#rorcbdcc – There are euphoric scenes on the Solent this lunch time as Ireland's three boat team crossed the line in a crucial double points climax to clinch an historic second win of the Commodores' Cup. A lead that held all week was extended this morning when Catapult, Antix and Quokka sailed a top class final race outwitting four British and four French teams for cruiser–racing's top team prize.

Official confirmation of the win came from Ireland's team management, Barry Rose of ICRA, who confirmed the final scores and Ireland's second win of the prestigious yachting trophy.

A jubilant Irish team captain Anthony O'Leary, who had cautioned against any premature celebration – despite Ireland's emphatic 100–point lead –  was celebrating with sons Peter, Nicholas and Robert, all members of Ireland's 31–man victorious Irish Cruser Racing Association (ICRA) team. O'Leary's Antix from Royal Cork Yacht Club romped home to win the final race in the same tricky light airs that typified the week long regatta.

Quokka (Michael Boyd and Niall Dowling) of the Royal Irish Yacht Club was second and Catapult fourth (Marc Glimcher) in a final double points race that further extended Ireland's overall winning margin.

The Irish win marks a classy comeback for Ireland to the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) competition after ICRA failed to mount a team to defend the title it first won in 2010.

Ireland's three boat team, comprising Anthony O'Leary's Ker 39 Antix, Marc Glimcher's Ker 40 Catapult and Michael Boyd and Niall Dowling's Grand Soleil 43 Quokka 8, today scored the most comprehensive victory in the 22 year history of the Commodores' Cup. The Irish previously won the Royal Ocean Racing Club's biennial flagship event for national teams with amateur crews in 2010, but were unable to defend in 2012. This year they returned with a vengeance finishing the regatta on 268 points, with an unprecedented lead of 173.5 points. After a disappointing result in yesterday's race around the Isle of Wight, Ireland bounced back strongly in today's double points scoring inshore held on a round the cans course in the central Solent in a light northerly. Impressively the Irish boats claimed three of the top four places on corrected time. Antix put in a particularly powerful performance following the damage she sustained when she hit the rocks close to St Catherine's Point yesterday that bent the aft end of her keel and split the bottom 1ft of her rudder. Lifting the boat out in Cowes yesterday evening, her shore crew worked through the night to ensure she was ready for racing today. "We were determined after yesterday's fiasco to finish stronger, which thankfully we did," said Anthony O'Leary.

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Today Antix led around the weather mark and ultimately claimed her third bullet of this Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup. "The amount of work that all 31 people have put in over the last five or six months has been considerable," said O'Leary of the Irish team's victory. "We are very lucky that it all paid off in the end. There is a lot of experience with three boats and it gelled very well and there was great encouragement from one boat to the other. You don't often get a chance to sail as a team - which is the really good thing about this event." Making his debut at the Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup in the Irish team was American Marc Glimcher who had brought his 'turboed' Ker 40 Catapult over from the USA. Rating-wise Catapult was the fastest boat at this year's regatta and across the 27 boat fleet finished highest placed individual boat. "What a great week - this is absolutely my number one regatta," enthused Glimcher. "And what an unbelievable team! We had the 'surgeon' - Antix - telling us what to do and the 'clean-up crew' - Quokka - which would always come to the rescue. It was a great group and we sailed the boat better than we ever have. Next time we need to bring a bunch more Americans!" Being the lowest rated boat in the Irish team, Quokka 8, co-skippered by Royal Ocean Racing Club Vice Commodore Michael Boyd and Niall Dowling, had the hardest job among the trio of attaining consistent results. "It has been a very long campaign this," admitted Boyd. "We are newcomers to the event, but we have had fantastic leadership from team captain Anthony O'Leary and we were very fortunate to choose Quokka. It is just very satisfying to have mission accomplished and to do it in a such a comprehensive way today is a huge bonus. At our level as amateurs, the Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup is the pinnacle of racing." While the Irish have been the stand out performers this year, the fight remained fierce for the remaining podium positions, where French teams scored a coup. Going into today's final race, France Green was holding second 100 points behind the Irish, with GBR Red third, 15.5 points behind them.

After today's race both lost their hold on the remaining podium positions to France Red - comprising Emmanuel le Men's First 40.7, Pen Koent; Oliver Pesci's Grand Soleil 40, Beelzebuth 3 and Hervé Borgoltz Grand Soleil 44R, Eleuthera - and France Blue comprising Jean Claude Nicoleau's Grand Soleil 43, Codiam; Gilles and Samuel Prietz' A40, Goa, and Bernard Gouy's Ker 39, Inis Mor. This was a particularly spectacular turnaround for France Red jumping from fifth to second after today's race. "Without the Irish it would have been better!" joked Eleuthera's Hervé Borgoltz of his team's performance. "It has been a fantastic race, a fantastic level and a very honest attitude on the water. Two years ago we were third, this year we are second and when we come back in two years we will be first. So slowly, but surely! "What is incredible is how the level is going up - Codiam was second at SPI Ouest France and Inis Mor was yacht of the Year with the RORC last year."

After winning the 2012 event, the performance of GBR's four teams was disappointing with GBR Red the top British team, finishing fourth. Among GBR's 12 boats, Robert Lutener's Ker 40 Cutting Edge was the top performer and second in this regatta. Despite his team's result Lutener remained upbeat: "It was an absolutely top week. Ireland was the top team and they have a top boat and they sail it very very well, but we were close to them and unfortunately the wind let us down yesterday on the offshore.

Otherwise everyone is delighted and has thoroughly enjoyed themselves." GBR Scotland big boat, James McGarry's Swan 45 Eala of Rhu, was also a top performer. "We had a couple of disappointing results, but there were very very difficult sailing conditions," admitted McGarry. "We've been up there consistently inshore and struggled offshore. Otherwise we have had a fantastic week. We have had our moments of glory and we are pretty confident that the boat is going well, just sometimes you don't get the roll of the dice. "The regatta is superb. The level is second to none. You can see why it is billed as the 'premier amateur yacht racing regatta'. Everyone has performed exceptionally; it has just been fantastic fun and a nice atmosphere as well." The prizegiving for the Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup was held this evening at the Royal Yacht Squadron.

Team Name Team Points Team Place

Ireland 268 1

France Red 441.52

France Blue 446.5 3

GBR Red 448 4

France Green 456.5 5

Scotland 457 6

GBR White 526 7

GBR Blue 557.5 8

France White 613 9

#rorcbdcc It is now official. Team Ireland have won the 2014 Commodores' Cup!! You may uncork at will.

— Irish Cruiser Racing (@cruiserracingie) July 26, 2014

@AfloatMagazine @royalcork Ireland take Commodores Cup, Catapult sailing under @BaltimoreSC is boat of series!!!!! http://t.co/IjGwBDOjNy

— Peter O Flynn (@Flynner004) July 26, 2014

@cruiserracingie just saw final results - well done to all involved - dominant performance all week. Enjoy the celebrations! #rorcbdcc

— Joe Conway (@Joeconwaydublin) July 26, 2014

Congratulations Team Ireland !! - official results are in and Ireland have won the 2014 Commodores Cup - well... http://t.co/lTV0co0OUn

— Howth Yacht Club (@howthyachtclub) July 26, 2014

Congratulations to #teamireland: Catapult, Antix & Quokka on winning the #commodorescup #smashedit

— Team Scotland CC (@teamscotlandcc) July 26, 2014

#rorcbdcc – The Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) team in the Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup emerged with it's strong overall lead relatively intact after a tough day at sea in the high-scoring round the Isle of Wight race today.

"It's our to lose. We've sailed well through every race, particularly inshore so now we just have have to do what we do best and nothing fancy," said Anthony O'Leary, Ireland team captain. "We're helped that second third and fourth places are so close so that may take the attention off us."

The three boats each made good starts at the Royal Yacht Squadron line and benefitted from a west-going early ebb tide before crossing towards the northern side of the Solent on the westward stage towards Hurst Narrows and onwards to the Needles.

Marc Glimcher's Catapult established an early and strong lead while Quokka 8 chartered by Michael Boyd and Niall Dowling stuck close to team captain Anthony O'Leary on Antix with both placed sixth and fifth on water water. By the halfway point at St. Catherine's lighthouse on the southside of the island, the three held second, third and fourth places on corrected time.

However, the ebb tide proved too strong on the eastern shore and several boats including Antix and Catapult briefly touched bottom while sailing slowy close to the shore trying to avoid the worst of the tide. But the entire fleet came to a half short of Ventnor and a decision was made by the Royal Ocean Racing Club race management team to shorten the course at Bembridge.

"We were quite upset with today's race. Every forecast in Europe predicted a shut-down at mid-day and that's exactly what happened," said Anthony O'Leary. "Still, it was a minor loss of points in the overall context of the series."

A thunderstorm brought fresh breeze and the fleet got going again with Catapult first across the line though this corrected to 17th place on IRC handicap time. Quokka scored best in 13th place while Antix was 22nd; a scoring multiplier of 1.5x was applied to all positions.

In the final analysis, Ireland still has a considerable lead of 94 points with a single race today counting for double points.

Additional report from James Boyd/RORC

Throughout this Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup the racing has been blessed with Mediterranean conditions - scorching temperatures and generally light to moderate winds. This has favoured the big boats which have cleaned up in the windward-leewards and Monday's offshore race. But today this all changed.

The Race Committee stuck to the schedule and sent the nine 3-boat teams on a course anti-clockwise around the Isle of Wight. The start was at 09:30 BST from the Royal Yacht Squadron line, and the Blair family's King 40 Cobra in GBR Red and Jamie McGarry's Swan 45 Eala of Rhu in GBR Scotland were called OCS and had to return.

There were two schools of thought among the boats heading west down the Solent and it was the group closer to the mainland shore which prevailed, including the five 'fast boats' - the three Ker 40s, the new A13, Teasing Machine, and Swan 45, Eala of Rhu, over the boats closer to the island shore. American Marc Glimcher's turboed Ker 40 Catapult pulled ahead on the water in the Solent leading around the South West Shingles buoy off the Needles.

The northeasterly breeze held on the southeast side of the island, the boats able to lay St Catherine's but edging closer to the shore as the foul tide began affecting them.

While the rich got richer, in particular Catapult, which was doing a 'horizon job', they rounded St Catherine's Point into no wind and a building adverse tide, forcing boats to rock hop along the shore line or to kedge to prevent themselves drifting backwards. Several boats touched sand or worse, rocks, the worst affected being the star of the Irish team, Anthony O'Leary's Ker 39 Antix, which upon arriving in Cowes tonight has had to be hauled out for repairs.

This park-up allowed the smaller boats to sail in with the breeze causing the form in this year's Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup to be upturned with the lowest rated boats taking the lead on corrected time. With the course shortened, finishing at Bembridge Ledge, there wasn't enough track left for the big boats to recover and the 'fast five' became the 'last five' on corrected with the smallest boats topping the results.

The star performer was David Aisher's J/109 Yeoman of Wight. Having been one of the southerly losers coming down the Solent, and then seeing the leaders disappear on the leg to St Catherine's, as Aisher put it: "When we went around the corner at St Catherine's, it was 'oh, hello!' - everyone had parked up. Then it was a case of finding the gusts. We clouted a rock, but not badly because we were only doing 0.5 knots through the water, but Antix hit the bricks hard."

In the subsequent battle of the small boats, Yeoman was fighting with GBR Blue team mate and sistership Robert Stiles' Diamond Jem and Iain Kirkpatrick's X-37 Fatjax for the overall lead. Aisher continued: "In the last three miles they took a tack out too far, while we saw the wind kicking in from the left. Thanks to that we gained maybe 30 minutes on them. Considering we only won by two minutes, it made all the difference."

French boats came out well today with seven in the top 10. Benoit D'Halluin's A35, Dunkerque Plaisance-Gill Racing Team, in France White, finished third behind Emmanuel le Men's First 40.7 Pen Koent in France Red.

"This time it was a race for the small boats after the difficult round the cans and windward-leeward races," said a delighted D'Halluin. "We did well at St Catherine's where all the boats stopped - we had very good speed for us and caught up with all the big boats. We saw two boats hitting the rocks. We were okay but there was a lot of tacking. A lot of boats anchored, but we kept going. After that we had less than 5 knots from the northeast and it was difficult to be in the right place. We didn't do very well."

It is rare to see a Farr 30 One Design competing under IRC, but Eric Basset's Motivé, the smallest boat in the regatta and racing in France Green, was one of the boats that had pulled into the lead under IRC during the park-up. They ended the race in ninth place, their best result of the regatta.

"Going around the island was a fantastic moment," said Anglo-French crewman, Jean-Charles Scale, who was sailing this course for the first time, despite heralding originally from Fareham. "Conditions were pretty good for us during the first part of the race. Then after the Needles it was difficult because we are the smallest boat and we were tight reaching and we were not fast enough. But then all the boats parked up and stalled and we got to within about half a mile of the big boats."

Once again on this occasion it paid not to kedge and Scale said they managed to keep moving, just, while other boats around them chose to anchor. "We went in close to the beach after St Catherine's - it was pretty dodgy and four or five boats touched but fortunately we managed to avoid that."

After that he admitted it was difficult to know whether to go inshore or offshore, but they had chosen the former. Ultimately they ended up finishing in ninth place. Their result, and that of Gilles Caminade's A35R Chenapan3, has caused them to relieve GBR Red of second place overall in the team rankings.

Despite a poor result today - their highest placed finishers being Michael Boyd and Niall Dowling's Grand Soleil 43, Quokka 8, coming home a lowly 13th, Ireland has retained the majority of their lead and goes into tomorrow's double points scoring final race with a comfortable 94.5 margin over the French. Even though nothing is certain in this regatta, if all three of the Irish boats sail their worst result to date in this event, they will still claim the Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup by a 10 points.

 

Team Name Team Points Team Place
Ireland 254 1
France Green 348.5 2
GBR Red 364 3
France Blue 368.5 4
France Red 371.5 5
Scotland 387 6
GBR White 422 7
GBR Blue 441.5 8
France White 445 9

#icra - What should have been a long inshore race along The Solent in the Commodores Cup today turned into a waiting-game with no reward at the end in the Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup at Cowes as racing was abandoned for the day. 

Ireland remains the event leader after three races including the high-scoring offshore event that finished in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

After starting this morning one hour earlier than planned, all three Team Ireland boats had a good start to the race that enjoyed a light north-westerly breeze off the Peel Bank. But the ebb tide was building and when the wind died, only seven boats had managed to break out of the notorious tidal stream.

Marc Glimcher's Catapult was second on the water followed by Anthony O'Leary's Antix in fifth and Michael Boyd and Niall Dowlings' Quokka 8 in seventh.

As the leaders reached Hayling Bay and started the windward-leeward section of the course, the bulk of the fleet were still trapped in The Solent. The Race Committee then abandoned the race on fairness grounds and opted to set a straight-forward windward-leeward course.

Once underway, barely had this race completed it's first of two laps than the wind shifted 100 degrees and then died leading to a second abadonment. After waiting to see if the breeze returned, the fleet began motoring back to Cowes some 12 miles distant in the hope of picking up more breeze in The Solent but to no avail.

The crews are expected back in West Cowes by 1800hrs and the Royal Ocean Racing Club is expected to announce changes to the remainder of the week which just has to complete one more race to qualify as a series.

Weather forecasts between now and Saturday do not offer much prospect of change and the normally reliable sea breeze has been hampered by the stationery high pressure system over the region.

Additional reporting by RORC

Day four of the Royal Ocean Racing Club's Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup was one Principal Race Officer Stuart Childerley and his team would prefer to forget.

With the best wind forecast for early morning, the 27 boats in nine teams started an hour early from a line off Peel Bank. The plan was for them to sail north to the North Ryde Middle mark and then east out of the Solent and into Hayling Bay onto a windward-leeward course.

Childerley recounted: "The boats started reaching out towards the Forts and there were a few big holes there and then six of the boats got to St Helens [mark in Hayling Bay]. Meanwhile the rest of the fleet was being affected badly by big holes in the wind, so we had a situation where probably over half of the fleet wouldn't have finished within the time limit. So we had to abandon that one."

There followed a long wait for the boats in the Solent to reach the new start area in Hayling Bay before a second attempt at race four of the series could be made - this time a windward-leeward in an offshore northeasterly breeze of 6-7 knots. Unfortunately as the boats were approaching the leeward mark the wind shifted hard right, by more than 90°, into the south. The race committee spotted this quickly enough to lay a new weather mark, but after the top six boats had rounded it the breeze dropped away to nothing and the fleet came to a standstill. This race was abandoned too.

"It was just pretty unsatisfactory," said Childerley. "We have had one race in this series when there was a bit of a shut down. I am trying at all costs to avoid that again."

Unfortunately conditions for the next two days are not looking much better.

Mike Broughton, meteorologist for the Irish team, current leader in the Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup, explains that there is currently an area of high pressure centred over Norway, bringing Mediterranean conditions to the UK, but making conditions difficult for yachting. "The northeasterly wind has to come all the way across 150 miles of land to get to us and so it is very patchy and shifty. Then you have a sea breeze that is trying to make it in and is fighting it. Today we had a full on fight with no one winning. It is difficult, but it is what it is."

Broughton says that tomorrow it could be even worse with a trough passing over, bringing rain showers.

RORC Vice Commodore Michael Boyd, who is the co-charterer with Niall Dowling of the Irish team's Grand Soleil 43 Quokka 8, commented: "It was an impossibly challenging day for the PRO and I don't envy his job. In retrospect maybe he could have shortened the courses, but that is all 20-20 hindsight."

Boyd added that he was happy with the position the Irish boats were in when the two attempts at race four were abandoned today. "We would have advanced a few more points, but the races weren't fair. In the first there were four separate fleets.

"The forecasts we have seen for the next three days is for a declining wind. So I think we just have to sail in what God gives us and be patient. This is a sport and you just have to stay focussed and alert."

Jean Philippe Cau, sailing on Hervé Borgoltz' Grand Soleil 44R, Eleuthera, in the France Red team, said that in the first attempt at race four they had been very pleased with their performance, matching Anthony O'Leary's Ker 39, Antix. He observed that when that race was abandoned there had been a gap of more than a mile between the front runners and those astern.

"And in the second race we did well also," Cau continued. "We were in the match with the first group of boats including Quokka, and at the weather buoy when the wind disappeared it was very difficult to pass the boats. We were not happy with Quokka [overlapped on the outside of them at the second weather mark] so we had a little fight with them! There were red flags going up!"

In addition to sailing, Cau has also been responsible for putting together the giant French four team entry in this year's event. He says he is pleased with his country's performance, particularly France Green, which includes Eric De Turkheim's radical new A13 Teasing Machine and Eric Basset's modified Farr 30, Motivé. "If the Farr 30 is able to do reasonably well in the next races, which is especially possible in light winds, I think there is really the possibility to do well. My prognostic is that we will have two teams on the podium."

Tomorrow the race management team will once again aim to get racing underway at 10:00 BST. Childerley concludes: "If we can get at least one in tomorrow, Saturday is looking more promising and, with a couple of jiggles around, we'll get the series in. But most important is that I want to give people really good racing. That is the key."

Team Name Team Points Team Place
Ireland 126 1
France Green 152 2
France Blue 172 3
GBR Red 172.5 4
France Red 197.5 5
Scotland 201.5 6
GBR White 210.5 7
France White 216.5 8
GBR Blue 252.5 9

#commodorescup – Ireland's team of 31 sailors are making final checks prior to the start of racing in the biennial Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup in Cowes, Isle Wight on Sunday morning.

Anthony O'Leary of the Royal Cork Yacht Club will again captain the Irish Cruiser Racing Association team of three boats on his own 'Antix' with the aim of winning the coveted trophy for the second time.

Marc Glimcher of the United States has provided 'Catapult' as the team second boat while Michael Boyd and Niall Dowling of the Royal Irish Yacht Club have chartered 'Quokka' for the week-long series.

All three boats were in action recently at Volvo Cork Week where crews had their final competitive practice before returning to Cowes.

The Commodores' Cup series will comprise six inshore races and a long offshore concluding on Saturday 26th July.

Crewlist for IRL 3939 Antix

Fred Cudmore - Ireland; Rosscoe Deasy - Ireland; Jamie Donegan - Ireland; David Lenz - United Kingdom; Ross McDonald - Ireland; Derek Moynan - Ireland; Darragh O' Connor - Ireland; Clive O Shea - Ireland; Robert O'Leary - Ireland; Anthony O'Leary - Ireland;

Crewlist for USA 1253 Catapult

David Bolton - Ireland; Grady Byus - United States; Alan Curran - Ireland; Garth Dennis - United States; Geoffrey Ewenson - United States; Marc Glimcher - United States; Tom Murphy - Ireland; Dan O'Grady - Ireland; Peter O'Leary - Ireland;

Crewlist for GBR 2215L Quokka 8

James Allan - United Kingdom; James Bendon - Ireland; Michael Boyd - Ireland; Laura Collister - United Kingdom; Ben Daly - United Kingdom; Niall Dowling - Ireland; Jarrod Hulett - United Kingdom; Tom Whitburn - United Kingdom; Nelson Moore - Ireland; Maurice O'Connell - Ireland; Nicholas O'Leary - Ireland;

#cruiserracing – The Irish Cruiser-Racing Association had a weekend to celebrate after its three day Teng Tools Nationals at the Royal Irish YC in Dun Laoghaire from Friday June 13th to Sunday June 15th writes W M Nixon. 

The mood afterwards was buoyant to the point of exuberance despite losing an entire day's sailing with complete calm throughout what should have been the peak-hitting Saturday. Yet thanks the crisp race management, and the extraordinary machine which is Dublin Bay race administration on top of its form, they zapped through the complete programme in a light to moderate southeast breeze on the Friday, and then took full advantage of gentle but viable onshore breezes on the Sunday to provide a full championship with a very valid set of results.

Lesser souls might well have despaired at the virtually flat wind gradient, but this was a fleet determined to have sport. With 115 boats in six classes, it hugely outshone the British ICRA Nationals taking place in the Solent at the same time, where they mustered just 45 boats in four classes. And even there, it all added to ICRA's lustre, as the winner was Anthony O'Leary's Ker 39 Antix, flagship for ICRA's Commodore's Cup challenge for Ireland next month.

As for the setting for the Irish championship, the hosting Royal Irish Yacht Club was the essence of hospitality, with Commodore James Horan leading his members in making the visitors more than welcome, while the summertime atmosphere each night in the classic clubhouse was an experience to be savoured. And the club itself fielded a remarkably good turnout of members' boats, including the overall winner, Jonathan Skerritt's Quarter Tonner Quest.

Vintage boat aficionados will pay prick up their ears at this news of the supreme champion. Quest is no Spring chicken. She was designed mostly by Marcus Hutchinson in the Rob Humphreys office in Lymington in 1987 for Justin Burke of the National YC, and with Gordon Maguire at the helm, she placed second in the 1987 Quarter Ton Worlds in Cork.

The 27-year-old Quarter Tonner Quest (Jonathan Skerritt) from the host club provided a popular overall winner.  Photo: David O’Brien

With Barry Cunningham helming for Jonathan Skerritt during the ICRA Nats, and the crew including Alan Crosbie of Teng Tools, the sweet little Quest saw off the formidable challenge in Class 3 of the Kenefick clan in Tiger, racing in Dublin Bay as Nathan Kirwan Trust.

The overall win for Quest made it a remarkable regatta for classic Rob Humphreys boats. The all-conquering Humphreys Half Tonner Checkmate V of Nigel Biggs (RStGYC) notched yet another win in Class 2, her closest challenger being the Evans brothers from Howth with their near sister-ship The Big Picture, which has been up-graded in Alan Power's workshop in Malahide with a ton of helpful information from the Checkmate squad.

Nigel Biggs’ vintage Humphreys Half Tonner Checkmate XV has had lots of TLC lavished on her, and it shows in her appearance and performance.  Photo: David O’Brien

Although the Keneficks may have had their campaign from Crosshaven pipped by Quest, in the big boat classes it was Royal Cork all the way. The J/109s set the pace in Class 1, and after the first day it looked to be going the way of Mark Mansfield helming John Maybury's Joker II. But the joke was on Joker on the Sunday, when Ian Nagle's Jelly Baby made a mighty leap to the top with the owner on the helm and Killian Collins calling the shots.

The Division 0 winning Ker 37 Jump Juice (Denise Phelan, RCYC) still looks bang up to date after several years of racing. Photo: David O’Brien

Class 0 was Jump Juice rampant. This superb Ker 37 still looks state-of-the-art, and with Conor Phelan doing the driving and David Rose calling the shots, the Juice showed an almost uncanny ability to claw her way out of setbacks on the rare occasions when things hadn't gone right, but most of the time she was so out on her own that she emerged at the end of the series ten points clear of runner-up WOW, the Farr 42 of George Sisk, RIYC.

At the other end of the fleet in size, Div 4 was won by the Sonata Asterix (Boushel, Coonihan & Meredith), while the two non-spinnaker Corinthian classes were in their own happy little world, a sort of waterborne croquet, with Paul Tully's Elan 33 White Lotus taking Div 5 while the Club Shamrock Demelza (Windsor Laudan & Steffi Ennis, Howth) swept the board in Div 6 with five wins and four bullets.

ICRA's Barry Rose of Cork, who will be team manager for the Commodore's Cup next month, was more than happy with the regatta: "For sure, most of the boats in the fleet weren't in the first flush of youth. But people are moving on from the worst of the recession, and making the best of what they've got. They're going sailing, they're sailing well, and that's what matters".

Before the Commodore's Cup, he'll be racing Cork Week with his daughter Judy McGrath on her family cruiser-racer Bonanza, a much-loved Impala 28. "We'll be racing with a roller-furling genoa", says Rose, "but you can be absolutely certain we'll give it our very best shot. The sport is going to be better than ever".

Exemple needed more wind to defend her 2013 title, and had to be content with 5th in Division 1. Photo: David O’Brien

Rob O’Connell’s A35 Fools Gold from Dunmore East in a close tussle in Division 1 with John Maybury’s J/109 Joker II (RIYC) helmed by Mark Mansfield (RCYC). Joker II placed 3rd overall, while Fools Gold was 4th in a class of 26. Photo: David O’Brien

Peter Dunlop of Pwllheli SC was racing his J/109 Mojito (9047) in Division 1 against the XP 33 Bon Exemple (X Yachts UK/Colin Byrne RIYC), which was overall winner of the ICRA Nats 2013 in Tralee Bay. In Dublin Bay, they placed 15th and 5th respectively. Photo: David O’Brien

Slack Alice (Shane Statham & Trudi O’Leary) is a veteran GK 34 from Dunmore East, placing 7th out of 23 boats in Division 2. Photo: David O’Brien 

Now there’s a neat start. Division 1 gets cleanly away on Sunday, with Bon Exemple (nearest camera) successfully seeking clear air at the pin end. Photo: David O’Brien

Summer night at the Royal Irish YC. The world’s oldest complete purpose-designed yacht club building provided an ideal setting for the après sailing at the ICRA Nats 2014. Photo: W M Nixon  

ICRA NATS 2014 RESULTS (IRC)

Division 0: 1st Jump Juice (Ker 37, Denise Phelan, Royal Cork YC) 8pts; 2nd WOW (Farr 42, George Sisk, Royal Irish YC) 18; 3rd Roxstar (XP 38i, Finlay & Anderson, Clyde Cr C) 19; 4th First Forty Licks (First 40, Jay Colville, East Down YC) 32 (11 raced).

Division 1: 1st Jelly Baby (J/109, Ian Nagle, RCYC) 15; 2nd Rockabill V (Corby 33, Paul O'Higgins, RIYC) 24; 3rd Joker II (J/109, John Maybury, RIYC) 25, 4th Fools Gold (Robert McConnell, Waterford Harbour SC) 35.5, 5th Bon Exemple (XP 33, X-Yachts UK/Colin Byrne, RIYC) 36. (26 raced)

Division 2: 1st Checkmate XV (Humphreys Half Tonner, Nigel Biggs, Royal St George YC) 9; 2nd The Big Picture (Mg30, Richard & Michael Evans, Howth YC) 20; 3rd Fusion (Corby 25, R Colwell & B Cobbe, HYC) 22; 4th Movistar Bleu (Elan 333, Raymond Killops, Killyleagh YC) 28, 5th Dux (X 302, Anthony Gore-Grimes, HYC) 30 (23 raced).

Division 3: 1st (and Overall Winner) Quest (Humphreys Quarter Tonner, Cunningham & Skerritt, RIYC) 7; 2nd Nathan Kirwan Trust (Quarter Tonner, George Kenfick, RCYC) 19; 3rd Hard on Port (J/24, Flor O'Driscoll, RStGYC) 20, 4th Hamilton Bear (J/24, Stefan Hyde, RCYC) 25, 5th White Mischief (Sigma 33, Tim Goodbody, RIYC) 30 (19 raced).

Division 4: 1st Asterix (Hunter Sonata, Boushel, Coonihan & Meredith, DL Marina) 6, 2nd Chousikou (First 28, Declan Ward, DL Marina) 9.

Division 5: (Non-spinnaker) 1st White Lotus (Elan 33, Paul Tully, DL Marina) Div 6 (Non-spinnaker) 1st Demelza (Windsor Laudan & Steffi Ennis, HYC) (19 raced).

#icra – Royal Cork prowess in big boat racing shone through yesterday in Dun Laoghaire when National Cruiser handicap titles were decided on Dublin Bay in a packed final day for the ICRA championships that brought the best winds of the three day regatta for 115–cruiser–racers.  It meant classes zero and one were able to sail four races for a discard after racing was lost in a dead calm on Saturday.

Winning the Class three title with the lowest score of any of the five classes, Jonathan Skerritt's Quest from the host Royal Irish Yacht Club counted three race wins and two second places in a highly consistent performance over the three days at the Teng Tools ICRA championship on Dublin Bay yesterday.

Nigel Biggs on Checkmate V had a similarly low-score with four race wins and though a fifth in yesterday's third race spoiled the straight run, the Class 2 national title went to Biggs of the Royal St. George YC.

A fourth race was added to yesterday's programme that then ran late into the afternoon for the two big-boat classes with the Royal Cork YC taking both national titles.

Denise Phelan's Jump Juice won Class Zero with a comfortable ten-point lead thanks to four race wins and two second places. Ian Nagle's Jelly Baby won the Class One title for the second time since 2012 though with 26 boats in this fleet, the win was less straight-forward despite three race wins.

Denise and Conor Phelan's Jump Juice (Ker 37) from Royal Cork was class zero winner with a ten point margin

Meanwhile there were cheers in Dun Laoghaire last night for and Irish win in Cowes, the British IRC National Championships was won outright by Anthony O'Leary on Antix in a large Class One turn-out of 20 boats. The Royal Cork YC skipper is captain of the ICRA team in this year's Commodores' Cup at the same venue next month.

(Above and below) Maintaining consistent speed in the five to eight knot winds was essential. At times even the keeping the spinnaker flying proved difficult

After a poor weather mark rounding the J109 Powder Monkey goes for the high lane

Competitive starts and finishes. Class one (above) gets away in race four on Sunday lunchtime and (below) a bow to stern class two finish between Tribal (IRL2525) of Galway Bay and the GK Westerly Slack Alice 34 from Dunmore East

That's how it's done. Slick gybing at the Dublin Bay Merrion buoy by class two winner Checkmate V, Nigel Biggs' Humphrey's Half Tonner and (below) heading for another win off Dun Laoghaire harbour

Touch of class. The spirit of James Bond came to town when the secret agent's yacht Soufriere entered in class zero

Entries came from far and near including the west coast. This Shannon estuary based Dehler 34  (above) voyaged from Foynes for the three day event. Derek Dillon's 'Big Deal', sponsored by Union Chandlery, has also enjoyed offshore success on the ISORA circuit during her trip to the east coast. Below Fox in Sox 

 

White sails racing against the Dublin coast off Dalkey

 The Royal Irish Yacht Club hosted the 113–boat event with some style

A full ICRA Nationals photo report will appear in Summer Afloat magazine out next week.

Read also: WM Nixon's blog on his Friday sail with the ICRA fleet

#bloomsdayregatta – Lack of wind for sailing on Dublin Bay today means Royal Alfred Yacht Club's Bloomsday regatta that is being run in conjunction with the ICRA National Championships has made a change to its sailing instructions. 

Scoring in certain classes has been changed so a boat's RAYC Bloomsday Regatta score will be the total of her race scores for the first two races sailed at the ICRA National Championships tomorrow. Download the change to SIs below.

Meanwhile results for the B & C courses today are available to download below as an excel file.

 

 

 

#cruiserracing – With racing abandoned for the bulk of classes there was frustration for the 113–boat ICRA championship on Dublin Bay today and an earlier start than scheduled for tomorrow's final day of competition.

Classes Zero and One completed their minimum amount of races for a championship after a short round the cans course in less than five knots of breeze but other classes are still looking for more racing tomorrow to complete the series.

 

 

In a frustrating day three race management teams afloat, what should have been a full programme was dominated by drifting in dead calm conditions for five hours at the Teng Tools ICRA National Championships today.

 

Classes Two, Three and Four were expecting three windward-leeward races and though Principal Race Officer Jack Roy managed to get the first group away in a gentle north-east airflow, a windshift to the east followed by a drop to a knot of "Force Nothing" wind saw the race abandoned. The other classes had also only just restarted after a recall in their sequence.

No further racing was possible as the fleet remained at sea until 3pm in the hope of an improvement in conditions. Racing was also abandoned on the Corinthian courses for White Sails entries.

On the 'Round the cans' course, Classes Zero and One managed to complete three legs of their first race before it was shortened by PRO Henry Leonard. The result enabled both classes to complete their minimum quota of three races to qualify for a championship series.

Class Zero was again dominated by Denise Phelan's Jump Juice from the Royal Cork Yacht Club. George Sisk's WOW! from the hosting Royal Irish YC has emerged as the principal challenger while Scottish entry Roxstar holds third overall.

Meanwhile, Class One has had a shake-up after the strong opening day by John Maybury's Joker 2 from the Royal Irish YC on Friday. However, a tenth today along with a race win for Paul O'Higgins Rockabill V leaves the two boats tied on points.

With a marginally better forecast for tomorrow with a possiblilty of clearer skies that may allow a sea breeze to develop, organisers announced that racing will begin one hour earlier than planned. Warning signals for all three courses will be at 0955 IST.

Full results are available here

#cruiserracing – The opening day of the ICRA Nationals at the Royal Irish YC in Dun Laoghaire offered W M Nixon the chance of a painless transition through Friday 13th, and the discovery that there is a life after spinnakers.

In the complete absence of any completely new boats in the hundred-plus lineup for the Irish Cruiser Racing Association's three day Nationals on Dublin Bay, it made sense to focus instead on the lovingly maintained and upgraded veterans in the fleet by sailing on a boat which has been an important part of the Irish sailing story since 1979.

The 30ft Club Shamrock Demelza (she's named after the heroine of a long-forgotten TV drama series based in Cornwall) was one of ten or so boats which raced as a hyper-keen almost one design class in Crosshaven in the late 1970s and early '80s.

Ron Holland's Shamrock Half Tonner design had been achieving racing success since it appeared in 1975, with Silver Shamrock – skippered by Harold Cudmore with all the usual suspects in the crew – winning the Half Ton Worlds at Trieste in 1976. But although they were able little boats with adequate accommodation – American sailor Stuart Woods crossed the Atlantic single-handed in one – the more clubbable element in Royal Cork persuaded the designer and the builders in Cork that a Shamrock with roomier accommodation made possible by a much larger coachroof, with a shorter cockpit and wheel steering, would better meet the needs of club sailors.

For the more austere racing types, the Club Shamrock which emerged from all these discussions looked to be a frivolous boat for party animals, rather than a serious racing proposition. But it speaks volumes for the basic quality of the Ron Holland hull design that the "comfy party boats" could hold their own very well indeed inshore and offshore, if competently sailed.

The pintail stern on Demelza makes her very slippy to windward, but her performance suffers on a reach. Photo: W M Nixon

The Club Shamrock version provided a saloon which seemed exceptionally roomy in the 1970s. Photo: W M Nixon

Thus Brian MacManus of Dun Laoghaire, who owned and campaigned Silver Shamrock herself for ten keenly contested offshore seasons in the Irish Sea, remembers that it was the devil's own job getting clear ahead of the almost clunky-looking Club Shamrocks, and it was wellnigh impossible when that Club Shamrock was Demelza, owned and sailed by Neville Maguire.

But we're getting ahead of the story. Back in 1979, Demelza was a new build for Stafford Mansfield of Crosshaven. A key member in his crew was his schoolboy son Mark, later an Olympic sailor and still very much in demand as a frontline helmsman. But back in the late 1970s, it was Demelza which propelled young Mark into the offshore racing game.

He modestly recalls that they won more than their fair share of prizes. But as the boat was raced with complete dedication, there was nothing unfair about their haul of trophies. Eventually, with their sights on the db1 Luv Is, the Mansfields sold Demelza on to Neville Maguire of Howth, thereby bringing another name of international sailing repute into the story, as it was aboard the little boat that Gordon Maguire made early forays offshore.

However, Demelza could win whether Gordon was there or not. In 1984, on the very weekend in August that saw Gordon winning the Irish Windsurfer Nationals in Kerry, in the Irish Sea Neville won the concluding race of the ISORA Championship to take the title – and that in a year in which he had also won his class in the Round Ireland.

Glued together. Harry Byrne's Club Shamrock Rapparee and Neville Maguire's sister-ship Demelza in one of their many contests during the 1980s, seen here closing in under Howth Head while positioning themselves for the lee mark.

The Club Shamrocks found a new lease of life in Howth, and for many years a feature of the racing there was the continuing battle between the sister Club Shamrocks, Harry Byrne's Rapparee and Neville Maguire's Demelza. They seemed to be glued together in some races, and years afterwards they can still recall every last move afloat, and the final outcome of dozens of contests.

Neville Maguire had long since celebrated his 80th birthday when he sold Demelza to Windsor Laudan and Steffi Ennis for what is only the third ownership in the boat's gilded existence. Steffi Ennis is longtime Howth sailing family, while Windsor is Irish Sea through and through. His boyhood was spent at picturesque Porth Dinnllaen in North Wales, where his parents ran the famous pub on the beach, then when he was 16 they moved to Holyhead and he became so involved in offshore racing that after zillions of crossings of the Irish Sea, he became Howth based.

Demelza is one very lucky little ship, so where better to spend Friday 13th June? In Windsor and Steffi's ownership, she has people who appreciate her good qualities, which are many, for she's one gallant little boat. And as for the fact that when the spinnaker is set the Shamrock can be a right handful, well, they've solved the problem simply by opting to keep her as a much-loved family cruiser while racing her in the non-spinnaker class.

That said, they've raised non-spinnaker racing to a new level. Last year, they were right on the pace, winning the Lambay Lady for the clearest win in Howth's annual Lambay Race, and topping their class with six bullets in the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta. All this despite the fact that the Club Shamrock's very pintailed hull is at a distinct disadvantage when reaching, or when running in anything over Force 4. So clearly this pair of keen owners are employing some very special skills, and the opening day of the ICRA Nats offered an opportunity to find out just how they do it, and also to get the flavour of this year's main regatta on the east coast.

Good start to the day. With Howth Head well astern across Dublin Bay, the rest of the crew catch up with the commuter boat as Demelza enters Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

Photo: W M Nixon

The intrusion of the new library into the Dun Laoghaire waterfront is a shock for those who haven't seen it before. Photo: W M Nixon

It is only from mid-harbour that you're fully aware of the damage done by the new library to Dun Laoghaire's classic waterfront. Photo: W M Nixon

Being on time is a good start. Ship's orders for visiting journos were to be aboard with the skipper and mate by 0800 in Howth Marina, and get the boat to Dun Laoghaire Marina comfortably in time for the rest of the crew coming across Dublin Bay in a fast runabout which would subsequently be used for daily commuting while the boat stayed on in Dun Laoghaire, all to be well in time for first gun at 1055hrs.

The sense of anticipation is palpable, and while the sight of the new "library and cultural centre" blighting the Dun Laoghaire waterfront was a shock for those who hadn't been it before, at the Royal Irish the happy morning mood took over again, with the place ahive with activity which is comprehensible only to regular regatta racers, and confusing for those not in the loop.

"Glad morning again". The Royal Irish YC is the perfect setting for that special pre-regatta sense of anticipation. Photo: W M Nixon

The Dun Laoghaire regatta machine swings into action with supplementary race marks heading seaward. Photo: W M Nixon

Sufficient to say that once again the mighty Dun Laoghaire regatta machine was moving smoothly into action with three different race areas being provided in the bay, and on the waterfront the club gearing up to receive a host of hungry and thirsty post-race sailors. There was a nice moment when Mark Mansfield – up in Dublin to helm John Maybury's J/109 Joker II in the Nationals – called over to say Demelza had never looked better. Other old friends to meet and greet - do other sports have quite the same level of banter as sailing? – and then out to the Bay and suss up the opposition.

Were it not for the many volunteers manning the committee boats, an event like the ICRA Nationals simply couldn't happen. Photo: W M Nixon

There were two obvious boats in Class 6 for Demelza to beat – Jim McCann's Mustang 30 Peridot, and Sean and Kristina O'Regan's Dehler 31 Vespucci. But an unexpected addition to the lineup of ten or so boats was Frank Friel's Fist 32s5 Effex II, usually completely a cruiser and thus given a low ECHO handicap. So she was in among smaller craft, but this provided another handy target boat for the Laudan-Ennis team.

Jim McCann's Peridot was an ideal competitive match for Denmelza. Photo: W M Nixon

Frank Friel's Effex II took line honours in the first race. Photo: W M Nixon

And that's exactly what they are. A team. It worked beautifully in the countdown to the start, with Steffi putting the course on cockpit display and keeping tabs on time and any other messages via VHF, while Windsor was able to settle into the developing day, getting a sense of what the wind was trying to do while exchanging ideas with his afterguard of Conor Walls and Francis Ennis (Steffi's dad).

They set a hot suit of brown sails on Demelza's masthead rig, with a main from North while the genoa is Philip Watson. Within the limits of doing without spinnaker, everything is optimised and the light breeze from southeast, sometimes swinging a bit more east, is getting a useful bite to it as the first of the ebb is running southeast across our start area in the outer water of Scotsmans Bay.

As is usually the case, in these conditions on the initial beat it pays to go to the wall, closing the shore with Demelza powering along and loving it - after a good start, our skipper finds clear wind and makes the most of it. Fortunately the downwind leg become a dead run, and a masthead-rigged boat can make hay running goosewinged, but even so our lead is under increasing threat from the First 32s5, and Effex II just pips us for line honours, though on IRC Demelza has it by a mile.

Lunch break – but definitely no alcohol until racing is finished for the day. Photo: W M Nixon

The mood over lunchtime sangers is of good work done, but more work still to do. But then that wretched new library intrudes again. You just can't get away from it. While it looks bad enough from within the harbour, from Scotsmans Bay it looks ten times worse. Out there, you can see how it has entirely blocked off a pleasant terrace of classic Dun Laoghaire waterfront houses from any enjoyment of the sunset. Compared to this new monstrosity, the Berlin Wall was surely a lovely creation.

You just can't get away from it..........

.........and farewell, Sunset Strip. The new Dun Laoghaire library has permanently blocked off the sunset for an entire terrace of houses. Photo: W M Nixon

But fortunately for our entertainment, we had a glimpse of other divisions racing, with Classes 0 and 1 running past nearby, and Denise Phelan's Ker 37 Jump Juice up from Cork doing great things on the run to make up lost ground. For the biggies as for us, the beat out of Dublin Bay was tactically fascinating as the ebb had reached full strength. Jump Juice read it to perfection, even if her winning tack on port brought her right through our starting area.

But once again the Dun Laoghaire regatta machine took it all calmly in its stride. And when we came to make our start, our skipper read it spot on, working his timing and the sluicing ebb to such an accurate level that we swept by the committee boat only a nano-second after the signal, and had congratulations from a race officer for getting it just right.

Jump Juice from Cork starting to make up lost ground on the run in Class O Photo: W M Nixon

Winning tack. Jump Juice came down the bay in impressive style hard on the wind............Photo: W M Nixon

...........and her win move took her right through the Class 5 and 6 start area, but nobody batted an eyelid............Photo: W M Nixon

.....and it gave us an exciting glimpse of a top level racing machine. Photo: W M Nixon

That second race saw us sharing some sea space on the run with Classes 0 and 1, and as we were on starboard and interested only in maintaining our lead, some very expensive floating hardware had to throw some very neat gybes to allow the little Demelza to progress on her rightful way. But our afterguard being total boat addicts, they enjoyed nothing more than giving chapter and verse on each boat which came within range.

Mixing it with the heavy metal. The bows of the 54ft Soufriere and the 45ft Lively Lady after they'd neatly gybed their way out of a close encounter with the right-of-way Demelza. Photo: W M Nixon

Raptor getting up to speed. She was one of the earliest Mark Mills designs, and was originally known as Aztec. Photo: W M Nixon

Tony Fox's Gringo, an A35, finds some sun on Dublin Bay. Photo: W M Nixon

The final beat saw Jim McCann with Peridot almost getting through, but sailing is a supposedly genteel sport which can show a discreetly killer side, so Windsor and Steffi were only delighted to throw a slam dunk right on top of their old friend, and go on to take line honours and their second corrected time win of the day.

Second win, and line honours too – a bit of celebration for Conor Walls and the skipper. Photo: W M Nixon

Demelza's current success is put down to the permanent presence on board of a lucky Welsh dragon. Photo: W M Nixon

A crew of friends – racing Demelza to success are (front row, left to right) Windsor Laudan, Steffi Ennis and John Aungier, back row Francis Ennis, Conor Walls and Debbie Faherty Photo: W M Nixon

The morning's sunshine had given way to a silver-grey blandness in the weather, and to a casual observer, there might have seemed some blandness to the day's racing. But not for those taking part. I've long thought that trying to make sailing a spectator sport is a waste of time – either you take part, or you go off and watch something exciting like gardening. We'd had a marvellous day's sport, and it was followed by the usual high-octane banter at the club. The ICRA Nationals 2014 had got off to a good start. The race officers had their beloved results, with only one more race to sail to have a recognised championship. Let's hope the sun comes out today to sharpen up the sea breeze. Meanwhile, it was only after I got home I remembered it had been Friday 13th. And as for spinnakers? Well, believe me, there's life after spinnakers, there really is.

A well-loved little boat at rest after a good day's racing. In her successful 35 years, Demelza has been in only three ownerships. Photo: W M Nixon

#cruiser-racing– It may have been light and shifty but Nigel Bigg's Half-tonner Checkmate V from the Royal St. George YC gave a show of strength when he took two race wins in Division Two of the ICRA National Championships that began today on Dublin Bay.

Despite light winds of between eight and three knots at times, both planned races in all seven classes at the Teng Tools sponsored ICRA Championships were sailed where a 113-strong fleet is competing in the biggest Irish sailing event of the year. 

Inspite of the early win Bigg's has competition in class two with a close challenge from The Big Picture, Richard and Michael Evans' equally consistent Howth performer with two second places.

In other classes after taking the first race with apparent ease, George and Neil Kenefick's Royal Cork YC quarter-tonner Nathan Kirwan Trust missed a crucial course amendment shortly before race two which cost an expensive sixth place and third overall for the day. The slip left the way clear for Jonathan Skerritt's Quest from the Royal Irish YC to take the overnight lead with a 2-1 result for the day.

The strongest overnight lead lead after day one belongs to John Maybury's Joker 2, a J109 from the RIYC that includes veteran Olympian Mark Mansfield on board. A 1-2 performance for the day plus mixed fortunes for the remainder of this 26-strong fleet gives Joker 2 a seven-point lead going into tomorrow's three-race programme.

Consistent form for Denise Phelan's Jump Juice from the RCYC with two second places for the opening day was enough to secure the overnight lead in Class Zero where eleven boats have entered. Scottish entry Roxstar appeared to have the upper hand in the series with a win in the opening race but slipped in the trickier conditions of the afternoon and lies on level points with George Sisk's WOW! from the RIYC: both had a win and a fifth place yesterday in what could prove to be a three-way contest for the class.

In the non-spinnaker classes, Paul Tully's Elan 333 from Dun Laoghaire Marina leads Class 5 with two wins while Windsor Laudan and Steffi Ennis from Howth YC were in similar form on the venerable Club Shamrock Demelza to lead Class 6.

If today's results are a measure, consistency in light airs performance is paramount as the forecast is for more of the same til Sunday.

Results here.