#Squib - Every kind of weather was experienced by the National Squib fleet in Howth at the 50th anniversary of the East Coast of Ireland Championships sponsored by Provident CRM.
In Race One on Saturday 28 July, in a shifting Force 3-4 westerly wind, Colm Dunne and Fiona Ward from Kinsale in Allegro won from Peter Wallace and Martin Weatherstone from Belfast in Toy for the Boys and Robert Marshall from Killyleagh in Slipstream.
Race Two in similar conditions but with thunder squalls, Gordon Patterson and Ross Nolan in the historic Fagin won from Allegro and newcomers Simon Sheahan and A Quinn from Howth in 123 O’Leary.
Race Three had to be postponed as a heavy rain squall blew across the start line. Some minutes later, the fleet got away for the race won by Toy for the Boys with Fagin second and Noel Colclough’s Periquin from Dun Laoghaire third.
Overnight the leaderboard was Toys, Fagin, Allegro, Slipstream and Periquin, in that order.
On Sunday morning 29 July, the Squibs were greeted by calm and a sea mist giving them limited visibility. However, the breeze soon arrived, so the sailors went afloat.
Race Four, in a big lumpy sea with a 14-knot north-westerly wind, was won by Slipstream. As Fagin approached the finish line ahead of Toys and Periquin, Patterson and Nolan considered sitting on Toys to allow Periquin to take second place, which would have sent ‘Toys’ down the leaderboard, but they didn’t risk it.
In the final race, in which the tide had turned and the lesser sea state remained difficult, the wind dropping off 10 knots, Allegro showed speed and skill to run away with the race from Ian Travers and Keith O’Riordan in the multicoloured Outlaw from Kinsale, and Ronan MacDonell and Tonia McAllister from Howth in Fantome.
This Squib 50th anniversary event was held at Howth Yacht Club which at one time hosted the largest Squib fleet in the country with forty boats.
Having declined to a handful of Squibs in 2012, this North Dublin club can now boast a growing fleet as is indicated in the result sheet below.
At present there is an interesting rivalry between the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club, Killyleagh Yacht Club on Strangford Lough and Kinsale Yacht Club, with the North and South Dublin Squibs currently in the second division.
