The weekend of 19/20 October saw the GP14 fleet return to Lough Erne Yacht Club for the Hot Toddy, the final event of the 2024 calendar.
The warnings that Storm Ashley was due to batter the country did not deter the 34 teams that entered the event. The 34 entries comprised three local Lough Erne Yacht Club boats and 31 visiting boats, some of whom had travelled from as far as Tralee to sail on the beautiful waters of Lower Lough Erne. The fact that this many visitors travelled despite the forecast is testament to the club's renowned event management.
On Saturday, four of the planned six races took place in near-perfect sunny, dry conditions in a shifty southerly wind across the lake.
Race 1 was a battle between Sligo YC teams, with the Irish youth champion team of David Evans and William Draper coming out on top from Niall Henry and Ossian Geraghty. Father-and-son team Keith and Mateo Louden, Lough Foyle YC, took third place. The bronze fleet was won by Lough Ernes brother-and-sister pairing Adam and Emily Torrens.
Race 2 went to Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club's Ross Kearney and Daniel Nelson again, from Henry and Geraghty, with another Sligo sister-and-brother team, Jessica and Mark Greer, in third place.
Race 3 was again a battle between the Evans & Draper, Kearney & Nelson, and Henry & Geraghty teams, with the three finishing in that order. Unfortunately, the Royal North pair suffered a freak capsize at the final windward mark, resulting in them losing their huge lead. The first bronze fleet boat was again the Torrens.
The 4th race of the day turned out to be the event's final race due to Sunday's storm. Sligo team Paddy O'Connor, with guest crew Richard Street, took this race after a late start and some bad luck earlier in the day. Evans & Draper beat Kearney & Nelson and ultimately won the event. The top bronze in this race went to The Greers, giving them 4th overall and 1st in the bronze fleet. Equal on points with this pair was the first Lough Erne Yacht Club boat of Adam & Emily Torrens, finishing 2nd in the bronze fleet and 5th overall.
After a mentally demanding day on the water, the crews were welcomed ashore with a "Hot Toddy" courtesy of sponsors The Boatyard Distillery, followed by an evening of food and banter in the bar.
GP14 Hot Toddy winners 2024 were David Evans and William Draper of Sligo YC, who received their prizes from Lough Erne Yacht Club commodore Raymond Morrison Photo: Charlie Valentine
At the prize giving, winners David & William thanked event organiser Michael Brines and all the Lough Erne Yacht Club volunteers and sponsors for a superb event.
