Starting Racing & Intro to White Sails Class with Feargal Kinsella & Dermot Skehan
2024-03-26 19:30 - 22:00 UTC
The “Countdown To Club Racing” Talks Series is on: discover how you can develop a new passion for racing, or improve your racing skills to win races during the summer.
Check the talks calendar and join in with your crew for the first appointment
Tuesday, 26th March at 7.30 pm
Starting Racing and Intro to White Sails Class
with

Feargal Kinsella

Dermot Skehan

Racers and Non-Racers, all Members Welcome!

Monthly Meeting & Talk with Bob Fannin
2024-04-02 19:00 - 21:00 | Howth Yacht Club, Middle Pier, Howth Harbour, Howth, Dublin, D13 E6V3, Ireland
Held in the Asgard Room. All are welcome.
A night not to be missed with Bob Fannin‘s entertaining talk at 8 pm on his life, sailing and … how to sail without Making Waves!
A taste of what you can expect on the night in Bob’s own words
I started sailing aged 10 at Clontarf Yacht and Boat Club. Five years later, I joined the crew of fishing trawlers in Howth. Then I was a paid deckhand on a Malahide conversion – they were Portuguese trawler hulls converted to motor-yachts, heading from Howth to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, via the Mediterranean, west Africa, the Caribbean and Bahamas.

In 1978, I sailed with John Gore Grimes, my father, and others, from Howth to Iceland and back. A year later, again with John, we sailed Shardana from Marblehead in Massachusetts to Cork for the feeder race for the disastrous Fastnet of 1979. The following year we sailed Shardana up to Spitzbergen, tried to get around it, couldn’t, (there was ice back in those days) and capsized on the way home.

Next up I sailed with Jack Coffee from Dublin to New York, via the Azores, and then back to Dublin again, Commander Bill King was one of the crew for the leg out. 1982, Bill and I, sailed the 40ft Nicholson Ghostwing from Troon in Scotland to Newport, Rhode Island. There, Brian Moore, owner of Ghostwing, asked me to take his boat to the Caribbean and work aboard it as charter skipper for the winter. And so started a career as a charter skipper in the Caribbean and Mediterranean, and many trans- Atlantics on mostly classic yachts.

Cruising Group Breakfast
2024-04-13 10:00 - 14:00 | Howth Yacht Club, Middle Pier, Howth Harbour, Howth, Dublin, D13 E6V3, Ireland

Baldoyle Bay Seagrass Restoration Project Presentation
2024-04-26 19:00 - 20:00
Did you know that 150 years ago, seagrass was flourishing in Baldoyle Estuary? And that now, there is virtually none.
Why does that matter? Because seagrass captures and stores carbon, filters water, prevents erosion and supports bio-diversity.
Now, the Baldoyle Bay Seagrass Restoration Project aims to revive the lost seagrass ecosystem in Baldoyle Estuary with the participation of local communities and government.
If seagrass can be grown here successfully, it will provide a blueprint that can be rolled out nationally.
In this talk, project co-founders Eveann Nolan of Ocean Breakers from Sutton and Cllr. Joan Hopkins from Baldoyle – two committed, locals with no background in Marine Science – will explain how, through sheer determination and passion, the community can get seagrass thriving again in our local area.
Let’s meet in Howth Yacht Club:
Friday, 26th April at 7PM
Don’t miss this appointment and share this invitation with your family and friends: it is our opportunity to live in a healthier, biologically preserved local environment!
Register online at: https://bit.ly/3U3cU2o

Monthly Meeting
2024-04-29 19:00 - 21:00, 2024-06-04 19:00 - 21:00, 2024-07-01 19:00 - 21:00, 2024-09-02 19:00 - 21:00, 2024-10-07 19:00 - 21:00, 2024-11-04 19:00 - 21:00, 2024-12-02 19:00 - 21:00 | Howth Yacht Club, Middle Pier, Howth Harbour, Howth, Dublin, D13 E6V3, Ireland
Held in the Asgard Room. All are welcome.

Art and Science of Weather Forecasting with Joanna Donnelly
2024-10-29 19:30 - 21:30
Rain or shine, with her warm presence and expert insights, Joanna Donnelly is a trusted voice in Irish weather forecasting.
Joanna is a Dubliner and she went to Dublin City University where she studied Applied Maths. After university she worked in a college in Dublin before joining Met Éireann in 1995, working as a meteorological officer before being promoted to meteorologist in 2000.
She has been working as a forecaster and broadcasting on RTÉ Radio 1 since February 2002. She began TV broadcasting in December 2015 and presents RTÉ One and RTÉ2 weather bulletins.
Joanna Donnelly will be at HYC on Tuesday, 29 October at 7.30 PM to talk about the art and science of weather forecasting.
Book your seats today: https://bit.ly/3Nhbb5t
This is a free event open to HYC Members with family and friends.

Cruising Group Awards Dinner
2024-12-07 19:00 - 22:30 | Howth Yacht Club, Middle Pier, Howth Harbour, Howth, Dublin, D13 E6V3, Ireland

Cruising Group Breakfast
2025-04-12 10:00 - 15:00
Asgard Room

Malahide Muster May Bank Holiday Cook Your Heart Out Competition
2025-05-03 12:00 - 2025-05-04 21:00 | Malahide Yacht Club
Malahide Muster May Bank Holiday Weekend & Cook Your Heart Out Competition
This will be a Cruise In Company, BBQ and Cooking Competition in aid of the RNLI on the May Bank Holiday weekend. This two day event is hosted in the Malahide Yacht Club, St. James Terrace is open to all members and friends of the CAI, HYC & MYC.

Three members of HYC will participate on the Cook Your Heart Out Competition in MYC St. James Terrace on Sunday May 4th.

Saturday 3rd May cruise in company followed by a BBQ in Malahide Yacht Club
13:00hrs Cruise to the Lambay anchorage for a picnic 17:00hrs
Return to the Malahide Marina 18:00hrs
BBQ in the Malahide Yacht Club followed by usual craic, talk the talk & music

Sunday 4th May Cook Your Hearts Out Competition
Enjoy the day in Malahide or book a guided tour of Malahide Castle
16:30hrs Cook Your Hearts Out nine cooks prepare their main course for their four crew. Meet the cooks, discuss the recipes, taste their dishes and vote for your favourites.
18:30 Judging of the cooking competition & prize giving.

Booking links –

https://www.myc.ie/event/malahide-muster-2025
Book a berth with CAI and avail of discount book here Register Boat with CAI
Saturday BBQ Book Here

HYC Cruising Armada to Red Rock
2025-06-07 11:00 - 17:00 | Howth Yacht Club, Middle Pier, Howth Harbour, Howth, Dublin, D13 E6V3, Ireland
HYC Cruising will take an armada to Red Rock and back.
Depart HYC Marina at 11am.
Aideen Sargeant will organise logistics.

HYC Cruising Armada to Skerries
2025-06-14 10:00 - 17:00 | Howth Yacht Club, Middle Pier, Howth Harbour, Howth, Dublin, D13 E6V3, Ireland
HYC Cruising will take an Armada to Skerries and back.
Depart HYC Marina at 10am.
Aideen Sargeant will lead on logistics

HYC Cruising Armada to Lambay Island
2025-06-28 11:00 - 17:00
Depart HYC Marina at 11am.

HYC Cruising Armada to Greystones
2025-07-05 08:00 - 17:00
HYC Cruising will take an armada to Greystones and stay overnight.
Depart HYC Marina at 10am.

NYC / HYC Armada to Lambay
2025-08-16
Please join us for our much anticipated annual NYC and HYC Armada to Lambay Island followed by a BBQ back at HYC. The weather looks to be fabulous. We aim to depart the marina for 10am. All are welcome and all seafaring vessels are welcome to join in the fun!

HYC Cruising Armada to Killiney Bay
2025-08-23 | Howth Yacht Club, Middle Pier, Howth Harbour, Howth, Dublin, D13 E6V3, Ireland
HYC Cruising will take an Armada to Killiney Bay on Saturday August 23rd 2025.
We aim to depart HYC Marina @ 11am and anchor and muster in Killiney Bay at 13:00.
All HYC members and seafaring vessels are welcome to join us!

Cruising Group Meeting with Guest Speaker Gráinne Costigan
2025-09-01 19:00 - 20:30 | Howth Yacht Club, Middle Pier, Howth Harbour, Howth, Dublin, D13 E6V3, Ireland
Monday September 1st at 7pm – HYC Asgard Room

HYC Cruising are delighted to welcome Gráinne Costigan to our September meeting and we invite all HYC members, along with family or friends who may be thinking about taking up sailing, to join us.

Gráinne has an inspirational story and started sailing as a child in Sutton and later raced out of Howth. She went on to study physics and astronomy, living in various places around Europe while earning her PhD and working as an astronomer. She is now living and working in Barcelona where she discovered the Mini 6.50 class and bought her own boat, Sea Fever, in January 2022.

The Mini is a 6.5 m purpose-built boat for solo Atlantic crossings without outside assistance or contact. Technology is kept deliberately low to keep campaign budgets accessible, and the unique philosophy of the class fosters a tight-knit, supportive community of competitive solo sailors. Gráinne has been an active part of the Mediterranean circuit and is heavily involved in the local training group.

In 2024, she completed the challenging Round Trip race from Les Sables d’Olonne to the Azores and back. This June, she and co-skipper Ceci Zori delivered an impressive performance in the Mini Fastnet, finishing 4th out of a fleet of 50 and winning the Best Performance Prize for traditional bow boats.

Now, she is in the final stages of preparation for the Mini Transat, starting on 21 September—a solo race across the Atlantic—in which she will make history as the first Irish woman to take on this iconic challenge.

Join us to hear here story.

Liffey Three Bridges Rally
2025-09-06 | Howth Yacht Club, Middle Pier, Howth Harbour, Howth, Dublin, D13 E6V3, Ireland
Copywrite: Cruising Association of Ireland https://cruising.ie/three-bridges-2025/

This year’s Three Bridges Rally will take place on Saturday 6 September. We’ll muster at Poolbeg Marina before parading up and down the Liffey at 15:00. We’ll spend the night rafted on the Liffey Pontoon beside the 3Arena. In the morning we’ll leave with the St Bridget at 11:00.
The Lord Mayor of Dublin will be leading the parade aboard a pilot boat from Dublin Port, and will address participants and the press afterwards.
Our host ashore will be the Gibson Hotel, where we have the use of the Stratocaster suite for the evening. There will be a three-course carvery dinner followed by some presentations and informal entertainment. If you can’t sail, you can still join us for the evening festivities.
Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club has kindly offered to waive all berthing charges and host a social event on Friday evening. Come early and make a weekend of it!
Prices

Administration fee €20 per boat in advance
Dinner €35 per person in advance

Dates

Monday 1 September Last day for confirming bookings.
Saturday 6 September Three Bridges Rally, reception, dinner

Download and read the detailed Briefing Notes – a PDF document giving details of all the arrangements.
If you think you might attend, with or without a boat, then submit a provisional booking (below) as soon as possible.
Last updated 2025-08-13
Organisers (events@cruising.ie): John Murphy 0868101263, Mike Kelly 0876813291, Simon Parker 0872497859.

Timetable

Some times are approximate, and all are subject to review

Friday 5 September

19:00
Social event in Poolbeg yacht and boat club (TBC)

Saturday 6 September

11:00
Poolbeg marina and club open

14:30
Cast off from Poolbeg

15:00
Parade up to Talbot Memorial Bridge

15:30
Berth at Liffey Pontoon

16:00
Reception, Lord Mayor…

17:00
Tom Clarke bridge opens briefly

17:30
Gibson Hotel opens

18:30
Sit down for dinner and other activities

Sunday 7 September

10:30
Cast off from Liffey Pontoon

11:00
Tom Clarke Bridge opens; all depart for home

HYC Cruising Group Sailing - Tales and Tribulations
2025-10-06 19:00 - 20:30

Armada - Final Fling to Loughshinny
2025-10-11
Admiral Gerry O’Neill is leading a ‘Final Fling’ Armada to Loughshinny. In Loughshinny one can anchor off or go alongside the pier for a picnic and a get-together.

On returning, one can view (and avoid) the racing boats participating in the Autumn League and enjoy the ambience of HYC.

Sat 11th October. Departing HYC 10.30.

Guest Speaker - Michael Harpur of eOceanic
2025-11-03 19:00 - 20:30
A New Era in Coastal Navigation with eOceanic
Join us on Monday November 3rd from 7pm in the Asgard Room at HYC to hear from Michael Harpur, Founder and Manager of eOceanic and discover the difference. He will unveil his plan to open a new world of leisure sailing, with the intention of putting a spring in your stride afloat, ashore and for decades to come.
All HYC members are welcome. Guests welcome – please sign them in at the bar.

“Unfinished Business” – An Evening with Pat Lawless
2025-11-26 20:00 | Howth Yacht Club, Middle Pier, Howth Harbour, Howth, Dublin, D13 E6V3, Ireland
Pat Lawless competed in the 2022 Golden Globe Race but retired off Cape Town when his self-steering failed. He’s now entered again for the 2026 Race, determined to finish what he started.
The first GGR took place in 1968 and was won by Robin Knox-Johnston. The challenge remains the same — solo, non-stop, around the world, in a boat under 36ft with no GPS, no satellite weather, and no stops.
On Wednesday 26th November, Pat returns to Howth Yacht Club to share his preparations for the 2026 start from Les Sables d’Olonne. He’ll be introduced by Paddy Barry and will show film and photos of life at sea and managing storms.
Pat has no title sponsor this time — donations on the night are welcome.

Guest Speaker - Mark Sweetnam on Cruising Norway
2025-12-01 19:00 - 20:30
We are excited to welcome Mark and Dawn Sweetman to share their experiences on their two year adventure sail around Norway.
Monday December 1st, 19:30 with refreshments served as usual from 7pm.
All are welcome and guests should be signed in at the bar.

Cruising Group Annual Awards Dinner
2025-12-06 19:00 - 22:00 | Howth Yacht Club, Middle Pier, Howth Harbour, Howth, Dublin, D13 E6V3, Ireland
Annual Dinner – Asgard Room and Dining Room
Saturday 6th December 2025
Reception 7pm | Dinner 7.30pm
Awards for best logs and best photo of the year.
Please contact cruising@hyc.ie for dietary requirements and table preferences.
4-Course Meal with Prosecco Cost €60 (including reception drink and gratuity)
Book here

Guest Speaker - John Leahy CAI Talk
2026-01-06 19:00 - 20:30
To kick off the New Year 2026, we are delighted to have John Leahy (Cruising Association Ireland) join us at HYC on January 6th, from 7pm in the Asgard room.
Shake off the cobwebs, gather friends and fellow sailors and come down and join us for an evening of stories on the origins and effects of our unique Irish weather and its implications for our sport.
John is well known to Irish sailors for his daily weather briefings for up to ten days ahead on a dedicated WhatsApp channel called “Sailing Weather”. Up to 460 sailors tune in each morning to see what the weather will bring, with particular focus on sailing conditions along the east coast, but also for those on long passages to Scotland, the Azores, or the Canaries.
John has written a companion book to the morning briefings that explains in detail every aspect of the formation of our unique weather systems. There will be a book sale and book signing right after the talk.
The book is sold on a not-for-profit basis, and any surplus from the printing cost (10 euros) goes to the RNLI. The book will be available for €15 euros. This is cash only so bring some with you if you are interested.
Our weather is unique, and an understanding of why we have four seasons in one day and sometimes in one hour is very much at the heart of the talk and the book.
Come along and meet friends, new and old, for an enjoyable evening. All HYC members are welcome and if you wish to bring a guest please sign them in at the bar.
