|
| From this Thursday through to Sunday evening our club will again be centre-stage for Irish sailing as we host the ISA Youth Pathway Nationals. Over 250 young sailors take part in this annual championships that promotes the ISA's 'performance pathway' and provides a platform for young sailors who might aspire to even greater things. The club's forecourt will be entirely taken up by the hundreds of Optimists, Toppers, 420s and Lasers (Radials and 4.7s) as they arrive for what will be almost a week of intensive activity in the club. Eleven races are scheduled for the classes over the four days and as well as quality racing, up for grabs will be the coveted places on summer squads and teams for international events. The event is complimented by Howth's '2014 Dublin Bay Prawn Festival', which will see the entire harbourfront filled with tents and stalls offering various culinary delights related to our local and world famous crustacean. There will also be a carnival on the green at the corner of the harbour for the children and their families, offering them some distraction from their sailing! The club also invites members to book for our 'prawn-themed' Launching Supper to be held in the dining room on Saturday night - bookings can be made by contacting the club offices at 01 8322141. This is a huge event for our club to be running and we recognise the great effort of record numbers of volunteers required to make it happen. We anticipate a very busy weekend and hope that members take the opportunity of welcoming our visiting families as well as enjoying the facilities and festivities over the four days. A traffic management plan is being co-ordinated by the Youth Nationals Committee and the Gardai and we would advise visiting members and guests to consider that parking will be restricted in the harbour area for the duration of the event - particularly on Sunday. (See attached 'welcome letter' for our visitors from Event Chairman Chris Howard) We hope that you take the time to visit and enjoy the atmosphere. Brian Turvey Commodore |