Displaying items by tag: RS Feva
#feva – Ireland's Laura Gilmore and Molly Fekkes from Strangfrod Lough jumped 20 places to 33rd at the 171–boat RS Feva World Championship playing out in the waters off the Compagnia della vela Grosseto until Friday, July 26th.
A very steady 260° wind that started off at 12 knots got up to 16 in the course of the afternoon.
This meant the race committee had no problem starting all three scheduled races with the first off at around 12:30, bringing the qualifying phase of the event to a successful conclusion.
After yesterday being dominated by the British, today was very much the domain of Italian girls Margherita Porro and Francesca Andrea Dall'Ora. The two young Associazione Nautica Sebina sailors ended qualifying at the top of the overall standings on just 8 points thanks to two seconds and a one win. A fantastic result along with a momentous first position in the All Girls standings. On the same points as the Italians but less well-placed than them in the final race were this morning's leaders Brits Elliot Wells and Jake Todd (2,1,2), who finished second in the overall standings ahead of their fellow countrymen Hannah Bristow and Bobby Hewitt (1,1,8), who took the third step on the podium on just 12 points.
From tomorrow, the 171 boats will be divided into three fleets of 57 crews (Gold, Silver and Bronze). Each team will be allotted points equivalent to their final position in qualifying (e.g. 1st position will have 1 point, 2nd 2 points, etc.) which cannot be discarded in the final phases. The first races are scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, July 24th, from 11:55.
Provisional standings* top 5 RS Feva World Championship – After six races
1. ITA 2592 - Margherita Porro/Francesca Andrea Dall'Ora - Associazione Nautica Sebina - 2, 1, (4), 2, 2, 1 - Tot. 8 points
2. GBR 4332 - Elliot Wells/Jake Todd - Hayling Island Sailing Club - 1, (2), 2, 2, 1, 2 - 8 pt
3. GBR 4610 - Hannah Bristow/Bobby Hewitt - Leigh and Lowton - 2, 2, 6, 1, 1, (8) - 12 pt
4. GBR 3424 - Courtney Bilbrough/Orla Mitchell - Docklands S&W Centre - 4, 1, (12), 7, 3, 3 - 18 pt
5. GBR 4883 - Jamie Smith/Piers Nichols - Hayling Island Sailing Club - 5, 5, 6, 3, (9), 2 - 21 pt
#RS – A record breaking turnout of 72 RS dinghies descended on Belfast Lough for the three day Irish Nationals and Euro-Cup making it one of the biggest dinghy sailing events to be held in the country this year. The fleet was made up of 44 RS400's, 19 RS200's and 9 RS Feva's.
The top quality race management on the water was matched by a fantastic reception ashore by all involved at the Royal North of Ireland YC.
In the RS400 class a strong contingent made the journey from Scotland with several of the top boats from the English circuit making the trip too. Also joining the class were several Irish Olympic campaigners and former national champions including James Espey (Laser London 2012), Fraser Brown (49er Athens 2004) and Gareth Flannigan to name but a few.
With such a quality fleet and tactically testing conditions the slightest boat handling error or missing of a wind shift would cost over ten places instantly and clawing back up through the traffic was easier said than done.
Despite local sailors Bob Espey and his crew Mike Gunning putting up a strong fight for the first half of the event it was Roger Carter and Ian Robertson from Scotland who managed to master the predominantly light and shifty breezes. In second place and only one point off top spot was former Enterprise World Champion Stewart Robertson with his wife Sarah crewing. In third Place were Howard Farbrother and Dan Martin of Queen Mary SC.
The top three Irish 400's were Bob Espey and Mike Gunning in 4th, Michael Ferguson and Jeremy Tomalin in 5th and Emmet and James Ryan in 8th place.
The turnout for the RS200s, showed continuing steady growth in this class. The fleet included three UK entries. The eventual winner counting four firsts was John McKelvie and Sarah Watson from Strangford Lough YC followed by Julian Bradley from the UK. In the light and fickle winds there was much place changing during all the races and after a slightly shaky start to the event Roy Van Maanen and Glen Reid improved their performances to take third overall and second Irish 200. Third Irish went to Frank O'Rourke sailing with his son Kevin also from Greystones SC who finished their series with an impressive win.
RS 200 start. Photo: Thomas Anderson
A new feature in this year's fleet was the high number of Youth sailors. First under 19 200 went to Stephen Craig and Conor Foley from the Royal St George YC. The lads counted a very creditable four 2nds in their overall tally. Greystones mother and daughter team, Sarah and Ciara Byrne took the first ladies RS200 title.
In the Feva class there were 9 entries including the very talented Laura Gilmore who took the Topper National trophy last year and the experienced Optimist and Laser 4.7 sailor, Holly Campbell. Both sailed McCready Sailboat Fevas. RSGYC duo Jack and Henry Higgins sailed a fine series to eventually win the Jack Craig memorial trophy. They managed to just edge out Laura Gilmore and crew Molly Fekkes who fell afoul of an OCS in the last race. Emer Rafferty and Laura Coleman also from the RSGYC took first U15. All these boats took line honours in a number of races showing how close the Feva racing was. The U14 was won by Triona Hinkson and Kate Kelly and U13 by Rachel Eggers and Helen O Beirne.
A notable bonus of the three RS fleets running a combined event meant it was possible for whole families to be out racing together and in certain cases against each other, the definition of domestic bliss!
One stroke of event management genius was to have Windguru forecast 1 knot with gusts up to 3 knots for Sunday. Most crews took this as a green light to pull the trigger socially on Saturday evening with the expectation of no sailing the for the final day, only to awake to a pleasant 8 to 10 knots and three cracking races.
RS200 RS400 & RS Feva Irish National Championships
Feva Class
Sailed: 10, Discards: 2, To count: 8, Entries: 9, Scoring system: Appendix A
Rank SailNo Club HelmName CrewName R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10 Nett
1st 2512 RStGYC Jack Higgins Henry Higgins (5.0) 2.0 4.0 2.0 1.0 (6.0) 2.0 1.0 1.0 2.0 15.0
2nd 5239 SLYC / EABC Laura Gilmore Molly Fekkes 3.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 1.0 (4.0) 4.0 (10.0 OCS) 17.0
3rd 5231 RNIYC / DSC Holly Campbell Lucy Burrows (4.0) (5.0) 1.0 4.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 19.0
4th 3115 RStGYC Emer Rafferty Laura Coleman 1.0 3.0 3.0 1.0 (5.0) 4.0 (6.0) 3.0 3.0 4.0 22.0
5th 1776 RStGYC Triona Hinkson Katherine Kelly (8.0) 4.0 5.0 (7.0) 4.0 2.0 4.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 34.0
6th 1595 RStGYC Rachel Eggers Helen O'Beirne 2.0 7.0 (10.0 DNF) 5.0 7.0 (8.0) 5.0 6.0 7.0 3.0 42.0
7th 3661 RStGYC Eoghan Cassidy Greg Arrowsmith 7.0 6.0 7.0 (10.0 DNS) 6.0 5.0 (8.0) 7.0 6.0 6.0 50.0
8th 1654 RStGYC Conor Little Roisin Foley 6.0 (10.0 DNF) 6.0 6.0 8.0 7.0 7.0 8.0 8.0 (10.0 DNC) 56.0
9th 5240 CYC Oonagh Jordan Kurtis Frazer 9.0 (10.0 DNF) (10.0 DNC) 10.0 DNC 10.0 DNC 10.0 DNC 10.0 DNC 9.0 9.0 7.0 74.0
RS200 Class
Sailed: 10, Discards: 2, To count: 8, Entries: 19, Scoring system: Appendix A
Rank SailNo Club HelmName CrewName R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10 Nett
1st 860 SLYC / WSC John McKelvie Sarah Watson 1.0 (3.0) 2.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 3.0 1.0 3.0 (20.0 DNC) 14.0
2nd 1263 WSC Julian Bradley Alice Hudson (10.0) 1.0 1.0 4.0 4.0 2.0 4.0 (6.0) 1.0 5.0 22.0
3rd 1534 GSC Ray Van Maanen Glen Reid 5.0 (7.0) 3.0 5.0 1.0 (6.0) 1.0 3.0 2.0 2.0 22.0
4th 1315 GSC Frank O'Rourke Kevin O'Rourke 3.0 5.0 4.0 2.0 5.0 5.0 7.0 (8.0) (8.0) 1.0 32.0
5th 771 RStGYC Stephen Craig Conor Foley 2.0 2.0 (9.0) 6.0 6.0 (13.0) 2.0 2.0 6.0 8.0 34.0
6th 1479 GSC / RStGYC Graeme Noonan Heather Louise King 6.0 8.0 5.0 3.0 (9.0) 3.0 8.0 (10.0) 7.0 6.0 46.0
7th 1352 NYC Clive Coffey Helen Cassidy 4.0 9.0 (20.0 DNF) 7.0 3.0 8.0 (12.0) 9.0 9.0 3.0 52.0
8th 624 SDC / HYC David Johnston Louise Flynn-Byrne (11.0) (14.0) 11.0 10.0 8.0 4.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 4.0 52.0
9th 706 NYC / RStGYC Conor Totterdell Myles Kelly (16.0) 13.0 10.0 11.0 10.0 11.0 (14.0) 4.0 4.0 7.0 70.0
10th 727 EDYC Trevor Fisher Emily Watt 7.0 (12.0) 8.0 12.0 (13.0) 9.0 9.0 7.0 10.0 9.0 71.0
11th 1131 WSC Roger Wilson Renata Sapazinskaite (13.0) 11.0 7.0 9.0 7.0 10.0 6.0 (12.0) 11.0 11.0 72.0
12th 1478 GSC Sarah Byrne Ciara Byrne 8.0 6.0 (20.0 DSQ) 8.0 12.0 7.0 11.0 11.0 14.0 (16.0) 77.0
13th 778 BYC Rob Milligan Sharon Doherty 9.0 4.0 6.0 14.0 11.0 14.0 10.0 (15.0) (16.0) 10.0 78.0
14th 898 GSC Aaron Jones Conor Clery 14.0 (15.0) 12.0 (15.0) 14.0 15.0 13.0 14.0 15.0 13.0 110.0
15th 1156 RStGYC Clodagh Hinkson Adrian Hinkson (18.0) 16.0 (20.0 DNF) 13.0 17.0 12.0 17.0 13.0 12.0 14.0 114.0
16th 1480 RStGYC Rosanna Cassidy Maeve Cassidy 15.0 10.0 (20.0 DNF) (16.0) 15.0 16.0 16.0 16.0 13.0 15.0 116.0
17th 495 SLYC / BYC Emily Smyth Sandra Halliwell 12.0 (18.0) 13.0 (17.0) 16.0 17.0 15.0 17.0 17.0 12.0 119.0
18th 548 GSC Celine McGuire Joanne McInerney 19.0 19.0 14.0 18.0 (20.0 RAF) 19.0 18.0 (20.0 DNC) 20.0 DNC 20.0 DNC 147.0
19th 417 GSC Gabrielle Igoe Nicky Smith 17.0 17.0 (20.0 DNF) 19.0 18.0 18.0 19.0 (20.0 DNC) 20.0 DNC 20.0 DNC 148.0
RS400 Class
Sailed: 10, Discards: 2, To count: 8, Entries: 44, Scoring system: Appendix A
Rank SailNo Club HelmName CrewName R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10 Nett
1st 965 WBC Roger Carter Ian Robertson 1.0 3.0 4.0 (9.0) (7.0) 1.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 7.0 20.0
2nd 1319 RFYC Stewart Robertson Sarah Robertson 3.0 4.0 (13.0) 3.0 (6.0) 5.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 21.0
3rd 1251 QM / DSC Howard Farbrother Dan Martin (14.0) 1.0 (8.0) 4.0 2.0 8.0 5.0 5.0 4.0 3.0 32.0
4th 1001 BYC Robert Espey Michael Gunning (13.0) 2.0 1.0 2.0 4.0 7.0 8.0 (11.0) 11.0 5.0 40.0
5th 1138 BYC/RUYC Mike Ferguson Jeremy Tomalin 7.0 10.0 7.0 1.0 5.0 4.0 (11.0) (14.0) 6.0 4.0 44.0
6th 1161 SDSC / RFYC Ben Robertson Emily Robertson 6.0 (13.0) 12.0 (14.0) 8.0 2.0 6.0 9.0 3.0 2.0 48.0
7th 1117 ELYC James Sinclair Ben Wilcox 2.0 8.0 (10.0) 8.0 3.0 9.0 3.0 7.0 10.0 (13.0) 50.0
8th 1140 RStGYC Emmet Ryan James Ryan (22.0) 9.0 9.0 (18.0) 9.0 3.0 4.0 3.0 9.0 11.0 57.0
9th 1395 L&LSC Paul Allen Michael Allen 9.0 11.0 2.0 10.0 1.0 (22.0) 7.0 (45.0 OCS) 13.0 6.0 59.0
10th 1196 SDSC Peter Snowdon LenMetcalfe 16.0 5.0 3.0 6.0 (19.0) 6.0 16.0 6.0 (17.0) 17.0 75.0
11th 1313 LSC / BCYC Pete Vincent Darren McNamara 4.0 (19.0) 16.0 17.0 11.0 (45.0 OCS) 13.0 12.0 5.0 8.0 86.0
12th 1414 HISC James Gardner Anne Gardner 5.0 6.0 (45.0 DNF) 13.0 (30.0) 17.0 10.0 10.0 16.0 15.0 92.0
13th 1351 AYC Ian Robson Sandy Johnson 11.0 12.0 (17.0) 11.0 13.0 13.0 9.0 (16.0) 8.0 16.0 93.0
14th 840 BYC / RUYC James Espey Chris Penny (20.0) 14.0 11.0 5.0 10.0 10.0 14.0 (45.0 DNF) 19.0 12.0 95.0
15th 1200 DBSC Keith Bedborough Martin McCrew 15.0 (23.0) 15.0 16.0 12.0 14.0 (19.0) 8.0 12.0 9.0 101.0
16th 1405 RNIYC Liam Donnelly Chris Law (28.0) 7.0 5.0 12.0 14.0 12.0 (45.0 OCS) 15.0 21.0 20.0 106.0
17th 1018 ELYC / RFYC Richard Bolton Hannah Robertson 18.0 17.0 6.0 (24.0) 20.0 11.0 18.0 17.0 (23.0) 14.0 121.0
18th 1259 BYC Gareth Flannigan David Fletcher 19.0 27.0 (45.0 DNF) 25.0 (36.0) 18.0 12.0 4.0 7.0 10.0 122.0
19th 440 A&SYC Robert Yeamans Nadia McMinn 8.0 16.0 14.0 (31.0) 23.0 28.0 20.0 13.0 (35.0) 29.0 151.0
20th 1406 RNIYC Dave Cheyne Steve Kane 34.0 22.0 (45.0 DNF) 7.0 17.0 16.0 15.0 34.0 (45.0 OCS) 19.0 164.0
21st 1017 GSC Sean Cleary Steven Tyner (33.0) 21.0 (45.0 DNF) 15.0 25.0 23.0 30.0 18.0 15.0 22.0 169.0
22nd 1292 BYC Christopher Eames Niall Eames 29.0 25.0 (45.0 DNF) 27.0 18.0 20.0 (45.0 OCS) 22.0 14.0 24.0 179.0
23rd 1176 GSC Andy Verso Lisa Smith 23.0 26.0 (45.0 DNF) 30.0 16.0 29.0 17.0 19.0 (31.0) 21.0 181.0
24th 877 DBSC Phil Britton Joe Ellingham 37.0 18.0 (45.0 DNF) 21.0 (39.0) 24.0 26.0 20.0 26.0 26.0 198.0
25th 728 RNIYC / CSC Rob Hastings Neil Calvin 27.0 15.0 (45.0 DNF) 20.0 24.0 (39.0) 25.0 24.0 28.0 36.0 199.0
26th 1352 RNIYC Simon Hutchinson Stuart Annesley 21.0 (38.0) (45.0 DNF) 19.0 21.0 15.0 23.5 35.0 36.0 33.0 203.5
27th 475 A&SYC Chris Dowie Naomi Moran 17.0 24.0 (45.0 DNF) 26.0 32.0 34.0 (36.0) 29.0 25.0 18.0 205.0
28th 0001 RYA David Harcourt Jillian Harcourt (39.0) 31.0 (45.0 DNF) 22.0 27.0 25.0 28.0 30.0 20.0 32.0 215.0
29th 589 CSC Trevor D'Arcy Alan McClarnon 26.0 (37.0) (45.0 DNF) 29.0 33.0 31.0 31.0 23.0 18.0 25.0 216.0
30th 1197 RCYC Aidan McSweeny Ian Heffernan 12.0 35.0 (45.0 DNF) (43.0) 29.0 38.0 27.0 27.0 27.0 27.0 222.0
31st 1276 GSC Fiachra Etchingham Sarah Hoolahan 31.0 36.0 (45.0 DNF) (40.0) 22.0 21.0 29.0 32.0 29.0 28.0 228.0
32nd 1178 CYC Brian Holmes Jonny Campbell 10.0 32.0 (45.0 DNF) 41.0 34.0 40.0 22.0 26.0 24.0 (45.0 DNF) 229.0
33rd 1136 GHYC / RStG Arthur Mehigan Jay Stacy (38.0) 20.0 (45.0 DNF) 36.0 28.0 27.0 21.0 31.0 32.0 35.0 230.0
34th 802 RNIYC Gordon Patterson Ross Nolan (45.0 DNC) (45.0 DNC) 45.0 DNC 42.0 26.0 36.0 23.5 33.0 22.0 23.0 250.5
35th 1307 GSC Robert Gilligan Eoin Corcoran 25.0 29.0 (45.0 DNF) 37.0 15.0 19.0 (45.0 OCS) 45.0 DNC 45.0 DNC 45.0 DNC 260.0
36th 1025 RNIYC Mark Diamond Neil Mathews 42.0 30.0 (45.0 DNF) 23.0 31.0 35.0 38.0 (45.0 DNC) 34.0 30.0 263.0
37th 586 RStGYC Richard Tate Jim Foley 32.0 40.0 (45.0 DNF) 39.0 35.0 (45.0 OCS) 33.0 21.0 33.0 31.0 264.0
38th 512 SLYC Charlie Horder Wendy McCaughan (40.0) 33.0 (45.0 DNF) 33.0 38.0 26.0 34.0 25.0 39.0 37.0 265.0
39th 441 CSC Simon Grey Super Woman 24.0 34.0 (45.0 DNF) 28.0 (42.0) 33.0 37.0 38.0 38.0 40.0 272.0
40th 1308 GSC Gerry Cannon Avril Cannon 36.0 (39.0) (45.0 DNF) 35.0 37.0 30.0 32.0 36.0 37.0 34.0 277.0
41st 601 PSC / MSC Fraser Brown John Malone 41.0 42.0 (45.0 DNF) 34.0 (45.0 DNF) 32.0 45.0 OCS 28.0 30.0 39.0 291.0
42nd 1195 A&SYC Oliver Webster Palo Bellezze 30.0 28.0 (45.0 DNF) 38.0 41.0 41.0 (45.0 DNF) 45.0 DNC 45.0 DNC 45.0 DNC 313.0
43rd 1188 RNIYC Neill Strain John Ferguson 35.0 41.0 (45.0 DNF) 32.0 40.0 37.0 (45.0 DNC) 45.0 DNC 45.0 DNC 45.0 DNC 320.0
44th 888 GLYC Anthony Glendinning Lucy Glendinning (45.0 DNF) 43.0 (45.0 DNF) 44.0 43.0 42.0 35.0 37.0 40.0 38.0 322.0
Places Filling Fast for 2013 RS Feva Worlds
#RSFeva - Entries for the 2013 RS Feva Worlds in Tuscany broke the 100 mark on Friday 1 February, as Yachts and Yachting reports.
More than five months remain till the start of the event at Marina di Grosetto, which runs from 19-26 July - but with just 180 places in total, the rush is surely on for Feva sailors to stake their claim.
So far 14 countries across three continents will be represented, with newcomers including the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Switzerland, while Los Angeles will also send a boat for the first time.
Full details of the event including entry forms and the Notice of Race are available vis the RS Feva Worlds website. The entry deadline is 30 June 2013 but with more than half the available spots booked already, there's no time to waste.
Here's hoping Ireland will be as well represented as we were in 2010, when 34 Irish Feva sailors took part in the Worlds at Carnac in France.
Success for Royal St George Teams at Irish RS Nationals
#RS SAILING - Howth Yacht Club hosted 54 boats in three classes for the RS400, RS200 and RS Feva National Championships over the weekend (click HERE for photos).
The Irish version of the 'RS Games' proved a big hit with all competitors. The race management team, headed by PRO David Lovegrove, did a fantastic job to get 10 races in for all three classes in spite of some shifty conditions.
This was all the more impressive as each course change required the moving of up to 10 marks. No mean feat, but the Howth Yacht Club team took it in their stride.
In the RS400 class, bothers Emmet and James Ryan from the Royal St George Yacht Club took the top spot. They didn’t make things easy by using up a discard on the first race of the event and only snatched the win on the last run of the last race having rounded the final weather mark in fourth place.
Greystones class stalwarts Simon Herriott and Tom Moran took second place, while in third place, and the top youth RS400 team, was a very impressive display by Andy Verso and Oisin Baugh, also from Greystones.
In the RS200 class it was another family affair and another Royal St George win with father-and-son pair Sean and Stephen Craig taking first place. It was extremely tight at the top of the 200 fleet with only three points separating the top four boats in the end.
Teams from Greystones filled the next two podium places with Frank and Kevin O’Rourke taking second and last year’s champions Roy Van Maanen and Glen Reid taking third place.
In the Feva class, GB sailors filled the top three slots with Elliott Wells and Jake Todd taking the title on count back from fellow Hayling Island sailors Tom Darling and Will Dolin. Chay and Stirling Taylor took third place.
In the battle for local/Irish bragging rights, Eoin Lyden and Brian Stokes from Cork got one over the Dublin rivals to claim top Irish Feva spot.
Full results can be found at the Howth Yacht Club website at www.hyc.ie, while photos of the event are available HERE.
RS200/400 Demo at Royal St George Next Weekend
#RS SAILING - UK RS Association chairman Pete Vincent will be running another RS200 and 400 demo day from the Royal St George Yacht Club on the weekend of 24-25 March.
The well-known expert on RS boats is being brought to Dublin by RS400 owners Richard Tate and Emmet Ryan, who are "really keen to get an RS fleet up and running" in Dun Laoghaire.
"After the huge attention our boats have drawn both ashore and on the water, we feel there is already a keen interest from a broad cross section of sailors to learn something more about these incredible hiking dinghies," says Tate.
"There is a ready-to-race format for both RS200s and 400s to have a full season of racing every Tuesday and Thursday in Dublin Bay right from the go."
The RS200 is described as a "natural progression" from the RS Feva, while the RS400 "takes the concept one step further and way beyond". Both classes provide high performance assymmetrical racing for all age groups.
If you are thinking about moving into an RS200 or 400, this is the perfect opportunity to help you make your decision.
All demo sails must be booked in advance by contacting Pete Vincent directly at +44 7812 899 043 or [email protected].
RS Feva Nationals Start in Cork Harbour Tomorrow
Good winds are expected, particularly on Friday and Sunday so exciting racing conditions are predicted!
Launching is at 12.00hrs on Friday with First Gun at 13.00hrs
First Gun is at 11.00hrs Saturday & Sunday
Successful Debut for the RS100 and RS Feva in Italy
The debut event in Italy was created with the aim of being spectacular for the sailors and yet simple to follow by spectators. The event launched new courses, new scoring systems and new race rankings, all designed to thrill not only practitioners, but also all lovers of sailing. The RS100 and the RS Feva were selected for the Championship due to their suitability for the action packed courses requiring fast and manoeuvrable boats.
The crew Matteo Pilati and Mattia Duchi won in the Junior Class after an exciting final race against Andrea Dall'Ora-Gianluca Virgenti, who last week won the Italian RS Feva Championship. The final was raced on a one against one basis, over a parallel slalom course, the result of which determined the overall winner. "Sailing downwind in the fleet race was a lot of fun" said Matteo Pilati at the helm of the RS Feva. Crew Mattia Duchi added, "It was so exciting racing the parallel slalom."
In the RS100 fleet Karlo Hmeljak from Slovenia won the regatta. "I'm very happy to take part in such an innovative event" he said. "I think the new course and scoring systems are a good solution to help promote sailing. I have never seen so many people watching."
Marcelo Saguier from Argentina took second place, while Paul Childs from the UK finished third. The sailors competing in the Senior Class found the new format to be successful. "I think it was thrilling for the spectators who could watch boats tacking and gybing from a very short distance. I hope other similar races will be organized in the future", commented the Italian Luca Bursic who raced against Paul Childs for the third and fourth place.
The Eurosaf Freestyle Championships in RS100 and RS Feva was organized by Eurosaf, the Yacht Club Acquafresca at Brenzone and by FIV (Italian Sailing Federation), sponsored by Marine Pool, with the support of RS Sailing and Boattech, the Italian dealer of RS boats in Italy.
Summing up the event, Eurosaf President, Marco Predieri, said "We're always planning to create new innovative sailing ideas for competitors, yet that are attractive to spectators. An encouraging number of sailors from different countries, at both senior and junior levels took part into the first Eurosaf Freestyle Championship. It will be a starting point for other new events in the, especially to attract and involve young people into the sport."
The RS Feva Leinster Championships taking place at Howth Yacht Club were postponed today following gusts of over 40-knots in the race area. Today's sailing schedule was initially postponed before the championship was scrubbed at lunch time. The hope is to rerun the event later in the Summer.
Two races were completed on Saturday in 12 knots of wind in Howth sound.Louise Flynn Byrne and David Johnston started where they left off at the Mitsubishi Youth Nationals earlier this month and lead the 15 boat fleet ahead of Conor Totterdell and Stephen Craig of the RStGYC.
An error in rounding the windward mark ensured that Conor and Stephen won the first race, HYC's Claude Mollard and Jennie Harris were second and HYC's Nickie Delamer and Conor Howard came third.
With gusts of over 24 knots the race offer took the decision to shorten the course and allowed the sailors to return ashore. Race 2 was won by Louise and David, with Claude and Jenny in 2nd place and Conor Totterdell and Stephen Craig in 3rd.
Johnston and Byrne are RS Feva Champions
| Rank | M/F | CLASS | SAIL NO | HELM | CREW | CLUB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | M | RS Feva XL | 2261 | David Johnston | Louise Flynn Byrne | Howth YC |
| 2nd | M | RS Feva XL | 1604 | Conor Totterdell | Stephen Craig | National YC/ Royal St George YC |
| 3rd | M | RS Feva XL | 2256 | Claude Mollard | Jenny Harris | Howth YC |
| 4th | M | RS Feva XL | 1299 | Hugh Maguire | Conor Maguire | Royal Irish YC |
| 5th | F | RS Feva XL | 3661 | Blathnaid O'Connell | Rosanna Cassidy | Royal St George YC |
| 6th | M | RS Feva XL | 2964 | Harry Johnson | James Hickey | Royal Irish YC |
| 7th | M | RS Feva XL | 2707 | Jamie Tingle | Criofan Guilfoyle | Royal Cork YC |
| 8th | M | RS Feva XL | 2691 | Aaron Jones | Conor Clery | Greystones SC |
| 9th | F | RS Feva XL | 3666 | Ciara Byrne | Megan Hayes | Greystones SC |
| 10th | M | RS Feva XL | 1648 | Andrew Fogarty | Ben Arrowsmith | Royal St George YC |
| 11th | M | RS Feva XL | 2506 | Nicholas Delamer | Conor Howard | Howth YC |
| 12th | F | RS Feva XL | 1593 | Meg Tyrrell | Maeve Rafferty | Royal Irish YC/Royal St George YC |
| 13th | M | RS Feva XL | 1655 | Eoin Cambay | Philippe Mulvey | Royal St George YC |
Howth Yacht Club Lays Out 2011 Sailing Programme
At a launch reception in the club on Thursday 31st March attended by representatives of local commerce, tourism and community bodies, HYC Commodore Roger Cagney announced that in addition to junior and adult sail training courses and club racing four days a week in the summer months, the Club would host over 20 open events during the year.
"We are used to sailing being a year-round activity," he said, "but even by our standards this will be an exceptionally busy year for Howth Yacht Club. We are fortunate in the number of talented volunteers we can call upon to help make these events successful and we have an enviable track record in this regard. We are also extremely grateful for the sponsorship of individual events from commercial concerns, details of which will be released in due course."
The major event on the 2011 calendar is undoubtedly the European Championship of the J24 Class, the world's most popular racing keelboat, when over 200 sailors from six or more countries will compete in the four-day regatta in September.
Howth will also host the Irish Championships of four classes – Puppeteer, Squib, Howth 17 and Optimist – between July 1st and late-August, with the latter attracting up to 200 competitors, together with their families, coaches and supporters. In addition, HYC will run the SB3 Eastern Championships (end April), the RS Feva Leinsters (late May) and the Dublin Match Racing Open (in J80s in early September).
The club's programme also comprises the Spring Warmer series in April, the annual Lambay Races on June 11th, the Dinghy Regatta a week later and the ever-popular Autumn League over five weekends in September/October.
