Saturday's unseasonably torrid air quality was like breathing in soup ashore, even if it was a clear broth. So, being afloat was obviously the place to be, particularly off Howth. There, while you'd hardly call it a breath of fresh air, there was at least enough breeze for all classes to finish a short race in the current Autumn League, which continues for another two weekends.
Some classes experienced encouragingly close finishes to liven up the atmosphere, with the Squibs tops in this department. Tom McMahon of the host club took the win by just seven seconds from Aidan O'Connell from the Royal Irish YC of Dun Laoghaire, with Robert Marshall from Killyleagh YC in Strangford Lough notching third just another six seconds
astern.
By contrast, the biggest boat in the fleet, Dave Cullen & Nigel's Biggs' First 50 Checkmate XX (HYC) in Class 1, was all of ten minutes ahead on the water of the chasing J/109 Storm (Pat Kelly Rush SC) and J/99 Snapshot (Mike & Richie Evans, HYC). And she still held the lead albeit by a much tighter margin - under the rigours of IRC, but the locally-angled HPH system gave the win to Nobby Reilly's Ghost Raider, but with Checkmate XX still very much in the frame at second.