THROUGH THE ages, the treacherous waters of the turbulent Atlantic separating Europe and America have proved a graveyard for men and material.
But for Mark Barr, the Atlantic's tumult was just a nursery for his sailing. Setting out into Sligo Bay, aged 10, on the Mirror his grandfather built, the ocean couldn't subdue him, even if the full fleet did, three years later during the Irish Western championships.
The convoys only got bigger, entries in each event touching 100 by the time he hit the national circuit and turned 19.
In testimony to his talent, he was called to don Ireland's colours for the European championships on home surf at Kinsale. His career's highpoint came during the 1999 world championships at Saldana Bay, South Africa. While Barr's display was best forgotten, it was heartening that a compatriot clinched the title.
A shift to the 420 fleet coincided with enrolment at Trinity College, Dublin. Two years as a junior instructor were followed by three as a senior grade A coach. With 10 junior instructors reporting to him, Barr oversaw half-a-dozen courses for as many as 80 trainees.
"It's one thing to be responsible for 80 kids in a controlled environment, but out on the ocean, it's a nightmare. They tend to disperse as far from each other as possible and the fog in Sligo Bay doesn't make things any easier. That the rescue teams were close at hand was about the only reassuring thing," he recalls of the most stressful job he ever did. Barr tried his hand at crewing in the GP 14 nationals too.
A coastal sailor, he prefers skimming the seas in whatever the craft, rather than lakes. Strong winds suit him when on a Mirror or 420 and a light breeze when manning a GP 14. Sailing to him is all about tactics, conscious that his natural abilities are limited. Boat handling skills being average, his strong point lies in reading the wind shifts right.
Memorable moments
The first leg of the Irish 420 Western Championships at the postcard-pretty Galway Bay was his most memorable outing in yachting, with would-be Olympian Katie Dwyer for crew.
Tacking perfectly with the breeze gusting around five knots, Barr felt they'd hit the optimum line up the beat, resulting in their rounding the windward mark first. Thereafter, the duo wasn't too successful in harnessing the wind.
Away from the water, Barr, a software engineer with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in Hyderabad, had the good fortune of playing Oliver in a school musical, with multi-million record selling pop group Westlife lead singer Shane Filan as the Artful Dodger.
Kian Egan and Mark Feehily, also of the best-selling `ratpack' band, went to the same school too.
His most unforgettable experience was a month-long TCS training programme in Trivandrum that made him decide India was the country he would live in.
The bonds established with the 18 trainees who attended from all over the world ensured they remained his best friends.
A. JOSEPH ANTONY
