The Squib Championships hosted this year by the Royal Irish Yacht Club, Dun Laoghaire was won by Northern Ireland entry 'Toy for the Boys' skippered by Peter Wallace and crewed by Martin Weatherstone of Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club.
Download full results below as an Xcel file.
A feature of this championship was the very small differences in performance between the boats, irrespective of sailmakers or age of boat.
Aficianado sailed by 1996 Olympic Finn Helmsman John Driscoll and crew Chris Gracey were third overall Photo: Afloat.ie
Gordon Patterson and Ross Nolan in Fagin were second overall Photo: Afloat.ie
Nineteen boats competed which included a substantial contingent of competitors from Northern Ireland, and one very welcome visitor from Wales, Tudor Robert’s ‘L’il Quickie’. Two boats were crewed by father and son teams- Greg & Harry Bell in ‘Prodigal’, and Dave & Simon Sheahan in their recently acquired ‘O’Leary.’ The ladies helming in the fleet included Sheila Power in ‘Perfection’, Mary Faherty who is ‘Ab. Fab.’, and Serena Blacoe in ‘Seabiscuit’. Among the female crews were Fiona Ward, Tonia McAllister, and Linda Darby.
Kinsale Yacht Club duo Fiona Ward and Colm Dunne in Allegro Photo: Afloat.ie
Race one on Friday was held in strenuous conditions with 500mm waves and unstable winds varying from 22 kts. to 6 kts., which required quick changing of gears by the crews. Peter Wallace and Martin Weatherstone were worthy winners.
Races two to five were held on Saturday in the flat water of Seapoint Bay with an oscillating wind of up to ten knots. Race winners were ‘Fagan’, ‘Aficianado’, and ‘Toy for the Boys’ who took two guns.
The final race in similar conditions but with a steadier breeze was held close to Poolbeg. ‘Allegro’ led this race from beginning to end. ‘Allegro’s’ final placing did not reflect her speed and tactical finesse on the water.
Are there any conclusions to be drawn from this event? ‘Toys’ uses Hyde sails. Many of the top crews weigh more than 160 kg. combined weight. All of the boats were weighed before the event, and most were close to the minimum weight, and only one was found to be below 680 kg and was required to install additional weight. Regional and National championships such as this really do provide a great opportunity for like-minded people to compare notes.
The next regional championships for the Squib Class in Ireland is the inland Championship at Lough Derg Yacht Club in October.
