Friday 26 December 2014

2014 review

Review of the year published in the ICC (Irish Cruising Club) annual 2014:


It was a bumper season for the Dublin Bay Glen fleet.  First the bad news.  Two Glens were not in the water this year.   Glencoral G3 is in storage (and for sale, I understand).   Glengesh G8 did not turn up this year.  But the 11 or so Glens which make up the rest of the Dun Laoghaire fleet had a very good season.  The balmy weather helped.  Numbers on the starting lines were consistently high and racing was keen.  Luckily the fleet retained their customary mooring area outside the RSTGYC.  Because of the machinations of the harbour board many of the one design classes have had to move to the marina or, in the case of Squibs, most are now being dry sailed.   Dry sailing, while having advantages, is not conducive to impulse decisions to go sailing.  It is also more expensive.  Consequently fleets turning up on starting lines suffered.  This is especially so in the case of the Dragons.  Dry sailing Glens is not really an option.  So, for practical, trouble free, traditional sailing, get a Glen!
The northern Glen Fleet came south this year to sail in our boats but the engagement was hampered by light winds.  So too was the George regatta, sailing being abandoned following one race.  At both these events an unusual thing happened.  There was a protest!  This is unheard of in the Glens.  I never learnt what the outcome of the protest was.  Normally disputes in the Glen class are settled in the bar.  Failing that, its pistols at dawn.  But never the protest room!
The boats to beat this year were the usual suspects.  Glenluce G67 and Glendun G9.   Pterodactyl G12 was a surprise contender.  Glenshane G5 is my boat and we had a better season than any previous.  So perhaps we are getting the hang of it.  We got the gun twice and got a second placing in one of the Thursday series.
Glenshane is taking a fair amount of water as she sits on her moorings and even more if she has a heavy weather race.  Several of the Glens now use solar powered bilge pumps to keep them dry as they await the twice weekly race.

It was the 50 year anniversary of the Glen Class sailing in Dublin Bay or as they say on the Glen website: ‘Celebrating 50 years of the Dublin Bay Glen Class.’   That seems to have been the extent of the celebrations marking it.  A missed opportunity to promote the class, in my opinion.  Over the winter I am hoping to prepare Glenshane for a second 50 year term.