East Antrim Boat Club at Larne in County Antrim, Northern Ireland recently celebrated a successful Keelboat and Dinghy series at its annual prizegiving.
The keelboat series was raced across four months, from May to August, with an overall winner each month.
Ian Patterson’s Viper Sid won the May Series, and each of the June, July and August Series was won by Money for Nothing (Mark Fekkes). Sid also won the Doig Cup and the Maidens Race.
It is a real family affair on Sid with Ian’s daughter Kelly helming and both her Mum and Dad crewing. It is thought that Kelly is the only female helm in Northern Ireland in the Sports Boat Class competing at Regattas throughout Belfast Lough and also this year at the Strangford Lough Sailing Week.
Ian Patterson's East Antrim Boat Club Viper Sid Photo: courtesy EABC
The dinghy double-handed class in the early series (Jan, Feb, March) was won by Gordon Kane and Stephen Liddle sailing a Flying 15, and the Spring series was won by another Flying 15 sailed by Richard Doig and Kathryn Boyle.
Each year the Sailing and General Committees present three special recognition awards, and this year, these went to youth sailors and were presented by the Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Council, Alderman Gerardine Mulvenna. The three were Jenna Reid, who lifted the Gingles trophy – Jenna is on a new Irish Sailing programme for 49erFX development; Zoe Whitford was awarded the T&T trophy; and Tom Coulter, who was awarded the Endeavor trophy.
Zoe and Tom are both in the Performance Squad - Tom in ILCA 7 and Zoe in the ILCA 6 Performance Academy.
Flying Fifteen sailors Stephen Liddle (left) and Gordon Kane at the East Antrim Boat Club prizegiving with outgoing Commodore Lucy Whitford
In her last of her three years as Commodore, Lucy Whitford commented: “What a fantastic evening and a great way to round off our season. I was absolutely delighted that the Mayor was able to join us and present our special recognition awards to Tom, Jenna and Zoe”. Lucy stood down and, at the AGM last week, became Rear Commodore with Chris Dorman, the new Commodore.
The next sailing event at East Antrim BC is the Christmas Regatta on 27 December, and Part 2 of the Winter Series runs from January 7 until March 31, 2024.
