Northern Ireland ILCA Sailors Perform at Dun Laoghaire Championships

28th August 2024

East Antrim's Tom Coulter (222547) leads a bunch of ILCA 7s after a race start at the national championships on Dublin Bay Credit: Afloat

Several Northern Ireland ILCA sailors gained podium places at the National Championships held last weekend at the National Yacht Club on Dublin Bay.

In the six-race series and with four second places, Dan McGaughey of Ballyholme became the new Irish ILCA 7 champion, and East Antrim and Portrush club's Tom Coulter took third, having tied with second-placed Fiachra McDonnell on 13 points.

As Afloat reported earlier, conditions were brisk, with westerly winds gusting to over 20 knots on three days of the championships, with the final day abandoned.

Dan's clubmate Lewis Thompson, who had made the jump from ILCA 6, was in the top ten of that 31-strong fleet.

Some of the NI sailors at the ILCA Nationals at the NYC, Dun Laoghaire (from left to right) Hugo Boyd, Joseph Robinson, Bobby Driscoll, Dan McGaughey ILCA 7 champion, Isobel Nixon and Emily McAfee Photo: Adele McAfee Some NI sailors at the ILCA National at NYC Dun Laoghaire (from left to right) Hugo Boyd, Joseph Robinson, Bobby Driscoll, Dan McGaughey ILCA 7 champion, Isobel Nixon and Emily McAfee Photo: Adele McAfee

In ILCA 6, Bobby Driscoll (Ballyholme) was runner-up, just one point off the win. Cormac Byrne of Ballyholme and Zoe Whitford from East Antim BC in Larne finished eighth and ninth, respectively.

A busy mark rounding at the ILCA National Championships at Dun Laoghaire Photo: Afloat

Also from the Larne club, Gavin Doig was 2nd Master in the ILCA 6.

Joseph Robinson's second of 38 starters in ILCA 4 (having won two of the five races) and the other top BYC results won that club the Club Trophy.

Emily McAfee, also from BYC, took sixth and third lady, and Luke Simpson from County Antrim Boat Club at Whitehead on Belfast Lough was ninth.

Published in Laser, National YC

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Published in Laser

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ILCA
Laser

About The Author

Betty Armstrong

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Betty Armstrong is Afloat and Yachting Life's Northern Ireland Correspondent. Betty grew up racing dinghies but now sails a more sedate Dehler 36 around County Down

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