42 RS dinghies across three classes turned out for the RS Inlands 2021 hosted by Blessington Sailing Club.
Teams travelled from as far north as Cushendall in Northern Ireland and as far south as Cork. The West was also well represented by five teams from Killaloe.
17 teams travelled from neighbouring Wicklow club Greystones, showing the significant growth in their RS fleet in recent years.
The three fleets were met with a gusty 20 - 25 knots on day 1, leading to lots of thrills and plenty of spills. With Sunday's forecast looking light, Race Officer Joe Crilly got a fourth race completed on day 1, resulting in a tired fleet on Saturday evening.
The largest fleet was the 400s with 19 teams racing. After day 1, things were very tight at the top, with 3 teams, Peter Bayly & Paddy Blackley, Govan Berridge & Dave Coleman and Marty O'Leary and Kevin Johnson all tied on 7 points as overnight leaders.
RS dinghy racing at the inland championships at Blessington Sailing Club Photo: Susan Brambell
The usual bonfire and cans concluded a little earlier than usual with plenty of tired & sore bodies strewn about the lawn at Blessington SC.
Day 2 brought much lighter conditions, with a sunny 5 - 7 knots, and plenty of shifts to make things interesting. Race 5 in the 400's was won by Greystones team Marty O'Leary & Kevin Johnson to put them in the lead going into the final race. O'Leary & Johnson just needed to beat Berridge and Coleman to claim the title in the final race. Paul McLoughlin & Owen McKinley had a great day 2, with two-second places to put them into second overall.
The final results for the 400 fleet was first Marty O'Leary & Kevin Johnson (Greystones SC), second Paul McLoughlin & Owen McKinely (Cushendal) third, Govan Berridge & Dave Coleman (Killaloe)
Frank O'Rourke and Rachel O'Leary Photo: Susan Brambell
In the 200 fleets, there were 15 boats competing for the Inland title. Greystones pairing Frank O'Rourke & Rachel O'Leary sailed a stellar regatta, discarding a 1st after 6 races. 2nd place went to Jocelyn Hill and Katie Kane from the County Antrim boat club, who put up a serious fight in every race, with Conor O'Beirne and Grainne Young from RSGYC also posting consistent top three's on day 1. 3rd Overall was Greystones duo of Ruairi O'Cleirigh & Lorcan O'Brien Mc Laughlin.
RS 400 champions Marty O'Leary and Kevin Johnson Photo: Susan Brambell
The RS Fevas completed four races, with day one being cut short in the big breeze, and three races then run on Sunday. Royal St George teams took the top two spots, with Isobel Bloomer & Oscar Legge taking the inland Championship title, and Lara Little & Grace McNaughton in 2nd, while 3rd place went to Senan Corry & Peadar Doyel from the National Yacht Club.
Full results can be found here
The next RS event will be the Northerns to be hosted by Carrickfergus Sailing Club. The three RS fleets will be joined by the Aero fleet for the first time. Entry link here
