National Yacht Club sailors at Dun Laoghaire Harbour have had an incredible 2023, ranging from great cruising adventures to local, national, and international glory in the various classes we sail at the club.
This is a recap of the club achievements, which we hope will inspire young and young at heart sailors to continue progressing and deliver on their personal 2024 goals.
On the world stage
NYC sailors competed in no less than eight world championships during the course of 2023. 29ers, RS Aero, Optimist, Topper, Mirror, Flying15, ILCA6 and ILCA7 Worlds were attended and delivered great successes.
The year started down under for two Flying 15 partnerships, completing the Australian nationals and the worlds in Perth. Veteran ace John Lavery and crew Alan Green ended their challenge in 14th.
Then we waited for the summer...
The Van Steenberge siblings delivered a stellar performance at the 29er Worlds with a steady series, snatching the title on the final day in the waters of Weymouth. Finn Lynch's performance in the ILCA 7 in The Hague gave Ireland its first berth for the Olympics in Marseille.
Noel Butler travelled to Sardinia to compete in the RS Aero6 event, ending his challenge in 15th overall.
Head coach Thomas Chaix competed at the Mirror Worlds with his son Ben, finishing 12th and winning the classic category. The largest NYC team, composed of eight strong young sailors, competed at the Topper Worlds in Cork, and we also had representation at the ILCA6 and Optimist worlds.
We had two teams representing the club at the Youth Sailing World in Brazil. Ben O'Shaughnessy and Ethan Spain (29er) finished strong to secure a bronze medal, wrapping up an excellent year.
The 29er class had representation at the Europeans in Sweden. NYC sailors snatched Gold in both the male (Ben and Ethan yet again) and female (Lucia Cullen and Alanna Twomey-RCYC) categories.
Sam Ledoux competed at the ILCA 6, and Finn Lynch scored a solid 10th at the ILCA7 Europeans.
The UK is a great playground for our international sailors. NYC sailors competed at the UK Nationals in Optimist, Topper, 29er, Mirror, Feva and Flying15, picking up honours and medals.
The club also had a strong representation, with five young sailors taking part in the Optimist French Summer Cup in Brittany.
National championships podiums
Club sailors competed at many national events over the course of the year, and all the classes we sail at the club had representation. From our youngest sailor, aged 7, to our most seasoned veterans, from the Optimist dinghy to Class Zero IRC teams, NYC sailors excelled.
EVENT | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
29er Youth nationals | Ben O Shaughnessy & Ethan Spain | Clementine & Nathan van Steenberge | Lucia Cullen & Alanna Twomey |
29er class nationals | Ben O Shaughnessy & Ethan Spain | Clementine & Nathan van Steenberge | Lauren O'Callaghan & James Dwyer |
Fireball nationals | Noel Butler & Stephen Oram | ||
Optimist Regatta Racing Nationals | Michael Hanley | ||
RS Feva Nationals | Grace Keating & Hannah Walsh | Felix Dion & Lucas Browne | |
ICRA class 0 Nationals | Valen Tina (John Treanor) | Searcher (Pete Smyth) | |
RS Aero Nationals | Noel Butler | ||
Optimist Senior Nationals | Gemma Brady | ||
Kona windsurfing Nationals | Damien Dion | ||
Flying 15 Nationals | Ian Mathews & Keith Poole |
NYC sailors also participated in SB20, ILCA6, ILCA4, Topper, Wazsp, ICRA class 1, RS400, Optimist Junior and the Ruffian class.
Versatile sailors
NYC prides itself as a club for families and versatile sailors, enhancing enjoyment whether racing competitively or enjoying club sailing. A few sailors are showing the way, enjoying sailing different classes, sometimes to a very competitive level. Amongst these sailing addicts, 15-year-old Felix Dion has raced in four different classes during the course of the year (Optimist, Topper, RS Feva and Kona) and has enjoyed trying out other boats. 17-year-old Alexander Trickett raced three different classes (Wazsp, 29er and RS Aero) and is always volunteering to step on cruisers and keelboats. He also tried a few fun sessions on his 49er.
2024
Club sailors are looking forward to 2024... The club diary is filling up with great events, and sailors are set for some winter practice. We now wish for a year of the best winds, enjoyable sails and great competitions.
Happy New Year.