The story of the restored J/24 Headcase in recent years has been a particularly heart-warming one of all-Ireland camaraderie and success, and in August the emphasis was firmly on international success with a final race victory to give a two-point win in the J/24 Europeans on Lake Balaton in Hungary, racing against 42 boats from eight nations.

Yet even with a team effort of this quality, we have to narrow the “Sailor of the Month” to one identifiable individual, and helmsman Cillian Dickson of Lough Ree YC and Howth YC has emerged as “The Face of Headcase”, spokesman for a close-knit yet multi-background squad which includes Marcus Ryan and Louis Mulloy of Mayo SC, Ryan Glynn of Ballyholme YC, and Sam O’Byrne of Howth YC

A Lough Ree Yacht Club crew have been crowned J24 European champions after six races sailed in Hungary at the weekend.

The |rish Corinthian J24 crew of Headcase (and reigning Irish champions), skippered by Cillian Dickson, with Ryan Glynn, Marcus Ryan, Louis Mulloy and Sam O'Byrne, finished top of a 42-boat fleet by a margin of two points.

With eight nations, 42 boats and 210 competitors, the event took place over five days with five valid races out of the planned 10. Due to challenging wind conditions, no races were possible on the final day, so medals were awarded based on the standings from the fourth day.

Cillian Dickson, skippering Headcase, secured the European Championship title for Ireland. Schwere Jungs, led by Stefan Karsunke, claimed the silver medal for Germany. Meanwhile, Hungarian team iJroncat, helmed by Gábor Sallai, proudly took home the bronze. All three groups competed as all-amateur teams, among 37 of the total entries.

The fifth and last race day faced adverse wind conditions, reducing the Championship from the initially planned ten races to five. Thanks to the exceptional efforts of the Balatonfuredi Yacht Club's organisers and the Race Committee, led by Danish PRO Peter Lubeck, the event remained valid after five races and the possibility of one eliminated race.

The top 10 teams were awarded at the European Championship, with a special acknowledgement for the amateur category. Cillian Dickson, skipper of Headcase, expressed their happiness, exceeding expectations and prevailing in a highly competitive field. 

The J24 Northern Championship, hosted by Mayo Sailing Club, saw 14 teams from around the country compete in six races over the weekend of 27th and 28th May. The event was raced in moderate winds and sunshine against the picturesque surroundings of Clew Bay.

The overall winner was Headcase, who scored four firsts and a second in the six races. The crew was Louis Mulloy, Marcus Ryan,  Cillian Dickson, Ryan Glynn and Ronan Armstrong.

The second place went to Janx Spirit, skippered by Tadgh O Loinsigh from Tralee Bay Sailing Club, who also finished second place to Headcase in the 2022 National Championships.

The third place was claimed by Hedgehog, sailed by Mark Usher and his crew from Greystones Sailing Club, improving on their fourth-place finish in the Western Championships at Lough Ree Yacht Club last month.

It was the first time Mayo Sailing Club have hosted the J24 fleet, and both the sailing and social side didn’t disappoint. The race committee, led by principal race officer Derek Bothwell, efficiently ran six races in good breeze and some challenging chop against the backdrop of a sunny Croagh Patrick.

Following lift-in and one slip-launched late-comer on Friday, crews were treated to a welcome feast of local Clew Bay mussels.

Live music and a great spread of Mediterranean-inspired food on Saturday evening went down well with sailors after a long day on the water in what could have been Costa del Mayo.

Four races were sailed on Saturday, with Headcase taking the first race win, followed by Hard on Port, helmed by Dave Bailey, in second and Hedgehog in third. Hedgehog excelled again in race 2, taking the race win in lighter breeze, with Janx Spirit in second and Jelignite in third.

The final two races of the day saw Headcase, Hard on Port, and Janx Spirit share the podium, leaving Headcase with a narrow overnight lead, ahead of HoP and Janx.

Day 2 was raced in a shifty offshore breeze. Headcase, HoP and Janx broke away from the rest of the fleet in race 5, trading places around the first lap before the tricky conditions allowed them to be reeled back in. Headcase held on for the race win, wrapping up the event with a race to spare to the delight of local spectators. Class stalworth JP McCauldin on Il Riccio got in for second place, with Diarmuid Mullen on Smugairle Roin finishing strongly to take third.

The breeze remained challenging for the final race, which Hedgehog lead around the course, only to be passed by Headcase on the final cross of the race. That result was still enough to secure a third overall for Hedgehog behind Janx Spirit. HoP dropped to 6th after a tough day which saw them retire from both races on day 2.

The J24 fleet would like to thank Mayo Sailing Club and all the volunteers for their warm welcome and hope not to leave it so long to return to Clew Bay.

Speaking after the event, the crew of Headcase said that they were delighted to get some very competitive racing under their belts in their last Irish J24 event of 2023. Their plans for the rest of the Summer see them bringing Headcase on an Odyssey to the Aegean Sea, challenging for the European Championships on the way in Lake Balaton, Hungary, in August before taking on the World Championships in Thessaloniki, Greece, in early September.

Cillian Dickson and the crew of the J24 Headcase raced in the 2022 J24 European Championships hosted by Howth Yacht Club. Here Dickson reflects on the incredible 2022 season for the class and for him and the crew aboard Headcase.

2022 was the first time since 2013, when the same venue hosted the World Championships, that Irish waters have held a major international J24 event.

The 2013 Worlds were a feat of excellent organisation and produced stellar racing but, despite some excellent race results, no Irish boat made the top 18. Nine years later and the Irish are a driving force at the top of the rankings. Going into the final race of the 2022 European Championships, more than one home team could have taken the title, with the crew on Kinsailor missing out by just one point in the end. Rather than the class wilting in the wake of hosting a major event, it seems like 2023 will be an even bigger year for Irish J/24s.

After two years of lockdowns, we approached 2022 with an abundance of enthusiasm and energy. We put together a bucket list of events, with the first stop being Kieler Woche in Germany, one of the world’s largest regattas.

"Rather than the class wilting in the wake of hosting a major event, it seems like 2023 will be an even bigger year for Irish J/24s" 

Thanks to Brexit and some good luck, we managed to borrow a van and put the boat on a Dublin-Rotterdam ferry. Flying into Amsterdam, we then picked up the boat on the Monday morning and spent a day travelling to Kiel.

A full day of boat prep followed, while we waited to lift in. The scale of Kieler Woche was in sharp contrast to the Irish events we had done previously, and we were pleasantly surprised to go out on the first day and win all three races. It was clear we had a speed advantage over the local boats, many of whom were hitting the water for the first time that season.

Our spring training sessions in Lough Ree, Howth and Malahide meant our boat handling was crisp and we had a marginal speed advantage on the upwind. Once we got ahead, it was very difficult for other boats to reel us in. While we didn’t maintain that dominance over the next few days, as the cobwebs were being blown off the Germans and Swedish, we managed to close out the event with a victory.

Coming into Kieler Woche we had the advantage of relative anonymity, as we hadn’t yet competed outside of Ireland with the boat. With the UK Nationals two weeks later we had a target on our backs. However, after three days of mostly light wind racing, we emerged as winners of the event and the first Irish crew to win the UK nationals since Philip Watson in the inaugural event in 1978. It was also clear that the Irish fleet could hold their own against their UK counterparts. The crew on Janx Spirit from Tralee were unfortunate to miss out on a top three spot, finishing fourth, and it wasn’t until the final race of the event that a UK boat got a race win.

Moving targets. The successful crew of Headcase in Plymouth were (left to right) Sam O'Byrne (Howth YC), Marcus Ryan (Mayo SC), Ryan Glynn (Ballyholme YC), Cillian Dickson (Lough Ree YC & HYC) and Louis Mulloy (MSC). Fresh from success at Kiel Week, they've moved on again, headed towards Volvo Cork Week for Monday morning via the overnight ferry

With a victory in the UK nationals under our belt there was no time to waste. The fleet becalmed on the last day of the event and the race committee sent us home as the 2pm time limit for running a race approached. That left us with about 21 hours to get the boat and crew to the start line of Cork Week. With very little sleep we arrived in Cork at 7am on Monday morning and managed to rig and launch for the first start. Tiredness doesn’t begin to describe how we were feeling by the end of the week, however we were happy to have won the ICRA national title on IRC, despite being soundly beaten by Sam Laidlaw’s BLT for the class prize.

Racing Headcase at Volvo Cork Week in July. Photo: Rick Tomlinson

There was again very little rest between Cork Week and our next event which was the Irish National Championships in Foynes. Here we experienced some of our closest racing of the season yet. With the Irish fleet already having the Northern Championships under their belt, everyone was trying to build momentum for the Europeans. The score line of 6 first places in 8 races definitely flattered us, as often we were waiting for the last mark rounding or final boat handling maneuver to pull into the lead. By the end of the event we realised that we had overextended ourselves in the early season. Even though we had planned to bring the boat to Howth and start training for the Europeans, we decided it was best to take some time off and recoup some energy before the event.

 Sam Byrne and the Howth Headcase crew with the J/24 National Championship Trophy at Foynes Yacht Club

It was in the Easterns, which was seen as a warm-up event for the Europeans that we first got a taste of what to expect from the team on Kinsailor. While many U25 teams have been set up in the last 10 years, the team on Kinsailor have really proven how successful the model can be. A pairing of good dinghy sailors with a fast boat and good kit made waves on the Irish and International scene. Despite breaking their mast in Race 2, they managed to source a replacement and push us all the way to finish second. This was a sign that they meant business for the Europeans. Indeed they put in a fine display in the Europeans, and in what was an uncharacteristically high-scoring event, they could have walked away as European Champions in their first year in the class.

The successful Headcase J/24 squad of Cillian Dickson, Sam O'Byrne, Ryan Glynn, Louis Mulloy and Marcus Ryan with their Easterns trophy at Howth

Our Europeans were plagued by inconsistency. While we felt quick, we had several big things go against us, finishing 5th overall despite being in with a shot of winning going into the final race. We take great heart from the season and realistically we know we have the potential to win big in the future. With the Europeans in Hungary next year, followed by the Worlds in Greece, we have big plans for a transcontinental road trip with Headcase.

While we have had a great season on Headcase, it is excellent to see the other Irish boats stepping up. The great performances of Janx Spirit and Kinsailor have already been mentioned, but Hard on Port’s victory in the Northern Championships in their first season as owners of the boat is also noteworthy. The current strength and depth in the Irish fleet don’t stop there, with the likes of Il Riccio, Jibe and the Usher’s new boat Hedgehog always pushing hard.
Looking at the current success of the Irish J24 class it could be said that it has some of its origins in the disappointing 2013 season. As a member of the Howth Yacht Club K25 programme, I got a start in J24 sailing aboard Kilcullen at that time. The youth team concept was new to Ireland at that point but had strong success in Germany and other places. Since then, the class has benefited from new U25 teams adding numbers to the class. They also provide a steady stream of capable sailors who continue on in sailing and always seem to come back to the J24 class. Ultimately the various programmes have improved the level of racing, as well as the comradery and social scene.

Micheal O Suilleabhain may well be the name that goes into the records books.

But he will be the first to point out that not only was it a team effort, in fact, it was an entire Kinsale Yacht Club effort to start putting together an exemplary challenge – initially in times of pandemic and post-pandemic - for the J/24 Europeans 2022 at Howth, when the event itself was still a distant speck on the uncertain future horizon. But a widely-supported campaign on the ICRA K25 model was launched and maintained, gradually building momentum until they reached the big one itself.

There, many proven international stars were so busy keeping tabs on their familiar rivals that the rapidly-improving young Kinsale crew went into the final race with a fighting chance, and they emerged firmly in the podium frame, clearly also the best-placed Irish boat.

After ten races, the J/24 European Championship hosted by Howth Yacht Club, concluded in a tie at 65 points, with the third-place team only one point back. That third-place team was made up of six junior sailors from the Kinsale Yacht Club, which has worked to create a squad of under 25-year-old sailors or U25s. Along with finishing third overall, one point out of first, Carroll’s team finished second in the Corinthian Class and first in the Youth Class. Micheál O’Súilleabháin was on the helm.

This was the first year sailing a J/24 for this young team. Crewmember Mike Carroll said, “Since we only started in the J24 class this summer, we didn’t know what to expect from ourselves at the event. We had some poor results earlier on in the regatta, but as the event went on, we improved and achieved a good level of consistency that we were happy with. We couldn’t afford another poor result as there was only one discard across the 10 races. We had a mix of all sailing conditions during the week, which led to it being a high-scoring event. Given that most boats had at least one or two bad scores, it allowed us to climb high in the results without needing to win races. What happened on the water exceeded our expectations.” By finishing second in the last race of the regatta, the team moved from sixth to third.

Kinsailor competing at the ten race J/24 European Championship at Howth Yacht Club Photo: Christopher Howell

The young team faced down some serious challenges, which they overcame. A week before the Europeans, while racing in the J/24 Easterns, they broke their mast and had to secure a loner. Their new UK Sailmakers mainsail was damaged when the rig came down, and they finished the Easterns with their delivery main. UK Sailmakers Ireland made an invisible repair in a few short days and had the main ready for the Europeans.

“The sails were fantastic”

Dave Sullivan, the team’s coach said, “It’s just brilliant that a team of kids from Kinsale can get a boat, set it up, and deliver a world-class performance -- all in less than a year. Phenomenal really; we are most proud of them.” The team came about as part of the Irish Cruiser Racing Association Under 25 initiative designed to create a pathway for junior sailors to progress into the adult sailing scene. Sullivan said that members of the Kinsale Yacht Club held a fundraiser to buy, ship to Ireland and prepare a J/24 for the club’s juniors to use. He took on the role of the team’s mentor. The original goal was to compete at the 2022 European Championships and the boat will stay available for juniors at the club for years to come.

Kinsailor is a Kinsale Yacht Club Under 25 initiative

Barry Hayes, President of UK Sailmakers Ireland said, “Our loft is doing everything to help young sailors excel. They are the future of the sport. Therefore, we are doing our best to help them get the best sails, learn how to use them so that they move up to the podium as quickly as possible. From centreboard to keelboats, UK Sailmakers is dedicated to helping the next generation of sailors.”

About the UK Sailmakers J/24 class sails, the team members said, “The sails were fantastic.”

The Kinsailor J24 crew with their prizes in Howth including Mikey Carroll, Jack O’Sullivan, Lellie Collins, Francesca Lewis, Rory Carroll and Micheál O’Súilleabháin

The four men and two women on KINSAILOR were:

• Mikey Carroll
• Jack O’Sullivan
• Lellie Collins
• Francesca Lewis
• Rory Carroll
• Micheál O’Súilleabháin

2022 J24 European Championships results

The old salt who looked out at the weather this morning (Saturday) in Howth and remarked that in the west of Ireland this would be called “a high stool day” was echoing the feelings of most participants. But the J24 European Championship fleet went out racing nevertheless, even if the east to south-east breeze with its sometimes heavy rain was in a weird and weaving sort of mood which produced some very peculiar performances by overnight leaders.

Yet as far as the oldest and the youngest skippers were concerned, it was a lovely sunny day with perfect sailing conditions. The most senior skipper racing, 83-year-old Rear Admiral USN (Retd) Denny Vaughan of Seattle, finished the ten-race series as he’d begun, with a win for Easy Street which shifted him back up to ninth overall in the results at a provisional level, as protests are pending but they don’t directly affect Easy Street.

Meanwhile, the youngest skipper racing, former Optimist and Laser star Micheal O’Suilleabhain of Kinsale with his youth crew in Kinsailor, was right there with the Admiral in second. But while the Admiral admits the brisker breezes at mid-week were challenging, the young toughs on Kinsailor had revelled in it all, and took full advantage of a world-class learning experience to turn in a telling scoreline of 21,2,6,6,(27),5,11,3,12,4,2 which rocketed them into the overall lead in the Youth Division at the finish of the series, and even more importantly gave them the Bronze in the Open Division.

This final race produced some off-the-wall placings for top boats. Jmania from Athens provisionally retains the title after a count-back against Cacoon (David Hale) from Poole with both on 65, with Jamania having been held back to 25th in the final contest while her closest challenger Headcase was 24th.

But Headcase had to carry that 24th into her total which leaves her at 5th overall, whereas Jmania dumped the 25th to keep her Gold by a whisker. And as for Kinsailor, she finished in style, just one point off the two front runners.

Results below (Protests Pending)

A distinct change in sailing conditions today (Friday) - from a sunny nor'easter to a grey sou'easter - seems to have suited the Irish contingent in the J/24 Euros very well indeed, with the afternoon ebb making for distinct delineations in the fleet. The syndicate-campaigned Headcase, whose squad represent every Irish Province except Munster - who of course have their own J/24s - was in particularly sparkling form.

They logged two straight wins after ding-dong battles with other Irish boats in a day of racing which was heart-warming for those club movers and shakers throughout Ireland who have been trying to encourage their younger members into economical J/24 involvement. But quite why the formerly dominant international visitors failed to show as well as they've been doing through the rest of the week is hard to say, as the effects of the ebb in Howth's racing area are fairly straightforward.

Overall, Jmania from Athens continues to lead even with today's 23rd (discarded) and 8th, but it's now Headcase in second overall, albeit by 48pts to Jmania's 42. Determined Race Officer David Lovegrove has the scores for nine very good races already up on the leaderboard thanks to pushing through three races on Thursday, so if it's at all possible to get in Race 10 on Saturday morning before the top comes off the weather, he'll do it.

But those who cherish the notion that ten races completed will see a second discard kick in are apparently nursing a futile hope, and the permutations for Headcase to overtake Jmania (it sounds like a narrative out of a madhouse) are probably just too convoluted to be fulfilled.

Results below

“Regatta weather” has provided the perfect sunny racing conditions for Day 3 (Thursday 1 September) of the J24 Euros ’22 at Howth Yacht Club.

But any notions of lolling around in leisurely style were soon dispelled by the determination of race officer David Lovegrove to register three sets of results while the brisk east-to-nor’east breeze kept up. And by the time the fleet returned to harbour, they certainly knew that they’d been sailing through intensely competitive racing conditions.

With seven sets of results now in the can, they already have an acknowledged championship posted even if the expected deterioration in conditions through Friday and Saturday is so total that none of the remaining three possible races is sailed.

But some boats which have been finding the pace with more confidence as the championship progresses will undoubtedly be looking for further bites at the cherry.

However, the Greek star Jmania will probably be more than happy to leave things as they are, as they posted a solid 3,6,2 to put them on 24 points after the single discard, well clear of Germany’s Stefan Kersunke on 30, who won Race 7 after being very much among “the others” with a happily discarded 18th in Race 6.

By special arrangement with management, any clouds stayed over the land and the sun shone strongly at sea all day as the breeze kept up | Credit: Christopher Howell

The local multi-denominational talent in Headcase looked to be digging themselves out of something of a trough with 2,1 in the first two races. But just as things were looking hopeful for their nationwide support club, the wheels came off in Race 7 with a 19th — yet despite that they now lie fourth overall.

When you’re looking at a scorecard from seven races, fresh permutations emerge, and the “Kids from Kinsale” with Kinsailor logged a very respectable 5,11,3 today to move themselves up to 6th overall, putting them ahead of the defending champions from the Italian Navy in seventh. They in turn are on equal points with another navy man, that very seasoned sailor Admiral Denny Vaughan from Seattle, racing Easy Street.

Conor Haughton’s Jade from Wicklow dicing with Admiral Vaughan’s Easv Street from Seattle | Credit: Christopher Howell

It should be noted that the wonderful admiral is cheerfully racing on at 83 years old. So it’s likely that his personal age is only a few years short of the total combined age of the Kinsailor crew. This is decidedly thought-provoking, to say the least. But it’s altogether in keeping with the remarkable variety of people racing in this fascinating championship.

Results HERE.

Racing continued today (Wednesday) in the J/24 Euros at Howth with a moderate-plus northeast breeze in which there was no doubting the north in northeast. In such relatively crisp conditions, you’d have expected the hardy souls from more rugged regions to set the pace. But on the contrary, it was Jmania from Athens - where the current daytime temperatures are comfortably above 30C - that was out in the Irish Sea making hay.

Owned by Konstantinos Tridimas and Kynthia Skotida with ace driver Selios Sotitiou on the helm, Jmania clocked an 8th and first to move into a one point overall lead ahead of Denny Vaughan of Seattle in Easy Street, who logged a very useful 11th and second. The international spread was emphasized by Germany’s Stefan Karsunke posting a 4th and 8th to move into third overall in a tightly packed leading group.

The Italian Navy’s defending champion La Superba (left) found form today (Wednesday) with a win in the morning race Photo: Annraoi Blaney

The Italian Navy’s defending champions with the modestly-named La Superba lived up to the name in the first contest to take a win, but were crab-grassing in the second at 15th. Another star performer who was seeing how the other half lives was overnight leader Kurt Dammeier from Seattle, who had to face up to a 14th and 18th, which shifted him from first overall down to eighth.

One place ahead at seventh overall is Ireland’s current best, JP McCaldin from Lough Erne with Il Riccio, who rose through the ranks with a second in the first race, but was then brought back to earth with a 16th in the afternoon event.

On a vertical learning curve – Andrew Mannion’s Jeb Stuart from Lough Ree dealing successfully with Irish Sea conditions and a couple of international challengers. Photo: Annraoi Blaney

The Irish favourite, the syndicated Headcase, had a morning to forget with a UFD in the first race, but the mojo was back up and working in the afternoon to take second behind Jmania. However, Headcase currently lies 14th overall, and though there are in theory six races still to be sailed, sailing conditions for Friday and Saturday don’t look so good. Yet apparently it takes lot to shake the J/24s out of their belief that there should only be two races per day, but we’ll see how it goes.

Meanwhile, the racing in this series has already been extremely educational for the young Irish folk who have been encouraged into top level J/24 racing. And if by “extremely educational” you mean “hard lessons”, who are we to argue?

Results here