Michael has enjoyed a real passion for boats all his life
For about as long as he can remember local sailing enthusiast Michael Harris Barke has been passionate about boats.
“I have loved boats for all of my life. I started off with a toy boat as a child and I have a photo of myself with it under my arm, and I started going on my first sailing holidays aged about 17.”
Although he was born in Nottinghamshire in England, Michael came to live in Ireland in 1958 and has never left since. However, Michael soon found an outlet for his hobby as one of the original founder members of The Dundalk Sailing Club thirty five years ago.
“At the very beginning the club was at the Blue Anchor in Bellurgan and was called 'The Dundalk Sailing Club', then we moved to Carlingford and the name changed to 'The Dundalk and Carlingford Sailing Club', finally it was changed to the name we have now - 'The Carlingford Sailing Club', which it remains to this day.
“We are a very successful sailing club though like all clubs we are suffering somewhat at the moment due to the recession. We run wonderful junior sailing courses throughout the summer months and we have a great restaurant and bar.”
According to Michael the members are currently looking forward to the main event of the year, the Oyster Pearl Regatta.
"This is our big race and it takes place every year in June, generously sponsored by Padraig Monnelly. The first prize is a solid silver oyster shell with a large natural pearl inside.
"The race always attracts the crowds and this year we sent invitations to competitors in the greater Dublin area, the greater Belfast area and the Isle of Man. We are ideally situated in Carlingford as we are in easy reach of Belfast, Dublin Bay, The Isle of Mann and even Scotland and North Wales. On Friday the 12th we will have the feeder races with prizes for the first boat to arrive from Skerries, Howth, The Isle of Mann, Strangford, Belfast Lough and on Saturday 13th we will have the Oyster Pearl Races which take place in Carlingford Lough."
A true racing enthusiast Michael particularly looks forward to this event having participated in many races himself over the years," I have raced in lots of places throughout my life. I completed the Fastnet Race twice, once in 1969 and again in 1971. The race takes you from the Solent, below Southampton around Land's End over to the Fastnet Rock off West Cork and back, finishing in Plymouth.
"In 1969 we completed the race in a boat we built ourselves in Carrickmacross. Ronny Wayte was responsible for it, he was a sailor and we made the boat in one of the rooms in his factory. It was a 35 foot boat and we built it and launched it in under six months which was unbelievable.
“It performed well, we didn't win but then again we were up against some of the richest and most famous sailors in the world!"
As well as racing, over the years Michael has also enjoyed some wonderful sailing holidays, "I hold a Yacht Masters Certificate and I love to cruise with friends and with my great pal Arthur Bingham I've been all the way around Dingle and the Scottish Isles. Myself and my wife Marie have also done the Greek Isles three times and the Turkish Coast and other sailing holidays included France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco and the Canary Isles. In fact I'll be off again on a trip in a couple of weeks, but exactly where will depend on the weather.”
Although his passion for sailing has never put him in any real danger, Michael will admit that he has been rescued more than once.
"I was rescued three times in all. The first time was in Bangor. I was only a child and it was during the war and we used a piece of a torpedo ship as a raft and the tide took us away.
“The second time I was a young man in North Wales and was swept away in a sailing dingy but the third time was the most unusual. A member of the local lifeboat invited us out on a replica Viking Longship. Seventeen of us went out rowing and it sank!"
"When I am not sailing ships I like to draw them and at the moment I am drawing the Mary Stoddard that was wrecked here in Dundalk and my ambition is to start a maritime museum in Dundalk. We definitely have enough exhibits and now we just need a venue."
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Weather for Dundalk
Sunday 05 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 5 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North west
