All Aboard for Junior Sailing on Lough Owel
By Sean Tully
Another July, another success for Mullingar Sailing Club’s annual Junior Sailing Course, the highlight of the summer for many young participants. With the picturesque backdrop of Lough Owel, the course offered a brilliant opportunity for youngsters to hone their sailing skills, meet new friends, and create long-lasting memories.
Over 30 boys and girls, aged between 10 and 16, attended the camp, eager to learn new skills. The course kicked off on the 3rd of July and ran for three weeks. With qualified and experienced instructors at the helm, the young sailors learned the essentials of sailing, from the basics of boat handling to advanced manoeuvres and theory. The club is an approved Irish Sailing Association training centre, awarding official certificates to those who completed the course.
Senior instructor Jack Hayes, who learned to sail at the club himself, was superb in his role, creating a fun and relaxed environment in which to learn, while also maintaining the safety of everyone involved. He was assisted by a great team of local instructors and assistants as well as visiting instructors from Dublin and Wicklow, including Nathan O’Connor from Wicklow Sailing Club, who taught the Advanced Boat Handling course this year.
The weather this year was not kind to the young sailors, with continuous rain and high winds reaching force 5 for most of weeks 1 and 2. This provided a good challenge for the more experienced participants, who braved the tough conditions rather than remain onshore. Calmer winds in the third week were welcomed by the novice sailors, who could work on their essentials and basic sailing skills.
Fun and games were enjoyed by all with the young sailors partaking in seamanship races and going on day trips to the diving boards and St Brigid’s Well. The younger members of the group even climbed Captain’s Hill, which overlooks Lough Owel. A barbecue was held on the last Friday of the course with parents joining sailors and instructors to celebrate their achievements. Pity about the weather!
The club is very grateful for the hard work done by junior organiser Róisín Gaynor who organised the amazing course, supported by the club’s committee and in particular Kieran Milner for maintenance and running repairs of sailboats, rescue craft and other equipment. Not to mention the parents who provided supervision and additional safety cover onshore, and those who hosted the visiting instructors.
Club racing for junior members will be held during August and we hope that our junior sailors will partake and continue to hone their skills over the summer.
Cara na Mara course
A total of 12 young sailors aged 6 to 10 boldly faced the waters of Lough Owel during Mullingar Sailing Club’s successful ‘Cara na Mara’ (friend of the sea) sailing course, which ran from July 24 to July 28, with plenty of fun and laughter to go around.
The Cara na Mara programme covers introductory sailing skills for children, helping and encouraging them to appreciate and enjoy the water and outdoor environment. As well as rigging and sailing a boat, participants learned about Irish marine wildlife, and explored the differences between saltwater and freshwater. Light to moderate winds ensured that the eager young participants could venture out on the water each day, under close supervision and instruction. There was no shortage of enthusiasm for sailing! Shore-based games and activities included a pirate’s treasure hunt, and building mini-wind vanes. There was plenty of time for swimming and water polo too.
The course ran smoothly under the expert supervision of local senior instructor Jack Hayes, aided by a team of local instructors certified by the Irish Sailing Association. The club’s junior organiser Róisín Gaynor did a great job organising the course It was an excellent opportunity for the young sailors and the club hopes to see them all back in 2024.
Separately, the club was delighted to cheer on 3 Mullingar boats sailed by its junior members who competed at the Mirror National Championships hosted by Sligo Yacht Club on July 21 and 22. Junior members John and Grace Zumerchik also competed against top sailors from Ireland, the UK, Australia and South Africa in the 2023 Mirror World Championships held on 23-29 July, also in Sligo. There were some tough conditions but a great challenge and experience.