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Irish sailor excels in
bluQube Solo 1000 mile race
Article sent by sally.
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Barry
Hurley, originally from Cork, but now
living in Dublin, has finished runner up in both
classes of the bluQube solo 1000, single handed
yacht race. His boat ‘Dinah’ (a modified JOD35)
was 2nd in the open class, which is
based on the actual placings of boats as they
cross the finishing line and also second overall
in the coveted IRC* class.
The
bluQube Solo 1000 involved 3
legs (Mylor, England to Kinsale, Ireland – 185
miles, Kinsale to Santander, Spain - 525 miles
and Santander to Camaret, France - 290 miles,
covering a total of 1,000 miles. Twenty
boats competed in the race which set off from
Falmouth (Mylor) on 29th June
2008.
Barry comments on
his success, "I am delighted with my performance
in what is one of the most challenging races I
have ever participated in. During the winter my
friend Bob Hobby (a fellow sailing enthusiast
and editor of the on-line sailing publication
www.sail.ie) and I gave my boat Dinah a complete
refit. Everything inside was rebuilt to
make her lighter, stronger and faster.
Fortunately the preparation really paid
off. During the race the storms were appalling,
especially on the second leg.
I
had everything thrown at me with winds blowing
over 40 knots, but Dinah stood up incredibly
well. Conditions were so bad in fact that more
than half the entrants did not complete the
course.” Lack of sleep is a major
problem for competitors who often have to resort
to power-napping for 10 to 20 minutes at a time.
Sleep deprivation can also lead to
hallucinations; Barry commented, “At one point,
Yoda from Star Wars was sitting at the bow of
the boat giving me directions!” He
continues, “During the trip I had many high and
lows, the lowest point was when I had to drop
all the sails during a massive storm in the Bay
of Biscay and lost my autopilot remote control
over the side of the
boat!
However, leading the
fleet 24 hours into the last leg, ahead of much
bigger and more powerful boats was exhilarating
and more than made up for the earlier
problems.” Barry aged 31, has been sailing
for over 20 years and spends every moment he can
on the water. In addition he is no stranger to
pressure as he balances his sailing hobby with
his job as Head of Finance Operations for O2
Ireland.He concludes, "Completing the
bluQube 1000 Solo means that I
have gained automatic entry into next years
OSTAR. At 3,000 miles, it is one of the most
testing single handed Trans-Atlantic races.
I am really looking forward to this new
challenge.”*The IRC is a system of handicapping
sailboats and yachts for the purpose of racing.
Managed by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) it
allows sailors to compete on an equal footing
with larger yachts therefore results are based
on the sailing skills of the helmsman
alone.
Editor’s
notes:
About
Symmetry:Established in 1996, Symmetry is a
software company that specialises in the
development and supply of business-to-business
financial solutions within the UK.
The company’s core product,
bluQube, is a fully
integrated financial and management accounting
solution aimed at organisations ranging in size
from £3M turnover to £250M turnover and with
user populations from 2 to 800+ users.
www.bluqube.co.uk
About
Petit Bateau Petit Bateau
was formed by a group of entrants in the 2000
OSTAR as a means of exchanging information and
expertise. Since then it has grown to a
membership of over 360 sailors in twelve
countries. Joining is free. The only requirement
is an enthusiasm for short handed and solo yacht
racing. All levels of skill and experience
are welcome. The current membership ranges from
novices to OSTAR winners, circumnavigators and
Olympic medallists.
The PB forum
allows immediate access to a wealth of expertise
and advice, plus an archive of “posts” going
back over 7 years. PB members now
cooperate in organizing an extensive programme
of quality single-handed races. In 2008 they
will range from a four race series based in the
Solent through to a 1000 mile oceanic challenge
sponsored by bluQube [accounting
solution|http://www.bluqube.co.uk] which has
been designated the official qualifier for OSTAR
2009.
Press
Contact: Jane Moores/Sally Minchin TTA
Communications, 0845 6580120. E-mail: jmoores@ttauk.com | |
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