Wests’ Winds Up The Challenge

Date Published: 07-Aug-2008

THE west winds blew – and blew hard and lively – across Cuan an Fhir Mhóir on Sunday. They translate it as Greatman’s Bay and it took good men and women to face the elements on a totally unseasonal early August day. In fact, the gleoteóg races were put off until Monday such was the anger of the sea.

But it was all the more a challenge for those who set of in the great sailboats of the west – the Galway Hookers – in Sunday’s race. Around and around the bay until journey’s end and the St. Cáillín owned by Stiofán de Bhailís from an Cheathrua Rua won the day.

Féile an Dóilín was launched in 1977 and it was the first such festival of the sea on an organised basis on the south Connemara coast. Ever since the best of sailing women and men take to the seas in an Cheathrua Rua in early August in an age old battle against each other and against the waves.

The Match up race – sailboat against sailboat – made waves last Saturday as two boats went out against each other in each heat. It is like the match-play in golf. In the end the the Naomh Pádraig owned by Pádraig Johney Phatch won the Gleoteóga Beaga Championship. In the larger Gleoteoga Móra the boat v. boat championship was…