The last weekend of March in Ireland is usually not noted for an almost-dangerous amount of highly-radiated sunshine and light breezes. But Race Officer Scorie Walls had to cope with both at Howth in putting through the full 18-race programme for the Irish Universities Sailing Association Keelboat Nats in the HYC J/80s over the two days, a pair of days when she skillfully chose the race areas where the fitful-enough breeze might be expected to fill in with most vigour.

Mad March day at Howth? Early morning calm, and a welcome tow to the race area. The only evidence that this isn’t mid-July is the Howth Boat Club fleet still in winter quarters on the East Pier. Photo: Emmet Dalton

Thanks to the pandemic lockdowns and the fact that the series is usually scheduled for this last weekend of March, it was 2019 which saw the last staging of this usually annual event. But despite lockdowns, the Irish third level education scene has been developing so rapidly during the three years since that the winners in 2019, Cork Institute of Technology skippered by Harry Durcan, no longer exists. It is now just the Cork Campus of the Munster Technological University, whose other main centre is in Tralee in County Kerry.

Race On – some crews were still slightly rusty after the long lay-off. Photo: Emmet Dalton

In an age of acronyms, the greatest care is need in selecting the name for a new umbrella organization, and although the Munster University of Technology might have more accurately described the new setup, nobody at either centre wanted to attend MUT, while in Tralee they’d been thanking their lucky stars for years that it had been called IT Tralee, when it might so easily have been the acronymic disaster of Tralee Institute of Technology. So, MTU it has become.

As each day’s breeze developed, the racing sharpened. Photo: Annraoi Blaney

That’s more like it…. On Day 2, some cobwebs needed blowing away Photo: Annraoi Blaney

Be that as it may, even after three years it still seemed to be Cork Institute of Technology by any other name successfully defending the title as MTU, and with the same skipper too – HYC’s Emmet Dalton takes up the tale:

“Munster Technological University was crowned the Western Yacht & Small Craft Services IUSA Keelboat Champion 2022 during a weekend of glorious sunshine in Howth.

Skipper Harry Durcan and his team Ronan Cournane, Mark Murphy, Morgan McKnight and Charlie Moloney topped their Saturday qualifying group only 2 points ahead of nearest rivals TCD. Some “Interesting” spinnaker hoists and drops made sure that the dominance of some crews upwind was frequently equalised downwind.

“The great equalizers” – some crews found that advantages smoothly gained to windward soon disappeared when the coloured cloth came into the equation, but all quickly learned that having the transom clear of the water offwind in light airs is essential. Photo: Emmet Dalton

“Nose down, tail up - it’s the only way to fly….” Photo: Annraoi Blaney

By the close of business on Sunday, however, MTU had an impressive lead of 12 points over second-placed UCD, with TCD 2 points further behind. Yet that scoreline belied the closeness of the competition, with a number of races decided by hairs’ breadths.
Principal Race Officer Scorie Walls and her ever-professional team ran eighteen races over two days. The Daylight Savings Time change was not the main reason for some teams’ late start on Sunday morning, but cobwebs were soon dusted off and races 2 – 8 were close affairs.

“Done to a turn” – after two days of unremitting sunshine, the Race Team were burnt-out cases. Photo: Emmet Dalton

Hot stuff at close quarters. Photo: Annraoi Blaney

Thanking the title sponsor Western Yacht & Small Craft Services, Rear Commodore Larry Quinn paid tribute to the many volunteers including the mark layers led by Principal Mark Layer (and Commodore of Foynes YC) John Paul Buckley, who travelled all the way from Ardagh in County Limerick, home place of legendary voyager Conor O’Brien.

As for the ever-useful J/80s which in Howth are under the overall care of Kieran Jameson, J/80s bos’uns Brian McDowell and Paul Newport received special praise and thanks, as did support boat skipper David Jones and umpires Cxema Pico and Emmet Dalton.

The advice and assistance of the IUSA committee (David Carberry, Johnny Durcan, Niamh Doran and Robbie Dix) ensured that Howth provided what the competitors wanted from the championship.

HYC’s J80 fleet - the purchase of which was aided by a Sports Capital Grant in 2017 - continues to provide an ideal platform for quality racing and training. Maintaining and equalising five boats to this standard is only possible through the longterm volunteer efforts of the already-mentioned Kieran Jameson, and his other colleagues including Gerry and David Sargent.”

“So who needs Barcelona?” To get blues of this depth, you’d normally expect to be off Saint-Tropez in July, rather than Howth in March. Photo: Annraoi Blaney

#Surfing - Students from all over Ireland will be taking to the waves off Achill Island for this weekend's Irish Surfing Intervarsities, as the Mayo Advertiser reports.

Keel Beach will be the venue for the two-day contest that kicks off tomorrow Saturday 22 March, and will see top wave riders from 11 institutions show their stuff in the surf - while organisers promise a party atmosphere for spectators on land. The Mayo Advertiser has more on the sorry HERE.

In other surfing news, Mullaghmore in Co Sligo will host the third annual Conference in Surfing Medicine this coming September.

According to Surfer Today, the gathering to be convened by the European Association of Surfing Doctors on 9-13 September will discuss the dangers posed by the increasingly extreme surf at one of the world's premier big wave spots.

Peter Conroy will be among those speaking during the week, giving the surfer's perspective on surfing in the harshest of conditions.