Cork sailor: ‘There’s nothing like being on the water, it’s an indescribable feeling’

I was very lucky that my parents started me sailing when I was about eight years old in a one-person boat called an optimist, essentially a bathtub! It sometimes took a bit of bribery to get me out on the water but it worked because I am still sailing today.

I moved my way up through the fleets to toppers, laser 4.7 and radials and eventually keelboats, competing nationally and internationally.

At one stage, my mum and I were heading up north with my topper and my dad was heading to Dunmore East with my sister and her optimist! It was a hectic few years of driving us and our both around the world for my parents. We used to say sailing is not a hobby, it is a lifestyle.

I am grateful my parents kept me going as it has opened so many doors for me in terms of travel and work. 

Anywhere I go in the world, I can go to a yacht club and find a boat to sail on.

I sail on a boat called Nieulargo which is a Grand Soleil 40 owned by my family. We need around 10 people to sail it, but are very lucky to always start with four people on board – that’s my mum, Annamarie Fegan, who this year became the first female admiral of the Royal Cork Yacht Club, which at 304 years is the oldest yacht club in the world; my dad Denis Murphy, and sister Mia.

My dad ensures the boat is ready for every race, which takes hours of preparation. My role in the boat is helm, which means I steer the boat.

As a boat, we have competed in two Fastnet Races, two Dun Laoghaire to Dingles, and a Round Ireland – these are offshore races of varying length and duration.

We centre our campaign around big events – this year we have the Round Ireland, a 700 nautical mile, five day offshore race and Volvo Cork week, where we compete in the Beaufort cup. Along with these national events, we also compete in regional events on the south coast. We also use our boat for cruising and recreational purposes and enjoy the water that way.

Sailing is a privilege, and I am very lucky to have this skill. 

The sailing community is rather small so everyone knows each other and there is a great sense of comradery (and competition).

I am also a crewmember of the Crosshaven RNLI. I joined the lifeboat when I was 17 and have been involved for the past seven years. I really enjoy volunteering with the lifeboat, it is so important to respect the water and as a sailor 

I feel much safer knowing the amazing crew are on call if anyone gets into difficulty.

I honestly don’t think I could live in a landlocked place, it sounds strange, but my favourite type of weather is a storm. Our house in Crosshaven is right on the water and there is nothing like being inside looking out, watching the storm.

There’s nothing like being on the water, it’s an indescribable feeling. I have seen so many amazing things such as meteor showers, whales breaching, glowing dolphins covered in phytoplankton, and waves big enough to make everything around you disappear.

See WoW! this week for more.