Club News
GALWAY BAY SAILING CLUB REGATTA
Galway Bay Sailing Club Regatta, GB07 – August 10th, 11th and 12th
Last weekend saw Galway Bay Sailing Club host their biennial Cruiser Regatta, GB07, which in addition to events such as WIORA and NORA, contributes to the overall results of the Dubarry West Coast Superleague Challenge. The event, hosted over three days, provided challenging racing for competitors, and plenty of spectacular viewing for those remaining onshore.
The fleet, which was split into two classes, included a number of boats from Clifden and Kilrush who had made the journey to Renville to compete against a large number of GBSC cruisers. Weather conditions varied over the course of the weekend, Friday brought light wind (and rain), and saw the fleet complete a coastal race on a windward leeward course. Tommy Smyth’s Catalpa and Jacky Ward’s Hallmark emerged as the overall leaders after Day 1.
The light winds on Day 2 compelled race officer Dave Vinnell to postpone the start, until the actual forecasted wind materialised. Torrential rain and a fresh breeze provided testing conditions for the single race run, time restrictions preventing further races taking place. Visiting boat Chaos from Kilrush sailed an exceptional race, to finish first in Class One, while Hallmark again showed their form with a first in Class Two.
The final day’s racing on Sunday saw very fresh conditions which allowed for the running of three exciting short races. Martin Breen’s That’s Life took the gun in Class One in the fourth race, however Glen Cahill’s Joie de Vie took both the 5th and 6th races, and in turn, the overall title. Hallmark procured the Class Two title in addition to the John Clarke Trophy for best boat overall, following an outstanding performance in varying conditions.
Full results can be found on www.gbsc.ie
Class 1 IRC 1st Joie de Vie Glen Cahill
2nd Catalpa Tommy Smyth
3rd That’s Life Martin Breen
Class 1 Echo 1st Chaos WYC
2nd Joie de Vie Glen Cahill
3rd Catalpa Tommy Smyth
Class 2 IRC 1st Hallmark Jacky Ward
2nd Egalitie David Griffin
3rd Ibaraki the Ibaraki syndicate
Class 2 Echo 1st Ibaraki the Ibaraki syndicate
2nd Egalitie David Griffin
3rd Rhocodar Tomas Furey
John Clarke Trophy for best overall: Hallmark Jacky Ward, Clifden Boat Club
Galway Bay sailing club is located in Renville, Oranmore, Co Galway. Currently, junior sailing runs on Monday nights, and dinghy courses for juniors run throughout the week; adult dinghy courses are run at weekends. The dinghy fleet are competing on Tuesday evenings in the Late Summer Series, and the cruiser fleet are competing in the O’Tuairisg Late Summer Series every Wednesday evening. Family sailing takes place on Friday evenings, and weekends bring various events, both competitive and non-competitive. For further information regarding GBSC and the sailing calendar, please see www.gbsc.ie