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GHYC June Newsletter
From the Commodore
What a great start to the season as we welcomed KYC sailors to the At Home Regatta BBQ in the Pavilion and awarded prizes/trophies for the Sunday Dinghy series.
This was closely followed by the National Schools' Sailing Programme with Glandore, Union Hall, Abbeystrewry and Leap Primary Schools bringing lots of new youngsters the experience of having fun on and in the water. Big thanks to Tim Forde for running this programme.
 GHYC sent a strong team of sailors to Wales for the Celtic Challenge. Despite the chwip din (butt kicking) by RAYC, the GHYC team had great craic! In addition, five GHYC Dragons and two crew (for KYC Dragons) took part in the Irish National Dragon Championships in Kinsale earlier this week.
July will be just as action packed with sailing events every weekend and two major social events for members and friends. The GHYC Club BBQ takes place at Casey’s Bar on July 6th followed by the GHYC Ladies Lunch on July 18th - see below for more details.
See you all on the water or at the bar!
John Wyles
Commodore
Save the Date
Don’t forget the Annual GHYC BBQ at Casey’s Bar on Saturday, July 6th at 6.30PM. It’s always a great evening. Please do bring a salad.
The Castletownshend Race and Cruise in company featuring our annual lunch at Mary Anne's Restaurant in Castletownshend is on Saturday, July 13th.
The GHYC Ladies Lunch takes place in the magnificent Liss Ard Estate on Thursday, July 18th at 12.30PM. Tickets are selling fast, so to avoid disappointment, click here to purchase tickets at €50 each for this three-course gourmet lunch with complimentary glass of wine and apéritif on arrival. All proceeds go towards the GHYC Club Development Fund.
Celtic Challenge 2019
 This is a fun team race between the GHYC Dragon Fleet and the Royal Anglesey Yacht Club Fife Fleet which was first sailed in Glandore in 2016. This year it was the turn of RAYC to host and eight confident sailors made the trip from Glandore. RAYC welcomed us on Friday evening in their magnificent bar with champagne and lots of free beer! The fun tone of the event was well set with GHYC more than holidng their own well into the night.
Saturday began with a briefing at 9.15AM and a first gun at 10.45AM. Two races were sailed in light winds on the incoming tide which proved to be very challenging while GHYC got to grips with sailing the Fife One Design. RAYC won the first two races of the four race series.
 The Fife One Design is beautiful but naturally needs very delicate handling. All movements seem to happen in slow motion, after a pause, and one inch adjustments are required. Add to that vicious currents at the marks and it was easy to lose places to the locals at the corners! Also the locals are generally very good sailors! So we found we were truly up against it.
In the afternoon, racing continued in the Fife Association Series with 14 competing. Rui Ferreira helmed Peggy to fourth place overall winning a huge bottle of champagne. This proved to be the high point for the GHYC team. During the Association Race, we experienced flying their crazy kite within the forestay, like a spinnaker wrap course!
 RAYC hospitality continued back at the Clubhouse with a BBQ and more free beer!
On Sunday morning, a surprisingly buoyant GHYC team was ready to at least balance the score sheet. The racing was again into the flooding tide with a fresher but shifty breeze. Despite some very close racing, GHYC was unable to meet the challenge and RAYC won the final two races. It truly was a chwip din (butt kicking) by RAYC!
Despite the loss, the fun continued in the Clubhouse bar with retelling of the day’s racing highs and lows before moving to the dining room for an excellent meal. After dinner, the Celtic Challenge Trophy was presented to Nikki, RAYC's woman helm. Celebrations, commiserations and craic continued in the bar and later in town!
A subdued GHYC team made the return trip on Monday.
Local photographers, the Foto Guys were on hand to record the sailing. Click here for all their pictures.
ISA Sailing and Powerboat Courses
Our ISA courses start on Monday, July 1st and we are looking forward to an action-packed programme again this year. Hopefully the weather will be as kind to us as last year.
Our Senior Instructor, Ruairi Brown and his team will oversee the summer programme. The ISA courses run from Monday to Friday on a daily basis and it will be a busy time. There are also opportunities to have lessons with our instructors in the evenings or at the weekends. Contact training@glandoreyc.com if you are interested.
In addition, Eoin Quinn joins us as a Senior Powerboat Instructor this year, so anyone wanting to learn or brush up on their powerboat skills can also contact training@glandoreyc.com.
We also have a Safeguarding Level 1 Course running next Saturday, July 6th from 9.45AM to 1.00PM. This is essential for anyone working with children and vulnerable adults. It is limited to over 16s and costs €20.
There are also plenty of boating activities for adults including:
- Adult crewing opportunities on the Squib and Dragon fleets on Wednesday evenings and Saturday afternoons throughout the sailing season
- Women on the Water (WOW) on Monday evenings
The GHYC Sailing School team looks forward to seeing you all on the water!
ISA Local Race Officer Course - Reminder
 Become an asset to the Club and take the Local Race Officer Course on Sunday, July 14th. The course starts at 10AM and finishes at 4PM, with a short lunch break. Tea, coffee and sandwiches will be organised.
The course fee is €20. Register and pay through the ISA Shop here. Participants under 30 years are free but must register with ISA by email to Nuala at training@sailing.ie with full name. address, email, telephone number and date of birth.
Life Jackets - Reminder
Now that you have had your moorings checked, it is time to consider your auto-inflatable life jacket. Please read this article and have your life jacket professionally checked.
Get to know your Committee Members
John Wyles - Commodore
 Where were you born?
Bradford-on-Avon, England, on my mother’s birthday in 1946.
Tell us a bit about yourself
I was schooled in London and Slough and I started as trainee quantity surveyor in 1964. After qualifying as a Chartered QS, I worked in the UK, Africa and USA on many interesting building and civil engineering projects as varied as pit latrines in rural Zimbabwe and the Trump World Tower in New York. I retired in 2012. I am married to Sally. We met in Uganda where she was working for the UN. We have two daughters and sons-in-law and two lovely young grandchildren, Leila Mei and Arthur. After buying our house in Glandore in 1991, Sally and I became regular summer visitors every year until the end of 2015, when we finally retired and settled full time into Union Hall.
When did you first sail?
In 1980, on Lake Victoria in Uganda, at Victoria Nyanza Sailing Club, as crew on a 505. I was bitten and continued sailing 505s and Lasers for more than 35 years in Uganda, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and USA plus many other destinations around the world at 505 World Championships, including Japan, Australia, France, Italy, Portugal, Barbados, South Africa and the UK.
While in New York in 2003, I got involved in cruiser racing with a bunch of Irish Americans, including my brother-in-law. “Team Wild Goose” started racing in the Caribbean and went on to the RORC Classics, to Bermuda, around Ireland, the Fastnet and Middle Sea. More recently Marblehead to Halifax. Fellow Dragon sailor, Eamon Timoney made several guest appearances.
 What’s your fondest sailing memory?
In marginal control of a 505, on a three sail reach, in 25 knots and more on San Francisco Bay! A close second is one hull flying on our twin trapeze Dart 20 catamaran, with picnic strapped to trampoline, on our way to a tropical island beach off Dar Es Salaam.
When did you become a member of GHYC?
In 1991, when I was introduced to Dragon sailing by Kieran O’Donoghue and Maeve Cotter and I sailed regularly with Eamon Timoney in Pancho, then Panache and Aphrodite.
What’s your favourite aspect of the Club?
The very friendly social atmosphere and the easy access to our boats and the racing start line.
Thoughts on your present Committee role?
I am a believer in giving time back to the Club organisation, especially when it helps me to keep on sailing. I only started serving on the General Committee in 2016, as Sailing Secretary, so it was an honour to have been elected Commodore in 2018. I plan to keep the Club, especially the Sailing School, running well and to the satisfaction of our members until I hand over to the new Commodore at our next AGM.
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