While Admirals are expected to lead, the accepted naval strategic thinking would have it that the leading is meant to be done from Staff Headquarters, either ashore or on some vast ship, rather than out on the water in a small boat. But Rear Admiral Denny Vaughan USN (Retd.) seems to have decided that being retired permits him to leave the orthodox thinking of the manual behind on the bookshelf, and get right into the thick of things in the front line out on the water.
For having come all the way from Seattle to race his J/24 Easy Street (the very name should be a warning to other competitors) in the J/24 Euros at Howth, the Admiral went out for the first race in a sunny east to northeast breeze this morning (Tuesday), and didn’t he win? He did indeed.
This is either crazy, or starting with supreme confidence – despite the US sail number, this is Joe Murphy’s Jigalo from Howth – she ended the day on 16th overall. Photo: Annraoi Blaney
That may have been a wake-up call for the proven European hotshots in the 34-strong fleet. And in that first race, all was largely as it should have been, as the syndicate-sailed Headcase from Ireland, definitely a favourite after a trail of success across the Continent and in home waters since June, was in second place.
Bur shrewd observers would have seen that the Americans were there again in third, with Denny Vaughan’s clubmate Kurt Dammeier racing Amuse Bouche. And the even more knowledgeable would have noted that the recently-crowned J/24 World Champion Mike Marshall of North Sails was in Dammeier’s tasty crew lineup.
That would seem to have been shown in the afternoon race, when Amuse Bouche logged another sensible third while things went completely pear-shaped for Headcase, as she was back in 19th. As for Easy Street, she’d also had some slippage, as the Admiral was back in tenth. So overall the leaderboard after Day 1 is headed by Amuse Bouche, two points ahead of James Torr from Plymouth, with the Admiral third.
Summer 2022 may be gone by this coming weekend, but it’s still making a great last stand off Howth. Photo: Annraoi Blaney
It speaks volumes for the enduring international attraction of this vintage class that the top ten placings run right across six nations, taking in entrants whose homeport spread is from Seattle to Crete. Meanwhile, armchair admirals – as opposed to admirals who get into the thick of things – are sitting back and wondering if we’re seeing the beginning of one of those utterly sensible campaigns, where the overall winner takes the title without actually winning a single race.
Day One Results Here
