GHYC Dinghy News 2022

It’s all go for a very busy Sailing Season 2022! So that dinghy sailors know what’s being laid on for them, the following outlines dinghy racing and related training for the Season.

Racing back to Tuesday and Thursday Evenings!

During June, July and August all the dinghy racing series will revert back to Tuesday and Thursday evenings. What is new is that we are starting in June. While this won’t suit those sitting State exams – to whom we wish the best of luck! – it will give others a chance to get in some practice!

As we are hosting the Marconi Inter-club event this year and hoping to send teams to the Elmo (more below), we are going to use Tuesdays for team racing (incl. some training) and Thursdays for fleet racing. All are welcome- just turn up! First gun is at 6pm and there are no fees but please allow time to give registration details before you compete the first time including getting adult permission. (An online registration form will be available – details on the Board outside the Club.) The League dates are in the calendar below.

Team Racing

Team racing is where two teams of matched boats (any class) compete against each other in a race, with the combination of their results deciding which team gets the lowest points and wins. It’s about sailing well but working together tactically as a team to outmanoeuvre your opponents. Races are short and there can be intense action. It’s fast and fun – and is the basis of college-level sailing.

After two years of cancellations, this year GHYC will be hosting the Marconi event (Sat. 23^rd July) between the sailing clubs in the South West which involves a relay event and team racing. This will be sailed in Topaz. It’s hotly contested and we want to put in a strong performance.

A good number of our members are not around for June or much of July, so we are going to run the Fauxconi Cup Team Race event (Sun.7^th Aug.), which was held for the first time in 2021, to provide maximum opportunity for participation in a team racing event. This will also be sailed in Topaz.

In addition, after sending a team in 2021 to compete for the first time in the Elmo Trophy at the Royal St. George (27^th & 28^th Aug.), we hope to send 1-2 teams again this year.

In order to ensure our sailors are well prepared and we can select strong teams, we are using our Tuesday evening racing for Team Racing with a mix of training and racing provided, and offering the following dedicated Team Racing training opportunities with coaches provided by Irish Sailing:

Team Racing Coaching weekends (2) – sailed in Club & members’ Topaz to provide training in the type of boats to be sailed in the Marconi and the Fauxconi competitions. These weekends are on the 9^th & 10^th July and the 16^th & 17^th July, with 2 full days each weekend. The cost will be €75pp/ weekend or €130pp for both weekends. The second w/e will aim to build on skills developed in the first.

Team Racing Coaching Course (15^th – 19^th August) – sailed in the visiting Irish Sailing Fireflies fleet which is the class that will be used in the Elmo Trophy. This is a week of 5 full days with a dedicated coach and input from team racing umpires. The cost of the week will be €220. Preference will be given to junior sailors and those not yet started in college (who may sail in the Elmo) but other college-level sailors may apply.

You can register for these coaching sessions here https://pay.easypaymentsplus.com/feepay1v2.aspx?id=888
In the event that these courses are not filled, places will be offered to neighbouring clubs.

Dinghy Race Calendar

This summer is full of racing and events and the dinghy schedule is set out below. There may be new events, categories or awards included in some of the dates listed below so look out for updates. Please remember that there are dinghy sailing and racing opportunities for both juniors and adults. If you are unsure what’s available or open to you, please contact the Harriet (dinghycaptain@glandoreyc.com or 0876508664).