Inaugural Galway Bay Sea kayak Race Announcement.
The inaugural Galway Bay Sea Kayak Race is set to take place on Sunday 24th May 2009 (weather permitting) during the first weekend of the Volvo Ocean race Stopover Festival.
The aim is to to run a safe event that caters for all abilities, promotes sea kayaking, and contributes a visual maritime spectacle to the Ocean race stopover festival. The Volvo Ocean fleet is due to arrive Galway between Friday and Sunday 22-24th so excitement levels are expected high that weekend.
The race course will consist of laps of semi-sheltered inner Galway Bay (directly in front of city/docks). Comprehensive Rescue boat cover will be provided. Classes offered will cater for all abilities and include:
Novice Class including sit on tops (singles & doubles), approx 3km
Standard Sea kayak class (singles & doubles), approx 8-10km
Racing Sea Kayak Class (singles & doubles), , approx 12-14km
The race is planned to start from new dock area of Galway City at approx; 14:00hrs on Sunday 24th May 2009. Directions to follow.
More details will be posted shortly.
To help guage potential race numbers & arrange appropriate numbers of safety cover boats, it would be helpful to send expressions of intent to participate to info@kayakmor.com , thank you.
Hope to see you in Galway
All the best
Jim Morrissey
087 7565578
info@kayakmor.com
Galway Bay Sea Kayak Race May 24th 2009
Re:Galway Bay Sea Kayak Race May 24th 2009
Well done Jim ,
It is a great addition to the Sea Kayaking world.
Best of luck
Jim Kennedy
It is a great addition to the Sea Kayaking world.
Best of luck
Jim Kennedy
-
seaweedbath
- Posts: 0
- Joined: Sat Oct 26, 2013 9:37 am
Re:Galway Bay Sea Kayak Race May 24th 2009
Galway Bay Sea Kayak Race Update, May 22nd 2009
To those paddlers who have made contact, thank you for registering interest to compete in the inaugural Galway Bay Sea Kayak Race.
Over 50 paddlers have registered to date, and with good weather forecast for Sunday hopefully we will have more paddlers joining. If you have not yet registered and intend to paddle, please drop us a line.
The latest ‘guesstimation’ of an ETA for the Volvo Ocean Race Fleet arriving in Galway is possibly Sunday afternoon- evening. As a result road (& marine) traffic is predicted to be heavy in the approaches to Galway and around the city. It’s recommended to allow a good bit of extra time for your journey. Ideally, paddlers should be aiming to reach docks by 12:30.
This afternoon, we drove the race course in Force 4-5 Westerly wind conditions. Maximum wave height of 1-1.5ft was encountered. The course lap was largely sheltered by Mutton Island and the Mutton Island Causeway. Best places for spectators are Nimmo’s Pier, South Park and Mutton Island causeway (all are on the west side of the River Corrib). Interestingly, the Ocean leg finish line is just seaward of Mutton Island close to the south turn on the lap, so keep a sharp eye out to sea at the turn.
3km Novice course may be adjusted on the day depending on conditions.
Weather Forecast for Sunday 24th May (Met Eireann);
Sunday will be another dry and bright day with variable cloud and sunny spells. Winds will be light variable or southwest, with afternoon temperatures reaching the high teens. It\'ll continue very mild or even warm for Monday and Tuesday too.
Prizegiving is loosely scheduled for 17:30 hrs. Venue will be decided by Sunday.
Opening Ceremony for the Stopover Festival will start at 22:00hrs on Sunday evening on the Topaz main stage in the dock festival village.
Information, Directions & Traffic arrangements for Galway Bay Sea Kayak Race
Galway Bay Sea Kayak race will be based in the temporary car park beside the new slipway at Dun Aengus dock in the Galway Enterprise Park/new dock area. The new slipway is on the East side of the river and faces across to Nimmo’s Pier.
Parking is on a first come first served basis and will cost €5 flat rate for the day, payable at entrance kiosk.
Race start is scheduled for 14:00hrs, Entries close at 13:00hrs and boat control at 13:30hrs.
*Please remember to bring whistle as part of personal safety equipment.
Checkpoint on Lough Atalia Road
Due to road closures between the city and the adjacent docks during the Galway Stopover, Lough Atalia Road is the only way into the new dock area. Over the weekends of the Ocean race stopover festival (including next Sunday) there will be road checkpoint on the south (dock) end of Lough Atalia road at traffic light junction below the Radisson hotel. Normal traffic won’t be allowed to the south end of Lough Atalia road and dock area.
However, It has been cleared with Craig Flaherty of Lets Do It organisation /Festival Traffic Control that vehicles attending the Sea Kayak Race WILL be permitted to pass through this checkpoint and onto the docks. I have made it clear that in addition to vehicles carrying kayaks, there will be other vehicles without Kayaks that will have paddlers, and it has been agreed they too can pass the checkpoint.
If you have problems stuck in traffic/checkpoint give me a shout at 087 7565578
Directions to Race start from checkpoint on Lough Atalia/Radisson hotel Junction:
Orange coloured direction signs marked “kayaks” will be hung from the Huntsman Junction to Race Start.
(Lough Atalia Road is easily found from old Dublin road/ Huntsman’s Inn junction for traffic coming from East, and via Fosters Street coming from west)
Pass through checkpoint on Lough Atalia road, under railway bridge, past Texaco Garage & coal depot on left and it’s the next left just before Tan-coloured Harbour Hotel.
After 50 metres your sent left. Pass the loading bays of Galway Bay Seafoods (on your right). At T-junction take left, cross over the bridge into the new dock/ Galway Enterprise Area.
Take first right into Temporary Car park. (€5 parking fee payable at kiosk) Race entries and boat control will be at the far end of the car park closest to the brand new slipway.
Look forward to seeing you on Sunday
Jim Morrissey
Race Organiser
087 7565578
info at kayakmor dot com
To those paddlers who have made contact, thank you for registering interest to compete in the inaugural Galway Bay Sea Kayak Race.
Over 50 paddlers have registered to date, and with good weather forecast for Sunday hopefully we will have more paddlers joining. If you have not yet registered and intend to paddle, please drop us a line.
The latest ‘guesstimation’ of an ETA for the Volvo Ocean Race Fleet arriving in Galway is possibly Sunday afternoon- evening. As a result road (& marine) traffic is predicted to be heavy in the approaches to Galway and around the city. It’s recommended to allow a good bit of extra time for your journey. Ideally, paddlers should be aiming to reach docks by 12:30.
This afternoon, we drove the race course in Force 4-5 Westerly wind conditions. Maximum wave height of 1-1.5ft was encountered. The course lap was largely sheltered by Mutton Island and the Mutton Island Causeway. Best places for spectators are Nimmo’s Pier, South Park and Mutton Island causeway (all are on the west side of the River Corrib). Interestingly, the Ocean leg finish line is just seaward of Mutton Island close to the south turn on the lap, so keep a sharp eye out to sea at the turn.
3km Novice course may be adjusted on the day depending on conditions.
Weather Forecast for Sunday 24th May (Met Eireann);
Sunday will be another dry and bright day with variable cloud and sunny spells. Winds will be light variable or southwest, with afternoon temperatures reaching the high teens. It\'ll continue very mild or even warm for Monday and Tuesday too.
Prizegiving is loosely scheduled for 17:30 hrs. Venue will be decided by Sunday.
Opening Ceremony for the Stopover Festival will start at 22:00hrs on Sunday evening on the Topaz main stage in the dock festival village.
Information, Directions & Traffic arrangements for Galway Bay Sea Kayak Race
Galway Bay Sea Kayak race will be based in the temporary car park beside the new slipway at Dun Aengus dock in the Galway Enterprise Park/new dock area. The new slipway is on the East side of the river and faces across to Nimmo’s Pier.
Parking is on a first come first served basis and will cost €5 flat rate for the day, payable at entrance kiosk.
Race start is scheduled for 14:00hrs, Entries close at 13:00hrs and boat control at 13:30hrs.
*Please remember to bring whistle as part of personal safety equipment.
Checkpoint on Lough Atalia Road
Due to road closures between the city and the adjacent docks during the Galway Stopover, Lough Atalia Road is the only way into the new dock area. Over the weekends of the Ocean race stopover festival (including next Sunday) there will be road checkpoint on the south (dock) end of Lough Atalia road at traffic light junction below the Radisson hotel. Normal traffic won’t be allowed to the south end of Lough Atalia road and dock area.
However, It has been cleared with Craig Flaherty of Lets Do It organisation /Festival Traffic Control that vehicles attending the Sea Kayak Race WILL be permitted to pass through this checkpoint and onto the docks. I have made it clear that in addition to vehicles carrying kayaks, there will be other vehicles without Kayaks that will have paddlers, and it has been agreed they too can pass the checkpoint.
If you have problems stuck in traffic/checkpoint give me a shout at 087 7565578
Directions to Race start from checkpoint on Lough Atalia/Radisson hotel Junction:
Orange coloured direction signs marked “kayaks” will be hung from the Huntsman Junction to Race Start.
(Lough Atalia Road is easily found from old Dublin road/ Huntsman’s Inn junction for traffic coming from East, and via Fosters Street coming from west)
Pass through checkpoint on Lough Atalia road, under railway bridge, past Texaco Garage & coal depot on left and it’s the next left just before Tan-coloured Harbour Hotel.
After 50 metres your sent left. Pass the loading bays of Galway Bay Seafoods (on your right). At T-junction take left, cross over the bridge into the new dock/ Galway Enterprise Area.
Take first right into Temporary Car park. (€5 parking fee payable at kiosk) Race entries and boat control will be at the far end of the car park closest to the brand new slipway.
Look forward to seeing you on Sunday
Jim Morrissey
Race Organiser
087 7565578
info at kayakmor dot com
-
catrionawoods
- Posts: 0
- Joined: Sat Oct 26, 2013 9:37 am
Re:Galway Bay Sea Kayak Race May 24th 2009
Terrific paddle jim. Certaintly challenged me. looking forward to the next one
Catriona
Catriona