With five days to go to First Gun, Seventeen J24’s representing nine clubs have entered for the first of their regional events this year, the Yachtsman Euromarine J24 Western Championships being hosted by Foynes Yacht Club on the Shannon Estuary will take place next weekend the 20th & 21st May .
Local Race Officer, Raymond Mc Gibney will take charge of proceedings on the water with National Race Officer Geoff O’ Donoghue lending his years of experience to assist.
The J24 Association of Ireland is availing of the Irish Sailing Association coaching grant at this regional event. Graeme Grant of Howth Yacht Club who has been coaching J24’s for a number of years will be onsite on the Friday evening to assist with rigging and tuning and will be coaching on the water between races on the Saturday and Sunday. This will be of huge benefit to the new owners who have joined the J24 fleet in recent times.
The first visiting J24 arrived at Foynes Yacht Club last week all the way from Lough Erne Yacht Club, its owner Diarmuid O’Donovan, himself a former National Champion of the class, who hasn’t had his J24 in the water for the past few years due to work commitments and his circumnavigation of the globe in the Clipper Yacht Race.
Some very well known names will be in attendance such as the J24 Class President Flor O’Driscoll sailing his well know J24 Hard On Port, Dave Lane & Sinead Enright from Royal Cork Yacht Club sailing YaGottaWanna, Steve Atkinson from Carrickfergus Sailing Club sailing Bád, Mark User from Greystones Sailing Club sailing Jumpin’Jive (Mark has already a prize to collect before hitting the water as he was the winner of the early entry draw for a North Sails kit bag), Martin Reilly from Sligo Yacht Club sailing Crazy Horse, JP McCaldin (previous J24 National Champion) from Lough Erne Yacht Club sailing Jamais Encore and the HYC U25 Keelboat Squad to name a few, it will be a very completive fleet.
The Yachtsman Euromarine J24 Westerns are also proudly sponsored by BCS Crane Hire LTD, North Sails, Quantum Sails, UK Sailmakers and Clifford’s Cash & Carry ‘Gala Supermarkets’. “Events like this would not be possible without the very generous support of sponsors and we owe them huge thanks” commented Darragh McCormack of Foynes Yacht Club.
Plans are well underway at the club to make it a very special event, with four races scheduled for Saturday, post racing debrief with video footage by Graeme Grant, and a sit-down Championship Dinner followed by a live band ‘The Irresisitibles’.
A late start has been pre-planned for Sunday morning with First Gun at 1155hrs with two races scheduled. BCS Crane Hire will have two cranes on hand to ensure efficient lift out immediately afterwards. The Gold and Silver Fleet winners will be announced at the prizegiving in the clubhouse at 1630hrs.
