Race 3: It might have been a civilised southerly breeze elsewhere, but off Dun Laoghaire, the Dublin Bay effect made the slow-building wind of the day a fickle friend. The skewing effect began right at the top for Class 0 in the ultra-short Race 3 of the IRC Euros 2024, with Karl Kwok's TP 52 Beau Geste managing to take out nearly six minutes on the water from Pete Smyth's Ker 46 Searcher, in what was effectively a 35 minute race for the leaders.
With the rest of the class struggling to find power, that was enough to keep Searcher in second on CT as BG kept first, while the finish of Johnny Treanor's ValenTina all of ten minutes later than Searcher secured the J/112e the third slot, just 35 seconds ahead on CT of the First 50 Checkmate (Nigel Biggs & Dave Cullen).
The last Class 0 finisher (no names, no pack drill) was all of 19 minutes and ten seconds behind the leader. It was time for the Bay to get its act together.
The First 50 Checkmate (Nigel Biggs & Dave Cullen) from Howth competing in the Maples Group IRC European Championships at the Royal Irish Yacht Club Photo: Afloat
Checkmate XX Finds Form
Race 4: It wasn't quite a "blink and you miss it" contest, but nevertheless Friday's second race was no marathon. Once again, Beau Geste found the right track and zipped through the finish just 32 minutes after the start. But there was some re-arranging of the deck-chairs thereafter, as Checkmate's finish nine minutes later was enough for her to stay in second on CT, just slightly over a minute on corrected ahead of the Pwllheli J/112e Mojito (Vicky Cox & Peter Dunlop).
The Pwllheli J/112e Mojito (Vicky Cox & Peter Dunlop) competing in the Maples Group IRC European Championships at the Royal Irish Yacht Club Photo: Afloat
Paul O'Higgins' JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI (RIYC) secured fourth one minute and nine seconds behind Mojito on CT, and the anonymous last finisher was getting the act together by reducing Beau Geste's first race lead on the water to 15 minutes.
