Newsletter 8.pub

NEWSLETTER OF LES GLENANS IRISH SECTEUR COMMITTEE
May 2012
Volume 2
Issue 2
The Beacon
Inside this issue:
Update from the Bases
2
Working Weekends Report
3
Getting to know your Secteur
5
National Maritime Museum
6
Tom’s Technical Topics 1
7
Tom’s Technical Topics 2
8
Ringsend Rendezvous
9
Rún na Mara delivery
10
Instructor’s Information
13
Les Glénans AGM
14
The new website has
just been launched:
www.glenans.asso.fr
Croagh Patrick—backdrop to sailing in Collanmore
Bow Lines
To contact Les Glenans
Dear Members and Friends,
E mail Ponton Paris
Welcome to the May edition of your Irish Secteur newsletter. The boats are
in the water, the bases are ready and the 2012 season has commenced!!
Many thanks to all the volunteers who helped out over the winter and
spring to get the base and boats ready. With an even bigger fleet and programme for 2012, this contribution is sincerely appreciated.
• stagiaires@glenans.asso.fr
• benevolat@glenans.asso.fr
• moniteurs@glenans.asso.fr
Telephone Ponton Paris:
• 00 33 1 53 92 86 00
Website
• www.glenans.ie
• www.glenans.asso.fr
E mail Baltimore:
• baltimore.glenans.asso.fr
Telephone Baltimore:
• 028 20630
In this newsletter you’ll find lots of articles about what’s going on in Baltimore and Collanmore, updates from the Secteur committee, as well as a
special article on the arrival of our new cruising boat “Rún na Mara “ which
sailed over from France and was welcomed amidst much excitement into
Baltimore Bay on Easter Sunday.
There is a bigger and better programme for 2012, not least helped with the
arrival of new boats on both bases. Numbers are up significantly for the
spring season and we hope this will continue throughout the year. The
cruising opportunities have been significantly expanded and there are also
dinghy courses available this year in Baltimore. Additionally with some new
high performance cats and dinghies in Collanmore we’ll ensure there is
something to suit everybody. So make sure you book early to get your preferred course!
So hurry up and book that course - whether as a trainee, volunteer or instructor, we hope to see you in Baltimore or Collanmore soon
Web link to Irish Brochure
Best Regards,
englishbrochure2012
Emma Sweeney—President Irish Secteur Committee
Tom Daune—Chef de Base
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Update from the Bases
Hello to all and we hope this
finds you all well. A lot has happened since the last edition. I suppose the biggest thing is that we
have passed the 1st of May which
means summer has finally arrived.
The bases are now both in full
swing, with different faces coming
and going every week.
The biggest thing for us has
been the arrival of the new cruising
boat. Big, green and beautiful as she
is, Run na Mara has been cruising
around the southern coast for the
last few weeks. The most remarking
aspect is her stability (her width is
the first thing you notice once you
step on board), we took her out for a
blast not so long ago and she was
still manageable In 25 knots with a
full mainsail!
On the subject of new arrivals, a whole fleet of brand new
Catamarans arrived on Collanmore.
These boats should greatly increase
the diversity of boat available, allowing us to cater for all levels. The Hobie Cat Twixxys, with their plastic
hulls are quite a bit tougher than
their older brothers making them
ideal for beginners. Then the new
Hobie Cat 16’s rigged with spinnakers will top off the fleet.
Apart from
boat arrivals,
The management in Collanmore - Jean Gregoire and Joanne Dunne
April also saw the arrival of two
new members of the team.
Nolwen, comes from the
coastal town of Le Croisic, not
far from Nantes and will spend
the season with us, instructing
and managing in both Baltimore and Collanmore. Joanne
hails from Dublin and returns
to us as the ‘Attendant’ for Collanmore, charged with organising the supplying of the Island
while at the same time doing
some instructing. Joanne had
previous spent a number of
months in Baltimore on a voluntary basis, and its good to
see her back.
structors. There will be a second FPI run for Dinghies and
Catamarans in Collanmore in
August, in case anyone is interested. There was also a
refresher course run for Instructors in Baltimore (5.7 P),
and a group of five came
down and the weather blessed
us with a great weekend.
On the training side of
things, it was a busy preseason in Baltimore. There
was a level 5 cruising course,
which was followed directly by
the First Les Glénans instructor’s course in Ireland since the
re-integration. This two week
course, more commonly known
as the FPI (Formation Pedagogie Initial) was a great success and saw 5 trainee instructors qualify with flying colours.
Now they will complete a couple of weeks under a tutor before getting the piece of paper
naming them as cruising In-
Tom Dolan
Well that’s it or now,
hope we’ve covered everything. Festival season is
nearly upon us, I hope everyone has a great summer and
we hope to see you all soon.
BALTIMORE COURSES
PLACES AVAILABLE
Chef de Bord (Level 4 on
the RM 1060) on June 9th
for 1 week. A perfect
course to prepare for level
5 cruising.
Horizon (Level 3 on SF32I)
on June 9th for 1 week.
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Working Weekends Report
Collanmore 16—19 March
So, the first morning we
met up and the jobs were divvied out by Dan and Jean.
Yours truly, despite her shy
and retiring ways, managed to
make her hand seen when
volunteers were called for rigging the new boats. So with
Anto’s help, it was time to get
the Fevas fitted!
Craic in Collanmore
So back to Collanmore for
Paddys day! It was the first working weekend of the year, so while
on the Ferry with Joe, we mentally braced ourselves to see
what the island looked like after
the winter weather. Thankfully
though, the permanent staff and
long-term volunteers had been
there a few days before us to
start the clean-up, so the place
looked habitable when we arrived! That first evening, it was
time for introductions over a glass
of wine at the bar. An early night
followed – despite the hard work
already done, a lot still awaited
us.
The odd thing was not having to fall back on expert scavenging skills, carefully honed
on Collanmore over the years,
like rooting around the base
for bits of cord. Instead, we
went to the old 420 room, and
picked up a “pack”. When
opened, it actually held lots of
cords and other bits, each with
a small little label, like “Main
sheet” or “outhaul”. The oddest thing was that when the
Feva was kitted out, there
were no bits missing, and
none left over! Plus, eventually all the Fevas matched
with perfect colour coordination!!
Gone are the days of wanting the boat with the blue
mainsheet, or the yellow jib
sheets. The pink sails are
also a thing of the past – sorry
boys! I hear that those rigging
the RS 500s had much the
same experience.
Strange
times...
That afternoon, karma bit,
when those of us who got to rig
the boats that morning then got
sent to clean the shower blocks.
Apparently the vote for this
among the other volunteers was
unanimous. Grouting can get
quite grubby, it turns out. But
after restoring everything to a
whiter shade of pale, it was time
for dinner and the Paddy’s day
celebrations!
Emma and Cliona had outdone themselves – the napkins
were tricolour, the bar decorations cheerful, and there were lots
and lots of little bits of green
shamrock confetti on the dinner
tables! Which began to make
their way onto the floor. And
down peoples necks (who started
that!).
For the rest of the weekend,
the confetti was turning up in the
oddest of places, like the bar,
bathrooms and bunks!
Yours
truly dressed for the occasion and
wore her fetching green Paddy’s
Hat (with pigtails), matching the
decor nicely, but there was a distinct lack of green clothing among
the rest of the residents!! Plus,
while everyone was happy to put
on a little Paddy’s day badge, I’d
no takers for my offer of facepaint.
Continued on page 4
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Working Weekend in Collanmore 16—19 March
The Sunday morning, we
awoke bright and early (well,
early anyway) to another day on
the island. My jobs at this stage
seemed to have a common
theme – paint. Taking paint off
the benches, putting red paint
back on the benches and making
pretty Pollock-like pictures on the
top step with paint dribbles! Only,
it turns out we weren’t supposed
to do that last one and had to
clean it up the next day...
On the Sunday afternoon, it
was eventually time for a testdrive (or a test-sail for the pedants out there)!!! Virtually everyone on the island wanted to get
out and try out the new boats, so
led by Tom and Maria, we set out
in two fleets, the Fevas and the
500s. The sun was out, the sky
was blue, we could still see our
breath in the air in front of us and
there was snow on Croagh Patrick.
All in all wonderful weather!
Well, it was to me, but I admit to
having brought my dry suit along.
So myself and Clement whizzed
around Inishlyre with the rest of
the Feva fleet to begin. Eventually, we called in to the windsurf
beach to switch boats with the
500s. When they arrived, most
looked a little on the damp side. I
was told, by a number of their
helm and crew, that we would be
a little on the wet side too by the
end of the sail. They were not
Continued from page 3
mistaken. My first capsize
occurred by the lighthouse,
after tacking around to rejoin
our fleet leader. It was not the
last...
Back on the island, after
showers of variable temperatures (some things never
change!), it was time to rejoin
the others in the bar. Then
with the remains of confetti
and balloons at our feet, and
wine in our hands, we settled
down to our last dinner on the
island. Then it was back to
the bar, manned once again
by Anto, until the early hours.
A good night was had by all,
which meant that the next
morning Tom was running
around the rooms (Irish and
French!) to get us all up out of
bed. After (a slightly subdued)
breakfast, it was back to the
jobs. Mine was, surprise surprise, paint-related again!
This time, scraping it off the
walls around the front porch
until lunch.
So all in all a lot of work
was done! In addition to my
rigging and painting, we now
have new bunks, freshly varnished, floors are fixed in the
workshop and other rooms,
the boiler partitioned off, windows are scrubbed, walls are
painted and a new fruit orchard planted.
Ok, well
maybe not that last one. But
all the rest were, I swear!! So it
was with heavy hearts (and wet
feet) that we headed back to Rosmoney on the ferry, leaving the
base behind us well-prepared to
meet the spring and summer sailing! Thanks to everyone for all
their hard work and help and we’ll
see you again soon this summer!
Those who attended were:
Emma Sweeney, Jane Holland,
Cliona O'Keeffe, Pat O'Dowd,
Simon Linehan, Stuart McBride,
Colin McGiollaeain, Irene Reidy
Eamon Farrell, Sinead Boyle,
Maria Schofield with Holy, Axel,
Antoine, Yassin, Clement, Romain, Guillame and Jean Gregoire, Dan Noonan and Tom
Daune.
Jane Holland
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Getting to know your Secteur
national sailing school (20072008)
Master in Sociology, Regulation
and Management of Sport in the
University of Nantes (2010-2011)
Career in Glenans
2004 (4 months) Trainer
2005 (5 month) - Sailing manager
on Penfret (island of the archipelago)
Tom Daune
with a large development during
spring and autumn. That’s clearly
the priority. To increase the bookings of young Irish trainees who
are the future of our organization.
Hobbies,
Snorkeling and kite boarding.
West Cork is a wonderful place to
live to enjoy my hobbies.
December 2005 – February 2011
- Sailing manager on Ile d’Arz in
Morbihan.
Tom Daune – Chef de Base
Ireland Secteur
Since March 2011 : Chef deBbase Irish sector
Sailing background
I am from the Jura area of
France far from the sea. However I learned to sail dinghies
and catamarans from the age
of 7 in a club by the lake.
Sailing experience,
Experience as instructor and
trainer on many seasons.
Owner of an old 6.5 (which won
the first mini-transat in 77) during
4 years.
Lots of cruising around the coast
of Brittany.
First Glénans course
I did my first Glénans
course in 1997 and became
an instructor on catamarans in
1999. I progressed to instructor on dinghies and cruising
boats in 2003. I was a volunteer instructor and trainer from
1999 to 2003 when I became
a long term volunteer in Concarneau.
Some races in Mini 6.5 (I saw the
Fastnet for the first time in 2009
during the mini Fastnet race)
Class 40, multi 50 trimaran racing.
Education
Brevet d’état voile in the
French national sailing school
(2004-2005)
DEJEPS (it means certificate
of “coach” on a high level of
competition), specialized in
dinghy (laser 1) in the French
Reaction to living in Ireland,
The most peaceful place I
ever saw! People are careful and
attentive to others and it makes
life really pleasant and integration
easier. And it’s definitely more
easy to be here after one first
year, by understanding a bit more
and having less difficulty speaking English. About landscape, for
somebody who likes water sports
and wild places that’s a paradise.
That’s a fabulous resource for the
country.
Future personal ambitions.
For now being here in Ireland
and to continue the story with Les
Glénans.
Ambitions for Glenans,
To make of the Irish sector a
strong base in the coming years
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News Feature
2
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National Maritime Museum Re-opened
ing was extensively refurbished and re-opened to the
public in April 2012.
It is the primary collection of
materials relating to Ireland’s
colourful maritime heritage,
from ancient times through the
golden age of steam and sail,
right up to the present day.
The museum welcomes visitors, tours and groups from
home and abroad, and is fully
wheelchair accessible.
In the museum one can learn
about:
The Mariners Church
The National Maritime Museum of
Ireland is housed in a former
Mariners Church. Dating from
1837, this was built to serve the
seafaring community of the bustling harbour of Kingstown, known
today as Dún Laoghaire – or
even ‘Dublin’s Riviera’. The museum first opened its doors in
1974, and has since been managed by the Maritime Institute of
Ireland which was founded in
1941 by Col. Tony Lawlor.
Following substantial grant aid
from the Taoiseach’s Office
through the Office of Public
Works (OPW) the museum build-
The Bailey Optic – an original lighthouse beacon lamp,
which lights and rotates on a
bed of mercury
The Great Eastern – the
largest ship of its time, which
laid telegraph cable from
Kerry to Newfoundland
The Waterwag – the oldest
one-design sailing dinghy in
the world
The Royal George – an East
India Company merchant ship,
with 32 guns and a coppercovered hull
The Bailey Optic
The Currach – an original working boat from Ireland’s wild Atlantic seaboard
Ireland’s biggest disaster at sea
– the sinking of the RMS Leinster by torpedo during WW1,
with loss of over 500 lives
Ireland’s sea-life through a fascinating display of Fish and Birds
from the coastlines
‘Stories of the Irish Seas
In a unique location.’
National Maritime Museum of Ireland
Mariners Church, Haigh Terrace,
Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
Open from 11am to 5pm Tuesday – Sunday.
Admission: Adults €5 Family €10 Concessions €3
Group rates by arrangement
Telephone: 01 2143964 / 01 2800969
Email: administration@mariner.ie
Web:
RMS Leinster
www.mariner.ie
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Tom’s Technical Topics 1
Sail Control of the Month
Catamarans don’t have kicking straps,
why? And what control can you use
instead? And I don’t mean the sheet.
Catamarans don’t have kicking straps for
a couple of reasons. Firstly they are wide,
allowing them to have a traveller which
runs the width of the boat meaning the
angle between the sail and the boat can
be adjusted without needing to ease the
mainsheet. But we’ll come back to travellers later. The other main reason is because they go like the clappers! So fast
boats don’t have kicking straps?
Well a lot of them don’t! Have a look:
But why do they like the clappers?
Because the catamaran has a very low wetted surface area, it creates very little drag in the water.
(Hydrodynamic drag). Also, again due to its width
and a little help from twin trapeze lines, the centre of
gravity can be extended very far to windward, increasing the leverage between it and the centre of
buoyancy, keeping the boat flat. This means it can
carry much more sail area than monohull boats of
the same length
D is the distance between G (Centre of Gravity) and
B (Centre of Buoyancy). The greater the distance D,
the greater the leverage between the two points, the
greater the righting moment.
Apparent Wind
This brings us back to our
old pal the apparent wind.
The speed of the boat
thus gives us an apparent
wind which is orientated
quite far forward, meaning a lesser angle is required between the boat
and the sail in order to
keep our precious angle
of incidence, so the sail
can be set correctly using
the traveller and mainsheet thus eliminating the
need to ever ease the sail
out past the length of the
traveller and thus also
eliminating the need for a
kicking strap!
Boat speed
Cata : 12knts
Boat speed
monohull: 5 knts
True wind speed:
15 Knts
Apparent
Wind Cata
Apparent Wind
monohull
Continued on page 8
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Tom’s Technical Topics 2
Scientist of the Month
Arvel Gentry worked as an
aerodynamicist for over 40 years
for some of the leading aircraft
companies in America (Boeing,
Lockheed, Douglas). When he
began sailing in the 60’s, he noticed flaws in most of the literature on sail theory. So he set
about experimenting to discover
for himself how sails really work:
some of the most commonly
documented descriptions
about sail theory. His results
showed that airflow slows
down in the slot between the
jib and the mainsail and not
the inverse and also that the
air on the leeward side does
not accelerate because it has
to travel further.
“As a research aerodynamicist, I was dumbfounded when I
first started reading sailing literature as a beginning sailor and
saw what a confused state sail
theory was in.”
He documented his results
in a series of Articles for sail
magazine in 1973. He later
went on to write numerous papers and books about sail
trim, and his work forms the
basis of the aerodynamics
Gentry set about disproving
chapter in our own Cours de Glenans. He races regularly on his
own Ranger 23.
Tom Dolan
——————————————————————————————————————————————————
Sail Control of the Month
But that depends!
All that is well and good but we’re forgetting
one important factor, we need to have speed in
the first place! So it all depends on how the boat
is being sailed! The aim is to always have an apparent wind coming from the front of the boat,
which allows the airflow around the sail to remain
laminar. The faster we go, the further forward the
apparent wind moves, the more we need to sheet
in (Or bear away!), then we go even faster and
the apparent wind moves even more forward so
we sheet even more (Or bear away even more)
and so on until the excitement of the whole experience gets us trigger happy with the sheet (Or
the tiller) and we over do it and BANG. The angle
of incidence becomes too big and the sail stalls,
lift plummets and along with it the speed and then
in turn so does the apparent wind which causes it
to move back and increase even more the angle
of incidence and a whole new chain of events has
been set off. How do you get out of it? Sheet out
and luff up and it all begins again. Well this is presuming we’re going downwind, but what else
would you want to be doing in a catamaran!
Continued from page 7
And what control can you use instead?
Cats have one final way of controlling twist in
the sail, and that is the jib halyard. Imagine a
Catamaran sailing close hauled, block to block
(Mainsheet in completely so it touches the traveller block) the jib halyard is as tight as it can be,
the mast is raked forward, there is a great distance between the end of the boom and the top of
the mast. All this gives us a sail which is less
twisted (a closed leech.) Now imagine the same
catamaran with the jib halyard loose and a mast
raked back, the distance is thus much less between the end of the boom and the top of the
mast.
But how do you know which way to set it? Well
that all depends really…………….
Tom Dolan
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Page 9
Ringsend Rendezvous
March Lecture in Poolbeg
Marine Diesel Engines – Installation, Operation and Maintenance was the title of the lecture
given by Sean Walsh on Tuesday
13th March to an audience of
more than fifty Les Glénans
members and friends at the Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club, Dublin.
The audience was augmented on
the night by the presence of
members of The Old Gaffers Association who held a meeting on
the premises before the lecture.
Sean is a very experienced sailor
and marine mechanic and operates his own marine business in
Dun Laoghaire. He is well known
in the Dun Laoghaire and Dublin
area not alone for his work but
also for the voluntary time he
gives in with his lectures and information sessions.
Sean provided a marine diesel
engine to illustrate his lecture
which was very instructive and
informative and invaluable to
owners, skippers and instructors.
He offered some valuable advice
on the general operation and running of diesel engines some of
which are;
1
90% of engine problems are fuel related
2
Engines should be
frequently run at high revs
3
Let engine tick over in
neutral to cool down
4
Running in neutral for
long time is bad for the engine
5
Motor sailing for long
periods whilst heeling is not
good for the engine
6
Frequently check the sea
cock of the water cooling inlet
7
Always close the sea
cocks for winterizing
8
Clean out the fuel tank at
least every 5 years
The meeting concluded with a
very lively and constructive question and answer session after
which the display engine was
available for inspection.
Finally, the sum of €260 was
collected for the RNLI.
Mick O’Meara
RINGSEND RENDEZVOUS
On Tuesday 29th May, at Poolbeg
Yacht and Boat Club, John Maas, Archaeologist and Historian will speak
on ‘The Viking Ship Warriors in Ireland; New Discoveries about their
first raids and Settlement in 9th
century Ireland’.
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Rún na Mara Delivery
emailed detailed passage plans
for our cruise to Ireland. We eagerly boarded the, as yet mastless, Rún na Mara which had
been unceremoniously launched
that morning in our absence with
its name incorrectly spelled!
Rún na Mara, after its 562 mile
maiden voyage from La Rochelle,
arrived at the beacon at the south
entrance to Baltimore Harbour on
the stroke of noon on Easter Sunday. Skippered by Pascal Binet,
the crew consisted of Emmanuelle Villemer, Jerome Brillant,
Mick O'Meara and myself. A pod
of cavorting dolphins had briefly
upstaged the official welcoming
party led by Emma Sweeney,
President of the Les Glénans
Irish Secteur, and Sailing Manager, Tom Dolan.
Closehauled and in a freshening north westerly wind, Pascal
eased the sheets and ensured
that the welcoming party clambered safely aboard from the rib
piloted by Tom. We skimmed
past the Loo buoy with all aboard
in excited exchanges about the
distinctive design and green colour of the new flagship of the Irish
secteur.
The eight berth Rún na Mara
is an RM 1060 built by RM
Yachts of La Rochelle. It is first
twin-keeled boat on an Irish Glénans base. Perfect for drying out
on the sand close to the quay in
Derrynane Harbour! Its cutter rig
offers a lot more foresail
changing options(a big crew is
an advantage!) as we discovered on our delivery trip which
was dominated by changeable
northerly headwinds that
gusted up to 30 knots.
The large transom-less
cockpit, angular hull and 16
metre mast gives the boat a
contemporary racing look. Below decks the open plan layout makes for a spacious and
bright interior further enhanced by all-round carwindscreen style viewing
along the sides of the coachroof. A definite advantage on
those sun-starved cruising
days in Ireland.
Thursday afternoon March
29, the sun beamed down as
Mick and I rendezvoused with
Pascal, his wife, Emma, and
first mate, Jerome at the vast
marina of Port des Minimes,
which is about a mile from the
centre of La Rochelle. They
had delivered, the previous
February 2011, the two Sunfast 32s to Baltimore and
spoke very good English. Pascal, as skipper, had already
Undeterred, we relished the
novelty of checking the comprehensive inventory from a sailing
needle to an anchor that a Les
Glénans cruising boat carries
because on this occasion boat
and equipment were in pristine
condition. How long, I wondered,
would the new suit of sails with
their distinctive red Glénans panels retain their immaculate appearance? The bright interior
seemed to accentuate the untarnished gleam of the stainless
steel pots, pans, cutlery and
cooker. After four or five hours of
unpacking, checking and storing
we felt at home in our new boat
and had laid the foundation for
the teamwork that would define
our cruise to Ireland. Thus satisfied we went in search of an
aperitif or two before dining in
one of the many restaurants in
the winding cobbled streets of La
Rochelle.
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Rún na Mara Delivery
Bright and early the following
morning, Friday, Pascal and the
boatyard rigger efficiently supervised the crane-assisted stepping
of the sixteen metre mast. By
lunch-time without fuss we had
the mast fully rigged and the
spanking new mainsail hanked on
and neatly folded on the boom
with its labour saving lazyjacks. A
busy afternoon ensued trying to
finalise the inventory items such
as the Dan Buoy which hadn't
been delivered by the boatyard.
Meanwhile, Emma organised provisioning of the boat in accordance with a series of menus she
had expertly and creatively prepared. Late Friday evening we
celebrated our skipper's decision
that we were ready to leave the
following morning.
In the Saturday morning sun
with the log at zero, at the civilised hour of 1100, we nosed our
way out of the marina. It was already buzzing with boy-racers
nonchalantly tacking to and fro in
their racing dinghies. At a more
leisurely pace with only four knots
of a fickle North Easterly wind, we
had just enough momentum to
make for the open sea to Concarneau for our shake-down sail.
Under a cloudless sky, Rún na
Mara ghosted along as we savoured the pleasure of a faultless
Continued from page 10
first hoisting of the 33.6m2
mainsail and 38m2 genoa.
This was reinforced by an already established Les Glénans esprit de corps and an
eager anticipation of the challenge of delivering a new and
stylish boat to Baltimore.
Navigation out of La Rochelle was in the hands of our
cool and capable first mate,
Jerome. He set the pattern of
an hourly inscribed log that
was maintained till we
reached Baltimore. We used
Pascal's computer-based plotting system with a full set of
paper charts as a backup. Our
watch system was based on
six hour stints with Emma and
I initiating the system at 1800 and
Mick and Jerome taking over at
midnight right through 'the graveyard watch' till 0600.
Definitely the most demanding
watch and arguably too long for
anybody else except that dream
duo! Pascal, as skipper, was on
call at all times with what seemed
like endless energy reserves
whether when sail changing or
peeling the carrots(for our night
vision)! In fairness he did have a
good appetite and not just for
carrots. He is blessed to have a
wife like Emma who can cook
and sail in all weathers.
We arrived in Concarneau on
Sunday evening at 1816 after a
31 hour maiden sail of 160 miles
where crew and boat were well
tested. The gentle flukey northwest four knot winds veered easterly and increased gradually till it
averaged 23 knots between midnight and 10.00. Sail balance is
even more critical with a performance boat like the RM1060. We
learned (again!) that it pays to
change earlier rather than later.
The stay-sail of the cutter rig has
a lot of advantages. I learned,
however, that I was out of practice regarding sail changing on a
wave-washed bouncing foredeck
in the dark but an old dog can relearn old tricks!
V o l u m e
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Rún na Mara Delivery
Continued from page 11
On Monday in Concarneau Rún
na Mara was converted into a
high class cargo boat at the behest of Tom Dolan to transport to
Baltimore equipment and sails of
all sorts that had been stored in
the Glénans base. Tom is lucky
because Mick and Jerome
seemed particularly experienced
in the art of secretion and storage
and nothing was left behind.
Jerome's knowledge of deckcargo knots is second to none.
A forecast of strong gale force
winds led Pascal to change his
mind about sailing directly to Baltimore. Instead we sailed overnight in light winds to Audierne, a
distance of 46 miles. We were
well sheltered on Tuesday when
the wind came in bringing whistling to the rigging. Constant
monitoring of the meteo at Pascal's Electronic Communications
Console(used to be called 'chart
table') was relieved by studying
boat manuals, visiting the Irish
bar, sampling onboard RM cocktails, Emma's excellent cooking,
exchanging experiences from
école de vie and exploring the
pleasures of cruising in Ireland.
Despite all these attractions,
with the weather forecasted to
Delivery crew: Seamus, Mick, Emmanuelle, Pascal and Jerome.
improve we set off for Baltimore at 1045 on Thursday
morning. A gentle easterly
breeze of 11 knots encouraged us to hoist the new shiny
green spinnaker. Could life get
any better we mused but after
three glorious hours we were
back to mainsail and genoa.
By 1700 the wind had gone
into the northeast and gradually increased so that from
2200 to 0200 the wind averaged 27 knots with rough
seas. With three reefs in the
main and a reefed staysail, we
were flying along as we
crossed the busy shipping
lanes. It was not a night for a
sound sleep or late night dining. A surreal distraction was
a dazzling full moon which
flooded the cockpit like a
searchlight when the cloud
cover parted intermittently as
Rún na Mara ducked and
dived through the waves.
The northeasterly gradually
moderated though Friday.
However, by 2200 it had
backed northwesterly with 12
knots on the nose to Baltimore. There was no choice
but to tack through Friday night
and Saturday until a glorious
dawn on Sunday revealed the
coastline from Galley Head to
Cape Clear. In light winds we
tacked towards Baltimore until a
text from Clíona O'Keeffe at the
base in Baltimore indicated a
Céad Míle Fáilte awaited Rún na
Mara and her crew.
Later on that evening, Emma
and Clíóna hosted a convivial
celebration of the safe arrival of
Rún na Mara and its French-Irish
crew, ably and amiably skippered
by Pascal Binet. This delivery
cruise, apart from fostering closer
personal links between French
and Irish members, facilitated a
mutual exhange of sailing experience. Also, Rún na Mara is the
first RM 1060 purchased by Les
Glénans. Assigning it to the Irish
Secteur, apart from being a considerable financial investment,
expresses a strong commitment
to cruising in Ireland and an endorsement of Tom Daune's vision
for the Irish Secteur.
Seamus Fitzgerald
V o l u m e
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Page 13
Instructors Information
Remarks :
How to become an Instructor
with Lés Glenans
The complete Process
You can instruct as Assistant Instructor after your
Level 5. You can’t instruct alone but it’s a way to
obtain a first experience before the instructor
course. You get some credits as instructors.
First Aid is included in the Instructor Course. However you need your Swimming Certificate and
your Power Boat Certificate (except for cruising
instructors) on the first day of your course.
When you are a “trainee-instructor”, you are usually
operating with the sailing manager as tutor. He
takes time daily to help you on the preparation of
the sailing session and make an evaluation of
your capacity to teach. You get some credits as a
complete instructor.
Somebody who is already an instructor on one support and wants to become an instructor on another type of boat has to complete the level 5.
Then the person becomes “trainee-instructor”
without making the instructor course a second
time.
There is an Offshore level for the cruising instructor to
instruct on part of level 3 courses (intensive and
navigation) and level 4 courses.
Tom Daune
Dear Instructors,
I would like to make a point on the next cruising courses for keelboat instructors.
I remind that a Level 4 cruising course has to be done before the Level 5.
We have the following dates on 1 week:
-Chef de Bord (RM 1060) the 9th of June
-Chef de Bord (RM 1060) the 4th of August.
And the Level 4 cruising course going to Glasgow
-14th of July: Baltimore-Glasgow on 2 weeks
-28th of July: Glasgow-Baltimore on 2 weeks
TOMAS REIDY
Congratulations to Tomas Reidy who
recently became a Yachtmaster
(Offshore).
A Level 5 cruising course on 1 week for Irish keelboat instructors who did a
level 4 cruising course before can be organized on the 11th of August.
Tom Daune
Les Glénans
A sailing school, A sea school, A school of life
THE BEACON
Newsletter of Les Glénans Irish Secteur Committee
Editor: Mick O’Meara
mickomeara@eircom.net
Written contributions and photographs are invited.
Le Glénans AGM Paris
The AGM of Les Glénans was held on April the
14th in Paris. As with any assembly it was a great opportunity for members to come together, share ideas
(and debates!), reflect on the past year and look forward to the future plans.
Approval of the 2011 financial report and accounts
The meeting opened with an update from the Managing Director, Laurent Martini who gave an overview
of the association’s operational performance. This
was followed by a financial update, and then a presentation of the “morale report” by Jean Pierre
Glasser. All of this information
presented was sent
via
email
to
members and
contained in the
last edition
o f
t h e
“Courier”
which
is
available on
the Glénans
website. If you
didn’t receive it,
you can email
the Secteur committee and we will
send you on a copy.
Finally, there was the election of the Conseil
d’Administration with 7 candidates running for 4
places. The following candidates were elected:
There were presentations by all of the Secteur
committee’s presidents – needless to say significant
interest in the Irish Secteur and what is going on here!
Pascal Binet (delivering skipper of Run na Mara) gave
an update on behalf of the instructors committee and
this was followed by an overview and findings from
the medical commission. Some discussion and debate
then ensued with regards to the use of alcohol on the
bases/boats as well as tobacco use with the juniors.
Before the Conseil election took place, there was a
vote on the following, all of which were passed:
Approval of the Morale Report
A motion to authorize the Board to
change within a reasonable limit, the membership fees for 2012-2013
Isabelle Beaudouin
Jean Pierre Glasser
Jacques Urvoas
Luc Fourichon
After the AGM , there was a short meeting of
the Conseil d’Administration to elect the “Bureau”
I.e. Chair group. The President, assisted by the
Bureau, is responsible to ensure implementation
of board decisions as well as monitor the operation of the association.
President
Vice President
Jean Pierre Glasser
Yves Pellisier &
Marie-Hélène Farnaud
Treasurer
Vice Treasurer
Secretary
Sinéad McAleese
Yves le Guelte
Sylvestre Louis
Emma Sweeney
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
29th May
Ringsend Rendezvous
7th Sept
Fastnet Glen Baltimore