For casual observers, conditions looked miserably grey for yesterday (Saturday’s) final race of Part 1 of Howth YC’s annual Brass Monkey through-winter series. But those bustling cheerfully ashore afterwards were full of enthusiasm for a great racing breeze from the south, and a re-assertion of the old Norwegian saying that there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing……
Whatever, it meant that in all, six scheduled races were well completed, and while the fleet had Howth boats very much in the majority, the visitors were right up to speed. Paul Harrison’s Helm’s Deep from Skerries took third overall in Class 1, while in Class 3 the smallest boat in class, the well-sailed Malahide-based Feeling 8.5 Shenanigans (Lee Douglas & Aidan Keane) took it right to the wire with the veteran and notably successful Club Shamrock Demelza (Steffi & Windsor, HYC). With victory from Demelza in the final race by 1min 33 seconds, Shenanigans had the overall title by one point, while Kyran O’Grady of Wicklow SC with the classic Swan 37 Bandersnatch in third overall ensured that the folk from elsewhere had Class 3 well in hand.
All results here
Be that as it may, HPH were where the numbers were at, so we give it full rein in this final summation:
Class 1: 1st Arcturus (Sun Odyssey 37, Declan & Peter McCabe, HYC) 6.0pts; 2nd Voyager (Dehler 34, Joe Carton, HYC) 11.5pts; 3rd Helm’s Deep (Paul Harrison, (Skerries SC) 18.0pts.
Class 2: 1st Indian (J/109, Simon Knowles, HYC) 10pts; 2nd Lambay Rules (J/97, Holly Quinn, HYC) 14 pts; 3rd Mojo (J/80, Pat O’Neill, HYC) 16pts
Class 3: 1st Shenanigans (Douglas/Keane, Malahide YC) 9pts; 2nd Demelza (Club Shamrock, Steffi & Windsor, HYC) 10.pts, 3rd Bandersnatch (Swan 37, Kyran O’Grady, Wicklow SC) 21pts.