National Yacht Club

The NYC will reconnect with its roots this Friday 31st May. The the 9-tonner Ainmara (pictured left), built in 1912, was John Breslin Kearney’s first proper yacht and has been owned  for 47 years by former Round Ireland record holder Dickie Gomes of Strangford Lough. He is noted particularly for holding the Round Ireland Record from 1986 until 1993 with the 83ft catamaran Novanet. His record fell to the challenge through the National YC by Steve Fossett with Con Murphy and Cathy McAleavy and others on the 60ft trimaran Lakota in September 1993, a record which still stands. However, through all the period in which Dickie Gomes was at the sharp end of  Irish offshore racing, he has had a parallel existence as the owner of the vintage Ainmara, which played a key role in developing the design career of John B Kearney (1879-1967). With a day job in Dublin Port & Docks, where eventually he became the de facto Harbour Engineer, Kearney had to build her himself in his spare time in 18 months between 1910 and 1912 in Ringsend, working by hand with the light of oil lamps. In time his design career was to grow with more than 20 cruisers, and he also created the Mermaids in 1932, whose 80th Anniversary championship last year in Skerries was won by the NYC’s Jonathan O’Rourke. John Kearney sold Ainmara in 1923 in order to build his dreamship, the hugely successful 38ft Mavis which was his personal yacht during many of the years he was NYC Rear Commodore. Mavis was sold to America in 1956, but the good news is that she is currently undergoing a successful restoration. Ainmara meanwhile was restored by Dickie Gomes comfortably in time for her Centenary last year, and this year she returns to her birthplace of Ringsend for the first time in 90 years. But before going there on Saturday, this Friday she will make her number at the NYC, for it was in this club that John Kearney was at his most content. In fact, his last public appearance at the age of 87 was in the National on New Year’s Day 1967. He came down to the club to wish his many friends a Happy New Year, which he celebrated with his favourite tipple of Mitchells Green Spot Whiskey, then he went home to Monkstown in fine form, and died that night. The yacht will be in Dublin Bay this week-end for the Old Gaffers Association Golden Jubilee and will take part in the the inaugural, perpetual ‘RMS Leinster’ Trophy Plate, commemorating the sad loss on October 1918 of the Mailboat ‘RMS Leinster’, which was torpedoed and sunk while on passage from Kingstown (Dun Laoghaire)to Holyhead, just 5 miles East of the existing Kish Lighthouse off Dublin Bay. The Ainmara will be met at sea and escorted through the harbour on Friday at around 1600 by the DBSC Mermaid Fleet as well as by the NYC Commodore, Vice-Commodore and Boathouse Captain. It’s hoped that Ainmara will be berthing at the NYC pontoon around 5.30 pm on Friday May 31st. All members are invited to come down and this historic yacht at the Club’s pontoons as well as watching the start of the RMS Leinster Race from the Harour Pier at circa 1100 on Saturday 1st June.