Dubliners Luke Obine-Galvin and Eoin McKeon continued an impressive season on the US offshore circuit with a record-setting win in the biennial Marblehead to Halifax, Nova Scotia race.
The Irish National Sailing School graduates were part of a 19-person crew aboard Temptation, a Judel/Vrolijk 66-footer based out of Oakcliff Sailing on Long Island, NY. Their time of 28:02:56 to Halifax took over 45 minutes off the previous record and follows an impressive run of wins this season.
“We were targeting the record from the start as the winds looked favourable for a really fast run up to Halifax,” said Luke. “For most of the 363 miles, it was really tight at the top of the fleet, so that helped to drive us on. About 250 miles in, we were sitting in third, so at that point, we weren’t thinking about a record. We just wanted the win!”
Temptation’s crew included Dawn Reilly, the first American to sail in three America’s Cups and two Whitbread Round the World races.
Luke was thrilled with the result. “Leveraging sustained winds of 21–27 knots in the early stages made this boat and this crew really very tough to beat,” he said. “We sailed just 388 NM, which I think was the most efficient in the fleet, and held an average speed of 14 knots over 28 hours in fast, wet and exhausting conditions.”
It was the Dublin pair’s third big win of the US East Coast offshore racing season, following line honors and victory on corrected time in the 475-mile Annapolis to Newport classic, two weeks after a win in the annual Block Island race on Long Island Sound.
“This has been a dream season on Temptation,” said Eoin. “A record run to Halifax in July after winning the big one in June, the Annapolis to Newport. It’s my third summer out here on the East Coast and this one has really been a terrific experience. Any young sailor in Ireland who gets a chance to come over should grab it with both hands.”
“It’s a pity we’re missing the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta again as we’d love to be back to race with old friends, but these wins more than make up for that,” he added. “It’s been brilliant.”
