Displaying items by tag: Howth
Kelly's J109 Storms to Lambay Race Win
#hyc –Two J109s were top of class one in yesterday's annual Lambay race from Howth Yacht Club. Pat Kelly's J109 Storm was the IRC class one winner, second in class one was the Mills 30 Raptor and third was ISORA and Dublin Bay performer Joker skippered by John Maybury,
The smiles on the faces of those who completed the 2012 ITC Lambay Race said it all. Fresh westerlies (backing to south-westerly later), flat seas, close racing in most classes, with sunshine as the crews returned to the marina and you have most of the ingredients for a great regatta. The fact that most completed the course in less than 3 hours - one of the fastest Lambay Races in years - was an added bonus.
This year's Lambay Race - the 116th time it has been staged - was generously sponsored by Independent Trustee Company, one of Ireland's largest providers of self-administered pension structures.
From the Offshore Course flagship, Class 1 got proceedings going and after just two and half hours of racing, HYC's Storm (Pat Kelly) held off the challenge of two RIYC visitors to win on IRC from Raptor and Joker 2. Raptor took the ECHO honours from Howard McMullen's Another Adventure.
Dermot Skehan's Toughnut won Class 2 on the double, winning IRC from Ian Byrne's Sunburn and ECHO from Paddy Kyne's Maximus.
Class 3 saw Vincent Gaffney's new Alliance II perform particularly well on close reaches and enjoying the last leg to the finish to stretch out a lead and beat Brian McDowell's J/24 Scandal from Malahide who in turn beat another J/24 Jibberish (O'Kelly et al) by 4 seconds on the line. Hellyhunter (Lional McMurtry, HYC) headed the biggest fleet of the day on ECHO, ahead of RIYC visitor Saki.
In the First 31.7, Bluefin Two (Bernie Bryson & Mia Delaney) from NYC won both Scratch & ECHO and also were awarded the Lambay Lady.
Robert & Rose Michael's Mystique of Malahide topped the White Sails A division on IRC ahead of Bite the Bullet and Changeling, while Rebellion (Hughes & others) and Cogar (K&C Halpin) won oin ECHO and HPH respectively.
In the White Sails B fleet, Terry Giles' Xebec led the fleet home and won on IRC by a comfortable margin, while runner-up Sandpiper of Howth (Andy Knowles) won on ECHO and also finished second on HPH behind Cu na Mara (Clifford Brown of HYC).
The Shipman and Ruffian fleets both came from outside Howth - all bar two were from Dun Laoghaire - and it was Henry Robinson's Whiterock which headed the Shipman class while the Ruffians were led home by Ruffles (M.Cutliffe of DMYC).
The Squibs was a match race between Kerfuffle (Craif/Ruane) and Fantome (R.MacDonnell), with the former winning by 2.5 minutes, while the Etchells it was virtually the same, with Fetching (Quinn/O'Flaherty) having about 30 seconds to spare over Glance (O'Reilly/Dix).
The Puppeteers had a new name on the trophy this year with Colin and Kathy Kavanagh in Blue Velvet putting their gear damage problems of last season behind them to beat the pre-race favourite Harlequin (Clarke/Egan) by a minute, with Neil Murphy's Yellow Peril in 3rd. On handicap, the honours went to Shiggy (G.Kennedy) ahead of Gannet (T.Chillingworth).
A small Seventeens' fleet was headed up by Rita (Curley/Lynch) with Ian Malcolm's Aura 2nd and Peter Courtney's Oona 3rd while on handicap, it was Pauline (O'Doherty/Ryan) which took the honours.
Full results below.
HOWTH YACHT CLUB. LAMBAY REGATTA (RACE) 09/06/2012 Class 1 IRC: 1, Storm P Kelly HYC; 2, Raptor Bradley/Others RIYC; 3, Joker 2 J Maybury RIYC; Class 1 ECHO: 1, Raptor Bradley/Others RIYC; 2, Another Adventure H McMullen HYC; 3, Axiom M O'Neill RIYC; Class 2 IRC: 1, Toughnut D Skehan HYC; 2, Sunburn I Byrne HYC; 3, King One D Cullen HYC; Class 2 ECHO: 1, Toughnut D Skehan HYC; 2, Maximus P Kyne HYC; 3, Makutu Doyle/Others HYC; Class 3 IRC: 1, Alliance 11 V Gaffney HYC; 2, Scandal McDowell Family MYC; 3, Jibberish O'Kelly/Others HYC; Class 3 ECHO: 1, Hellyhunter L McMurtry HYC; 2, Saki Ryan/McCormack RIYC; 3, Sunchaser M Marr HYC; First 31.7 SCRATCH: 1, Bluefin Two M & B Bryson NYC; 2, Magic O'Sullivan/Espey RIYC; 3, C'est la Vie Flannelly/Others HYC; First 31.7 ECHO: 1, Bluefin Two M & B Bryson NYC; 2, Magic O'Sullivan/Espey RIYC; 3, C'est la Vie Flannelly/Others HYC; Puppeteer SCRATCH: 1, Blue Velvet C & K Kavanagh HYC; 2, Harlequin Clarke/Egan HYC; 3, Yellow Peril N Murphy HYC; Puppeteer HPH: 1, Schiggy G Kennedy HYC; 2, Gannet T Chillingworth HYC; 3, Arcturus C McAuliffe HYC; Squib SCRATCH: 1, Kerfuffle Craig/Ruane HYC; 2, Fantome R MacDonell HYC; Squib HPH: 1, Kerfuffle Craig/Ruane HYC; 2, Fantome R MacDonell HYC; 17 Footer SCRATCH: 1, Rita Curley/Lynch HYC; 2, Aura I Malcolm HYC; 3, Oona P Courtney HYC; 17 Footer HPH: 1, Pauline O'Doherty/Ryan HYC; 2, Rita Curley/Lynch HYC; 3, Aura I Malcolm HYC; Etchells SCRATCH: 1, Fetching Quinn/O'Flaherty HYC; 2, Glance O'Reilly/Dix HYC; Shipman SCRATCH: 1, Whiterock H Robinson RIYC; 2, Jo Slim J Clarke RStGYC; 3, Just Good Friends M Carroll DMYC; Ruffian 23 SCRATCH: 1, Ruffles M Cutliffe DMYC; 2, Paramour R Sastre NYC; 3, Crescendo L Balfe NYC; White Sail A IRC: 1, Mystique of Malahide R & R Michael HYC; 2, Bite the Bullet C Bermingham HYC; 3, Changeling K Jameson HYC; White Sail A ECHO: 1, Rebellion Hughes/Others HYC; 2, Cogar K & C Halpin HYC; 3, White Lotus P Tully DLM; White Sail B IRC: 1, Xebec T Giles HYC; 2, Sandpiper of Howth A Knowles HYC; 3, Brazen Hussy Barry/Stirling HYC; White Sail B HPH: 1, Cu na Mara C Brown HS&BC; 2, Sandpiper of Howth A Knowles HYC; 3, Xebec T Giles HYC; White Sail B ECHO: 1, Sandpiper of Howth A Knowles HYC; 2, Xebec T Giles HYC; 3, Brazen Hussy Barry/Stirling HYC; White Sail A HPH: 1, Cogar K & C Halpin HYC; 2, Bite the Bullet C Bermingham HYC; 3, On the Rox C & J Boyle HYC
No Way to Treat a Lady
#HYC – When you've been staging a successful sailing race annually since 1899 or thereabouts, it's something which has will have acquired its own momentum with a significant amount of baggage in the nostalgia stakes. And its enduring popularity inevitably means that anyone minded to donate a trophy to the hosting club will want to get aboard the high-flying bandwagon of the big one.
Today's annual ITC Lambay Race at Howth looks to have everything going for it, not least an improvement in the ghastly weather which has dominated this past week. The race's prestige is such that it seems to have accumulated more silverware through its various divisions and classes than any other single race on the east coast – and perhaps the entire country, for that matter.
Taking in courses round the handsome Lambay and its quirky little sister island of Ireland's Eye, the Lambay Race is a celebration of the coast of Fingal which - during the ICRA National Championship a fortnight ago - showed how it can provide good sailing breezes when Dublin Bay is serving up windless frustration.
For this classic, they seem to have found a trophy for just about everything except being dog last, and even that must be only a matter of time. The supreme award is the Lambay Lady (think Little Mermaid of Copenhagen), and it goes to whichever winning boat in any of the myriad classes has the greatest margin ahead of the runner-up.
You might reasonably think this inevitably means whoever wins it sails in the most uneven and uncompetitive class of all, but somehow this never seems to happen, as it all often comes down to split seconds. And as they try to run the prize giving a short time after the very last boat has finished, the calculators are over-heated to come up with a result.
Last year, Dun Laoghaire's Ken Lawless and his team with their very competently up-graded vintage Quarter Tonner Supernova were initially declared the winners. The Lawless crew were well on their way back across Dublin Bay with their boat groaning under a load of silverware when some enthusiast in HYC ran a computer check on all the results and came up with the news that the host club's David Clark with his Puppeteer 22 Harlequin should have been awarded the Lambay Lady.
Dave Clark being the man whose day job is keeping the vintage dishwashers of Howth in working order through these stringent times, this just had to be put right, and Howth YC handled it with some style. They have experience of being on the receiving end of this kind of error. Five years ago, when local boats were scoring big internationally, Howth's Roy Dickson with the Corby 36 Rosie was announced as the initial overall winner of the British IRC Championship in the Solent, a big deal by any standards. The trophy had been back in Howth for 24 hours, and well celebrated, when Royal Ocean Racing Club CEO Eddie Warden-Owen made a sheepish phone call asking for their cup back – Rosie had actually been beaten for first overall by a fraction of a point.
So HYC's Brian Turvey handled the Supernova imbroglio with exemplary diplomacy, offering Ken Lawless dinner for two in Howth YC with all the trimmings if he could just see his way to bringing the Lambay Lady over with him, though of course keeping all the other cups. Today, we'll expect a double run on the results before making the final award. But even then, if you do win the Lambay Lady but subsequently have to give it back again, don't mess about - hold out for free dinner for all the crew.
W M Nixon's sailing column is in the Irish Independent on Saturdays
Royal Cork Sail to Success at Howth's ICRA Nationals
#ICRA2012 – Three Cork IRC victories, two titles retained and local success on ECHO and in the BMW Corinthian Cup were the outstanding features of the overall results of the BMW Cruiser Nationals run by Howth Yacht Club for the Irish Cruiser Racing Association, with the 7-race series finishing on Sunday in glorious sunshine but in tricky northerly breezes.
The event brought together 123 boats in one of the biggest fleets of the Irish sailing season with 80% of the fleet visitors to Howth. This year the event got a Government approval when Marine Minister Simon Coveney TD lent his support to the Cruiser National Championships when it opened last Friday.
Anitx and the view the other Class Zero competitors got. The Royal Cork Yacht retained her Irish IRC title
Royal Cork boats Antix and Tiger retained their Division 0 and 3 Irish titles respectively but in totally different ways. Anthony O'Leary's Antix was pushed so hard all the way by Richard Fildes' Impetuous that the Welsh Corby 37's double win on the last day set up the intriguing scenario of a tie after discards. With four wins to Fildes' three, O'Leary made it by the tightest of margins.
Welsh yacht Impetuous hoists on the tail of Jump Juice
Neil Kenefick's Tiger from Royal Cork sailing to success in Howth
The opposite was the case in Division 3 where the Keneficks' dominance on Tiger was underlined by two more wins on the third day to seal an emphatic victory by the biggest margin (9 points) of any fleet. The pre-event favourites saw off the early challenge of Tim Goodbody's White Mischief, although the Royal Irish boat had the consolation of winning the ECHO award from another RIYC boat Quest.
Dun Laoghaire's Sigma 33 White Mischief skippered by Tim Goodbody held an early lead in class three IRC and won overall on ECHO
In Division 0, Crazy Horse from Howth (Chambers/Reilly) took the ECHO honours, with four race wins enough to beat the National's Vincent Farrell in Tsunami by two points. Only two points separating the top three showed how competitive Division 1 was on IRC with another Royal Cork entry Jelly Baby (Nagle & O'Malley) emerging on top, with a final race win the difference in edging out Xtravagance (Colin Byrne) from RIYC while more success went to the Dun Laoghaire club with Rockabill V's (Paul O'Higgins) narrow on ECHO.
Colin Byrne's Xtravangance from Dublin Bay was at the top in Class One but was edged out by Cork yacht Jelly Baby (Ian Nagle and Paul O'Malley) below.
After the first day, it was pretty straightforward for Checkmate XV, Nigel Biggs' entry from the Royal St. George, and three more race wins was enough to finish with a 7.5 points gap over second-placed Dux (Anthony Gore-Grimes of HYC). The performance was also sufficient to take the ECHO plaudits too, although the margin over Howth's Dave Cullen in King One was a little closer.
The only perfect scoreline in the Championships came in Division 4 where Team Toy Yot from Howth had a clean sweep on IRC while consistency earned Malahide visitor Goyave (Camier/Fitzpatrick) second overall, with the latter reversing the order on ECHO by virtue of one more race win.
Howth boats were very much to the fore in the non-spinnaker classes competing for the BMW Corinthian Cup, winning the A and B fleets on both handicap systems. On the Rox (C&J Boyle) wrapped up the A division with two wins to finish six points ahead of Bite the Bullet (Colm Bermingham) while they had five points to spare over Colm Buckley's Blue Eyes on ECHO.
Howth boat On the Rox won the Corinthian A fleet divison. More photos in the gallery below.
In the B fleet, Harry Byrne's Alphida (with Paddy Cronin on helm) stayed in the top four throughout and also recorded three wins to beat off the challenge of Joe Carton's Voyager on both handicaps. A second and a bullet on the last day brought Richard McAllister's Force Five into the top three frame on ECHO at the end.
At the prize-giving ceremony, Barry Rose, Commodore of the Irish Cruiser Racing Association complimented Howth YC on its handling of this major national event for a third time, and paid particular thanks to the organising committee, the three race officers and their teams of helpers and RIB drivers.
BMW Cruiser Nationals & Corinthian Cup 2012, Howth Yacht Club, Winners and (provisional) results after Day 3:
Division 0 IRC:
ANTIX, Anthony O'Leary
Division 0 ECHO:
CRAZY HORSE, Chambers/Reilly
Division 1 IRC:
.JELLY BABY, Ian Nagle & Paul O'Malley
Division 1 ECHO:
ROCKABILL V, Paul O'Higgins
Division 2 IRC:
CHECKMATE XV, Nigel Biggs
Division 2 ECHO:
CHECKMATE XV, Nigel Biggs
Division 3 IRC:
TIGER, Keneficks
Division 3 ECHO:
WHITE MISCHIEF, Timothy Goodbody
Division 4 IRC:
TOY YOT,
Division 4 ECHO:
GOYAVE, Camier/Fitzpatrick
Non-Spinnaker A IRC:
ON-THE-ROX (C & J Boyle)
Non-Spinnaker A ECHO:
ON-THE-ROX, C & J Boyle
Non-Spinnaker B IRC:
ALPHIDA OF HOWTH, Harry Byrne
Non-Spinnaker B ECHO:
ALPHIDA OF HOWTH, Harry Byrne
BMW Cruiser Nationals & Corinthian Cup 2012, Howth Yacht Club, Provisional results after Day 3:
Division 0 IRC: 1.ANTIX, Anthony O'Leary 2.IMPETUOUS, Richard Fildes 3.JUMP JUICE, Denise Phelan. Division 0 ECHO: 1.CRAZY HORSE, Chambers/Reilly 2.TSUNAMI, Vincent Farrell 3.LOOSE CHANGE, Mitton/Redden. Division 1 IRC: 1.JELLY BABY, Ian Nagle & Paul O'Malley 2.XTRAVAGANCE, Colin Byrne 3.ROCKABILL V, Paul O'Higgins. Division 1 ECHO: 1.ROCKABILL V, Paul O'Higgins 2.JELLY BABY, Ian Nagle & Paul O'Malley 3.XTRAVAGANCE, Colin Byrne. Division 2 IRC: 1.CHECKMATE XV, Nigel Biggs 2.DUX, Anthony Gore-Grimes 3.KING ONE, Dave Cullen. Division 2 ECHO: 1.CHECKMATE XV, Nigel Biggs 2.KING ONE, Dave Cullen 3.DUX, Anthony Gore-Grimes. Division 3 IRC: 1.TIGER, Kenefick's 2.WHITE MISCHIEF, Timothy Goodbody 3.HARD ON PORT, Flor O Driscoll. Division 3 ECHO: 1.WHITE MISCHIEF, Timothy Goodbody 2.QUEST, J Skernilt 3.HARD ON PORT, Flor O Driscoll. Division 4 IRC: 1.TOY YOT, Team Toy Yot 2.GOYAVE, Camier/Fitzpatrick 3.ASTERIX, Counihan/Bowhell/Meredith. Division 4 ECHO: 1.GOYAVE, Camier/Fitzpatrick 2.TOY YOT, Team Toy Yot 3.ASTERIX, Counihan/Bowhell/Meredith. Non-Spinnaker A IRC: 1.ON-THE-ROX, C & J Boyle 2.BITE THE BULLET, Colm Bermingham 3.CHANGELING, Kieran Jameson. Non-Spinnaker A ECHO: 1.ON-THE-ROX, C & J Boyle 2.BLUE EYES, Colm Buckley 3.PRETTY POLLY, Chris Horrigan. Non-Spinnaker B IRC: 1.ALPHIDA OF HOWTH, Harry Byrne 2.VOYAGER, Joe Carton 3.DEMELZA, W. Laudan / S. Ennis. Non-Spinnaker B ECHO: 1.ALPHIDA OF HOWTH, Harry Byrne 2.VOYAGER, Joe Carton 3.FORCE FIVE, R&J McAllister.
#ICRA – The second day of action in the BMW Cruiser Nationals at Howth saw a repeat of the welcome sunshine but, in stark contrast to Friday, there was no shortage of wind, with strong easterlies and a big sea providing plenty of frenetic activity afloat on all three courses.
It was the turn of Divisions 2, 3 and 4 to compete on the windward-leeward courses set off Malahide and three back-to-back races tested the three fleets to the limit. In the most outstanding performance of the day, Nigel Biggs Checkmate XV from the Royal St.George dominated proceedings in Division 2, leading throughout on the water to record three bullets and open up a 5-point lead over nearest challenger, Anthony Gore-Grimes’ Dux of the home club, after five races. It was so impressive that they also lead on ECHO.
Two wins and a third was enough to see defending Division 3 champion Tiger (Keneficks, RCYC) jump ahead of Tim Goodbody’s White Mischief in the overall standings (although the latter heads the ECHO results to date) while winning the fifth race helped Flor O’Driscoll’s J/24 Hard on Port to close the gap and secure a comfortable 3rd on IRC (and 2nd on ECHO) overall.
In the small Division 4 fleet, it’s all one-way traffic for Team Toy Yot (HYC) which has notched four straight wins to lead second-placed Goyave (Camier/Fitzpatrick, Malahide YC) by a comfortable 7.5 points, although the margin is a little smaller on ECHO.
Over on the round-the-cans course, the bigger boats were also given three races. Notably, Anthony O’Leary’s Antix did not have everything its own way in Division 0, playing second fiddle to Welsh visitor Richard Fildes’ Impetuous on the day. The Corby 37 from South Caernarvonshire scored 1-1-2 while the Cork boat registered 2-3-1, a combination that sees the two boats tied on 8 points overall and everything to play for on Sunday.
It is very tight at the top of Division 1, with one point separating the top four boats and it was a good day for the Royal Irish YC contingent, filling three of those places overall after four races. Paul O’Higgins’ Rockabill V shares the lead with Jelly Baby (Nagle & O’Malley) although it was their clubmate Colin Byrne’s Xtravagance which made the biggest impression. A second followed by two wins brings them into serious contention, lying third equal with Pat Kelly’s Storm II, both one point adrift, so the title will be decided between the four on Sunday. Howard McMullen’s new acquisition Another Adventure heads the ECHO standings.
The two non-spinnaker classes both got two more races in and both continue to be dominated by Howth entries. In the A fleet, two top-three finishes by On-the-Rox (C&J Boyle) and Changeling (Kieran Jameson) sees them share the overall lead, with Changeling also heading the ECHO table. In the B fleet, Harry Byrne’s Alphida maintains the overall lead (on both handicaps) but a second and first by Joe Carton’s Voyager narrows the IRC gap to just two points.
Overall situation after today's racing: BMW Cruiser Nationals & Corinthian Cup 2012, Howth Yacht Club, Provisional results after Day2:Division 0 IRC: 1.ANTIX, Anthony O'Leary 2.IMPETUOUS, Richard Fildes 3.JUMP JUICE, Denise Phelan.Division 0 ECHO: 1.LOOSE CHANGE, Mitton/Redden 2.LYNX CLIPPER, Martin Breen 3.TSUNAMI, Vincent Farrell.Division 1 IRC: 1.ROCKABILL V, Paul O'Higgins 2.JELLY BABY, Ian Nagle & Paul O'Malley 3.XTRAVAGANCE, Colin Byrne.Division 1 ECHO: 1.ANOTHER ADVENTURE, Howard McMullen 2.JELLY BABY, Ian Nagle & Paul O'Malley 3.XTRAVAGANCE, Colin Byrne.Division 2 IRC: 1.CHECKMATE XV, Nigel Biggs 2.DUX, Anthony Gore-Grimes 3.KING ONE, Dave Cullen.Division 2 ECHO: 1.CHECKMATE XV, Nigel Biggs 2.KING ONE, Dave Cullen 3.DUX, Anthony Gore-Grimes.Division 3 IRC: 1.TIGER, Kenefick's 2.WHITE MISCHIEF, Timothy Goodbody 3.HARD ON PORT, Flor O Driscoll.Division 3 ECHO: 1.WHITE MISCHIEF, Timothy Goodbody 2.HARD ON PORT, Flor O Driscoll 3.SUPERNOVA, Lawless/McCormack/Shannon.Division 4 IRC: 1.TOY YOT, Team Toy Yot 2.GOYAVE, Camier/Fitzpatrick 3.JULIA, Eddie Kay.Division 4 ECHO: 1.TOY YOT, Team Toy Yot 2.GOYAVE, Camier/Fitzpatrick 3.ASTERIX, Counihan/Bowhell/Meredith.Non-Spinnaker A IRC: 1.ON-THE-ROX, C & J Boyle 2.CHANGELING, Kieran Jameson 3.BITE THE BULLET, Colm Bermingham.Non-Spinnaker A ECHO: 1.CHANGELING, Kieran Jameson 2.PRETTY POLLY, Chris Horrigan 3.LULA BELLE, Liam Coyne.Non-Spinnaker B IRC: 1.ALPHIDA OF HOWTH, Harry Byrne 2.VOYAGER, Joe Carton 3.DEMELZA, W. Laudan / S. Ennis.Non-Spinnaker B ECHO: 1.ALPHIDA OF HOWTH, Harry Byrne 2.VOYAGER, Joe Carton 3.SANDPIPER OF HOWTH, Andrew Knowles.
The Olympic Torch Visits the Howth Seventeens
#SAILING – With the Olympic torch burning its way through Ireland in ten days' time and the countdown to London 2012 well under way, the Irish squad for the sailing events in Weymouth has little enough time to adjust to its greatly increased size, with two new crews coming on board through last ditch qualifications.
The lonely selection voyage of Laser sailor James Espey of Ballyholme has finally reached a successful conclusion, and so too has the 470 campaign of Ger Owens of Dun Laoghaire and Scott Flanigan of Malahide. Malahide has always punched above its weight in the Olympic sailing stakes, and Flanigan carries the MYC flag along with Star class sailor David Burrows, while Ballyholme is also well in, as James Espey joins clubmates Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern, who are already on board as Ireland's 49er crew.
For the latest additions, the turnaround from battling for selection to training for representation means that, as ISA Team Manager James O'Callaghan has put it, "there's work to be done between now and Weymouth". But in fact O'Callaghan's remark was primarily prompted by the somewhat erratic showing by the already-qualified Annalise Murphy in the recent Women's Laser Radial Worlds in Germany.
The weather was the most erratic feature of all, yet when the breeze was good Murphy was on top form, taking two wins and two seconds in the 133-boat fleet. But she also had a major upset with a collision, and the final day saw her logging a 33rd and 55th to drop nine places to 25th in fleet, not the sort of placing she's been used to in recent years.
But with a smaller fleet and (so they tell us) steadier breezes anticipated at Weymouth, she's on track for a good showing, as too are the Star class duo of Peter O'Leary and David Burrows, who ended as fourth overall in the recent worlds, very much in the frame.
There'll be a special link to sailing when the Olympic torch arrives at Olympic Council of Ireland HQ in Howth on June 6th, as Howth House, the OCI base, is the former home of the Boyd family of sailing folk, where Herbert Boyd designed the still-extant Howth Seventeen class.
The youthful Boyd utilised the spacious floor of the drawing room (where else?) to finalise the lines of his boat designs, and it was there in 1897 that he created the Howth Seventeen One Designs, which still look today exactly as he envisaged them 115 years ago.
Only a year earlier, the revival of the Olympics in their modern form had been achieved by Pierre de Coubertin. It's doubtful if Boyd ever had Olympic ambitions for his rugged little boats. But they are truly Olympian in their dogged persistence allied to timeless style with 115 years of solid sport, so there's no better place for the Olympic torch in Ireland.
But that's in ten days' time. Right now Howth is jumping with the 127-strong fleet battling it out in the three-day BMW Cruiser-Racer Nationals, and skippers of the calibre of current Sailor of the Year George Kenefick of Crosshaven at the helm of his Quarter Tonner "Tiger of Currabinny" (now there's a name to conjure with) are revelling in glorious early-summer weather.
Out in the Atlantic, however, the chances of mid-ocean calms are slowing arrival time hopes for the Volvo fleet (back on full strength) racing from Miami to Lisbon, with Franck Cammas and Damian Foxall and team on Groupama losing their early lead to Iker Martinez on Telefonica. The Atlantic weather is all over the place, and nerves will be well frayed before they get to Portugal.
W M Nixon's sailing column is in the Irish Independent on Saturdays
#ICRA2012 – Howth may have basked in glorious sunshine for the best part of the BMW ICRA Cruiser Nationals’ first day but lack of wind created enormous frustration among the record 123-boat entry as the Race Officers were obliged to delay racing until such time as completing even one race was a possibility. Full results below.
On the windward-leeward course, Division 0 did manage two races, with the honours in the first going to the defending champion Antix (Anthony O’Leary) of RCYC ahead of Richard Fildes’ Impetuous from South Caernarvonshire YC, winner of last week’s Corby Cup. The positions were reversed in the second race, so the two share the overall lead by four points over the next challenger going into the second day.
J109s filled three of the top four places in the only race sailed by Division 1, with Jelly Baby (Nagle & O’Malley) from the Royal Irish YC heading last year’s ICRA winner Storm (Pat Kelly) from Rush.
Divisions 2 and 3 had a two-hour wait to get going but it was worth it in the end, with a fresh north-easterly making for some frantic action. It also provided a rare enough occurrence when Dux (Anthony Gore-Grimes) from Howth and Royal St. George YC visitor Nigel Biggs’ Checkmate XV recorded exactly the same corrected time and so share the lead in Division 2 after day one.
In Division 3, White Mischief, Tim Goodbody’s Sigma 33 from the Royal Irish YC lived up to pre-race speculation by leading the fleet home, ahead of 2011 champion Tiger (Keneficks) from Royal Cork and winning on handicap too, while Howth’s Vincent Gaffney will be satisfied with 3rd spot in his new boat Alliance II. First of the seven J/24s participating was Stouche (Darrer & Murphy).
The smallest fleet in the championships is Division 4 with just six boats and its one race ended in a Howth one-two, with Toy Yot (Team Toy Yot) heading Eddie Kay’s Contessa 26 Julia, with Dun Laoghaire visitor Asterix (Counihan et al) in third.
The Non-Spinnaker Classes were also afflicted by lack of wind but when they did get away, it was a Welsh visitor, John Collins’ Jet Stream from Pwllheli which took A Fleet honours from three local boats led by Colm Bermingham’s Bite the Bullet. In Fleet B, the smallest boat in the white sails divisions, the Club Shamrock Demelza (Laudan/Ennis) showed size isn’t everything, taking first place from Harry Byrne’s Alphida.
BMW Cruiser Nationals & Corinthian Cup 2012, Howth Yacht Club, Provisional results after Day 1: Division 0 IRC: 1.ANTIX, Anthony O'Leary 2.IMPETUOUS, Richard Fildes 3.ELF TOO, Christine Murray. Division 0 ECHO: 1.ANTIX, Anthony O'Leary 2.IMPETUOUS, Richard Fildes 3.LYNX CLIPPER, Martin Breen. Division 1 IRC: 1.JELLY BABY, Ian Nagle & Paul O'Malley 2.STORM II, Pat Kelly 3.ROCKABILL V, Paul O'Higgins. Division 1 ECHO: 1.JELLY BABY, Ian Nagle & Paul O'Malley 2.ROCKABILL V, Paul O'Higgins 3.STORM II, Pat Kelly. Division 2 IRC: 1.CHECKMATE XV, Nigel Biggs 2.DUX, Anthony Gore-Grimes 3.SLACK ALICE, S Statham & T OLeary. Division 2 ECHO: 1.CHECKMATE XV, Nigel Biggs 2.DUX, Anthony Gore-Grimes 3.SLACK ALICE, S Statham & T OLeary. Division 3 IRC: 1.WHITE MISCHIEF, Timothy Goodbody 2.TIGER, Kenefick's 3.ALLIANCE II, Vincent Gaffney. Division 3 ECHO: 1.WHITE MISCHIEF, Timothy Goodbody 2.TIGER, Kenefick's 3.SUPERNOVA, Lawless/McCormack/Shannon. Division 4 IRC: 1.TOY YOT, Team Toy Yot 2.JULIA, Eddie Kay 3.ASTERIX, Counihan/Bowhell/Meredith. Division 4 ECHO: 1.TOY YOT, Team Toy Yot 2.JULIA, Eddie Kay 3.ASTERIX, Counihan/Bowhell/Meredith. Non-Spinnaker A IRC: 1.ON-THE-ROX, C & J Boyle 2.JET STREAM, John Collins 3.BITE THE BULLET, Colm Bermingham. Non-Spinnaker A ECHO: 1.ON-THE-ROX, C & J Boyle 2.CHANGELING, Kieran Jameson 3.BITE THE BULLET, Colm Bermingham. Non-Spinnaker B IRC: 1.ALPHIDA OF HOWTH, Harry Byrne 2.VOYAGER, Joe Carton 3.DEMELZA, W. Laudan / S. Ennis. Non-Spinnaker B ECHO: 1.Lolly Folly, Colman and Lesley Phelan 2.ALPHIDA OF HOWTH, Harry Byrne 3.VOYAGER, Joe Carton.
#ICRA – A record entry of 123 boats racing in 7 sailing divisions will compete for honours at this weekend's BMW Cruiser Nationals being hosted by Howth Yacht Club on behalf of the Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA).
Seven races over three days – a mixture of round-the-cans and windward-leewards - will be provided on three separate courses, with Class 0 and 1 together, Class 2, 3 and 4 on another, and two divisions of non-spinnaker cruisers racing for the Corinthian Cup.
Last year's championship winners in the first four divisions will all be in Howth to defend their titles. Anthony O'Leary's Antix from Cork will again be among the favourites in Class 0 although he can expect strong challenges from Jump Juice (Denise Phelan) and George Sisk's WOW, while Richard Fildes Impetuous from Wales had a useful warm-up on the race track in winning last weekend's Corby Cup.
Pat Kelly's Storm (HYC & Rush) won Class 1 in Cork last year and there are six other J109s in the line-up to keep them on their toes. Six of the 21 entries are from outside Dublin.
In Class 2, Brian Goggin's Corby 25 Allure from Kinsale was the winner a year ago and will be expected to be a front-runner in the biggest fleet (31 boats) in the Championships, the majority of which are visitors. Of the local entries, Dave Cullen's King One, Ian Byrne's Sunburn and Anthony Gore-Grimes Dux are contenders.
The modified quarter-tonner Tiger (Neil Kenefick) from Cork is undoubtedly the boat to beat in Class 3, having been the outstanding boat in this division over the past couple of years. Half a dozen J24s will have to be at their very best to compete against this very fast, well sailed boat, while in Class 4, Goyave (Camier/Fitzpatrick) from Malahide and Basil MacMahon's Holly of the host club will be fancied.
The Corinthian Cup entries have been split into two divisions, with local boats Changeling (Kieran Jameson) and Bite the Bullet (Colm Bermingham) among those fancied in division 5 and Harry Byrne's Alphida and Demelza (Laudan & Ennis) serious contenders in division 6.
#HOWTH YACHT CLUB – In light winds the Squib one design class was won last night by Chatterbox (J Kay). Second was Too Dee (D Sheahan) and third Kerfuffle (Craig/Ruane). On scratch handicap in the Puppeteer class Harlequin (Clarke/Egan) were winners but there was a tie for second between Gold Dust (Walls/Browne) and Eclipse (A & R Hegarty). Full results below: TUESDAY SERIES 1 (RACE) 22/05/2012 Puppeteer SCRATCH: 1, Harlequin Clarke/Egan; 2=, Gold Dust Walls/Browne; 2=, Eclipse A & R Hegarty; Puppeteer HPH: 1, Arcturus C McAuliffe; 2, Schiggy G Kennedy; 3, Mr Punch NiBhraonain/Wilson; Squib SCRATCH: 1, Chatterbox J Kay; 2, Too Dee D Sheahan; 3, Kerfuffle Craig/Ruane; Squib HPH: 1, Chatterbox J Kay; 2, Kerfuffle Craig/Ruane; 3, Too Dee D Sheahan; Etchells SCRATCH: 1, Jabberwocky S Knowles; 2, Fetching Quinn/O'Flaherty; 3, Kootamundra D O'Grady
Sgrech Claims Second ISORA Win in Irish Sea Sailing Race
#ISORA– Welsh yacht Sgrech (skippered by Richard Tudor) took its second victory in a fortnight on the Irish Sea yesterday when it won ISORA's third race from Conwy in North Wales to Howth in North Dublin a distance of some 100-miles.
The ISORA fleet is now berthed in Howth to coincide with the BMW ICRA Nationals starting this Friday. ICRA preview and entry list of the 110 boat fleet here.
An unfortunate clash with other sporting events is being blamed for the fact that only 12 boats came to the start line in Conwy.
The course was : Start; West Constable (P) ; Archdeacon (P) ; Ethal (P) ; The Skerries (P) ; Finish in Howth.
The beat to Constable appeared to spread the fleet with “Sgrech” rounding first following closely by “Joker 2” and “Lancastrian” and “Adelie”. Close behind these were “Midnight Mojito” and “Madam Wen”. From Constable it was a direct course leaving Archdeacon, Ethal and The Skerries safely to Port.
The 90 mile leg to Howth was a run. Spinnaker reach and ending with a dead run into Howth. As forecast, the winds got lighter approaching Howth and the usual tricky conditions that Howth finishes are famous for appeared, light winds and strong tides.
“Sgrech” led the charge from Constable to the approach into Howth Sound, with a very strong following tide giving speeds over the ground of 15-16 knots at The Skerries. These conditions made short work of the long leg to Howth. The two “J” boats, “Sgrech” and “Joker 2” kept close together for the entire leg. Lancastrian and Midnight Mojito took a more southern route. “Adelie” and “Madam Wen” were just behind the leading group.
Four boats entered Howth Sound at the same time from slightly different directions. The J boats were too north and had to gybe to get into the Sound. During this manoeuvre and while the J boats were within several boat lengths of each other, “Joker 2” passed “Sgrech” but failed to monopolise on their position. Lancastrian was also caught and had to gybe in the very light conditions. However, Midnight Mojito got the course correct and stormed into the sound with wind and tide and shot over to take line
honours.
Despite the 100 mile course, the first four boats crossed the finish line in just over a minute!!! This would be difficult to achieve even in Bay Racing. The finish in Howth was provided by John Doran, Howth Yacht Club.
“Sgrech” won Class 1 and Overall. “Adeli” took Class 2 and 2nd Overall. “Lancastrian” won Class 1 Sliver Fleet while “Polished Manx” took Class 2 Silver Fleet.
The facilities in Conwy Marina and the Mulberry Bar & Restaurant were first class with a great evening had by all on Friday night. The Mulberry prepared a superb breakfast on the Saturday morning, getting everybody ready for the long race.
The next race is the 100– mile ISORA lynx metmAsts Pwllheli to Wicklow Race on the 2nd June.
Due to the generous sponsorship of lynx metmAsts, a complimentary Crew Bus will meet the 13.15 HSS from Dun Laoghaire and will bring crew from Holyhead to Pwllheli. There will also be a reception in Pwllheli Sailing Club on the Friday 1st June. This race will be the last qualifying race for those doing the Round Ireland race.
ISORA Race three results are avallable to download below.
Latest Irish Sea Offshore Sailing (ISORA) News
#ICRA – Entries for the BMW Cruiser Nationals at Howth Yacht Club in two weeks’ time have broken the 100 boats mark, a figure which also includes 66 boats and crews in Howth for the three-day event. Scroll down for the full entry to date.
The Irish Cruiser Racing Association is expected to confirm the breakpoints for the various classes in the near future, but it is likely that four of the classes involved will each have highly competitive fleets of 20 boats.
In Class Zero, the leading contenders will be Antix and Jump Juice from Cork, WOW from Dun Laoghaire and Crazy Horse from the host club.
Up to 20 boats ranging between 30ft. and 50ft. are expected to contest the non-spinnaker Corinthian Cup.
Organising Committee Chairman Chris Howard is delighted with the entry level, saying that the magic figure of 100 boats had always been the target and that it was pleasing to have achieved it.
Status | Event | Sail No | Boat Name | Owner Name | Non HYC |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Clubs | |||||
A | Cruiser Nationals | 66 | Checkmate XV | Nigel Biggs | RStGYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 79 | Graduate | Dominc |O Keeffe | RIYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 218 | Turtle | Robert Hogg | |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 345 | Joliba | William Kearey | pybc |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 418 | Seafest 2012 | John Hasson | Lough Swill .. |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 521 | Bendemeer | Lindsay CASEY/Denis POWER | RStGYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 673 | TK Lean Machine | Team TK | GBSC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 680 | Kilcullen Euro Car Parks | HYC K25 Team | |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 791 | Shenanigans | Lee Douglas / Aidan Keane | MYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 811 | Raptor | Denis Hewitt & Ors. | RIYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 988 | Dux | Anthony Gore-Grimes | |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 1075 | Julia | E Kay | |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 1132 | sunburn | ian byrne | |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 1141 | storm | pat kelly | Rush Sailin .. |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 1166 | Edinpark | Liam Farmer | RIYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 1206 | Joker 2 | John Maybury | RIYC |
D | Cruiser Nationals | 1310 | After U too | Michael Blaney | RStGYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 1311 | Holly | Basil MacMahon | |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 1333 | White Lotus | Paul Tully | DLM |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 1517 | Alphida of Howth | Harry Byrne | |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 1654 | Goyave | Camier/Fitzpatrick | MYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 1811 | Empress III | Fitzpatrick/Glennon | |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 1901 | Lazybones | Michael Carvill | RStGYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 2007 | Jump Juice | Denise Phelan | RCYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 2138 | Wil2win | WM Partington Marine Ltd | Pwllehi Sai .. |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 2506 | Allure | Brian Goggin | KYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 2525 | Tribal | Liam Burke | GBSC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 2760 | SunChaser | Michael Marr | |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 2860 | Pure Magic | Steve Hayes | Bray Sailin .. |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 2909 | Eazi Tiger | Connolly, Oliver, Kyffin | Liverpool Y .. |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 3052 | Tobago | P Hanna, & others | MYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 3307 | Rockabill V | Paul O'Higgins | RIYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 3337 | Tantrum 3 | Jenny OLeary/Ray Klimcke | |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 3470 | Flashback | Breen/Gregory/Hogg | |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 3471 | Black Velvet | Parnell Family | RIYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 3506 | Just Jasmin | Philip Smith | DMYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 3511 | Another Adventure | Howard McMullen | |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 3550 | Lolly Folly | Colman and Lesley Phelan | |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 3709 | Axiom | Michael O'Neill | RIYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 3939 | antix | A O Leary | RCYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 4041 | Elf Too | Christine Murray | Cldye Cruis .. |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 4170 | Slack Alice | S Statham & T OLeary | WHSC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 4212 | Scandal | Brian McDowell | MYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 4536 | Elandra | Leggett/Hance/Flynn | NYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 4633 | White Mischief | Timothy Goodbody | RIYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 4794 | Hard on Port | Flor O Driscoll | |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 5109 | Jalapeno | Baker et al | NYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 5310 | Yasemin | Aine Stafford | Courtown SC .. |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 5568 | Moonlighter | Michael Ennis | Kircubbin S .. |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 5718 | Loose Change | Mitton/Redden | RIYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 6136 | Starlet | Bourke,Maher,McGirr. | |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 6695 | E05 | David Scott | KYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 6909 | Extreme Reality | Patrick McSwiney / Emmet | RIYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 7111 | wow | George Sisk | RIYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 7115 | Gecko | Kevin Darmody | |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 7495 | Maximus | Paddy Kyne | |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 7500 | Supernova | Lawless/McCormack/Shannon | RIYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 7638 | Lynx | Martin Breen | GBSC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 7737 | Impetuous | Richard Fildes | South Caern .. |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 8094 | King One | Dave Cullen | |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 8188 | Alliance II | Vincent Gaffney | |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 8223 | Kamikaze | Peter Nash | RStGYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 8245 | Asterix | counihan/bowhell/meredith | DLM |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 8322 | Sojourn | Blandford/Lacy | |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 8407 | Encore | Dermot Cronin | MYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 8541 | Mermaid V | Seamus Fitzpatrick | RIYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 8709 | Cri-Cri | Paul Colton | RIYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 8747 | Movistar bleu | Raymond Killops | Killyleagh .. |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 8750 | Jester | Declan Curtin | NYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 9191 | Jebus | Emmet Dalton | |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 9201 | GBR9201R | James Ives | Carlingford .. |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 9265 | Toy Yot | Team Toy Yot | |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 9508 | Huggy Bear | Byrne / Doyle | NYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 9852 | Crazy Horse | Chambers/Reilly | |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 9898 | Indecision | Declan Hayes | RIYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 10034 | Xtravagance | Colin Byrne | RIYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 13611 | Antix Og | Derek Ryan | RStGYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 14117 | Toughnut | Dermot Skehan | |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 17195 | karukera | Harvey, Keane and Brown | RStGYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 19238 | Freyja of Courtown Harbou | Pål Eikrem | Courtown |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 25078 | MiniMumm | Ronan Cobbe & N McDonald | |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 28181 | XtraTime | M&P Arthurs | MYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 28896 | Powder Monkey | Chris Moore/Mark Byrne | NYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 34218 | Lady Rowena | David Bolger | RStGYC |
A | Cruiser Nationals | 999999 | Tiger | Kenefick's | RCYC |
A | Corinthians Cup | 100 | Demelza | W. Laudan / S. Ennis | |
A | Corinthians Cup | 657 | Voyager | J Carton | |
A | Corinthians Cup | 1217 | The Great Escape | P & D Rigney | RIYC |
A | Corinthians Cup | 1502 | Vespucci | Sean & Kristina O'Regan | RStGYC |
A | Corinthians Cup | 2070 | Out & About | Mc Coy/Cregan | |
A | Corinthians Cup | 2382 | Xerxes | Dan O'Neill | RIYC |
A | Corinthians Cup | 3335 | Bite the Bullet | Colm Bermingham | |
A | Corinthians Cup | 3400 | Brazen Hussy | J Barry/M Stirling | |
A | Corinthians Cup | 3607 | Lula Belle | Liam Coyne | NYC |
A | Corinthians Cup | 4183 | Poppy | John Roberts | Liverpool |
A | Corinthians Cup | 5115 | force five | R&J McAllister | |
A | Corinthians Cup | 5643 | Calypso | Howard Knott | RStGYC |
A | Corinthians Cup | 6001 | rebellion | hughes o'mahony hanlon | |
A | Corinthians Cup | 7404 | Pretty Polly | Chris Harrington | SSC |
A | Corinthians Cup | 8331 | Changeling | Kieran Jameson | |
A | Corinthians Cup | 8609 | Jetstream | John Collins | Pwllheli Sa .. |
A | Corinthians Cup | 9849 | Blue Eyes | Colm Buckley | |
A | Corinthians Cup | 37050 | Sandpiper of Howth | Andrew Knowles |