The French dominated the second day of the WMRT Dublin Match Cup on Dublin Bay, with four skippers from France advancing to the quarter-finals after the Round Robin stages concluded at the National Yacht Club.
With the fresher opening-day breeze replaced by a lighter 8–10 knot westerly, the race committee completed both qualifying groups to decide the eight teams progressing to Saturday’s knockout rounds.
Tom Foucher was the standout performer, completing Group B unbeaten with six wins from six matches. Timothée Rossi topped Group A with five victories from six races.
Joining them in the quarter-finals are fellow French sailors Martin Allix and Victorien Eon, giving France half of the remaining eight-boat fleet.
Finland’s Jon Eriksson and Dutch skipper Lennard Bal both progressed from Group A after finishing with four wins, while Poland’s Patryk Zbroja and Ireland’s Ruairi Finnegan completed the quarter-final line-up from Group B.
French Front — Tom Foucher completed the Group B Round Robin unbeaten with six wins from six matches at the Dublin Match Cup. Photo: Brian Carlin
Finnegan flies Irish flag into knockout stage
Finnegan’s qualification provides a home interest in the final stages, with the Irish skipper combining his role as event organiser with racing duties throughout the week.
He finished third in Group B with three wins from six matches, ensuring the host nation remains represented in the quarter-finals.
Fellow Irish competitor Tom Higgins finished fifth in Group A and moves into the 9th–14th classification series, where he has already recorded a win against Victor Christian Melchior.
Crew Control — Teams fought through light and shifting breeze as the J/80 fleet completed qualifying on Dublin Bay. Photo: Brian Carlin
Light winds create close racing
The lighter and shifting breeze produced tight contests across Dublin Bay, with several penalties and collisions adding to the intensity of the match racing.
The changing conditions also tested the race management team, but the National Yacht Club committee completed all scheduled Round Robin flights to set up the weekend knockout stages.
Quarter-finals begin on Saturday 26 September with best-of-three matches, followed by the semi-finals and finals on Sunday.
