Cork’s Rob and Peter O’Leary are the Afloat.ie “Sailors of the Month (Open)” for February with their Bronze Medals at the talent-studded Star Junior Worlds in Florida in the first week of the month. The unique attraction of the International Star draws in a substantial fleet of world-class sailors from many disciplines, and the fluctuations in placings can be unnerving. However, with a strong finish the brothers not only kept themselves in the frame, but they moved into the medals while they were at it.

Baltimore Sailing Club and Royal Cork Yacht Club's Robert and Peter O'Leary are lying third overall after the first race of the Star Junior World Championship at Coral Reef Yacht Club in Miami, USA.

Beautiful sunshine and light breeze welcomed this morning the 36 teams attending the inaugural championships yesterday. The Committee was eager to get on the racecourse as the weather forecast said the breeze would be dropping in the early afternoon. One race was concluded on Biscayne Bay with the wind blowing around 6-8 knots from West at the start at 12,10 pm and then dropping to 4-5 knots towards the end of the race one hour and 15 minutes later.

The fleet began the Junior World Championship with a general recall and a few flags went up on the racecourse for unauthorized pumping over the four leg race. The fleet was distributed evenly over the course, with a little more wind on the right-hand side of it, towards Key Biscayne. It was American Star sailor Luke Lawrence, with crew Alexey Selivanov, who took an early lead at the first windward mark and kept gaining on the way down to the gate and through to the finish. Behind them, the Italian Laser Radial Youth World Champion, Guido Gallinaro with German Star World Champion crew Firthjof Kleen fought for second against Irish brothers Robert and Peter O'Leary in the unusual setting with Robert at the helm.

"It was great out there said, Luke Lawrence, a bit shifty but after a good start on the pin side, clean and easy, the wind went our way and we could put the bow down. There are a lot of fast guys on the racecourse, even among the newcomers. I've been sailing in the Star class for five years now, I love it and this 30 and under World Championship is a great idea!"

"It was very shifty on the racecourse said American Olympic Laser sailor Charlie Buckingham I am coming from the World Cup Series event that just ended yesterday with the Medal Race and I am quite tired, but I am lucky to sail with Austin Sperry who makes my job much easier and it is a lot of fun to be on the boat with a friend instead of racing alone like in the Laser."

After racing, the official Opening Ceremony took place in the beautiful garden of Coral Reef Yacht Club before everyone went home to rest for tomorrow. Racing is scheduled to start one hour earlier (at 11am EST) to try to get three races done and get back on track with the program.

Results after Day 1: (top ten, 1 race)

1 USA Luke Lawrence Alexey Selivanov
2 ITA Guido Gallinaro Frithjof Kleen
3 IRL Robert O'Leary Peter O'Leary
4 ARG Facundo Olezza Frederico Melo
5 BRA Nick Pellicano Grael Samuel Gonçalves
6 MEX Juan Ignacio Perez Mark Strube
7 USA Tomas Hornos Pedro Trouche
8 USA Charlie Buckingham Austin Sperry
9 AUS Luke Payne Torvar Minsky
10 CAN Alex Baker Rick Burgess

Cork Harbour brothers Robert and Peter O’Leary start the first ever Star Junior World Championship at Miami, Florida, at Coral Reef Yacht Club today. 

Following a successful week for Ireland's Finn Lynch in the Laser class at the same race track last week, the O'Leary's go into battle on Biscayne Bay today.

As Afloat.ie reported previously, Robert, normally crewing for his older brother Peter (sailing twice at the Olympics for Ireland), will helm with Peter crewing. The Irish duo are no strangers to Miami waters either sailing to victory at the Walker Cup this time last year. 

"Robert, normally crewing for his older brother Peter, will helm with Peter crewing"

About 35 skippers 30 and under will be racing starting today February 3rd through Wednesday the 6th to win the title of Star Junior World Champion. Fifteen Nations are represented in Miami and many newbies will helm one of the oldest and most traditional boats, the Star. Designed in 1911 and still holding very popular regattas around the world in which some of the heroes of our sport race.

At the Junior Worlds in Miami, there will be the youngsters, skippers who have yet to be 31 year old, but they will race with crew with no age restrictions, and quite many of them have history in the class. Like Frithjof Kleen (GER), Star World Champion who attended the London Olympics in 2012 and won the SSL Finals 2017, sailing here with young Italian Laser Radial World Champion Guido Gallinaro (ITA), or Brian Fatih (USA), who finished 7th at the Games in Weymouth and won with Mark Mendelblatt (USA) the SSL Finals twice, crewing in Miami for British Laser sailor Lorenzo Chiavarini (GBR), and again, Star World Champion Samuel Gonçalves (BRA), crewing for Nick Grael (BRA) and Austin Sperry (USA), 11th at Bejing Olympics, at the bow of American Laser sailor Charlie Buckingham.

All of them, and many more, experienced crew will sail with and support the young skippers, but some of the entries are not new to the class at all. Like Daniel Cayard (USA), who was born among Star sailors with both his father, Paul, and his grandfather, Pelle Peterson (SWE), Star World Champions – his grandfather also won the Silver medal in Kiel in 1972 – or Robert O’Leary (IRL), normally crewing for his older brother Peter (twice at the Olympics for Ireland), will helm with Peter crewing, or American Joshua Revkin (USA), who won the Star Worlds in 2017 crewing for Eivind Melleby (NOR), will helm with Arthur Anosov (USA), and again Dutch skipper Thomas Allart (NED) sailing with Kilian Weise (GER) with whom he finished third at the Eastern European Championship in Trieste 2018. There is even an under 30 girl helming at the Junior Worlds, Chloe Holder, from San Francisco, who will take some time of her 420 junior programme. Too bad the Star World Champion and SSL Finals 2018 winner, Jorge Zarif (BRA), won’t be able to attend due to his Finn Olympic campaign commitment.

The regatta will officially begin tomorrow with the first warning signal at 12.00 (EST) on Biscayne Bay, two races per day are scheduled each day from Monday to Wednesday with no races starting later than 2.00 pm.

Baltimore Sailing Club brothers Peter and Robert O’Leary are signed up for the inaugural Junior Star Worlds in Miami’s Biscayne Bay from 3-6 February.

Last year’s bronze medallists in the Star Europeans join a list of more than 30 skipper-crew pairs under 30 already entered to compete for the first junior trophy in the storied International Star Class.

Others in the pedigree field include 2014 Star World Champion and 2017 Star Sailors League Finals winner Frithjof Kleen from Garmany, who is crewing for Italian Laser Radial world champion Guido Gallinaro.

For more see the official website for the 2019 Star Junior World Championship.

#sailDLR2014 – Dublin Moth sailor Rory Fitzpatrick lies tenth overall after tricky winds dominated the third day of racing at the Delta Lloyd Regatta in Holland.

The day looked perfect for sailing, but the word from the sailors coming shore was of shifty, gusty winds that kept everyone on their toes through the day.

Fitzpatrick's Irish team mates on the Isselmeer at Medemblik include 49er pair Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern in 11th place, Finn Sailor Robert O'Leary in 13th place, Laser man James Espey in 14th, and John Twomey eighth in the Sonar. Dublin's Jade O'Connor lies eighth in the kitesurf event. Full results here.

Forecasts of a significant drop in the wind in the afternoon were luckily wrong, and while the wind did decrease from the 15-18 knots in the morning there was still a healthy breeze late in the afternoon when the Moths were finishing their final race of the day. And the sun shone down on the 350 sailors from 49 nations all day long. It was a great day to be sailing.

Megan Pascoe (GBR) had a perfect day in the 2.4 mR with two race wins. Michelle Broekhuizen and Marieke Jongens (NED) in the women's 470, Nicholas Heiner (NED) in the Laser, Marit Bouwmeester (NED) in the Laser Radial, Phillip Kasueske (GER) in the Finn, Zofia Klepacka (POL) in RS:X women, Alexandra Rickham and Niki Burrell (GBR) in the Skud 18 and Bruno Jourdren, Eric Flageul and Nicolas Vimont-Vicary (FRA) in the Sonar all maintained their leads.

There were new leaders in the men's 470 with Onan Barreiros Rodriguez and Juan Curbelo Cabrera (ESP), in the 49er with Pavle Kostov and Petar Cupac (CRO), in the Nacra with Billy Besson and Marie Riou (FRA), in the RS:X men's with Louis Giard (FRA).

Today was also the first day for the two demonstration events, the Kitesurfers and the Moths. Both fleets enjoyed showing off what they could in waters off Medemblik.

470 Men

A second and a third place today was enough for Onan Barreiros Rodriguez and Juan Curbelo Cabrera (ESP) to take the overall lead in the 470 men. Barreiros commented, "Today was difficult because the wind was nice, but so shifty. Also the first mark was close to the beach. Today we are happy at the end with a second and a third. Our first day here was really bad, when we collected 24 points, but tomorrow we will aim for top five and try and keep first overall."

"We are using new sails here and I need to test them at a regatta before the Europeans. It's different to test in training and a regatta. But I am very happy with the new sails, especially the spinnaker."

Luke Patience and Elliot Willis (GBR) dropped to second after picking up a black flag disqualification (BFD) in the first race, and then placing tenth in the second. Patience said, "It was a tricky start. The flag and the hooter were not timed the same and we had set our watch at clearly the wrong time, so we were just over a metre too early, but it was our misjudgement."

"In the last race we were in good control, and then the race went from pretty big gusts up to 17 knots down to suddenly high wiring at about 7 knots and when it does that, when you have created so much leverage planing, you are really exposed, and we just got it wrong. We were in the wrong place. And then when you're not planing you just can't get back. A small error turned out to be huge in terms of numbers, so a bit frustrating."

Giulio Desiderato and Andrea Trani (ITA) also picked up a BFD to drop to third. The second race of the day was won by Asenathi Jim and Roger Hudson (RSA). Hudson said, "It was nice that we got some breezy conditions. It made a bit of a change and we enjoyed that. In the first race we had a good start and were in a great spot but we broke our vang, and had to fix that in the middle of the race and it cost us a lot, but we managed to get back to eighth. So that wasn't too bad.

"In the second race we had a similar start and strategy and it went very well and we ended up leading at the top mark. Although it was fairly breezy the wind was really up and down, so it was absolutely critical to stay in the big pressure. That made life quite difficult defending, but we did a pretty good job with a lot of experienced, high quality guys on our tail. We were very happy to close out the win."

For Jim and Hudson, the Delta Lloyd Regatta marks three years since they first sailed together. "The Delta Lloyd Regatta marks the anniversary of when we started sailing together here in 2011 and we like to come back here because it reminds us where we started."

470 Women

Michelle Broekhuizen and Marieke Jongens (NED) won the first race and then placed fourth in the second to maintain their lead. Broekhuizen said, "We had an OK day. The first race was pretty windy and the second it decreased a bit. It's like paradise now, windy and sunny. We are still in a process learning a lot. Our expectation was not to win here, we are just expecting to learn a lot, and that's our focus. We're not really focussing on the results, though it would be nice to win."

Afrodite Kyranakou and Anneloes van Veen (NED) are still in second after a 6, 2 today. Kyranakou said, "It was a challenging day because the wind was shifting every two minutes, with many pressure differences. In the first race we had to come back at the start because we were over. And then we needed to catch up a lot. We didn't quite make top five, which is always our goal, but we were close. In the second race we had some speed problems, but we caught up with tactics and a good downwind to second, so that was good. We are happy with the week. Of course we are still making a lot of mistakes, so we want to improve a lot. You are never good enough."

"We are showing, that with our sparring partners Michelle and Marieke, that we have trained well recently and it's good to see that we are closer together and we are beating the rest of the fleet. It's good to see we have both made so much progress and the programme we have together is making us both better and that is very positive."

Linda Fahrni and Maja Siegenthaler (SUI) are still third after a 3, 8 but the points are now very close. The second race was won by Anna Burnet and Flora Stewart (GBR). Burnet said, "It was quite a shifty race but we got a good start at the pin end and had good speed up the first beat. We worked our way up with the shifts and pressure, and rounded in front of everybody and held that for the rest of the rest, which was a bit tricky as it was so shifty, but managed to keep the lead."

"We've had a bit of time off, so it's important for us to get back into it and do some racing. It's the best way to learn really. And we ended the Dutch girls winning streak today."

49er

There is a new leader in the 49er fleet with Pavle Kostov and Petar Cupac (CRO) moving three points clear after another three races were sailed. Former leaders Erik Heil and Thomas Ploessel (GER) had a high score day, but only dropped to second while Dylan Fletcher and Alain Sign (GBR) fared better to move up to third.

John Pink and Stuart Blithell (GBR) dominated the first two races with two bullets, while Frederico Alonso and Arturo Alonso (ESP) won the third race of the day.

RS:X Men

After winning the first race Przemyslaw Mirczynski (POL) slipped up with two mid fleet scores to drop to fifth. Louis Giard (FRA) had the best day with a 3, 5, 1 to move into a narrow lead over Dorian van Rijsselberghe (NED). The second race was won by third overall Piotr Myszka (POL).

RS:X Women

Zofia Klepacka (POL) solidified her overall lead with two race wins and a second place to take a six point lead after eight races. Malgorzata Bialecka (POL) won the third race of the day to move up to second overall while three top four positions keeps Lilian de Geus (NED) firmly still in the race, sandwiched between the four Polish sailors.

Nacra 17

The 35 Nacra sailors produced the expected spectacle with hulls flying, crashes and even a breakage as the mast on the boat of Lucy Macgregor and Andrew Walsh (GBR) came down after a capsize. Up to that point they had been having a great week.

Despite posting a 3, 22, 10, Billy Besson and Marie Riou (FRA) moved into the overall lead, overtaking Franck Cammas and Sophie de Turckheim (FRA). Darren Bundocck and Nina Curtis (AUS) took a race win to stay in third. The other race wins went to Audrey Ogereau and Matthieu Vandame (FRA) and Flora Laugier and Valentin Bedllet (FRA).

Finn

Phillip Kasueske (GER) maintains his overall lead with a 3, 4, though it is now down to a single point from Pieter-Jan Postma (NED). Jake Lilley (AUS) is now up to third, after he and Postma both picked up a first and second today in the stronger winds.

Lilley said, "We had a bit of wind today and it was much nicer to be able to use our speed a bit more. I think the biggest change today was that so far PJ and myself have been sailing too conservatively, and these kids have been getting round us on the corners. We changed it today and were a bit more aggressive. In the second race PJ and I both came off the pin. We were being quite bold, but the wind went right and we were back in the fleet again. But this time we managed to fight through the fleet for a 1, 2 finish."

Despite Oscar flag being displayed for free pumping on the downwinds, Postma picked up a yellow flag for having his boom in the water while pumping in the second race, which he admits probably cost him a second race win.

Lilley continued, "Each day we have been up the front, but what's been happening is that on the second beat these kids have been punching out from us while we are still kind of sailing up the middle because that's what you do in the bigger fleets. Anyway, it's something different and heaps to learn. And this eight race series format is quite interesting. With a small fleet it brings a different aspect to the racing."

"It was pretty nice today again. The last three days have been glamour, and definitely the best weather we have had so far this season out of any of the regattas."

Laser

Nicholas Heiner (NED) started the day by winning his third race of the week and then placed eighth in the second to end the day with a seven point lead. Sam Meech (NZL) is still proving to be the best of the chasing Kiwis, while Andy Malony (NZL) remains in third, though on equal points with the next two boats.

Laser Radial

Marit Bouwmeester (NED) continues to lead the Laser Radial fleet though she didn't have things all her own way. Alicia Cebrian Martinez de Lagos (ESP) remains in second with Evi van Acker (BEL) in third. The race wins went to fourth placed Isabella Bertold (CAN) and van Acker.

Sonar

After six races there is just five points separating the top three boats in the three man keel boat. Bruno Jourdren, Eric Flageul and Nicolas Vimont-Vicary (FRA) still lead from Colin Harrison, Jon Harris and Russell Boaden (AUS) and Aleksander Wang-Hansen, Marie Solberg and Per Eugen Kristiansen (NOR). Race wins went to the Norwegian and Australian teams.

Skud 18

There is just one point in it in the Skud fleet after Marco Gualandris and Marta Zanetti (ITA) produced two bullets in the increased wind today, while regatta leaders Alexandra Rickham and Niki Burrell (GBR) picked up two second places. Vera Voorbach and Jan Rein van Essenveld (NED) remain in third, eight points adrift of the leaders.

2.4 mR

Megan Pascoe (GBR) looks to be running away with the 2.4mR class after two more race wins today, to extend her lead to eight points over Helena Lucas (GBR). Matt Bugg (AUS) is in third, another four points adrift.

Pascoe said on her day, "It was a very good day for me with two wins and it was quite breezy at times. The first race really quite windy with shifts from the right. It was mainly a speed race which I seemed to win. Downwind was quite fun playing on the waves. Otherwise an uneventful race."

"The second race was lighter but choppy as usual. It was more tricky with a lot more shifts and boats coming back from the left and the right. The gusts were also a lot more shifty. Some had gusts and some weren't so that made it much trickier. But there were five or six of us up there. Every time someone tacked it looked like they were winning and then the next person tacked and they looked like they were winning. But I got a nice shift at the bottom of the second beat and that gave me the lead for the rest of the race."

Demonstration events

The Kite and the Moth were both began racing today as demonstration events at the Delta Lloyd Regatta. The 21 kites sailed a series of five or six person round robin heats through the day. After five sets of races, Oliver Bridge (GBR) is tied on points with Florian Gruber (GER), with Alejandro Climent Hernandez (ESP) just two points back in third.

Chris Rashley (GBR) won three of the four races in the Moth fleet, with Ben Paton (GBR) picking up three second places and then a win in the final race. The British sailors made a top three with Tom Offer (GBR) finishing the day with a third place to move into third place overall.

The O'Learys of Crosshaven have taken the Sailor of the Month title several times over the years with the remarkable achievements of father Anthony, and sons Peter and Nicholas. But the season of 2013 has clearly demonstrated that there's a new O'Leary on the stage - younger brother Robert, who played a key role in Irish university sailing through March and April.

Previously in the baby brother position as the successful skipper of the family's "cruiserfied" 1720 Antix Beg, young O'Leary is currently making the scene in that hotbed of college development, the University of Limerick. This admired institution's success is doing more to change public perceptions of the sometimes troubled Shannonside city than a whole raft of government inner city initiatives. But even so, when UL came into being in 1989, it would have aroused incredulity to suggest that, by 2013, it would be the clear pace-setter in the highly competitive and long established world of Irish college sailing.

Yet such is the case. And what a pace they've been setting. Despite the coldest Irish spring in years, it was the Limerick college sailors who kicked the new season into action by hosting the three day Intervarsity Team Racing National Opens over the St Patrick's weekend in March. Run in Kerry in conjunction with the hospitable Tralee Bay SC, and sailed in Fireflies, the series attracted 26 teams. The logistical demands were such that Robert O'Leary stayed ashore as overall event manager, but UL was on a roll and they won the main title too, captained by Ross Murray.

Then in April O'Leary was very much afloat, skippering the UL crew in the Student Yachting Worlds Irish selection trials raced over three successive Saturdays in April in the SailFleet J/80s, currently based in Howth. The format was demanding, as it involved getting your crew on site three times over a two week period, and then coping with very different conditions on three separate occasions. But it was an ideal selection method, as the Worlds in France at the end of October – to be sailed in J/80s –will make a considerable demand on resources and organisational ability, so those who could cope with the special challenges of the Howth series are clearly made of the right stuff.

On top of that, with no discards, consistency afloat was vital. The great Robert Scheidt of Brazil, probably world sailing's best-liked superstar, remarked very recently that in the final analysis, modern sailing is a consistency sport. Before he'd said it, the Limerick college sailors showed they were well aware of this reality. On each of the three Saturdays, Rob O'Leary sailed them to a first and second. Three firsts and three seconds is "quite a consistent scoreboard". Coupled with his achievements in March in ensuring the success of the staging of the team racing championship, Robert O'Leary is a very worthy Afloat.ie Sailor of the Month for April 2013.

Yesterday marked the beginning of the 30th Student Yachting World Cup (SYWoC), and for the Irish Team, it was the first opportunity for some of them to check out La Rochelle. This year's Team Ireland consists of a joint effort between UL, LIT and UCC.

The team consists of Skipper Robert O'Leary(UCC), Cian Gallagher (UL), John Blake (UL), Dee O'Rourke (LIT), Lisa Dann (UCC), Caitlin Cuppage (UCC), Shane Newman (UL), Peadar O'Suilleabhain (UL), Jamie Donegan (UCC). The team will race with 6 or 7 up depending on the weather for the week, currently the forecast is looking quite light. Not what was expected for this time of year in La Rochelle.
After an early start at 7am this morning, the team travelled to the Societé de Regatis Rochelouies, the club which hosted the very first SYWoC in 1979. And which is SYWoC's base for the week.
A practice race was scheduled for 2pm, after a general briefing at 1pm. However, with wind gusting over 30kts, the race organisers decided that it was not worth risking the fleet with 6 days of racing ahead. The teams will be given an hour prior to racing tomorrow to put the final preparations on their 2010 SYWoC campaigns.
Team Ireland will hope to keep the title of a force to be reckoned with, after all the past 4 SYWoC campaigns for Ireland have had results of a 1st (Trinity - 2006), 2nd (CIT - 2007), 1st (CIT - 2008), 4th (CIT - 2009).

MANY OF YOU SENT GOOD LUCK WISHES AND NOW YOU CAN SAY WELL DONE TOO! SCROLL DOWN THE PAGE TO LEAVE YOUR CONGRATULATION MESSAGE!

The ICRA Team Celebrations in Cowes, Photo: David Branigan

 

After a series of near misses in the Commodores Cup, there are many reasons why 2010 was an entirely appropriate timing for an Irish win in Cowes today.

Ireland's single three boat team (below) faced stiff opposition in the final ten team line up. Individual performances this season though, including a win at the British IRC Nationals, is proof, were it needed, that Ireland still was always on course to win the Commodores Cup. 
Ireland's team on the Solent was Royal Cork based; Antix, Anthony O'Leary (Ker 39); Marinerscove.ie David Dwyer (Mills 39) and Roxy 6 Robert Davies (Corby 36). The full crew list for each boat is below, representing the very best of Irish sailing talent.
Third time lucky is how it was scripted in 08, but not how it was acted out. After first being jilted by the French and now, for the second time, by the English, the Irish could be forgiven for giving up on the cup but we never did. This victory represents the final week of eight months preparation for superb assault on the title.

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO THE END OF THE PAGE AND LEAVE YOUR CONGRATULATIONS MESSAGE!

Team Ireland 2010 Commodores Cup

Photos by Robert Bateman

IRL3939 Antix Anthony O'Leary (Ker 39)

Anthony O'Leary (IRL)

David Lenz (GBR)

Peter O'Leary (IRL)

Ross Deasy (IRL)

Brian Lennon (IRL)

Stephen O'Sullivan (IRL)

Eoin Leahy (IRL)

Frederick Cudmore (IRL)

Simon Johnson (IRL)

Rory O'Sullivan (IRL)

Jimmy Houston (GBR)

Derek Moynan (IRL)

Tom Durcan (IRL)

Robert O'Leary (IRL)

Darragh O'Connor (IRL)

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IRL39000 Marinerscove.ie David Dwyer (Mills 39)

Andy Beadsworth (GBR)

David Bolton (IRL)

Padraig Byrne (IRL)

Alan Curran (IRL)

David Dwyer (IRL)

Bernard Fitzpatrick (IRL)

Brian Heneghan (IRL)

David Love (IRL)

Tom Murphy (IRL)

Nicholas O'Leary (IRL)

Clive O'Shea (IRL)

Sandy Rimmington (IRL)

Chris Schirmer (GBR)

Don Wilson (IRL)

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IRL36000 Roxy 6 Robert Davies (Corby 36)

Rob Davies (GBR)

Andrew Creighton (IRL)

Marty O'Leary (IRL)

Jim Hughes (IRL)

Paul Farries (GBR)

Nelson Moore (IRL)

Tom Whitburn (GBR)

Michael Liddy (IRL)

Aidan O'Connell (IRL)

Maurice O'Connell (IRL)

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Team Management:

Barry Rose, Fintan Cairns, Denis Kiely, Mike Broughton and Norbert Reilly

 

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