• Bow Waves, the only Galway-based maritime training organisation, has launched its winter training programme. The courses, for people who go to sea for a living or for leisure, range from basic sailing and powerboat courses up to advanced. Over the winter there are a number of evening courses, including navigation, GPS, VHF, first aid, diesel engine, and sea survival. Sailing courses include yachts, keelboats and dinghies, with adults, juniors, schools, and groups are catered for. Bow Waves is also running a commercial passenger boat skippers’ course (Master 200 ton - Power ), starting in November; a yachtmaster course, and an introduction to navigation starting in the next few weeks. The venue is the Galway Harbour Enterprise Park. For further information contact Bow Waves on 091 560 560 or e-mail [email protected]
• Showjumper Mike Healy from Abbeyknockmoy topped the honours with two victories at the Connacht amateur championships in Rockmount Claregalway at the weekend. National title holder Garry Higgins won the Power and Speed Eevent on Sunday on Wee Irish, while Mairead Barry from Ennis was the Grand Prix winner on Fountain Stream.
• A bit of Celtic sporting history will be made at Ballachulish in the highlands of Scotland this Saturday when the Tir Conaill Harps camogie team will swap the caman for a shinty stick to take the field in the Scottish Women’s Camanachd final. A key player in the Harps march to the final has been Ballymacward’s Yvonne Connaughton who played for the Padraig Pearse’s Club and was a member of the panel which reached the All Ireland camogie final in 2001. She is currently captain of the Scotland ladies shinty team, having risen rapidly through the ranks after taking up shinty while a student at Robert Gordon’s University in Aberdeen.
