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Courtown Sailing Club Lift-In Day – Back in the Water for 2026!

April 18th was the big day we’d all been waiting for — Courtown Sailing Club’s annual Lift-In.

It’s a brilliant community event where boat owners get together and bring in a crane to lift all the boats off their winter trailers and back into the harbour in one go. There’s always a great buzz as everyone lends a hand and watches their boats finally touch the water again.

Here are a few photos from the day:

Before – The harbour looking quiet with the crane ready for action:

After – What a difference! The harbour full of life again with the fleet back in their natural element:

And there she is — SULA safely back in the water and looking ready for the season ahead!

This year’s Lift-Out is scheduled for Saturday, 3rd October. Roll on the summer sailing!

We’ve just finished giving SULA some proper TLC over the winter, and she’s now sitting pretty at Courtown Sailing Club yard, all prepped and ready for the 2026 sailing season.

Over the last few months we got stuck in with the following jobs:

Fitted a fresh set of anodes to keep her well protected.
Gave the hull a thorough wash-down and applied new anti-foul paint.
Sourced and fitted a new jib halyard.
Installed a new transducer so the instruments will be spot on.
Polished and detailed the topsides and deck until she was shining again.

It’s always a good feeling knowing the boat has been properly looked after during the off-season. SULA is now clean, protected, and ready to go back in the water when the weather improves.

Bring on the 2026 season!

League 1 Race 3 – 9th May 2026 Race Cancelled

Saturday’s League 1 Race 3 was cancelled due to gusty ENE winds.

Thankfully the OOD showed good sense and made the call early. With strong gusty conditions, just getting out of the harbour safely would have been a real challenge, never mind racing.

Disappointing to miss another race, but safety first — especially in these conditions.

Full details here: Race Results

Here’s hoping for better (and safer) conditions for the next one! ⛵

League 1 Race 2 – 2nd May 2026 Much Better!

Saturday 2nd May brought League 1 Race 2, and the conditions were noticeably better than our first race. With a South wind and light rain, it was a bit windier — exactly what we needed.

SULA got off to a good start this time and we managed to put together a much stronger race overall. It felt great to be competitive again after the frustration of the light-wind opener.

We were delighted to finish with a 2nd place on corrected time — a solid result and some good momentum going forward.

Full results here: Race Results

Onwards and upwards — looking forward to the next one! ⛵

League 1 Race 1 – 25th April 2026 A Gentle Start to the Season

The 2026 racing season at Courtown Sailing Club officially kicked off on Saturday 25th April with League 1 Race 1.

Conditions were very light with a Northeast breeze — not quite the strong winds we’d hoped for to blow away the winter cobwebs! It was a proper drifting race, but still a great day to be back on the water with the fleet.

Shake & Bake dominated the start line, putting the pressure on early and controlling the race from the front. SULA unfortunately got a slow start and struggled to find clear air and speed in the patchy conditions. It was one of those frustrating light-wind days where small mistakes cost big time.

Still, we managed to grind out a 4th place on corrected time — not the result we wanted, but a solid enough start and plenty to build on.

You can view the full results here: Race 1 Results

Bring on Race 2! Hopefully the wind gods will be kinder next time.

League 3 Race 3 – 13th May 2026 Race Cancelled

Wednesday 13th May brought strong and gusty Northeast winds for League 3 Race 3.

Turnout was extremely low — only Shake & Bake and SULA were around the harbour. However, it turned out Shake & Bake had swapped sailing for golf that day, leaving SULA as the only boat ready to race.

As acting OOD, the decision was an easy one. With just one boat on the water, there was no proper race to be had. SULA needs some competition to make it worthwhile!

That’s now the second cancelled race in League 3 this season. Hopefully Saturday brings better numbers and more favourable conditions.

Full details here: Race Results

Fingers crossed for a better turnout next time! ⛵

League 3 Race 2 – 6th May 2026 Another Light Wind Battle

Wednesday 6th May delivered League 3 Race 2 in light southerly winds — the second light-wind race in a row this season.

The Race Officer set a South Course 1, but with the breeze fading and the tide strengthening, the course was shortened before reaching mark Y. Boats rounded A, then Y, and headed straight for the finish.

Shake & Bake and SULA managed to cross the line just before the strong tide really kicked in. Behind us, Oscar and Jumeau found it tough going, while Certa Cito and Awol unfortunately couldn’t finish within the time limit after battling the tide.

It was a tricky evening with patchy wind and a powerful current making life difficult, but another good result for SULA and some valuable points on the board.

Full results here: Race Results

Hoping for a bit more consistent breeze next time out! ⛵