After five races sailed and a discard applied at the ICRA National Championships at the Royal St. George Yacht Club, John Maybury is two races away from an impressive fourth win of the Class One title after another impressive day on Dublin Bay sees the Royal Irish Yacht Club skipper lead 18-boat class one by five nett points with three wins from five races.
As predicted, J109s continue their stranglehold of class one and are in the top three places. Second, on 10 points, is Howth Yacht Club's Storm skippered by Pat Kelly and one point behind in third overall is clubmate and ICRA Commodore Richard Colwell in the new Outrajeous campaign.
Current J109 National Champion Andrew Algeo sailing his brand new J99 is fourth overall.
Three solid windward-leeward races, with beats of 1.1 nautical miles, were held today in shifting westerly breezes of 280 to 290 degrees that placed an emphasis on sailing the high tack and staying in the strongest pressure, upwind and down. The 10-14 knot breeze was heaviest in the morning with gust up to 20 knots over relatively flat seas.
"It was very tight racing - again - and it was tough with 20 knots for all three races and good courses too," said Colwell. "It's very close in our class, one mistake and you pay heavily - the way it should be!"
Results are here. The final two races are scheduled tomorrow from 11 am with breeze forecast to be westerly at eight knots on Dublin Bay
With just seconds to the start gun, the Strangford Lough Ker 32 HiJacKer from Down Cruising Club wins the pin end of the 400 metre line Photo: Afloat
Pat Kelly's Storm has moved up to second overall Photo: Afloat
Richard Colwell in the new Outrajeous campaign is lying third overall Photo: Afloat
Andrew Algeo's J99 on port with Colwell's Outrajeous in today's windward-leeward races
Kinsale's Grand Soleil Nieulargo was fourth in the third race to be 11th overall Photo: Afloat
Dublin Bay local IMX38 Gringo (Tony Fox) from the National Yacht Club won race three and is sixth overall Photo: Afloat
Seventh-placed Jelly Baby (above) - Despite her advertised tactician being Olympic skiff campaigner Seafra Guilfoyle, the 49er crew was spotted otherwise engaged on Dublin Bay (below) Photos: Afloat
Read all the latest from the ICRA National Championships in one handy link here.
