ICRA Conference Hears of Plans & Challenges for 2021 Sailing Regatta Organisers
7th March 2021
Regatta organisers are poised for the Government s April 5th announcement including July s Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta (above)
Credit: Afloat
Key Irish sailing regattas depend on a Government Level Two status being in place this summer in order to proceed, the Irish Cruiser Racer (ICRA) conference heard yesterday.
Over 100 sailors and regatta representatives gathered online to hear the latest regatta news from the East, South and Southwest coasts.
It was a heartening gathering that revealed how much clubs had achieved despite all the obstacles thrown up by COVID-19.
ICRA s Dave Cullen struck an optimistic note when he noted this weekend s reduction in pandemic numbers and advances in the vaccine roll-out, while each of the regatta organisers who joined the conference via Zoom were bullish about plans yet also spoke of the current challenging situation.
1st March 2021
Yacht racing on Dublin Bay in the DBSC Summer Series is due to begin on April 24th but some early 2021 fixtures have laready been cancelled due to lockdown
Credit: Afloat
It s March 1st and depending on who you talk to there is either tremendous optimism that the 2021 Irish summer sailing season can get underway as scheduled or alternatively, the ongoing pandemic will force us to navigate a stop-start season like we did last year.
Certainly, with an estimated 82% of the population vaccinated by the sixth month of 2021, the hope is it could be full steam ahead. Some pundits say such a timeframe will, unfortunately, be just too late for some early fixtures that are now fifty-fifty . Others predict the season will get away alright but not until June.
June s Bangor Town Sailing Regatta on Belfast Lough is Cancelled
19th February 2021
2021 Bangor Town Regatta has been cancelled
Northern Ireland s biggest sailing event, Bangor Town Regatta, scheduled for June has been cancelled due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.
The Belfast Lough biennial event has sadly joined the queue of cancelled sailing events this year.
Chairman of the BTR Organising Committee, Gavin Watson has had to announce the fate of this popular regatta. The BTR organising team and Royal Ulster Yacht Club have been meeting to decide on the future of our event for this year 2021. After much discussion and deliberation with the relevant event stakeholders and authorities, we regret to inform you that Bangor Town Regatta will not take place in June 2021 .
19th December 2020
The National YC s biennial Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race, currently scheduled for June 9th 2021, could become symbolic of the emergence from pandemic. The start of 2019 s race shows overall winner Paul O Higgin s JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI (left) showing briefly ahead of Mick Cotter s 94ft line honours winner and new course record-setter Windfall
Credit: Afloat.ie/David O Brien
In normal times, the yearly Irish sailing fixtures list is a reasonably harmonious programme based around annual or biennial pillar events of various types and sizes, an ongoing succession of regattas and championships which slot together in a reasonably meaningful structure which is dictated by traditional times of the year, and the needs of the bigger one design classes – particularly the dinghies – to find a location which will accommodate them for their annual national championship.