Royal St. George Sailors Take ILCA 6 & 7 Masters Titles on Dublin Bay

29th May 2023

Ballyholme Yacht Club 1984 Olympian Bill O'Hara competing at the 2023 ILCA/Laser Masters Championships hosted by the Royal St. George Yacht Club Credit: Afloat

The overnight leader Marco Sorgassi of the host club, emerged as the overall winner after six races sailed in the 6-rig at the Irish ILCA Masters' Championships sailed under the burgee of the Royal St. George Yacht Club.

The consistent Italian scored two wins and all results in the top five [(5) 2 5 1 1 2] to be three points clear at the head of the scoreboard on 11.

The 53-boat regatta opened in light easterly winds and bright sunshine on Dublin Bay, but Sunday presented a different weather scenario at Dun Laoghaire with a much stiffer breeze up to 17 knots and a Bay chop for the dinghy sailors to negotiate.

Dublin Bay delivered on weather and wind with conditions varying from 7-10 knots on Saturday to 17 and champagne conditions on Sunday. ILCA Masters Championships Race Officer Harry Gallagher, assisted by three additional National Race Officers made the most of conditions and delivered six races thus ensuring the champions had to perform in a variety of conditions, a true test. Photo: Afloat

In second overall, by a single point, was the Australian Great Grand Master Robert Jeffreys from Royal Cork Yacht Club on 14. In third place was Malahide Apprentice Darren Griffin with 15.

Twenty-seven competed.

ILCA 6 Irish Masters Champion (and Grand Master Masters Champion) Shirley Gilmore of the RstGYC and ILCA 6 Masters Champion Marco Sorgassi of the RstGYC

Byrne wins in ILCA 7s

In the ILCA 7 rig, overnight leader, Ballyholme Yacht Club's Great Grand Master Gareth Flannigan from Belfast Lough was overhauled by local Apprentice Conor Byrne of the host club after the Northern Ireland ace had a costly retiral from race four.

Byrne, who was four points adrift on Saturday evening, took a 3, 3, 2 in the breezier conditions on Sunday to finish on 11 nett points to edge out Flannigan on 13.

Carrickfergus's Stephen McLernon was third on 20.

Twenty-three competed.

National ILCA 6 Female Masters Title for Shirley Gilmore

Shirley Gilmore of RstGYC, who opened up a considerable lead on day one and maintained it in the breezier conditions, claimed her first National Title ahead of club mates Ali Robinson and Mary Chambers.

Irish ILCA Masters' Championships 2023 Results

ILCA 7

Conor Byrne RstGYC and 1^st Apprentice
Gareth Flannigan BYC and 1^st Master
Stephen McLernon Carrickfergus SBC

1^st Grand Master Theo Lyttle RstGYC

1^st Great Grand Master Chris Arrowsmith RstGYC

ILCA 6

Marco Sorgassi RstGYC and 1^st Master
Robert Jeffreys RCYC and 1^st Great Grand Master
Darren Griffin Malahide YC and 1^st Apprentice

1^st Grand Master Marc Coakley RstGYC

ILCA 6 Female

Shirley Gilmore RstGYC and 1^st Grand Master
Ali Robinson RstGYC and 1^st Master
Mary Chambers RstGYC and 1^st Great Grand Master

Race Results

You may need to scroll vertically and horizontally within the box to view the full results

Published in Laser, RStGYC

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Published in Laser

Tagged under

ILCA
Laser

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About the ILCA/Laser Dinghy

The ILCA, formerly known as the Laser, is the most produced boat in the world, with 220,000 units built since 1971.

It's easy to see why the single-handed dinghy has won the title of the most widely distributed boat of all time.

The Laser is a one-design dinghy, the hulls being identical but three rigs that can be used according to the size and weight of the sailor.

The class is international, with sailors from 120 countries. The boat has also been an Olympic class since 1996, being both the men's and women's singlehanded dinghy.

Three rigs are recognised by the International Laser Class Association (ILCA):