The 1720 Sportsboats drew the short straw when set against the Melges 15s in their overlapping Nationals at Howth at the weekend. As befits a Sportsboat which is now a 33-year-old Classic, the 1720s elected for a genteel three days series starting Thursday, and all wrapped up by Saturday evening. But this meant they were winding down just as the wind was winding up to provide power for the new Melges fleet with their two days on Saturday and Sunday.
It was arguably a matter of taking the sport out of Sportsboat. But despite the soft winds, the Race Team were well pleased at getting through nine contests for the 1720s. And although the final overall results were almost exactly as predicted in Afloat.ie last week, the series was not without its excitements in the early stages, when the first race was won by Julian Hughes of Waterford Harbour SC racing Root 1.
But in this democratic age, El Presidente deserves a look in, and in Race 2 1720 Class President Robert Dix (HYC) notched his second second to place well overall, but the Howth Crosshaven team in Atara took the win and kept in touch with a sixth in Race 3, when the bullet went to Gary Rhodes of Royal Cork.
However, from then on it was Team McDonald-English in McBearlas/Atara on the march, logging a total scoreline of 4,1,6,1,2,1,(8),2,1. President Dix in his newly acquired LemonCello was second despite never getting a win - he'd a scoreline of 2,2,(7),3,6,2,3, 3,4.
Michael O'Sullivan of Kinsale brought himself into contention with a win in the penultimate race, and overall the spread across clubs nationwide was very good. But with just two entries. Howth could be well pleased at their first and second. And they needed the memory of it the next day, when the Melges 15s completed their championship, and the Howth squad (and everyone else) had their noses well and truly wiped by the Royal St George warriors.
It was the kind of weather that took the "sport" out of "sportsboat".
