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Over 60 Juniors Participated in the HYC J80 Junior Evening on Monday 17th May!
Author: Laura Dillon Posted on: 18/5/10 Print Version


 
 
We had a great turn-out for the J80 junior evening held on Monday 17th May from 5.30-8.30pm in HYC. Over 60 juniors, came sailing in the J80s and a fantastic evening was had by all!

Howth Yacht Club's junior sailors were treated to an evening of race training in the ISA Sailfleet J80s on a fresh Monday evening, 17th May - winds were south-easterly in direction and 10-18 knots.

Sixty-five juniors took part in the event run by Laura Dillon and the HYC junior sailing team. A host of support vessels and RIBs facilitated the running of the evening which saw all the children (ranging in age from 9 to 18) taking part in 2 short windward-leeward 'races' with two senior volunteers on each of the eight J80s.

The moderate south-easterly wind facilitated exciting conditions in the flat waters of Howth Sound and gave many of the children their first taste of one-design keelboat racing. More than thirty five volunteers escorted the exhilarated sailors back to Howth Yacht Club where they enjoyed their hot chocolates with gusto!

Thanks very much to all the people who made the event possible:

1All the junior members for participating and for sailing in the J80s
2The core members of the junior committee that helped with the organization and helped to promote the event - Chris Howard, Joan Harris, Des Flood and Neil Murphy
3Brian Turvey for helping with all the organization and for taking out his yacht and acting as the mothership
4Graeme Grant (the ISA bosun) for helping with the evening, coming sailing and esp for assisting with all the rigging and de-rigging of all the boats. Also for the great advice to sail the J80s under jibs only!
5Alan Markey for taking out a rib and setting the course
6Dan O'Grady, Simon Knowles and Stephen Quinn for all taking out their own ribs and for acting as rescue and helping with the crew changeovers
7The skippers and volunteers on the 8 J80s - Stephen Harris, Mark Wheeler, Gillian Guinness, Mossy Shanahan, Simon Lawlor, Des Flood, David Delamer, Dylan Gannon, Jim McMahon, Jon Hartshorn, Laura Dillon, Peter Kingston, Mary O'Loughlin, Graeme Grant, Mike Evans and Brian Tyrrell
8Bernie Condy for all the hot chocolates when the juniors came ashore!
9Jackie Howard for tagging in and out all the juniors
10All the additional parents that helped with the evening including Eleanor Cahill, Kieran Jameson, Mike Toomey, Ian Dickson, Tom McMahon, Geraldine Eickholt plus many more!
11All the HYC marina staff
12And Laura Dillon for organizing the evening
13Plus everyone else that we have forgotten to mention!
 
Hopefully we'll have many more successful junior events like this one over the next few months!

Very best of luck and good sailing to all the HYC junior members in 2010! Cheers to a great start to the 2010 junior sailing season!
 
Photos by Chris Howard & Joan Harris