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……
“Are those boots Norwegian Standard?” Clothing inspection on the weather rail of the First 40.7 Tiger (Stephen Harris & Frank Hughes), second yesterday and fifth overall in Class 1.
“Of course our clothing is Norwegian standard. And so are we….” The X302 Viking (Kevin Darmody) finished third in the final race in Class 2, and 4th overall.
The Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 37 Arcturus (Declan & Peter McCabe, HUC) was overall winner of Class 1 HPH
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.
J/80s newbies of the Derby/Faherty crew
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.
Holly Quinn raced the family’s J/97 Lambay Rules to place second OA in Class 2.
As the beat progresses, Steffi and Windsor in the veteran Club Shamrock Demelza (right) are exactly where they planned to be. They placed second in Class 3 in the final race, and second (by one point) overall
Joe Carton’s Dehler 34 Voyager finishes second in the final race to place second overall in C1 HPH
Sound performance…..Simon Knowles’ J/109 Indian coming through Howth Sound to the finish for a first in the final race, and first overall in Class 2 HPH.