NOTICE - Scheduled Site Maintenance

SAILPIX IRELAND Photo Galleries will be undergoing scheduled maintenance on Thursday, May 27th, between 06:00 and 12:00 UTC (Wednesday, May 26th, between 23:00 and 05:00 Pacific Daylight Time).
Photo Galleries service may be inaccessible or slow during that time; apologies for any inconvenience.
The Homepage/Blog will not be affected.

Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are. Bertolt Brecht 1898-1956.

Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company urged to rebuild demolished Victorian railway building at Carlisle Pier

Our item on Carlisle Pier posted on 13 October 2009 is now updated. Link to Irish Independent (daily newspaper) story by Paul Melia on 19 May 2010 follows:

Developer faces rebuilding at Victorian pier

ISORA 2010 Race 2 and RAYC & Lee Overlay Offshore Series Dun Laoghaire to North Arklow & back - A Roller Coaster Ride

In fresh to strong, Force 5 to Force 6, NE breezy conditions on the Irish Sea, Saturday 8th May, Race 2 of the ISORA 2010 series in association with the Royal Alfred Yacht Club & Lee Overlay Offshore Series - Dun Laoghaire to North Arklow Cardinal Mark and back - proved to be somewhat of a roller coaster ride from start to finish.

Commenting after the race, one skipper recounted: "It was the toughest race I have experienced so far in the ISORA.  The wind was NE 20-25kts on the beam reach to broad reach in very rolling seas and beat back.  The seas never let us settle into the groove and any mistakes were quickly punished with loss of places and/or wetting."

All in all, a challenging day for man, woman and machine but one which will last long in the memory for all who took part - helped (or maybe not helped!) by photographs from the event.

Congratulations to Raging Bull - IRL 9666 (Sigma 400) 1st in Class 1 and 1st Overall and to Tigh Soluis II - 2377C (J109) 1st in Class 2 and 2nd Overall. Line Honours went to Galileo - IRL 1944 (Beneteau 47.7), 2nd on IRC in Class 1 and 3rd Overall.

Rollercoaster - IRL 9109 (Copyright 2010 Sailpix Ireland)

Photo Gallery HERE

ISORA Race 2 Report HERE (.pdf file)
ISORA Race 2 Results HERE (.pdf file)

ISORA 2010 Series in association with the RAYC & Lee Overlay: Day Race Dun Laoghaire to North Arklow Cardinal Mark & back

The ISORA (Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association), RAYC (Royal Alfred Yacht Club) Lee Overlay Day Race from Dun Laoghaire to North Arklow Cardinal Mark and back takes place on Saturday 8th May, 2010. The 52 nautical mile course starts in Scotsman's Bay and finishes between the two piers at Dun Laoghaire Harbour entrance.

Sailing Instructions HERE (.pdf file)

ISORA 2010 Series - Race 1 Dun Laoghaire to Holyhead

ISORA (Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association) 2010 Series - Race 1 Dun Laoghaire to Holyhead via the Kish Lighthouse and the North India Bank (75 nautical miles) was held on Saturday 24th April.

Congratulations to Raging Bull - IRL 9666 (Sigma 400) 1st in Class 1 and to Katanca - IRL 31310 (Elan 31) 1st in Class 2 and 1st Overall.

Miss Scarlett - IRL 4763 crossing the Irish Sea (Copyright 2010 Sailpix Ireland)

Photo Gallery HERE

ISORA Race 1 Report (by Peter Ryan, Commodore National Yacht Club) HERE (.pdf file)
ISORA Race 1 Results HERE (.pdf file)

Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 Racing Schedule

The 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race will visit eight stopover ports on five continents and race through four oceans in under nine months. The Volvo Open 70's will cover 39,270 nautical miles racing around the globe.

The Fastnet Rock will be the last landmark the sailors will sail around before their final sprint up the west coast of Ireland to the finish in Galway. Hopefully the fleet will round Fastnet during daylight hours and allow for some iconic photographs to be taken.

Galway will be the first finish city in the race's history to hold an inshore race after the final leg. This will not only give the teams a chance to add valuable points to their overall scores but also allow the enthusiastic Irish fans to enjoy the racing on Galway Bay.

Dates for your 2011 and 2012 diaries:

Event	Start Port	Finish Port	Start Day	Start Date	Estimated Finish Date	Nautical miles
Pro-Am Race	Alicante	-	Sat	29-Oct-11
In-Port Race	Alicante	-	Sun	30-Oct-11
Leg 1	Alicante	Cape Town	Sat	05-Nov-11	25-Nov-11	6500
Pro-Am Race	Cape Town	-	Fri	09-Dec-11
In-Port Race	Cape Town	-	Sat	10-Dec-11
Leg 2	Cape Town	Abu Dhabi	Sun	11-Dec-11	01-Jan-12	5430
Pro-Am Race	Abu Dhabi	-	Thu	12-Jan-12
In-Port Race	Abu Dhabi	-	Fri	13-Jan-12
Leg 3	Abu Dhabi	Sanya	Sat	14-Jan-12	04-Feb-12	4600
Pro-Am Race	Sanya	-	Fri	17-Feb-12
In-Port Race	Sanya	-	Sat	18-Feb-12
Leg 4	Sanya	Auckland	Sun	19-Feb-12	08-Mar-12	5220
Pro-Am Race	Auckland		Fri	16-Mar-12
In-Port Race	Auckland		Sat	17-Mar-12
Leg 5	Auckland	Itajai	Sun	18-Mar-12	04-Apr-12	6705
Pro-Am Race	Itajai		Fri	20-Apr-12
In-Port Race	Itajai		Sat	21-Apr-12
Leg 6	Itajai	Miami	Sun	22-Apr-12	06-May-12	4800
Pro-Am Race	Miami		Fri	18-May-12
In-Port Race	Miami		Sat	19-May-12
Leg 7	Miami	Lisbon	Sun	20-May-12	31-May-12	3590
Pro-Am Race	Lisbon		Fri	08-Jun-12
In-Port Race	Lisbon		Sat	09-Jun-12
Leg 8	Lisbon	Lorient	Sun	10-Jun-12	17-Jun-12	1940
Pro-Am Race	Lorient		Fri	29-Jun-12
In-Port Race	Lorient		Sat	30-Jun-12
Leg 9	Lorient	Galway	Sun	01-Jul-12	03-Jul-12	485
Pro-Am Race	Galway		Fri	06-Jul-12
In-Port Race	Galway		Sat	07-Jul-12
Reserve Day	Galway		Sun	08-Jul-12