About 8 miles west of Kinvara on the coast road one finds the small village of Bellharbour. It is situated on the most easterly point of Ballyvaughan Bay in its own once oyster rich Pouldoody Bay. During the 19th century, the London Penny Magazine (No. 335, page 236), published under the auspices of the Society for Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, mentions, amongst the best beds in the United Kingdom, this bank as remarkable for oysters of superior flavour. The Cistercian Abbey of Corcomroe is located just a short walk away from the slipway in Bellharbour. The chancel area (around the alter) has some of the finest stone carvings in Ireland. With Bellharbour as a base, you can easily explore the geology, history and ecology of the Burren. However, this is all irrelevant one weekend each year when the Kinvara Bay Sailing Club arrives.

Starting in 2005, Fergus, Kay and their friends have organized the Bellharbour Trophy race. Daly’s Pub has generously provided the perpetual trophy in the form of a ship’s bell of course. The race date at Bellharbour is determined by the tides because only during Leap tides is there sufficient depth of water for the course to be set, races to be run and buoys to be recovered.

This year, on 9th September the tides were right, the weather warm and sunny and the winds strong but variable blowing southerly between Force 2-5. Nineteen dinghies including 13 Herons, 2 Mirrors, 2 Toppers, a Laser 13 and a GP-14 took to the water. The Youth Race was run first and for the second year running was won by Billy and Jenny Kinane sailing ‘No Sweat’ (PY applied). The course was then set for the longer ‘Senior’ Race. It begin with a triangle in the lower bay followed by a long run into Poulnaclogh Bay past the oyster beds to the castle before heading back to the triangle and finish in the lower bay. Currents were strong particularly in the narrow channel between marks 3 & 4. The swirling winds forced numerous changes in tack between marks. At the finish line (after correcting times based upon PY) the results were not surprising with ‘Andiamo’ helmed by Hamish Rodger first followed closely in order by ‘Snipe’ helmed by Fergus Quinlan and ‘Tilfinch’ helmed by Mike Tully. Competition was fierce nonetheless for the rest of the fleet as they jockeyed for final position. Yells of ‘Starboard’ were echoing throughout the bay so frequently you would have thought that government grants were being offered for its use! Final results for the fleet are shown below.

Chris Dufresne

Honorary Secretary, KBSC