The cadre of NYC volunteers who organised and ran last weekend’s wonderfully successful D2D race, deserve our thanks and praise.
Commodore Martin McCarthy noted and named the team at the Competitors briefing last Wednesday – and Vice Commodore Conor O’Regan praised their efforts when he attended the huge Prize giving dinner last Saturday in the Dingle Skelligs Hotel.
The Volvo Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race was conceived by National Yacht Club stalwart, Martin Crotty and is now a major bi-ennial event under the able chairmanship of Adam Winkelmann. This year’s event was dispatched off the East pier at 6pm on Wednesday 12th June 2019, and the first boats were crossing the finish line less than 25 hours later.
June 2019’s edition of the Volvo D2D was a step-up for the event in so many ways and had a number of significant firsts as the event Chairman Adam Winkelmann reports below:
“Windfall, skippered by Michael Cotter, was the biggest yacht to ever compete and set a new record time for the race. It was also the biggest fleet ever, at 43 yachts. The race also had the largest number of finishers ever, at 41.
The youngest skipper, the NYC’s Tom Shanahan at 19 years of age, brought J109 Ruth home in fourth place overall – with the first all amateur crew – thereby winning the Dingle Peninsula Produce Hamper.
And in further youth sailing participation in the race, 17-year-old Diarmuid Desmond from Dingle Sailing Club sailed on Windfall and the County Kerry sailor was rewarded with a record time into his home port.
It was also the first time that the race was part of the RORC offshore calendar.
When Rockabill IV, helmed by Paul O’Higgins, crossed the finish line it was the first time a yacht has retained the overall win in the Volvo D2D race.
The biggest prize giving function ever with 220 people attending in the Dingle Skellig Hotel.
We are fortunate to have enthusiastic and generous sponsors in Volvo Cars, Bretzel Bakery, Dingle Skelligs Hotel, Dick Mac Pale Ale, Drumshanbo Gin and others.
My sincere thanks to all the volunteers from the National Yacht Club who made the event a massive success in 2019 – most notably Con Murphy (PRO), Cathy MacAleavy, Suzie Barry and Grainne Ryan. We also had wonderful media support from the Afloat team of David O’ Brien and Winkie Nixon aided by Miriam Ferriter of The Dingle Skellig Hotel and Photographer Dominick Walsh in Dingle.
The 2021 Race will start from the National Yacht Club on Wednesday 9th June 2021. This will be a limited entry event. Previous entrants will be offered early entry options and then the entry will be opened to others to allow up to a maximum of 50 yachts.
Special Recognition Awards in the Volvo D2D Race
1 Diarmuid Desmond – Dingle Sailing Club – Crewed on Windfall
2 Dave Morley – NYC – Start Mark Layer
3 Grainne Ryan – NYC – Trackers and Results
4 Suzie Barry – NYC – Start and Finish Race Office
5 Cathy Mac Aleavy – NYC – Superwoman!
6 Peter O’ Regan – Dingle Marina Superintendant
7 Niamh Kennedy – Dingle Sailing Club Sailing Manager
8 Olivier Prouveur – NYC Sailing Manager
9 Ian Meldon – NYC – Mac Lir Skipper for committee boat
10 Oonagh Deegan – NYC Office Manager
11 Tim Greenwood – NYC Start Committee Boar
12 Sandra Moore – NYC – Race Office”
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