Commodore Update - August 2025

The sailing season is in full swing both at home and abroad, with plenty of club racing, cruising, open events, and participation in wider competitions and events ongoing.

As you all know, our General Committee is highly active and engaged with the running of our club — though we do occasionally give them some leave! Treasurer Ken Burke recently took a well-earned break to collect his new boat, VIXEN, in Denmark. He then undertook an impressive 1,150-nautical-mile cruise over ten days, passing through seven countries and braving all kinds of weather on his journey home — a remarkable achievement.

On the racing front, committee members Lara Jameson and Darren Wright took part in the challenging Aegean 600, a non-stop 600-mile race around Greece. According to reports, the Norse god Njord and his Greek counterpart Poseidon combined forces to put our Howth sailors to the test — a test they passed with flying colours, and they are now safely back to their day jobs.

Vice Commodore Gary Cullen represented us in the IC37 USA National Championships in Newport, Rhode Island, while Rear Commodore Jill Summerville and Tom McMahon competed in both the Squib National and Southern Championships. These experiences continue to build the knowledge and expertise of our committee — an important asset when making decisions that serve the best interests of our sailing community.

Also, with summer blooms to be seen around the club, I just wanted to acknowledge the efforts of our gardening volunteers led by Nick and Liz Massey, and Mary Cooper, and their helpers for all the work to keep us ship shape and so well presented. 

Finally. following our recent meeting with the Minister for the Marine, we now await an update on when the EPA will issue a licence to the Department of the Marine to begin the long-awaited dredging programme. The Department has completed all necessary steps, and the application was submitted over a year ago. We remain hopeful that the Minister will use his good offices to prompt the EPA into making a decision soon.

Enjoy the rest of the summer.

Kevin Monks

Commodore