The beautiful seaside village of Dunmore East in Waterford was the setting for the Optimist Munster championship. Nicola Harris and her very able team of volunteers from Waterford Harbour Sailing Club ensured that 120 sailors and parents alike had a warm welcome and great racing. Commodore Barry McConnell welcomed the sailors to sunny Dunmore East.
With racing cancelled in many locations around Ireland this weekend, John Leech PRO Main Fleet and Steve O’Sullivan R.O. Regatta Fleet managed to fit in a full series of races in sometimes challenging conditions over the weekend. Saturday saw a warm day with an ever-increasing westerly breeze. Two races were complete but with a lot of retirals. With 26 knots of sustained wind the race officers called it a day and sent everyone home. The Oppie sailors and parents turned to a now standard practice of making a TikTok when racing is cancelled! Steaks, burgers and lots of liquid refreshments on Saturday evening made for a great atmosphere at the club.
On Sunday, the wind swung to 240 degrees. In lighter 15-20 knot conditions, the sailors revelled in the surfing conditions that Dunmore East is famous for. The outer loop of the course saw exhilarating planning conditions, which were accompanied by high-octane wipeouts. Four races were completed for the senior fleet and three for the junior fleet.
Harry Dunne of Howth Yacht Club was first in the 37-boat senior fleet, followed by Gemma Brady of the National Yacht Club and Lough Derg Yacht Club and in third place Rory Whyte of the host club and Royal Cork Yacht Club. Max O’Hare and Abigail Murphy both of the Royal St George, completed the top 5. In the 29-boat Junior fleet, sisters Maeve and Emily Donagh of the Royal St George Yacht Club / Lough Derg Yacht club were first and second, respectively, and Patrick Fegan of Malahide Yacht Club / Royal St George was third. The fourth and fifth spot went to Alex Butcher of Malahide Yacht Club / National Yacht Club and Abigail O’Sullivan of Royal Cork Yacht Club.
Regatta Racing had a huge fleet of 47 boats. These are generally younger sailors who sailed closer to land, with the key focus here on learning before they take the step up to the main Fleet. Once again, head IODAI Coach Adam Walsh and his team did some amazing work to support these sailors. Two races were held on Saturday and three on Sunday in sometimes challenging conditions. First-placed Harry Coole of Monkstown Bay Sailing Club sailed consistently across both days, followed closely by Zara Wheelan of the National Yacht Club/Bradinh Haven and Rebecca Murdock of the Royal St George Yacht Club in third.
Younger again is the Regatta Coached fleet which had 17 entrants. Here coaches help the sailors around the course to give them confidence when ready to move up to Regatta Racing.
The Fleet mainly focused on boat handling from the safety of the inner harbour area in front of the Sailing Club. The slightly reduced winds on Sunday allowed the IODAI coaches to get four races in after some training in the morning. The overall leader was Darragh Baynes of Galway Bay Sailing Club, closely followed by local Lilly Sheridan of Waterford Harbour Sailing Club and Chloe Coole of Monkstown Bay Sailing Club. The greatest emphasis for this fleet is put on the sailors' participation and learning; in this regard Oran Collins of the Royal Cork Yacht Club was recognised for his overall improvement, and sportsmanship awards were given to Hugh Jackson Monkstown Bay Sailing Club and Summer Harris of Waterford Harbour Sailing Club.
The next event for the fleet is the National Championships to be held in Ballyholme Yacht Club in Bangor, Northern Ireland, from the 17th to 20th of August. International interest is building with entries now from the UK, South Africa and Spain.
Full results here
