#RS – The second event of this year's RS400 and RS200 traveller series was held at Newcastle Yacht Club Co. Down. The picturesque race area at the foot of the Mourne Mountains proved to be a tough test for both crews and hardware. A strong force six westerly brought plenty of gusts and shifts down the course on both Saturday and Sunday. This provided lots of thrills and occasional spills. Two masts from the twenty six boat fleet paid the price on Saturday. Unfortunately for John Lowry and Emmet Connon, they lost their mast on completion of the final gybe to the finish line with a healthy lead over the rest of the RS400 fleet.
Despite the challenging conditions, race officer Robin Gray from Ballhomle and his team did a top job to knock out six races for the two classes.
In the fourteen strong RS400 fleet, reigning national champion Simon Herriott and Shane Mac Carthy came out on top. They were pushed all the way by Paul Mc Laughlin and Michael Mc Kinley from Cushendall, with the pair only two points off top spot. Brothers Emmet and James Ryan from The Royal St George finished in third place. With multiple race winners over the two days the overall standard in the Irish 400 fleet is certainly starting to tighten up. Any minor mistakes were severely punished.
In the twelve boat fleet of RS200's, Graeme Noonan and Brian Mac Carthy dominated proceedings. The pair had a convincing win, scoring five firsts and a second. Current national champions Roy Van Maanen and Glen Reid had a comfortable second place. Local Newcastle crew, Clive Coffey and Helen Cassidy took the final podium spot.
Next up for the RS fleet is the Irish Nationals which will be held at Howth Yacht Club from the 17th to the 19th of August.
