Antrim Boat Club on the northeast shore of Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland, the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles, welcomed the start of the winter series on 6th November, the 51st year of the two-part series.
Now, after two races, Charlie McAllister and Jeff Harrison in the Limbo 6.6, F.A.Too have stamped their mark on the series and won the Shane Memorial Cup traditionally presented to the winner of the first race. They also took first place in Race 2.
The Club was founded when a group of enthusiasts met in the Massereene Arms hotel in Antrim in January 1967 and later the Committee approached Lord O’Neill of Shane’s Castle, the family seat of the O’Neills of Clannaboy, (now Clandeboye) whose land borders the shore of the Lough, with a view to citing the club in its now present location. Lord O’Neill generously agreed to the request and was subsequently elected President of the Club, a position he still holds today.
Antrim Boat Club on the northeast shore of Lough Neagh
Initially, Scorpions dinghies were the chosen racing class, and later Finns were added and then keel boats appeared. Most of the ABC events take place in Antrim Bay, giving a safe area of about six square miles, while at any time never being out of sight of land.
The weather for the ten starters in the first race on 6th November turned out to be about 14 knots with stronger gusts, and as weeks of rain had left the water level in the Lough high, so the river mouth had an adequate draft. F.A.Too who had stayed aloof from the madding crowd, many of whom had reefed, crossed the start line and into a lead that would never be challenged. Runner-up was Peter Frazer in the H323 Tic Tac, back in the Lough after a couple of successful seasons sailing in Lough Swilly. Third was Murphy, Andy Speedie’s Trapper. The race officer was Alan Reilly.
The winds were stronger for the second race on Sunday 13th at about 22 knots from the South East, and the turnout was smaller. But F.A. Too clocked up a second win, with the H323 Tic Tac claiming another second place ahead of Alfie Mayrs’ Achilles Tenacious.
Antrim Boat Club Jeff Harrison (left), winner of the Shane Magill Memorial Cup, and Frank Hamill of the ABC Race Committee
There are four more outings before Christmas, with the 2023 part of the series starting on 29th January.
