Months of lockdown had sailors straining at the sheets to get out on the water. Theory training delivered on zoom by Seán Donnelly and Adam Hyland upskilled NYC WoW sailors on tactics as we sat at home. Social distancing meant that single-handers were now the only option, so in late May, Rosemary Cadogan and Clodagh O’Connor formed the NYC WoW Laser Group. Boats were retrieved from gardens and garages, and those who didn’t own one scoured the buy and sell pages for Radials and 4.7s. Bidding wars were won on whatsapp. The number of Lasers looking for platform parking jumped from 18 in 2019 to an incredible 39 in 2020. The NYC welcomed 4 RS Aeros for the first time. Olivier Prouveur bent the rules of Newtonian physics to accommodate them all.
By June it was all systems go with expert training provided by Nicole, Ella, and Natasha Hemeryk, and Mark and Hugh O’Connor on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. When
DBSC racing started in late June –– with a record entry of over 70 Lasers across the clubs –– Nicole delivered Tuesday race training, and her Wednesday Laser and Aero Clinic teamed up
with Tadgh Donnelly and his single-hander group. Saturdays saw a morning Laser Clinic with the O’Connor brothers, and afternoon racing for the indefatigable.
The energy and enthusiasm for Laser and RS Aero sailing continued unabated throughout the summer, as Aisling Murphy took over the organisation of follow-on Clinics. Sailors planned participation in the Laser Nationals in Cork, the Irish Sailing Pathfinder Women at the Helm Regatta at the NYC, and the Master Championships amongst other events. Covid- 19 and adverse weather have sadly adjusted these plans, but we enjoyed the glorious end of summer racing and the NYC Sesquicentennial Anniversary Race Day on September 5th. Our thanks to Rosemary, Clodagh and Aisling for the design and implementation of WoW single-hander training over the summer months; to Nicole, Ella and Natasha, Hugh and Mark, for brilliant Clinics; to Séan and Adam for great tactics and theory; and to Olivier for the complex logistics that make it all happen.
The NYC WoW Laser group is now the NYC Single Handlers group as sailors from all demographics in NYC take to single-hander sailing, enjoying the company of the vibrant DL Laser Fleet across the Dun Laoghaire clubs. As we adjust our sights to Level 3, plans for single-hander sailing this Autumn include Saturday afternoon training on the water (without in-person briefings). If you’re interested in getting involved, get in touch with Rosemary or Aisling through Carmen at admin@nyc.ie
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