#1720 –A single point separates first and fourth place overall after two high speed races of the CH Marine sponsored 1720 National Championships writes Claire Bateman.
Defending champion Mark Mansfield, who is always formidable in strong winds, lies fourth overall after counting a 2 and a 4 in the 15-boat fleet while Finbarr Jeffers leads from Anthony O'Leary on an equal five points. Scroll down the page for more photos and results.
It was well worth waiting for the winds to abate in Cork harbour yesterday because by 5pm the first race of the championships got off to a cracking start in blustery high winds
Racing over windward leeeward course on the Eastern Bank off Aghada and with the weathermark close to the Spit the fleet enjoyed two great races and provided plenty of thrills and spills with even the heavy weather experts, Anthony O'Leary and defending champion Mark Mansfield both experiencing broaches inspite of the use of smaller jibs and kites. Photos of the action below.
| Series Place | Sail No | Boat | Owner | Series Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IRL1750 | Wahoo | Finbarr Jeffers | 5 |
| 2 | IRL1843 | Wet n' Black | Anthony O'Leary | 5 |
| 3 | GBR1722 | Ricochet | Steve Forester-Coles | 6 |
| 4 | GBR1726 | Gut Rot | Terence English & Mark Mansfield | 6 |
| 5 | IRL1790 | T-Bone II | Tom Durcan & Clive O'Shea | 8 |
| 6 | IRL1804 | Aquatack | Denis Murphy | 13 |
| 7 | IRL1807 | Red Penguin | Robert O'Leary | 14 |
| 8 | IRL1785 | Primeline | John Crotty | 15 |
| 9 | GBR1771L | Cosmic | David Townend | 20 |
| 10 | IRL180 | Bad Company | F Desmond/M Ivers/P Horgan | 21 |
| 11 | IRL1797 | Dark Side | Bryan Hassett | 21 |
| 12 | IRL1722 | Smile N Wave | Jim Griffiths / Ben Cooke | 22 |
| 13 | IRL1724 | Boomerang | Tom Hegarty/Bob Stokes | 26 |
| 14 | IRL1760 | Let the Good Times Roll | Robin & Ben O'Mahony | 28 |
| 15 | IRL1755 | Live Wire | James & Mick McKenna | 30 |
