I repaired a few minor dings in the keel and bulb, gave the boat a good wash and then a polish to make her sparkly.  A hard day at the office.

That was our max boat speed yesterday during the RIYC regatta, two races and it was massive!  John and Siobhan were great, three big broaches, one trawl, no prizes but all smiles.  A day that explains reason why God created sailboats.

The Google Map overlay is available at the If It Was My Home website.  Go there to see the latest size of the spreading spill.

This rudder is from a 30 year old David Thomas-designed Quarter Tonner and it’s a bit wet.  Wet on the outside is perfectly normal.  Wet on the inside is a problem.  The owner consulted a marine surveyor who suggested a repair would be a very good idea. And so it came into my hands, and leaked all over the back of the car when I took delivery.

My plan is to clean the rudder, dry it completely, epoxy and clamp the split trailing edge and then wrap it with lightweight e-glass and epoxy resin.  After fairing the cured surface, I’ll primer paint it and return it to owner, ready for antifoul and installation.

Read more…

The docking was followed by the sound of angle grinders trying to make the car bridge and the pedestrian bridge fit the ferry.  No lorries or buses will be carried.

Stena withdrew the much larger Explorer ferry from its once a day service back in November .  Powered by aviation gas turbines, she was known as the Big Ugly ‘effing Ferry and stank of kerosene in the harbour since the service’s introduction in April 1996.

Apparently, Stena plans to return the Explorer to the route in July and August.

It would seem the Royal St. George will lose at least two trots of moorings for the fleet of Squib sailboats to make way for the Lynx ferry, the Little Ugly ‘effing Ferry.  The 81 metre long Luffy was built in 1996 by Incat in Australia and travels across the Irish Sea at 38 knots.

She banged hard into a pontoon bridge at Holyhead a few weeks ago whilst practising docking.  Details here.

The vessel arrived at St Michael’s Pier bang on the top of today’s afternoon high tide and her water jets kicked up a tremendous amount of silt as seen below.  The boat in the foreground is the George’s barge, used for laying and lifting moorings in the harbour.

Two rigid inflatables, four outboard engines, two trailers and three 4×4 vehicles used in the botched attempt to smuggle cocaine are also being sold on behalf of the Criminal Assets Bureau by Cork auctioneer Dominic J Daly on March 23rd.

The 13-year-old catamaran was previously maintained by Austrian owners. It is in “very good condition” at a berth in La Coruna, Spain, according to Mr Daly.

It was bought for $132,000 over the internet and was described as “in flawless condition” when advertised, with two forward staterooms, one in each hull, queen-size beds in both, two large “heads” or toilets and eight berths in all.
Read more from The Irish Times

The Spanish authorities had a good rummage inside the boat.  Here is the main saloon in April 2009.  Supposedly tidied up by now.

Irish sailors are included:

Peter O’Leary — Star — World Class — €20,000  (€12,000 in 2009)
Annalise Murphy –  Laser Radial — World Class — €20,000
Tiffany Brien — Laser Radial — €12,000
Matthew McGovern — 49er — €12,000  (€12,000 in 2009)
Ryan Seaton — 49er — €12,000
Ger Owens — 49er — €12,000
Developmental Squad — €50,000  (€50,000 in 2009)
Junior Squad — €48,000  (€60,000 in 2009)
Total €186,000  (€186,000 in 2009)

There will be a number of battles amongst the sailors en route to Weymouth for the 2012 Olympics.  Ireland will need to qualify as a country for inclusion and then determine a fair method to choose who represents us.   Annalise Murphy and Tiffany Brien will go head to head in the Laser Radial, while Star Wars the Re-Run will feature Max Treacy and Anthony Shanks against Peter O’Leary and his yet to be named crew.

For the 49er class, double Olympians Ger Owens and Ross Killian (formerly in the 470 class) will square up against Matt McGovern and Ryan Seaton, who finished fifth in the silver fleet at the recent Worlds in the Bahamas, while youngsters Ed Butler and Ben Lynch may nip at their transoms.

Here’s a view of part of the Fireball fleet on the starboard tack layline to the windward mark:

And, I finally acquired a boathook to use when retrieving marks at the end of the race.  No more wet and cold fingers!

ANNALISE MURPHY knew it was going to be a challenging year, her first on the senior circuit. And despite a hugely encouraging 2008, the highlight being her fifth-place finish at the Laser Radial Youth World Championships, she expected the step up to be significant.

It was, too. But there was a moment at the senior World Championships in Japan in August when she realised she was doing just fine.

‘I remember seeing the gold medallist from Beijing behind me, I was half thinking I should let her pass,’ she laughs. ‘But I didn’t, and ended up beating her in that race. I couldn’t believe it, really.

‘It was all a bit intimidating at first, suddenly I was up against people who had been competing at that level for 10 years and more, world-class competitors, so it was a big jump. But I’d put a huge amount of work in to it, I just hoped it would pay off.’

The hard work had already reaped rewards earlier in the year when, in the Netherlands, Murphy became the first Irish sailor to win a Europa Cup Laser event in 13 years. She brought that form to Japan, winning the under-21 world title by finishing eighth in the senior event, made up of 87 boats from 30 nations. She had five top-four finishes in the 10 counting races, including two runners-up spots.

It was, said Irish Sailing Association performance director James O’Callaghan, ‘a fantastic achievement’ by the Academy member. ‘We always knew Annalise had the potential, but she has even been surprised by the speed in which she has delivered on it. Remember, this is only her first year as a senior.’

Murphy maintained that form in Australia last month where she competed in the Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne regattas; wins in Brisbane and Sydney, followed by fourth place in Melbourne, completed an outstanding year for the 19-year-old Dubliner.

Those results should see her rise significantly from 40th place when the new world rankings are published next month.

‘Australia was a nice end to the year alright,’ she says, ‘I definitely surprised myself, I just wasn’t expecting to do quite so well at this stage. It’s all given me so much confidence it just means I’ve started setting my goals a little higher. There’s a long way to go, I know, but I’m becoming more and more focused on London 2012.’

Murphy, 20 next month, came by it honestly. Her mother, Cathy (nee McAleavey), represented Ireland in sailing at the 1988 Olympic Games and, with her husband, Con, still holds the Round Ireland speed record, set in 1993 as crew on Steve Fossett’s trimaran Lakota.

‘I’ll leave that record to my parents,’ says Murphy, ruling out a challenge.

Not that she’d find the time. She leaves for Florida this week for her second World Cup series event, after Melbourne. Then there’s the North American Championships, a training camp in Palma, events in France and the Netherlands – her 2010 schedule is jammed.

She has deferred her science degree in UCD, throwing herself full-time into her sport. ‘I just want to give it everything this year and see where it takes me. I love sailing, but there’s no feeling like winning a race – hopefully I can win a few more this year.’

Irish Times, 13 January 2010