It would have been easy to make two quick assumptions in advance of the past weekend’s sailing. The first would have been the reasonable expectation that Storm Betty, accurately forecast as she was, and sweeping right across Ireland in an almost personally-vindictive and very focused way, would have made any racing - and particularly a national championship – more or less meaningless.
That’s despite the fact that the name “Storm Betty” doesn’t really carry the necessary air of menace. In the same way, can you imagine a lethal “Storm Jimmy”? Nevertheless, doubtless some day we’ll have to gear ourselves up to face Storm Jimmy, and treat him with proper seriousness despite his equally unthreatening name.
The Optimists in action at Ballyholme – concerned parents can rest assured there is a boat in there somewhere. Photo: Simon MacIlwaine
Betty moves out, and the ILCA/Lasers move in, storming along towards the steep island of Ireland’s Eye whose presence off Howth often makes sailing possible in otherwise impossible conditions. Photo: Annraoi Blaney
BETTY BELIES AMIABLE NAME
But that’s all in due course. Meanwhile, we’ve seen Storm Betty come and go, and despite her amiable moniker, she was a vicious one, with a literally deadly sting in her tail. Yet close on either side of her, there were sunny days with great if decidedly brisk sailing that might put you in mind of summer, if you can remember that we used to have such a season.
Be that as it may, with patience and the strength of mind needed to take the long view, experienced Race Officers were able to carve great championships out of the sailable conditions that was there to be found around the closely-monitored mayhem-creating progress of this sweetly-named piece of very foul weather.
The ILCA 4.7s start to find their feet at Howth, with Craig O’Neill (Royal Cork) ahead. Overall winner of the ILCA 4 class was Lucy Ives of Carlingford SC. Photo: Annraoi Blaney
And one club can take all the credit for producing Race Officers of the required calibre to handle Betty. Let’s hear it for Sutton Dinghy Club. There, the continuing challenge of providing good racing in the mouth of a south-facing drying creek on the exposed north side of Dublin Bay has produced a cadre of elite race officers.
SUTTON DC’S SPECIAL EXPERIENCE BENEFITS ALL IRISH SAILING
These are seasoned experts for whom the challenge of organising worthwhile racing at more versatile venues last weekend, such as Ballyholme Bay on Belfast Lough, or Howth with its extensive race area tucked in behind Ireland’s Eye, was something to be done with accomplished style.
With judicious use of high water to get extra racing space, Race Officer Scorie Walls found the ILCA Championship some extra sheltered water along the Portmarnock shore. Photo: Annraoi Blaney
For it was Ruan O’Tiarnaigh – originally of Sutton but now northern-based – who successfully called the shots (and when not to shoot) for the 116-strong fleet racing the Irish Open Optimist Nationals at Ballyholme. And back home, it was Scorie Walls – who lives right on high water mark beside Sutton DC, and can tell you a thing or two about what a real southwest gale is like – who came over the Hill of Howth like Queen Maeve on campaign to ensure that the ILCA Irish Opens 2023 went through to a real result at Howth Yacht Club.
Optimists getting the best of a challenging weather pattern on Belfast Lough. Photo: Simon MacIlwaine
HOWTH RESTING ON “CLUB OF YEAR” LAURELS?
At Howth, we might find a reasonable assumption by outsiders that the recent hand-over of the MG Motor “Sailing Club of the Year 2023 ” award has resulted in a certain resting on the laurels. And perhaps it has. But thanks to the enthusiasm of the large and varied junior sailing establishment in this numerically enormous club, the senior Howth YC pillars of society have been able to do a certain amount of laurel-reclining while the Young Turks afloat have been shaking the trees to ensure that the tastiest fruits of success have continued to fall neatly beside the HYC Flag Officers for gracious consumption at their Lordships’ leisure.
DUNNE DEAL FOR HOWTH AT BALLYHOLME
In the Optimists at Ballyholme, young Harry Dunne of Howth was on top form, getting ahead and staying ahead to win clearly overall by 13pts to the 22 of Gemma Brady of the National and Lough Derg, with Charlotte Crosbie of the special Cork-Spain/Javea linkup third with 25.
Full results here
CLOSE-RUN LASERS
But the Lasers back home in Howth went right to the wire, with Jamie McMahon of the host club eventually wearing down a seemingly unassailable early lead established by visiting Australian star Isaac Schotte of Brisbane. In an eight-race series, things went pear-shaped for Schotte with a BFD in Race 6, but he was back in possible contention with a first to the second of McMahon in Race 7.
Tom Coulter of East Antrim BC, Irish ILCA 6 National Champion 2023. Photo: Annraoi Blaney
Thus in classic style it came down to the final race, which McMahon clinched to total 12 with Schotte second on 13 and Royal Cork’s Jonathan O’Shaughnessy – always there or thereabouts in the overall frame – taking fourth and third overall on 19.
Results here
COUNTRYWIDE FLEET SPREADS
With fleets of this size, a more leisurely study of the wide-ranging results lineup is always educational, as it shows the in-depth national strength of two long-established classes, indicating the power of their national associations.
Bringing it all back home…2023 ILCA 7 Irish Champion Jamie McMahon of Howth clinches the deal. Photo: Annraoi Blaney
For as four times Olympic Gold Medallist Paul Elvstrom observed after he’d failed to introduce a very promising new boat many years ago, if you’re up against a well-run and determined class association with global spread and an established and slightly comparable boat, then you’re on a hiding to nothing with any bright new boat idea.
The Optimist is arguably unique. But there are some boats which might think they deserve comparison with the ILCA/Laser. However, the ILCA/Laser is something very special. It is the only sailing class which is greater than its Olympic status. In fact, the Olympics need the ILCA/Laser more than the ILCA/Laser needs the Olympics. And an event like the Storm Betty ILCA Nats at Howth showed us why.
