Dublin Bay produced almost perfect weather for the '420 Week' which formed part of the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta. Three days of training preceded the 2019 Irish 420 National Championships where the pre-event weather predictions did not make great reading with low winds predicted for the week.
However, as the week progressed the wind speed increased as did the number of hours of sunshine per day. Only the final race in the series was eventually lost to the weather. The fading breeze and the time limit for the start of the final race simply added to the tension of the final day which started with the first and second-placed boats tied on points and only separated by countback.
The title was decided in Race 7, and what turned out to be the final race of the series, on Sunday morning and won on the final beat of the race as Lucy Kane and Emma Gallagher worked their way back up the fleet to eventually catch Morgan Lyttle and Patrick Whyte and become the 420 National and Ladies Champions plus take the Irish Sailing Gold Medal. The race for third place was equally competitive with Graf/Farrell on equal points with Davidson/Thomson who took the final podium position on countback. Consolation for Graf/Farrell came in the form of an Irish Sailing Bronze.
The week of training and racing was also ideal preparation for the Irish 420 Team travelling to the Junior European Championships hosted by the Royal Galician Sailing Federation in Vilagarcia de Arousa, Spain. The next domestic event for the 420s will be the Connaught Championships at Galway Bay Sailing Club on the 17th and 18th August.
1st Gold Kane and Gallagher
2nd-Gold Lyttle and Whyte
3rd Gold -Davidson-and-Thomson
1st Silver -Duffy and Johnston
2nd Silver - Mc-Dowell and O'Brien
3rd-Silver - Shackelton and Evans
Gold Fleet
1st place – Kane/Gallagher – East Antrim Boat Club/Malahide Yacht Club
2nd place - Lyttle/Whyte – Royal St. George Yacht Club/Lough Ree Yacht Club
3rd place - Davidson/Thomson - Treadudur Bay Sailing Club
Silver Fleet
1st place - Duffy/Johnston – Lough Ree Yacht Club
2nd place - McDowell/O’Brien – Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club/Clontarf Yacht Club
3rd place - Shackelton/Garrett Evans – Howth Yacht Club
