A bigger turnout and another grey evening on Cork Harbour marked the second round of the UK Sailmakers RCYC Friday League on May 8th, with 20 boats racing across the non-spinnaker fleets compared to 13 the previous week.
Overall honours across the combined non-spinnaker divisions went to John and Ronan Downing’s 1/2 Tonner Miss Whiplash, which now tops both the IRC and ECHO Class 1 standings after two races.
Non-Spinnaker IRC Fleet
Miss Whiplash continued its consistent start to the series with another second-place finish on corrected time, enough to hold overall IRC leadership on four points.
Frank and Celine McGrath’s Dehler 34 Big Mc won Race Two and moved into second overall on five points, just one point behind the leaders. The McGrath crew’s victory on the night tightened the early championship battle considerably.
Harbour Charge – Eric Lisson’s Red Admiral Holly Blue races on Cork Harbour during the UK Sailmakers RCYC Friday League, where the non-spinnaker contender remains in the top three overall standings.
Eric Lisson’s Red Admiral Holly Blue remains third overall after following up an opening-race win with eighth place in Race Two. Despite the drop-off, the Cork Harbour regular still holds a narrow cushion over the chasing pack on nine points.
Non-Spinnaker ECHO Class 1
In ECHO Class 1, Miss Whiplash again leads overall after scores of fourth and second leave the Downing crew on six points.
Big Mc sits second overall on seven points after reversing the Race One result to take victory in the second race of the series.
Grey Runner – Darragh McCarthy’s Sun Fast 3200 Mach 2 competing in the UK Sailmakers RCYC Friday League on Cork Harbour, where the offshore performer sits third overall in ECHO Class 1 Photo: Chris Bateman
Darragh McCarthy’s Sun Fast 3200 Mach 2 occupies third overall on eight points. The consistent offshore performer followed a third-place opener with fifth in Race Two to remain firmly in contention.
Just behind the podium places, Holly Blue slipped from first to fourth overall after an eighth-place finish on Thursday night.
Non-Spinnaker ECHO Class 2
Louise O’Keeffe’s Dufour 30 Classic Labous Gwen and John O’Connor’s Impala 28 Fast Buck are tied at the top of ECHO Class 2 on six points apiece after two races.
Class Battle – John O’Connor’s Impala 28 Fast Buck racing in the UK Sailmakers RCYC Friday League on Cork Harbour, where the boat is tied for the lead in ECHO Class 2 after two races.
Labous Gwen opened the series with victory before placing fifth in Race Two, while Fast Buck backed up a second-place opener with fourth on Thursday evening.
Third overall is the Collins Family’s Bavaria 32 Sepideh on ten points after finishes of fourth and sixth.
The biggest mover in the fleet was Seamus Gilroy’s Dufour 34 Performance Split Point, which rebounded from a Race One DNC to win Race Two and climb to fourth overall.
Overall League Picture
After two races, Miss Whiplash is the standout performer across the Cork Harbour non-spinnaker fleets, leading both IRC and ECHO Class 1 standings.
The strongest challenge is currently coming from Big Mc, whose Race Two IRC win has reduced the gap at the top to a single point.
In ECHO Class 2, the battle remains finely balanced, with Labous Gwen and Fast Buck level on points heading into the next Friday league outing.
