Dromineer welcomes the World

By Thomas Conway

International regattas are about more than just the scenery, but as locations go, you could hardly ask for a more idyllic setting than Lough Derg Yacht Club.

Last week, the Dromineer venue played host to the 2022 Fireball World Championships, suddenly shifting shape from a thriving local institution to a global crossroads of ardent sailors, all of them eager to navigate the waters of the Republic’s largest lake.

The scene was, in all honesty, just a little spectacular. Practically overnight, the concourse around the club gave rise to a miniature city of tents and caravans, a cosmopolitan mix of different licence plates from various regions of the continent - France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Great Britain. Nearer the water’s edge, any vacant space was populated by shimmering boats and equipment. A row of flags lined the jetty, representing each of the eleven countries involved.

Every morning and evening the entire area was awash with people, many of them speaking different languages, creating a kind of cultural explosion in and around the clubhouse. But then, between the times of 11am and 4pm, quietness descended. Everything seemed to stand still. The atmosphere became almost monastic.

The action shifted to the lake, where a fleet of sleek sailing boats swished through the water and attempted to outdo one another in a series of carefully planned races. Some of those involved were elite sailors - highly experienced competitors who were there to win prizes.

Others, like Colm Breen and his son Cormac, had adopted a more relaxed attitude. Both are fine boatsmen in their own right, but they were in Dromineer more for the occasion, for the buzz of being on the water with some of the best in the business, as Colm explains:

“For us it’s more recreational, we’d be at the lower end of the scale,” Colm said.

“A lot of the sailors out there would be a different calibre, a higher level, but it’s great to be out among them - that’s the beauty of this kind of a competition. I mean I’ve been sailing for years, and I would travel around a bit to different competitions and regattas, but when you have a global one like this, it’s slightly different, it’s bigger. You’re competing alongside some elite sailors, almost Olympic standard sailors, so obviously that brings its own challenges, but that’s part of the fun of it.”

Awesome combination

As a sport, sailing requires an awesome combination of physical strength and technical expertise. Ever since seafarers first started raising masts and setting out into the unknown, the art of sailing a vessel has developed, but the fundamental skills have remained much the same.

For Breen, honing those skills is part of the attraction. He feels that sailing is sometimes underestimated in terms of the demands it places on a person, and the ingenuity which it requires. A sailor will develop a vast repertoire of skills and instincts, many of which extend beyond the sport itself and translate into qualities such as leadership and maturity.

“I think, as a sport, sailing has a lot to it, a lot of different elements to it, and that’s something people maybe don’t understand,” he added.

“Because obviously you have to learn how to sail, how to handle the boat and read the winds, but then you also have to learn about the equipment, you have to learn how to rig out a boat and keep it upright on the water. And it teaches responsibility as well, particularly to young people. You’re out there on the water, you have to be conscious of safety and you have to be able to react to dangerous situations, dangerous conditions. So, maturity is a big thing.”

Certain countries have a reputation for sailing. Island nations such as Ireland and New Zealand are obvious examples, but the continent is also rich in boating history and heritage. France, with its rugged Atlantic coast and vibrant port cities, is home to a multitude of enthusiastic sailors. Jean Pierre is one of them, but he doesn’t come from La Rochelle or Le Havre, nor does he dock a superyacht in Monte Carlo. Jean is a Parisian, a city man with a penchant for the water. He’s also a relative newcomer to the global sailing scene, but his experience in Dromineer has endeared the Irish to him. He intends to come back, possibly to Lough Derg, at some stage in the future.

“This is just my second competition - I am a novice,” he revealed.

“But I am enjoying it. The lake, Lough Derg, it’s really beautiful. The views and the countryside are beautiful to look at from the water. And then you have the people. I’ve met Canadians, Swiss, Czechs, Spanish, Italians. Everybody is here. But the Irish are so friendly, that’s what I notice about them. So friendly and such good fun.”

Jean Pierre’s fireball stands out amongst the rows of high-tech fire glass vessels. He explains that it’s a slightly older model, a more classical version, which is fractionally slower on the water but every bit as aesthetically striking. It contrasts sharply to the craft owned by Barry & Rick Smith, another father and son duo, whose boat is as sophisticated as any in the eighty-strong fleet.

DESIGNATED REST

Sailors were granted a designated rest day on Wednesday, but it didn’t stop the two Englishmen from rigging out their fireball and charting a course downstream, towards Garrykennedy. Barry is an experienced sailor and a gentlemanly character. The sport has taken him across the globe, to continents and shores far from the Severn, the river on which he does most of his sailing.

“We’re from Bristol, so we sail on the Severn, which is tidal. It actually has the third-highest tidal range in the world, which makes it very different from here, from Lough Derg,” they explained.

“But down through the years I’ve been all over the world at these competitions - America, Barbados, Carnac in France, up in Sligo. So, it has brought me everywhere, but that’s what sailing can do, it can take you to places you might never have seen. It’s a global sport. I love it.”

Wherever there’s wind and water, there’s an opportunity to sail, but the experience can be very different, depending on factors such as climate and conditions. The Drake Passage, located near the Cape Horn off the coast of southern Chile, is notoriously regarded as the most dangerous boating route in the world. Even when it comes to small-scale sailing, different waters bring different experiences.

For Rick Smith, it has been an absolute joy to sweep across the almost transparent expanse that is Lough Derg. Back at home, he can rarely see below the water-level, so sailing on the lake has been somewhat special.

“The thing about the Severn is the water is brown! So, sailing here, on Lough Derg, is a bit of a treat,” he said.

“The water is crystal clear, it’s stunning compared to what we’re used to. And look, dad is the skilled sailor here, I’m just taken along for the ride. But I love it as well. On waters like these it’s impossible not to love it.”

From speaking to competitors, it’s clear that the hospitality and the friendship extended by Lough Derg Yacht Club has been genuinely appreciated. Almost all note the quality of the facilities, while many more are effusive in their praise of Lough Derg as a sailing destination. The age-range of participants, which stretches from mid-teens right up to early-seventies, has been another stand-out feature of this competition.

Likewise, the number of women and girls who have taken to the water. Sailing is sometimes branded as an elitist sport, a pastime reserved for those who have the means to splash the cash on shiny boats and expensive equipment. In reality however, those who sail do so because of a deep romance with the water. They do so because of a passion, which was palpable in Dromineer last week.