Royal Irish Yacht Club pair Tim Norwood and Luke Donagh have taken the overnight lead in the 22-boat Melges 15 Irish National Championships after four races on Dublin Bay on Saturday (August 22).
Norwood and Donagh, sailing NonameO, opened the championship with victory in the first race and followed it with two thirds before discarding seventh in race four to lead on seven points.
Behind them, just three points cover the next three boats after a competitive opening day in which four different crews won races.
Hudson Fowler and Donnelly Tied on Nine Points
Royal St George Yacht Club's Toby Hudson Fowler and Kate Lyttle are second overall on nine points after scores of 7-(discard), 2, 1 and 6.
They are tied on points with Sean Donnelly and Greg Arrowsmith of the Royal St George Yacht Club, who recovered strongly from 12th in the opening race.
Donnelly and Arrowsmith followed with two fourth places before winning the fourth and final race of the day, allowing them to discard their opening 12th.
US team-racing pairing Mike Zani and Mike Huang are fourth overall, just one point further back on ten.
Zani and Huang made an immediate impact with second and first in the opening two races. A seventh followed before they discarded tenth from the final race.
Fahy and Hyland Fifth
Pre-championship contenders Jack Fahy and Adam Hyland are fifth on 13 points aboard My First Shift. They counted a third, eighth and second after discarding ninth from race four.
Barry McCartin and Bryan Byrne are sixth aboard Searcher on 14 points, one ahead of Andrew Fowler and Cian Lynch's Lazarus and Fiachra Farrelly and Jamie Malcolm, who are tied on 15.
Paddy Oliver and Diane Nelson's Billy Far Out complete the overnight top nine on 18 points.
The opening day's four races produced four separate winners: Norwood and Donagh took race one, Zani and Huang race two, Hudson Fowler and Lyttle race three and Donnelly and Arrowsmith race four.
Three Races Scheduled for Sunday
The championship continues on Sunday with three further races scheduled on the Bay.
With four races now completed, each crew can discard its worst result, leaving the leading quartet separated by only three points heading into the deciding day.
The sailing instructions provide for three races on Sunday, with no starting signal permitted after 3pm except for a restart following a general recall or postponement during a starting sequence.
Provisional Top Five After Four Races
- Tim Norwood/Luke Donagh (NonameO, LRYC/RIYC) — 7 points
- Toby Hudson Fowler/Kate Lyttle (RSGYC) — 9 points
- Sean Donnelly/Greg Arrowsmith (RStGYC) — 9 points
- Mike Zani/Mike Huang (Boost, RSGYC) — 10 points
- Jack Fahy/Adam Hyland (My First Shift, RSGYC/LDYC) — 13 points
Results provisional at 15:52 on Saturday, August 22.
