, I was right back into the top of the fleet. The fleet itself found the weather conditions hard with majority tacking off early onto port to play a long tack towards the club house. However, with very little breeze moving down the right-hand side, those who played the port lay line found themselves in a much more satisfying position. It was the battle of mistakes between me and James Moore with James taking the lead on the downwind leg by a respectful boat length. It was quite the drag race with the rest of the fleet spectating the battle on the intense reach across the bay. Just behind, Iron Mike left no mercy with boats biting the dust as he was in such a hurry to be the first sailor in the bar. The second upwind leg was a different story with the wind fluctuating more and the right-hand side of the bay appeared to be favourite with more pressure. From experience being at the back, I could tell the sailors at the back found this torture, thinking that the left-hand side of the bay would be an advantage from the previous up wind. There’s an ole saying “being at the front of the fleet is a lot better at the back” which essentially allowed me to spot the wind and use it, allowing me to round the weather mark in first. Shout out to Iron Mike for catching up and using the long tack to right of the bay to gain distance. The final 2 legs consisted of me maintaining my lead and stretching my distance from the rest of the fleet. The wind had picked up to a steady 8 knots making it more enjoyable and less irritating conditions. The final upwind leg was a short, sweet leg with no more than two to three tacks needed to round the finish. Iron Mike made his comeback and threatened James in the final seconds of the upwind making a tricky but intense race for everyone. In conclusion James kept his cool and managed to round comfortably in second with Mike in third and myself in first.

In total nearly fifty dinghies took to the bay for this very competitive series. In the ILCA 6 fleet (radial) Howard Massey took the win from Autumn Halliday in second and Charlie Winton in third.

There were eight in the large dinghy fleet with Martin Dews impressively winning in an Aero 7 with it being only his second race in the boat. Stalwart Sandra Halliwell finished second with Mitch Chambers and Rob Milligan third and forth. Aaron Morre came first in the slow dinghy fleet.

In the multihulls Richard Swanston and crew Russel Finlay glided across the finish line in first.

Once again thanks to all the volunteers who make racing possible, The Rescue teams, Race officer, Battery hens and results teams.

FIRST TAGGARTS ICE BREAKER AT BYC OF THE 2024/5 SEASON

On Sunday the Taggarts Icebreaker kicked off for another year at Ballyholme Yacht Club, in mild conditions with a rainy south-easterly breeze of 8 -12 knots. Race Officer Aidan Pounder and his team on the committee boat set a fair and even start line and racing for the ILCA fleet got underway. Racing began under a Uniform flag (signalling disqualification if you are over the start line with a minute to go) in an attempt to discourage anyone from pushing the line. There was a clear start, which lead to the beginning of a tight race. The start of the Icebreaker brings a fresh opportunity for everyone as the Gold, Silver and Bronze fleets are not named until after the 5th race of the series. Some ring rust was evident for some of our regular sailors, with James Moore having a brief swim at the 2nd mark and John Simms and Iron Mike (Kimber) missing the finishing mark which resulted in them having to sail the wrong way to correctly complete the course. The final results saw Jonny Henry take the win with Conor Simms in 2nd place and James Moore, after recovering well from his swim, finish in 3rd place.

It was great to see the return of some familiar faces that have been missing from our regular Sunday racing over the past few years. Warren Polly, out in his new boat, came in 7th, Andrew Henry closely following in 8th and Peter Cameron coming in 9th. Also, Daniel Palme7. It was great to see a range of new boats out enjoying some competitive Sunday racing. The bragging rights in the large dingy fleet went to Dave Fletcher and Ryan Smith in their Laser 2000, with Aileen and David Smith coming in 2nd also in a Laser 2000 and our Commodore, Rob Milligan, finishing in 3rd place. The multihulls sail a slightly larger course due to being a faster boat, Swannie (Richard Swanston) and his crew took the win. In the small dingy fleet, Aaron Moore took the victory in his Topper 4.2.

As always, racing wouldn’t be possible without the volunteers, so I wanted to take the time to give a shout out to those out the rescue and committee boats, our loyal, self named ‘Battery Hens’ and the results team. For full results please see BYC results webpage. Thanks to Jonny Henry for the write up.

Cash for Kids

Ballyholme Yacht Club is taking part in this year’s Cash for Kids Sports Challenge, and we need your help! The money we raise will provide disadvantaged children within our local community with the opportunity to participate in our Introduction to Sailing and Water Activities Programme due to run in Spring 2025

Sponsor a Child

For just £25 you can make a difference and provide a child with an opportunity to take part in this exciting programme.

Sign up for the Quiz

Friday 11th October – 8pm To register follow the link below:

https://ballyholme.com/events/cash-for-kids-quiz/

Wine and Cheese night

Saturday 30th November – Registration opening soon!

How to donate

You can donate directly on our fundraising page at the link below:

https://www.cashforkidsgive.co.uk/campaign/sports-challenge-northern-ireland-2024/fundraisers/ballyholme-yacht-club/

You can also drop some money into the collection boxes at the Club.

Buy some Raffle tickets

Notice of an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM)

Dear Member,

This email constitutes notice of an EGM to be held at Ballyholme Yacht Club (BYC) at 1930 on 28 May in accordance with Rule 17(1) of the BYC Rules.
The business of the EGM is to invite you, the voting members of BYC, to vote “Yes” or “No” to the following question:

“Do you authorise the Executive Committee and Trustees of Ballyholme Yacht Club (BYC) to enter into agreement with Ards and North Down Borough Council (ANDBC) for the redevelopment of BYC as set out in the Heads of Terms documents, and to enter into such contractual agreements comprised in the Heads of Terms document as are necessary to bring about the redevelopment?”

On 13 May 2024, the Executive Committee voted to support the agreement set out in the Heads of Terms. The Heads of Terms documents are available in the BYC Office for members to read.
Only those members who are voting members (as described in Rule 21(5) of the BYC Rules) are entitled to vote at the EGM, although non-voting members are welcome to attend. Given the importance of the decision to be made at the EGM, the Executive Committee have decided that the vote will be conducted by secret ballot, with individual ballot papers to be issued to voting members at the meeting. In order to obtain your ballot paper, you will be required to present your Club membership card, or, if you do not have a membership card, photographic identification such as a passport or driving licence. Votes will be counted and the decision of the members announced at the meeting.
In further recognition of the importance of the decision to be made at the EGM, voting members may vote by proxy if they are unable to attend the EGM in person due to work or other unavoidable commitments that prevent attendance. If you do wish to vote by proxy, you must obtain your individual ballot paper from the BYC Office, complete it, and return it to the Office at least 24 hours before the time and date stated at paragraph 1. Ballot papers may be returned to the Office by post, in person (during office hours) or by scanning the completed ballot paper in as an electronic document and returning by email to admin@ballyholme.com. The deadline for proxy votes has been extended no later than 1400 on Tuesday 28th May.
In accordance with Rule 19 of the BYC Rules, the only business that will be transacted at the EGM will be the vote on the question set out at paragraph 2 above. However, there will be a short presentation on the options open to the members prior to the vote taking place, and questions may be put to the Executive Committee and the Redevelopment Group. You are also encouraged to read the FAQ document here https://ballyholme.com/the-club-redevelopment/ . The BYC Rules are silent on what type of majority is required to carry a motion, and the Executive Committee have therefore decided to continue the current practice in General Meetings, which is that a motion is carried if 50% of those voting plus one vote in favour.
The Executive Committee believe that the decision to be made at this EGM is a very important one which will affect the future of BYC for decades to come, and strongly urge you to attend and vote in person if at all possible, and by proxy if not. In order to help inform your decision, there will be a further Members’ Information Evening on 22 May at 7.30pm. Copies of the Heads of Terms documents and other relevant documents are available for members to review in the BYC Office during normal opening hours, as posted on the weekly Bulletin. I look forward to seeing you on 28 May.

Yours faithfully,

Ed Winton

Honorary Secretary, BYC

ILCA Ireland End of Season Regatta

More fantastic sailing from our young ILCA sailors. Congratulations to them all and to Danial Palmer who finished 1st in the ILCA 6 fleet . More details below

This past weekend saw the ILCA Ireland End of Season Regatta hosted by Malahide Yacht Club. With favourable weather and winds (10kts gusting to 16) on the Saturday the race committee aimed to get 4 races in on the first day on the water in case the forecast storms on Sunday would prevent a second days racing.

In the largest ILCA 6 fleet, Daniel Palmer (Ballyholme Yacht Club) finished in 1st place with 2 wins and 2 seconds and it was this consistency that saw him finish 7 points clear of Zoe Whitford of East Antrim Boat Club and Conor Cronin in 3rd representing the host club. Joseph Robinson & Bobby Driscoll also of Ballyholme finished in 8th & 9th respectively with Autumn Halliday of Strangford Lough Yacht Club in 14th.

In the ILCA 7, Tom Coulter of East Antrim Boat Club in Larne winning the fleet with Lewis Thompson of Ballyholme coming in 4th overall and 1st under 19.

Rory Brennan Hobbs of the National Yacht Club Dun Laoghaire won the ILCA 4 with Ballyholme sailors Isabel Nixon & Charlotte Cairns posting some good scores. At end of racing on Saturday, the race committee made the decision to call the event after 4 races with the Sunday forecast now looking worse and worse.

Prize-giving was held on Saturday evening allowing sailors to change their plans and travel home.

Full results by Class:

https://halsail-1e484.kxcdn.com/Result/Public/83999…

Update on Recent Belfast Region City Deal News

Members may have seen the aptly timed Friday 13th BBC news story apparently announcing that the UK government was putting all City Deals in Northern Ireland on pause in the ‘context of the UK spending review’. The BYC Redevelopment falls under the Belfast Region City Deal (BRCD) as part of Bangor’s Waterfront Development project.

After what must have been a very busy weekend, the following Monday saw an announcement from Northern Ireland’s Minister of Finance as follows:

“The Secretary of State (The Rt Hon Hilary Benn) is happy to confirm that following communication with HMT (His Majesty’s Treasury) nothing has changed on the status of the Belfast Region City Deal, which was signed back in December 2021 and continues to make great progress.”

BYC also received a formal letter from Ards and North Down Borough Council Chief Executive, Susie McCullough, confirming that the Bangor Waterfront Development is continuing as planned, with the assurance that the council remains ‘committed, focused and aligned on the positive outcomes this project will bring to our communities, and we value your partnership in bringing these ambitious plans to life.’

The County Down Spectator capped off the eventful week with a two-page story entitled ‘Confusion Reigns’ covering the BRCD story while further adding to the confusion by publishing old conceptual site drawings developed by the initial consultants in an earlier study.

In fact, The Design Team is currently at the very early yet critical stage of planning where they are evaluating the most feasible and cost-effective placement for the slipway(s) and Club buildings. This process is still underway. At the same time Jess Mackey, the Operations lead on the Redevelopment Committee, is meeting with other clubs to learn more about their operations so that we can hit the ground running once the redevelopment is complete.

We will continue to keep you updated.

The Redevelopment Committee

Attention all ILCA Sailors

You may be aware that thanks to Dan McGaughey, Cormac Byrne and Iseult Speers attending the UK open and National Championship in Weymouth this year the club were entered the draw that won BYC the Ovington ILCA to help promote ILCA sailing within the club. All three sailors did extremely well at the event and we are very proud and thankful to them.

To this end the committees have decided the best way forward is to sell the boat to a club member ( Dan, Iseult and Cormac were given first refusal ) with the funds being used as follows:

Buy two or three older ILCAs that can be hired by members to help bridge the gap between completing a course or moving up from a smaller dinghy before purchasing a boat.

Some reduced cost coaching sessions open to some ILCA 4/6/7 members .

This would be a fairer way of promoting ILCA sailing at BYC.

The New 2024 Never Sailed Ovington ILCA 7 comes with the following ( sail number 2257663 )

Fully fitted Hull

Carbon Top Mast

ILCA 7 lower mast

Boom

Rudder

Rudder head

Ropes kit including vang base and Cunningham pack.

Carbon Tiller

Carbon Tiller extension

Dagger Board

Launching Trolley

Top Cover

Bottom Cover

Mast bag

Cost new would be approx. £8600. With Negotiating you may get it for £7500

We are now opening the sale up to members. If you are interested please put a closed Bid (offers over £7000) in an envelope in the box in the office.

This will be open until 12th October, when the highest bidder will be advised.

Ballyholme Yacht Club Sailors dominate at RYA Youth Championships!

by Amy West-Hurst

At the RYANI Youth Championships last weekend almost 28 Ballyholme Yacht Club sailors made their way to Strangford to compete in the RYA Youth Championships. The event had Youth sailors competing from all over Ireland competing in Opi, Topper, ILCA, Feva and 29’er classes.

As the sun shone for everyone on Saturday the first day of the Championships, the challenge of the day for our sailors was the light wind & strong tides. However, this was certainly not the case on Sunday when the winds at times were gusting over 22Knots but rise to the occasion they did.

We had 13 Sailors competing in the ILCA fleets alone with a range of conditions from 2kts to 24kts it was an all-round competition which was a brilliant learning curve for many and a great experience for all.

Saturday started with a light breeze of 3-4knts. The IlCA racing got under way just above 5Knts but dropped gradually through the 1st and only race of the day with Ballyholme Sailors Katie Brow, Isabel Nixon and Iseult Speirs in 1st 2nd and 3rd in the ILCA 4 Fleet. ILCA 6 saw Daniel Palmer from BYC taking 3rd spot and Lewis Thompson taking second spot in ILCA 7 followed by Josh McGregor in 3rd. A great start for Team BYC in all 3 ILCA fleets.

Sunday started at 11-14 Knts and an eager fleet launched at 0950. A few squalls coming through made the down winds exhilarating…. Race 3 was upwards of 20knts again with squalls making for a hard day for all sailors and rescue crews with the odd snapped mast!

Final results for our BYC Sailors – ILCA 4 – 1st overall Emily McAfee, 3rd overall Isabel Nixon and Hugo Boyd 5th overall and 2nd boy. First and second in the ILCA 6 went to Daniel Palmer and Bobby Driscoll and Cormac Byrne was 3rd boy in 5th position. ILCA 7 saw 2nd and 3rd from Lewis Thompson and Josh McGregor.

In the Feva Class, again the mix of weather including not enough wind to sail at some times on Saturday and lots of gusty wind on Sunday but all the BYC sailors stayed afloat and did well.

Saturday saw most of the fleet sail the wrong course and as a result received NSC and earn 11 points because of a post-race protest. Further races on Sunday thankfully allowed for a discard of Saturday’s high score for many.

Ballyholme had a clean sweep on the podium in this fleet with Niamh Coman and Ellie Nolan (BYC and RNIYC) received a fabulous 3rd, Sally Nixon and Jessica Dadley-Young placed 2rd place and first place went to Emily and Annabel Ridout.

A record number of entries was recorded in this class at the RYANI Youth Championships and a great sign for double handed sailing in the future.

Meanwhile, over in the Topper class the racing was no less exciting with the light breeze causing the Race Officer much deliberation in getting a course set on Sunday however finally they manage to get two races in before calling it a day and heading in to shore to be greeted by some scrumptious pasta thanks to the kitchen crew!!

Sunday saw very high winds & gusty conditions for this fleet and after two strongly fought races the Race Officer decided to call it a day. Matthew Holden & James Eadie had another strong performance ending the weekend in 3^rd & 4^th place in the 5.3 fleet. Over in the 4.2 Fleet Leo West-Hurst following on from his impressive 4^th place in the Topper Worlds this Summer, Leo showed his heavy wind ability and raced his way to complete the event as Topper 4.2 RYA Youth Champion. Emma West-Hurst finished first girl in the 4.2 Fleet. Ballyholme also had a clean sweep in the Topper Youth Females prizes with Polly Robinson, Alex Eadie and Zoe West-Hurst taking the top 3 placings.

Overall Ballyholme YC retained the RYA Club Shield for 2024, with Champions in the ILCA 4 class Emily McAfee, ILCA 6 Champion Daniel Palmer, RS Feva Champions Emily & Annabel Ridout & Topper 4.2 Champion Leo West-Hurst.

A special mention to Daniel Palmer from Ballyholme Yacht Club who won the RYA Northern Ireland Youth Champion trophy and the RYA Northern Ireland Men’s Youth Trophy for the 3rd year in a row. Congratulations to all our Sailors and to the RYANI and Strangford Lough Yacht Club for such a great event.

Photos from wavelength Image day 1

Photos from wavelength Image Day 2

Lufra Cup – 7th September 2024

by Stephen and Barbara Polly

The end of season Lufra Cup menagerie race started off with a fresh North Easterly breeze. RO Catherine Gallagher with David McMullan having worked out the handicaps boarded Ken and Debbie Hunter’s committee boat to set a windward leeward course with the beat being approximately a mile. Shortly after the start the wind started dropping and by the end there was virtually no wind in the bay. The lead Lasers on the second and last beat managed to get out of the bay on the dying breeze whilst the rest of the fleet headed home realising the same as the America’s Cup, there is no second! Squawk lead the cruisers round the leeward mark, but Endevour slipped inside them up the beat at Ballymacormick Point to go onto to win the cruiser fleet.

The overall Lufra Cup winner was mike Kimber in his ILCA 7. Prizes are awarded at the annual BYC prize giving which is scheduled for Saturday 26th October in the Members lounge.
A big thankyou shout out to Stephen Glasgow’s rescue and mark laying teams who have earned a well-deserved break. Not only do they support us on the water they give up a huge amount of time to maintain our rescue RIBs and YAKs. If you have any spare time and would like to volunteer, please speak to any of the committees or let the office know.

We are delighted to say that Taggarts have kindly agreed to sponsor our Icebreaker series again, thanks to Sinead and Kieran Byrne who have been great supporters of BYC.

The series starts on Sunday 6th October. Entry form will be online this week.

Lead Battery Hen Julie Wilson is working away at the rota.

Report on BYSea Swim Fest 2024

by Mark Bickerstaff

Some might say that sunshine follows thunder and on the same morning thousands of britpop fans across Northern Ireland were left distraught in their quest to experience the reunion of the decade, the sun arrived in spades to provide the backdrop for another great reunion, the annual Ballyholme Yacht Club open swimming event, better known as The BYSea Swim Fest.

With the support, once again, of generous sponsor Dunluce Healthcare, BYC welcomed more than 150 adults and kids to enjoy challenges over 3.9k, 1.5k, 750m and 400m. Bangor Barracudas Water Polo Club provided an exciting addition to this year’s schedule with an open water match to finish off the day’s events in the water. Participants were looked after throughout the day by a great team of volunteers including rescue boat crew, kayakers, paddle boarders and onshore teams ensuring everyone’s needs were well met.

Congratulations to Daniel Beggs and Helen Charlton, male and female home in the 3.9k, Carl Bailie and Caitlin Buck, first home in the 1.5k and Adrian Beattie and Catherine Markwell, first home in the 750m.

With the sun continuing to shine and a full supply of food and beverage many participants remained to enjoy the atmosphere and hospitality at the club late into the evening.

Event Coordinator Mark Bickerstaff commented ‘It was a fantastic day. Conditions were great and we have received so much positive feedback. It is brilliant to see so many visitors coming to the area and meeting up with our local swim community but we must remember none of this is possible without the army of volunteers working tirelessly in the background. I would like to thank them all and of course our sponsor Dunluce Healthcare. Ryan Smith has been a great support over the years and without him the event would just not be the same’.

OPEN WATER POLO SUCCESS AT BYSEA SWIM FEST

Bangor Barracudas kicked off the 2024 / 25 season with an open water polo match as part of the Ballyholme Yacht Club’s successful BYSea Swim Fest sponsored by Dunluce Healthcare.

A mixed u16 Bangor Barracudas’ side, featuring a number of Irish and Ulster representative players, took on a scratch adult side featuring BYC members and some recreational water polo players. The adult team prevailed after a closely fought contest, expertly refereed by club coach Barry O’Callaghan.

Bangor Barracudas Club Chairman Adrian Beattie said: “Our players thoroughly enjoyed the match in near perfect conditions in Ballyholme Bay. Everyone at Bangor Barracudas would like to thank BYC for hosting us, allowing us to use their facilities and of course for their hospitality afterwards. We would also like to congratulate BYC on running such a successful swimming event.”

Bangor Barracudas training resumes at Bangor Aurora on Thursday 5^th September. For more information search Bangor Barracudas on Instagram, facebook or TikTok.

Report on BYC Regatta 2024

Healthodontics Regatta

by Stephen and Barbara Polly

This year’s regatta was kindly sponsored by Emma Prentice of Healthodontic. With a fresh westerly breeze Race Officer Colin Loughead set a windward leeward course north of Ballyholme bay with a finish line at the Yacht Club. There were nearly 30 ‘big boats’ starting over 5 different fleets. Whilst 23 dinghies took part in 4 fleets.

In the IRC fleet not only did Heathodontics Emma sponsor the event but she also managed to win with her husband and crew on their sigma 33 Squawk. The larger white sail fleet was won by MerryJack owned by father and son Gerry and John Bell with Brian Lawther.

In the YTC fleet handicap Squawk won again with Mark Mackey in Mithril finishing second. In the smaller White sail fleet Signet was first with Kevin Byers and Uncle Mike. Sticking with the family theme Rory Flannigan won the smaller YTC Fleet after persuading his dad not to sail in his dinghy. Scamp from Cockle Island won the small White sail fleet.

The dinghies had great racing in the fresh breeze and thankfully were all ashore when a heavy rain squall came through. Another Emma (Pierce) won the ILCA6 (Radial) with Colin Leonard at the front of the full rig closely followed by Iron Mike (Kimber). Brother and sister duo Annabel and Peter Ridout won the slow dinghy class in an RS Feva with Des Magee in Aero 7 taking home the fast dinghy prize.

The Mayor and Mayoress joined The Commodore Rob Milligan and event sponsor Emma Prentice (Healthodontic) to hand out the prizes.

The Mayor and Mayoress with Commodore Rob Milligan and Event Sponsor from Healthodontic Emma Prentice

Colin and Louise Close preparing the after sailing BBQ for the cadets

Ice cream biscuits for the cadets baked by Hazel

Following the Regatta an afternoon tea with homemade sandwiches and cakes was enjoyed by all provided by the many volunteers. It then moved to a lovely evening of music in the bar and great craic was had by all. Thanks to all who made the day such a success!

Ballyholme Cadet Regatta 2024

by Colin Robinson

Saturday, the 24th of August saw the annual Cadet Regatta in Ballyholme bay with roughly 20 dinghies across 5 classes sailing.

A strong westerly breeze gusting 15+ knots put the 30+ sailors on the water through their paces throughout the 3 windward leeward sprint races of 2 laps.

This was a great opportunity for sailors to put into practice all the skills they gained from attending summer training. The RYA courses were run at BYC by Kaitlyn Eadie, our awesome Senior Instructor.

Racing was split into 2 starts, with the first comprising of Fevas, Picos, Toppers and RS Quests.

The RS Quests was a keenly fought race with Hunter Reddy coming out on top over Russel Finlay. The young cadets onboard crewing had an exciting time hiking hard to keep the boats flat going upwind.

The Feva class had 5 boats participating with Sally Nixon and Jessica Dadley-Young winning all the races. They further helped by splitting up and helping helm other boats in the race as the breeze built and some of the younger sailors got to enjoy sailing.

The Topper fleet was well contested with Matthew Glasgow finishing first, Eira Lloyd and Lucas Anderson 2nd and 3rd respectively. It was tight racing on a short circuit and good to see the Topper sailors having a successful day with smiles all round.

The 2nd start was the Qube class filled with enthusiastic 8 to 10 years olds whizzing about waiting for their start. Well done to Yak teams led by Aileen and Charlie keeping the boats close to the start. The 3 races saw plenty of action with 1st place changing several times per race as the sailors fought to the windward mark. Zoe Johnston and Olivia Jessup had great starts in the first race and led up to the windward mark. The first race was finally one Evie Bailie closely followed by Olivia Jessup, Finn Kelly and Alexander Hughes.

As the wind built 1 of the Qubes had to retire, the 2nd race was won by Freddie Robinson.

By the time the 3rd race was started the sailor’s hand be on the water for more than 80 minutes, that race was won by Evie Bailie followed by Olivia Jessup. The overall win went to Evie Bailie who showed real determination across all 3 races.

Many thanks to the parents both on shore and on the water, particular thanks to the Senior cadets for helping out – Hunter, Sally and Jessica helped deliver a fun days racing and BBQ in some fine weather.

Jessica Dadley-Young and Sally Nixon with Colin Robinson

Anna receiving her prize from Colin Robinson

Report on RS Feva Irish National Championships 17^th-18^th August 2024 at Ballyholme Yacht Club

by Mat Ridout

A total of 27 RS Fevas entered for a weekend of exciting sailing at BYC. 25 boats with crews resident on the Island of Ireland were entered in the Irish National Championships, and 15 boats with crews from the UK were entered in the first race of the UK Feva Class’s Grand Prix series of 2024-2025.

There was a tremendous cross section of sailors including two times world champions Ben Greenhalgh and Tom Sinfield, nearly new sailors David and Daniel McGinty, and a wide range of ages from 8 years to 56 years. On the Saturday the fleet launched into a gusty south-westerly and reached out into the Lough for more consistent winds. Aidan Pounder the RO delighted the sailors by setting the first two races with trapezoid courses, which Feva sailors love for the furious reach which plays to the boats strengths and is always the most memorable part of Feva sailing.

(Note: Race placements relate to the Feva Irish Nationals rather than the GP1 event).

The first race was sailed in 12-15kts with gust into the 20s which provided most sailors with enough to think about. A family team sailed by Ross (father) and Martha (daughter) Nolan had a clean win. The second race was postponed as a heavy squall made its way up the Lough with 25Kts winds arriving just minutes before the start. It was won by BYC’s Jessica Dadley-Young and Sally Nixon who flew around the course. The final race of the day was abandoned as crews worked their way up the first beat with a 40 degree+ wind shift favouring the left-hand side. Once re-started local girls Emily and Annabel Ridout began to find their form, finishing first just in front of their father Matthew and younger brother Peter. As the front runners finished, another pile of wind began to hit the racecourse providing some challenging conditions that put some of the sailors into the drink. The fleet then charged for the shelter of Ballyholme Bay in a steady 25kts breeze and darkening skies.

The weather forecast for day two was for more wind, but that only dissuaded a few of the younger and less experienced crews from sailing. The first race was a trapezoid, but the RO laid two 3 lap windward-leeward courses for the final races, which pleased the mark layers. Apparently, some of the sailors were heard shouting with joy when these gruelling final courses were announced, but this has not been independently verified and may well be fake news. The day saw Emily and Annabel take 3 firsts with second and third places fought over by Matthew and Peter, Jessica and Sally, and Finn Foley and Louie Murphy from Royal St George Yacht Club.

Emily and Annabel were crowned as the Irish National Champions, with Jessica and Sally coming second in front of Finn and Louie, who gained the under 13 first prize. Matthew and Peter won the prize for first family boat.

During the event BYC’s famous and hard-working volunteers provided all the unseen services which make events safe, fun and awesome. On the water rescue teams, mark layers, the race team, providers of the committee boat, finish boat crew, cooks for post-race pasta, organisers of food for volunteers, standby medics, protest team, registration team, tally team, shore team lugging trolleys up and down the slipway, and those invisible people carrying out the jobs no-one sees like preparing all the flags and horns and hoovering the floor, all contributed to an amazing weekend of fun for the sailors. A special thank you to Glynis Ridout for coordinating all the volunteers, putting together the prizes and cooking Saturday nights sailors’ dinner.

It was exciting to see 5 “family” boats from the club competing which bodes well for the future of sailing in BYC as it allows children to compete at exciting events at an early age.

There was a tremendous array of great prizes provided by Marine Services in Dublin, True North Life in Bangor, and Rooster Sailing, and the event entertainment provided by 3 brilliant musicians from Ards CCE, was sponsored by Bosun Bob’s Chandlery located in Bangor Marina.

If you want to sail an RS Feva and enjoy a fast, furious and friendly sport get in touch with the BYC office and get involved – we have some of the best dinghy sailing on the Island of Ireland – don’t miss out.

Results can be found here

Feva Irish National Champions – Emily and Annabel Ridout

Report on Osborne King RS 200 and RS 400 Irish Nationals 9^th-12^th August 2024 at Carrickfergus Sailing Club

by Robert Espey

Results

9^th– 11^th August saw the RS200 and RS400 Irish Nationals hosted by Carrickfergus Sailing club and kindly sponsored by Osborne King.

Race officers were Sheela Lewis and Ballyholme’s own Aidan Pounder, just winding down from the ILCA Youth Europeans.

Day one was blown out due to gusts of 29 knots and wind against tide creating a difficult swell. Some launched others watched. Capsizes for all gave PRO Lewis no option to postpone race 1 until Saturday.

4 races on Saturday in 15 gusting 25 knots led to champagne sailing. With these conditions, there saw a high attrition rate with breakages of both boats and crew

One boat (Helmed by Luke McIlwaine- CAYC/CSC) split in 2 during the first race but he managed to limp over the line with crew Ryan Wilson to take 3rd in the first race. That would be the end of this championship with his boat likely to go to dinghy heaven.

Also to complete only one race on day one was Emma Pierce who was crewing with Rob (Bosun Bob) Hastings as she unfortunately got injured just after the first race.

What happened?

Incident report from Bosun Bob- “our spini retrieval line got stuck under the pole during a capsize, we finished the race with the kite up but it wouldn’t come down into the boat. Emma went forward to try to haul it in, she slipped off the deck and fell in, boat promptly capsized again. I got to the board, she was sorting the ropes on the pole when the boat came up with me not even on the board and the spini pole smashed her in the face resulting in her two front teeth getting broken. She had them fixed yesterday” (12/8/24)

Some were feeling the heat during race 2, going for a dip to cool off (Peter Kennedy and Steve Kane from SLYC and RNIYC) allowing Espey and Ferguson to slide right by and take their second win.

Some were heard to say, that to keep the young Waszp experts behind them, PK was holding on too tight, SK, not tight enough leading to a swim back to the boat that would rival Daniel Wiffen.

Things piped up for race 3, so much so that some (Liam Donnelly from RNIYC) felt it necessary tack downwind, a tactic that needs to be seen to be believed- it somehow worked, allowing him to overtake Young Bucks Sherriff and Robinson (BYC) in #1006-‘Gay Hound’, who capsized during their final manoeuvre before the finish.

Special mention must go to the battle in the RS200 fleet. Hill Sisters Jocelyn and Emily (CAYC) were exchanging the lead position with Frank O’Rourke and Henry Start from Greystones and RSGYC. 6.9 Waszp sailor Start was being taught a thing or two about how the locals like their Guinness, with a cheeky shot of whisky dropped in for added vitamins. It must have done the trick, finishing off with 3 bullets on day 2 after the dust had settled for the first race of the day.

2nd place in the RS400 class Barry McCartin opted to forgo the Saturday evening entertainment opting to attend late night mass in Cushendall instead. This made for him and crew Conor Kinsella to be quick out of the blocks on Sunday morning taking the first race win of the day. Clearly under hydrated, his energy levels dropped for the subsequent races in the day.

In the end, top spots in both the RS 200 and 400 classes were taken by Waszp sailors.

RS 400 winners Rob Espey and Mike Ferguson

by Robert Espey

Report on 2024 ILCA UK Open & National Championships

BYC was represented this year at the Championships by Iseult Spiers in ILCA 4, Cormac Byrne in ILCA 6 and Dan McCaughey in ILCA 7 with Iseult finishing 67th, Cormac 53rd (in Gold fleet) and Dan 28th. A fantastic achievement by our young sailors.

To round off a successful event at Weymouth, the BYC Sailors won the main prize draw, an Ovington ILCA 7 which was presented to them by Olympic GBR Sailor, Micky Beckett who was accompanied by John McAfee, Export Sales Manager from Ovington Boats.

This boat was kindly delivered from WPNSA to BYC by Kieran Byrne last night.

This ILCA 7 will be used to support and build the Class at our Club and we would like to extend our sincere thanks to Ovington Boats for their generous and kind support.

Conan and Dadley-Young are Irish 29er Class National Champions

After representing BYC at the 29er Worlds in Denmark held at the Aarhus International Sailing Centre 1-9th August Hannah Dadley-Young returned home and won the 29er Irish Nationals held in Cork the following weekend 16-18 August.

Conan and Dadley-Young were the first all-girl pairing ever to win the event.

See the article from afloat.ie below.

Royal St. George and Ballyholme Yacht duo Club Emily Conan and Hannah Dadley-Young won the Irish 29er Class Association National Championships 2024 after eight races sailed in Cork Harbour at Crosshaven.

The girls edged on 11 points edged out the day one leaders Royal Cork YC’s Oisin Pierse and Fionn Daly in the final race eight on Sunday to clinch the title by a single point.

National YC’s William Walsh and Eoin Byrne finished third in the nine-boat fleet on 13 points.

The championship is one of three this weekend at Royal Cork Yacht Club as part of the ‘Tri Championships 2024’, the other two being the Irish Fireball Class Association National Championships 2024 and the Irish 420 Class Association National Championship 2024.

Congratulations, Hannah!

Report on Cadet swim and Open Monday Swim Session

BYC children’s open water swimming season kicked off on Saturday 22nd June. Around 30 enthusiastic swimmers of all abilities participated in the late afternoon swim. A short 300m course was provided by BYC using brightly coloured buoys and swimmers were accompanied by an experienced on-shore and on-water safety team. The safety teams are made up of a support boat with parents in kayaks and on paddle boards. BYC is known for its great volunteer support to help encourage our young cadets to safely enjoy the water.

Swimmers’ ages ranged from 6 years to 15 years, with some of the more experienced swimmers completing the course several times.

After the swim a well earned hot dog was awarded to all the swimmers.

The rest of the evening was a relaxed fun evening ashore.

Following this successful event the regular Monday evening swim for adults was held and was open to non-members. Monday saw a brisk off shore breeze with a small chop in the water. All swimmers must have a tow float case they need assistance.

Non-member evenings encourage others to come along and see what all the fun is. We had several support kayaks and a rescue rib on standby. Swimmers of all abilities swam in their own comfort zone, the course was approximately 600 metres with some enthusiasts doing 4 or 5 circuits. Following the refreshing swim members and visitors were treated to a warm drink and chocolate biscuit thanks to the shore team.

At BYC we take safety very seriously and encourage all our members to support the general public in this along with our RNLI and Coastguard teams.

This was highlighted when the BYC shore team noticed a few paddle boarders outside the bay. With the strong offshore breeze paddling back could have proved difficultm, the decision was taken to offer assistance. They brought two paddle boarders to shore with another passing boat assisting the other paddle boarders.

Thanks to our safety team and the other boat!

North Down Residents Discover Watersports at BYC

Close to 100 North Down residents took to the waters to discover sailing and powerboating this May public holiday at Ballyholme Yacht Club’s annual open day.
The free event, supported by the Royal Yachting Association Northern Ireland (RYANI), is designed to encourage residents of Bangor and North Down to have a try at watersports and learn more about the courses and watersports opportunities available at the club for residents.
The event was judged a success by the club’s Commodore, Rob Milligan who said: “We know we have done a good job when we welcome guests of all abilities and ages, some new to sailing or powerboating, some returning to a sport they enjoyed as kids, and some transitioning from other sports.”

One guest had just run the Belfast marathon on the Sunday but still had the energy to come along with friends to try sailing and powerboating which they all enjoyed. The young women are now considering joining the ‘Women on Water’ watersports programme which will start in May and is open to the public. The programme runs on five consecutive Wednesday evenings and offers women the opportunity to try sailing, windsurfing, powerboating, paddle boarding and keelboating for a low per-session fee.

Another Bangor resident was there with his sons aged 8 and 17. A sailor in his youth, this resident had other plans for the weekend but when these were cancelled, and looking around for something else to do, he found himself at Ballyholme Yacht Club’s Open Day with his sons. The boys took part in sailing and powerboating sessions and came off the water with sparkling eyes and huge grins. When asked which they enjoyed best, they both agreed that both activities were amazing, but sailing was better – just. The family is now exploring a family membership which will allow dad to get back on the water with the ‘Adult Improvers’ programme, and for the sons to get involved in sailing either through the Youth Programme, or the family-focused Dolphins & Sharks sessions. Powerboating courses are available for anyone aged over 12 and, on successful completion, participants often join the Rescue Boat team to help with race management and safety on the water.

Ballyholme Yacht Club offers a range of adult and youth watersports courses that are open to members of the public so that anyone interested can dip their toe in the water before making the commitment to regular watersports and club membership. The Women on Water programme is also open to members of the public and more information is available on the Ballyholme Yacht Club website. www.ballyholme.com

On behalf of Exec Committee we would like to say massive thank you to all the volunteers who helped to make discover sailing day at BYC so successful. From setting up, rescue, powerboat instructors, dinghy instructors, shore assistance, registration, equipment, teas, coffees, bbq and generally making everyone feel so welcome.

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

Well done to the 11 hardy sailors who braved the wind to take part in the Annual Denis Finlay Memorial TrophyQ

The event was held in aid of Prostate Cancer NI. Race officer Jennifer Bryce from Donaghadee yacht club managed to get 5 races in very testing conditions.

Well supported by BYC rescue crews who had exciting capsizes happening on more than one occasion for a few competitors. Connor Simms managed to capsize in the last race allowing Jonny Henry to finish first in that race, otherwise Connor would of had a clean sweep of firsts. Connor took first over all with 2nd place going to Jonny Henry.

The Trophy however is not awarded to the winner. Event organiser Robin Moran gets to choose who did the most “Denis-like” thing on the day. This was awarded to Mickey Forbes for taking a short cut then lassoed Conrad Simpson at the bottom mark. This is not the first time Mickey has won the trophy. Denis’s wife Jenny is seen giving out the prizes, she along with a team of friends provided baps, nibbles and shots together with providing a lovely fun atmosphere at the club.

Alex runs a sweep stake for the Grand National, with funds going to the nominated charity. Doug Rennie is seen looking pleased to have picked the winning horse.

Bill O’Hara raises money each year by selling all the sailing gear he receives at the events he goes to. There is always a flurry of activity around his wares, it’s probably the only time most of the sailors get excited about buying clothes.

Jenny’s girls did well selling ballot tickets with local businesses contributing generous prizes. The top prize was a £200 voucher for The Brown Trout and Paul Savage was pleased to win it.

The day was finished off by the amazing sound of Elliot Finlay.

Thank you to Stephen Polly and Jennifer Bryce and thank you to everyone who volunteered for preparing the event, assisting on the day and helping with a super fun atmosphere afterwards!

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.

Irish Open Multihull Championships 2023

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.

BYC won the Sustainability Award 2022, which was accepted by Rear Commodore Shore, Jessica Mackey, on behalf of Charlie Winton, who was away with work. Our win was the result of our effort to ensure that our sailing events have as little impact on the environment as possible. The award recognised the program & legacy of improvements led by Charlie for the Irish Sailing Youth National Championships hosted in April 2022. This included; planting 700 saplings to offset CO2 emissions released by the safety boat fuel, beach cleans, a mechanical sweeper purchased to replace chemical use in slip clearing, reusable and dishwasher-safe plastic barware replacing single use, water bottle refilling taps installed outside each changing room, additional recycling bins, 100% organic paper soup cups & bamboo cutlery, recycled napkins and biodegradable plastic water bottles for competitors. Well done to the volunteers who supported these initiatives and Ards & North Down BC for their event sponsorship. The 4-day National event attracted 30 BYC sailors and 190 visiting sailors bringing £148k of revenue to hospitality and accommodation providers in ANDBC.

Bobby Driscoll, Nominated as Youth Sailor of the Year 2022. Bobby of Ballyholme YC (and Royal North YC) and a member of the Irish Sailing Topper Squad missed gold narrowly to take home the silver medal at the Topper Worlds in Lake Garda after winning the majority of races throughout the event. Bobby then went on to finish second in the British Nationals a week later – an impressive feat for a strong wind sailor in a full week of 5 knots sailing in Weymouth. These results (to be confirmed) give him the best overall performance for an Irish sailor at the two top Topper events in one season. To round off his year, Bobby finished 1st at the National Championships winning six out of eight races.

Well done to Howth’s Eve McMahon (ILCA 6 sailor) who was the overall winner!

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 Pounder has been presented with a prestigious award by HRH the Princess Royal, president of the Royal Yachting Association (RYA), in recognition of his hard work, dedication and commitment to the Club.

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

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!