After ten races, the J/24 European Championship hosted by Howth Yacht Club, concluded in a tie at 65 points, with the third-place team only one point back. That third-place team was made up of six junior sailors from the Kinsale Yacht Club, which has worked to create a squad of under 25-year-old sailors or U25s. Along with finishing third overall, one point out of first, Carroll’s team finished second in the Corinthian Class and first in the Youth Class. Micheál O’Súilleabháin was on the helm.
This was the first year sailing a J/24 for this young team. Crewmember Mike Carroll said, “Since we only started in the J24 class this summer, we didn’t know what to expect from ourselves at the event. We had some poor results earlier on in the regatta, but as the event went on, we improved and achieved a good level of consistency that we were happy with. We couldn’t afford another poor result as there was only one discard across the 10 races. We had a mix of all sailing conditions during the week, which led to it being a high-scoring event. Given that most boats had at least one or two bad scores, it allowed us to climb high in the results without needing to win races. What happened on the water exceeded our expectations.” By finishing second in the last race of the regatta, the team moved from sixth to third.
Kinsailor competing at the ten race J/24 European Championship at Howth Yacht Club Photo: Christopher Howell
The young team faced down some serious challenges, which they overcame. A week before the Europeans, while racing in the J/24 Easterns, they broke their mast and had to secure a loner. Their new UK Sailmakers mainsail was damaged when the rig came down, and they finished the Easterns with their delivery main. UK Sailmakers Ireland made an invisible repair in a few short days and had the main ready for the Europeans.
“The sails were fantastic”
Dave Sullivan, the team’s coach said, “It’s just brilliant that a team of kids from Kinsale can get a boat, set it up, and deliver a world-class performance -- all in less than a year. Phenomenal really; we are most proud of them.” The team came about as part of the Irish Cruiser Racing Association Under 25 initiative designed to create a pathway for junior sailors to progress into the adult sailing scene. Sullivan said that members of the Kinsale Yacht Club held a fundraiser to buy, ship to Ireland and prepare a J/24 for the club’s juniors to use. He took on the role of the team’s mentor. The original goal was to compete at the 2022 European Championships and the boat will stay available for juniors at the club for years to come.
Kinsailor is a Kinsale Yacht Club Under 25 initiative
Barry Hayes, President of UK Sailmakers Ireland said, “Our loft is doing everything to help young sailors excel. They are the future of the sport. Therefore, we are doing our best to help them get the best sails, learn how to use them so that they move up to the podium as quickly as possible. From centreboard to keelboats, UK Sailmakers is dedicated to helping the next generation of sailors.”
About the UK Sailmakers J/24 class sails, the team members said, “The sails were fantastic.”
The Kinsailor J24 crew with their prizes in Howth including Mikey Carroll, Jack O’Sullivan, Lellie Collins, Francesca Lewis, Rory Carroll and Micheál O’Súilleabháin
The four men and two women on KINSAILOR were:
- Mikey Carroll
- Jack O’Sullivan
- Lellie Collins
- Francesca Lewis
- Rory Carroll
- Micheál O’Súilleabháin
2022 J24 European Championships results
