History

KYC WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1953

Kinsale Yacht Club (KYC) was established in 1953. The club was first located in two cottages opposite the slip at Scilly,
across the harbour from the current location and the first Commodore was John H. Thuillier.

The current clubhouse was purchased in the early 1960’s; Dick Hegarty oversaw the purchase as the Club solicitor.
Over the decades the Club has been extended with the most recent refurbishment in 2013.

In 1978, the Club and its members funded and built the first marina. The Marina was extended in 2003 to its current layout.

By the mid-1950’s, there were six boats racing in the club comprising of a dragon called ‘Sleuth’, two colleens, ‘Pinkeen’ and ‘Spalpeen’, an Uffa Ace, Dick Hegarty’s cruiser ‘Bedouin’ and a jollyboat sailed by the 70-year old Commodore Brigadier General Dorman. Jeanot Petch made an exotic addition to the already varied fleet when he built a Prout catamaran in 1957.

The fleet would leave the Bulman Buoy to port or starboard according to the wind, as the Commodore did not want to gybe that far out to sea! Later a 45 gallon drum was placed upriver and used as an upwind mark until the new bridge was built in the 1970’s. All the boats at that time were kept on swing moorings in the river. The Cork Harbour Dragon Fleet, based in the Royal Munster Yacht Club in Crosshaven, now the Royal Cork Yacht Club, moved to Kinsale.

Over time, dinghy fleets of Albacores, Mirrors, Flying Fifteens, Fireballs and Enterprises developed and junior sailing instruction began. Junior sailing now encompasses Optimists, Lasers and Toppers. One design racing takes place weekly  in International Dragons and Squibs. Cruiser Classes I, II, III & White Sail also race weekly.

HOST OF VARIOUS CHAMPIONSHIPS

In the 1970’s, the Club started hosting Regional and National Championships. In 1977 the club hosted the World Fireball Championships and the Dragon Gold Cup and started to develop its widely recognised race management teams. Here are some of the Championships KYC has hosted:

1984 – Flying Fifteen World Championships
1998 – Mirror European Championships
2003 – Dragon Europeans
2008 – Squib National Championships
2008 – Flying Fifteen European Championships
2012 – Dragon Gold Cup
2013 – IFDS World Championships
2014 – Dragon National Championships
2015 – Optimist Munster Championships
2016 – Squib National Championships
2016 – Dragon National Championships
2016 – Topper Munster Championships
2017 – Dragon South Coast Championships
2017 – Half Ton Classic Cup
2017 – 1720 European Championships
2018 – President’s Cup & Hanse National Championships
2018 – Optimist National Championships
2019 – 1720 European Championships
2019 – Dragon National Championships
2019 – Half Ton Cup
2020 – Laser Munster Championships
2021 – Squib Southcoast Championship 17 – 18 July
2021 – Dragon National Championship 2 – 5 Sept
Solitaire du Figaro on 19 occasions from 1974
Sovereigns cup biannually since 1995

Future Championships:

2022 – Squib UK Nationals
2024 – Dragon Gold Cup