Romantic Evening Cuisine

For the romantics in our midst, Gavin, who is pining for his Sheila, has devised a very attractive menu to tempt you down for an enjoyable gastronomic expereience next Saturday Feb 11th at 8.30pm. There are only 48 settings, so its 1st come, 1st served. Leave your name with Kerrie at the bar to be sure. Names given but not attending will be charged, unless an apology is received.

Well done, Brian

Congratulations to Brian Sinnott who has just won the award of Trainee of the Year for 2005 for Asgard II, Irelands national sail training vessel. 17 year old Brian earned this distinction ahead of 488 other trainees who crewed on Asgard II during its demanding programme of cruising and racing across Europe in 2005.

The award is a reflection of Brian's commitment to sailing since he became old enough to join our Junior Training Programme and presumably absolves all attempts to drown his dad Noel during the learning process.

As well as being a first for Brian, this a first for Wicklow Sailing Club, and we should be very proud of his achievement. 

2005 Highlights

Wicklow Sailing Club can look back on a busy season both on and off the water, with several highlights (not all good)

Racing was very competitive, with an active Cruiser fleet out on Wednesdays and Sundays, the Ruffians gave each other a tough time of it. We hosted the Fireball Nationals as well as the South East Inter Club Regatta. 

Our cruise to Portmadoc had 6 boats and an enjoyable time in the ever friendly Madoc YC.

The weather was generally good for sailing but wasn't always kind and we had more NE strong winds than usual. One bad gale resulted in 4 yachts coming off the moorings onto the beach - 1 badly damaged.

 Dinghies are making a comeback, with a very active bunch of Juniors - future looks bright. Brian Flahive and his sub committee have great plans afoot.

In the clubhouse, the Tsunami disaster brought out the best in WSC members, who raised E3500 (with Earls Newsagents), from which a boat was bought with engine and nets through the good offices of the Irish Sri Lanka Trust Fund. Details of the fortunate fisherman are held, if anyone would like to correspond with him - might be an idea for a school project?

Other notable events - the Murder Mystery experience starring Cardinal Fred, Charlies 50th, Jackys 40th, Sheilas' going away/Guy Fawkes night, Games gang party with music by Radiowaves and a host of other parties and pleasant evenings. Club members and friends helped out the Pakistan Earthquake Fund in the amount of E455 from a number of collections.

Don't forget us as a venue for your big occasion (or not so big, as the case may be). The bar is our main source of revenue apart from subscriptions! Contact Kerrie or Gerry for details of availability.

Common Dolphin Stranding

Club members, John Mc Ilhinney (WSAC) and Charlie Kavanagh (IWDG) helped in the unsuccessful return of a young adult Common Dolphin to the sea from Jacks Hole/Brittas Bay beach on Tues 24th January. The dolphin was very weak and was escorted by the RNLI Inshore RIB, under coxwain Ruth Byrne with the assistance of IWDG representative, Dave Woods, back out to sea. It was a tough decision whether to let nature take its course or bring it back to shore for a humane end as light faded. After expert UK advice, Bray based vet, Ellen Hegarty in agreement with Dave Woods gave the dolphin the benefit of the doubt.  

Bad news - the dolphin was washed up on Magheramore beach a few days later. C'est la vie.

Rugby Matters (so does sailing!)

The International 6 Nations Championship is almost upon us and the Club bar will be open for all the Irish games - so put on your green jersey, bring a pal or two and join in the fun. You might even win the match forecast, if you are lucky. Check out the Whats on calendar for details. 

Forward Planning

Following the passage of the new one off Club Levy, your Committee is now looking to the future of the Club. With this in mind, Harry Hermon, ISA Club Development Officer, gave a talk on formulating a Club Plan on Thursday 9th February. A group of 13 members participated in a round table exercise and from the feedback, it was agreed that we would proceed to conducting a survey of all members, with Harry acting as facilitator.  It is hoped we will start the planning process shortly thereafter, which will properly involve all our members to a greater or lesser extent. This will have many positive aspects to it - a chance for all members to let us know what they want from the club, it will set out a blueprint for the next 5 years, it will help with funding applications and more.

Pat and Olivia Murphy's world cruise on Aldebaran

Pat and Olivia (ex-Sutton Dinghy Supplies) are back in Ireland at present and will give a talk with a slide/video show in the Club on their progress (30,000 miles to Malaysia) so far. They have had encounters with a man-eating shark, blood bonding with Polynesian tribal folk, survived 3 storms at sea and a variety of other exciting adventures. They made Wicklow their 1st stop on the out leg from Howth, where they made an acquaintence with a very important figure in WSC folklore, Pepper. Come down to hear their story on Friday 24th February at 8pm, bring a friend - all welcome. They are very entertaining and have a wealth of tales to tell.

Croatian Flotilla

Any interest in joining as skipper (or his/her crew) of your own boat for a trip around the Dalmatian Islands of Croatia end Aug/early Sept. Contact Charlie for more info.

Town Development Plan

For anyone interested in the future direction of the town of Wicklow, Planning Consultants are holding an open Forum in the Grand Hotel Feb 2nd, 7th and 9th between 4pm and 7pm each day and Saturday 11th from 10am til 1pm. They will listen to any ideas put forward and try to incorporate the most practical into the Plan. Obviously, we have an interest in the Harbour end of things, and a positive input of ideas regarding waterfront/marina development would be welcome.

WSC Ramblers

For all lovers of an energetic stroll on a Saturday morning, Kevin " Sherpa" Desmond has rounded up the pack mules and is heading up to the Wicklow Hills again. The 1st walk of 2006 will take place, weather permitting, on Saturday February 11th, probably Devils Glen, meet 9.30am sharp in car park at Ashford House for tea/coffee in Cafe opposite. This will be an easy walk and suitable for those who are inexperienced &/or young.

 It is very important that all taking part bring suitable weather gear and footwear for use on the hills/mountains. Dogs must be kept under control. We would hope to be finished in time to catch the France v Ireland game. Contact Kevin at 0404 67556 or e-mail  kevindesmond@eircom.net 

BMW Round Ireland

Members will be aware that BMW have come on board again as our title sponsor for 2006 and 2008, for which support we are most grateful. We would like to thank Conrad Schmidt for all his good endeavours in his dealings with us on behalf of BMW and wish him well on his return to Germany.

We would appreciate your ideas about events/attractions that we can present during the WSC Round Ireland mini-festival. We hope to make this a fun event for all ages - your input will be vital to its success.Contact Barry O Sullivan or Charlie Kavanagh.

. Congratulations to Alan and Angela

On Fri Jan 27th, former Commodore Alan Rountree tied the knot for the 2nd time with his new partner, Angela. We wish them well.

A new Oppi!

Ross and David Mc Niven inform us of a new more adult (slightly) friendly dinghy called the Oppi (a little bigger and safer than the Optimist) they saw in Holland. Price is only c.E1150 and worth a look at by parents of starter juniors. Contact them through www.mcnivenmarine.ie