Anchors aweigh as Olympic sailors hit Bay!

COMPETITIVE sailing was at its spectacular best in Tralee Bay recently as Irish Olympic sailors took to the water to cotest the 2017 Ireland Skiffs Open and the 49er National Championships out of Fenit.

Led by the Tralee Bay Maritime Centre with the support of Tralee Bay Sailing Club, 49er Olympic hopefuls gave an incredible demonstration of the sport - in a weekend of high-octane sailing action that came closer to shore than ever before.

Indeed, the proximity to the coast was a key part of the event as organisers were keen to give spectators as close a view of possible of the sailors in action on the skiffs.

“The primary event was the 49er National Championships but the added benefit was that local dinghy sailors could see Irish Olympic sailors at first hand,” organiser Brian O’Sullivan said.

“With the addition of the John Chambers Waszp design, the event was a great conclusion of the summer season. On the racing front, four races were completed on Friday afternoon in 10-12kts from the south west on the west side of Fenit Marina. The start line was just a few boat lengths away from the Marina bridge making it very spectator friendly.

“Indeed, one of the aims of the weekend was to bring the sailing as close as possible to the public, as opportunities to actually see top sailors in action at home is relatively rare,” Brian added.