#optimist – The 2015 IODAI Optimist Connacht Championships took place over the weekend of the 11/12 July hosted by Lough Ree Yacht Club. The event attracted 137 entries. The Senior Fleet was won by Clare Gorman of the National Yacht Club with Eve McMahon of Howth Yacht Club winning the Junior Fleet and completing a rare treble for the Girls, Alice Lacy of Howth Yacht Club took Gold in the Regatta Fleet. The event was sailed in strong and gusty winds on Saturday with mainly light winds on Sunday and all enjoyed the wonderful hospitality laid on by the Host club and the excellent race management of David Dickson and his team afloat. In the Senior fleet Peter Fagan of Skerries Sailing Club showed his experience in the windier conditions on Saturday and notched up three straight bullets. He led overnight from current Irish Team members Gemma McDowell of Malahide Yacht Club in second and Clare Gorman of the National yacht club in third. The lighter conditions on Sunday brought less consistent results from the top boats and going into the sixth and final race any one of six boats could win the event.
The race started in fifteen knots of breeze and Clare just managed to cross a bunch of starboard boats at the pin and played the shifts well to lead at the weather mark from trials winner Micheal O'Suilleabhain of Kinsale Yacht Club and Hugo Kennedy of the RStGYC. By the second windward mark and with the wind now down to five knots Micheal had closed the gap significantly and it was now a winner takes all last downwind to the finish. In a nail biting finish in the dying breeze Clare just managed to hold off the very fast approaching Kinsale sailor to take the Senior title by three seconds. Peter took second overall on tie break from Micheal. All three finished within two points of each other in what was a very close and exciting series. In the Junior fleet Eve McMahon sailed a very consistent event across the wide range of conditions and won the event from Rory O'Sullivan and Aoife Byrne Both of Royal Cork Yacht Club. There were five different race winners across the six race series in the Junior Fleet( Alana Coakley RStGYC, Eve McMahon, Michael Crosbie RCYC, Conor Gorman NYC and Harry Twomey RCYC) and the very high standard on display bodes well for the future of Irish Sailing. Howth Yacht club took the top two spots in the Regatta fleet with Alice Lacy holding off Club mate Johnny Flynn with Jamie Venner of RCYC third.
