Northern Ireland's Gordon Patterson and Ross Nolan from the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club are lying third after day three of the Squib UK Nationals at the Royal Forth Yacht Club.

This morning (Wednesday) there was absolutely no wind on the Firth of Forth, so the owners and their crews were kept ashore until about one o’clock. When the signal came from Howard Steavenson event PRO to man the boats, there appeared to be some wind, but half an hour later when the Squibs reached the committee boat, it was completely calm. The Squib fleet had to wait until 15.00hrs before a real breeze appeared from the south west blowing at 10 to 14 knots. These is just the conditions in which the Squibs excel, sunshine, flat water and a good breeze.

The fleet started on an even line without anything in the way of recalls, thanks to an ebbing tide which held the Squibs back. However, once racing, the competitors found the offshore breeze was shifting through up to thirty degrees, and the contrary tide was quite strong, but slightly less so on the left hand side of the course.

At the first leeward mark the order was Tom Jeffcoate and Mark Hogan in ‘RicO’Shea’ , followed by Andrew Moore and Peter Hallinan in ‘Wrinklies Retreat’ and Gerard Dyson and Tony Saltonstall in ‘Alchemy.’ However, that shifting wind and strong time would challenge some of the competitors.
Second time around the order was ‘RicO’Shea’, ‘Wrinklies Retreat’ while Mickey Wright and Alex Porteous in ‘Spoof’ had jumped a place into third, ahead of Chris and Gillian Jordan’s ‘Croc’.

For the third round the wind strength increased slightly, and there was a much better lift along the shore on the left hand side of the course. At the finish the order was ‘RicO’Shea’ ‘Wrinklies Retreat’ and ‘Spoof.’

Derek Gibb and Alistair Reed lead the silver fleet.

The discard system has allowed competitors to drop their worst result to date, which has had major impact on the overall result sheet. ‘RicO’Shea’ from South Caernarvonshire YC has moved to the lead, with ‘Squib’ from Royal Victoria YC in second place and ‘Quickstep III’ from Royal North of Ireland YC drops to third place.

Download results below as a pdf file. Racing continues until Friday.

Baltimore Sailing Club in West Cork was the host of this year's Squib South Coast Championships over last weekend. The event saw a strong turnout, with nineteen boats competing and participants travelling from various locations, including Lough Derg, Dublin, Howth, and the local Kinsale fleet.

The fleet experienced two days of ideal sailing conditions, thanks to the professional race management led by Colette O’Flynn and Baltimore SC Commodore Peter O’Flynn.

Sean (left) and Paul Murphy were second overall at the Squib Class Southern Championships at Baltimore Sailing Club Photo: Dave Cullinane

The team of Ian Travers and Keith O’Riordan from Kinsale, sailing on Atomic, secured victory in the championships, furthering their success following the recent Squib Northern Championships win.

The races were closely contested, with minimal distances separating the boats, and the second place was taken by Crackers, sailed by Sean and Paul Murphy. Emmet Dalton and Neal Merry clinched the third position, joining the winners on the podium.

The Squib Northern Championship went right down to the wire last weekend when the far travelled Ian Travers and Keith O’Riordan in Atomic from Kinsale Yacht Club won the final of five races to knock Dick Batt and Gordy Wright, the overnight leaders from Royal Victoria YC on the Isle of Wight, off the top spot winning by just one point. 

The Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club hosted the event at Cultra on the south side of Belfast Lough with a fiercely competitive fleet of 22 from Iocal clubs and visitors from Howth, Kinsale, Aberdeen and Isle of Wight. The host club’s Ross Kearney and Michael Wright finished third.

Squib Northern Championship overall winners Ian Travers (left) and Keith O’Riordan of Kinsale Yacht Club Photo: Lindsay Nolan

The tight nature of the racing was shown with the spread of first places among four competitors, with the first race going to John Driscoll and David Cagney from RNIYC, the second to Batt and Withers, with the third and last to Atomic and topping Race 4 was another local boat, Jumini sailed by Ross Kearney and Michael Wright.

Results from the 2024 Squib Northern Championship at Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club

Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club on the southern shore of Belfast Lough has a long-established Squib fleet, and this weekend (25th/26th May), will host the Northern Championships.

The entry list (download as a PDF below) is a respectable 22 with a good mix of local and visiting boats. If the weather cooperates, another couple of local entries may be possible.

Among the ones to watch are locals Gordon Patterson and Ross Nolan on Quickstep III, the far-travelled Ian Travers and Kieth O’Riordan and Ronan MacDonell and Lindsay Nolan from Kinsale, the always fast Peter Wallace and Carl Allen on Toy for the Boys and the defenders Terry Rowan and Andrew Vaughan on Dogwatch, all from the host club. A couple of returning national champions are certain to be near the top, Ross Kearney and Micheal Wright on Jumini and John Driscoll and David Cagney on Aficionado.

Also on a long trip to Belfast Lough are Dick Batt from Royal Victoria YC on the Isle of Wight, Mark Bradshaw from Aberdeen and Stonehaven Sailing in the North East of Scotland and Tudor Roberts from Holyhead.

Killyleagh on Strangford Lough and Howth YC are represented, too.

The forecast is to settle to a brisk and more manageable South Easterly of 14 -18 knots on both days, which will provide flat seas and relief from the very strong Northerlies and rough seas midweek.

The Race Officer for the four-race programme of windward /leeward courses is Sam Lyness.

After 12 races sailed at Kinsale Yacht Club's 2024 Custom Rigging Frostbite Series, Ian Travers and Keith O'Riordan sailing Outlaw were crowned overall Squib keelboat division winners on 16 points, three points clear of Colm Dunne and Daniel McCloskey in Allegro.

KYC Club mates Harvey Tucker and Harvey Matthews in Fagan were third on 21. 11 competed.

Kinsale Frostbite Prizegiving 2024 - John Stallard, Principal Race Officer, Michele Kennelly (Sailing Secretary of Kinsale YC), Daniel McCloskey (Squib keelboat division second place crew), Harry Lewis (Custom Rigging Sponsor) and second-placed skipper Colm Dunne Photo: Bob Bateman

Mixed dinghies

First in the mixed dinghies division after 11 races sailed was Mark O'Driscoll in the Laser 4.7 on 21. Second was Ben Fusco and Aisling Fiuza in an RS 400 on 28. Robert Hughes sailing a Laser 4.7 was third on 33. Five competed.

Mark O'Driscoll (left) was the Kinsale Yacht Club's Custom Rigging Frostbite Series mixed dinghies division winner and Rachel Bogue was the Topper class winner Photo: Bob Bateman

Toppers 

Rachel Bogue topped the four boat Topper fleet on 11 points, one point ahead of Fintan Tuohy with clubmate Ollie Lyons third on 15.

Kinsale Yacht Club Frostbite Prizegiving 2024 Photo Gallery by Bob Bateman

After six races sailed at Kinsale Yacht Club's Custom Rigging Frostbite Series, Ian Travers and Keith O'Riordan sailing Outlaw are overall Squib keelboat division leaders on seven points, four points clear of Harvey Tucker and Harvey Matthews in Fagan.

Springtime weather greeted the competitors for the third race day, with the wind from the same westerly direction as last week but moderate in strength to run a full programme of three races.

KYC Club mates Colm Dunne and Daniel McCloskey are third in Allegro on eight in the ten-boat fleet.

Ten Squibs are contesting Kinsale Yacht Club's Custom Rigging Frostbite Series Photo: Bob Bateman

The Squib class has recently confirmed its 2024 calendar with the provisional May date for the Southern Championships at Baltimore in West Cork now moved to 8th/9th June.

Kinsale Yacht Club will start their Winter Frostbite Series of dinghy and Squibs racing on Sunday, January 28.

It will run for six weeks for Squibs, Lasers, 420s, Toppers, and Mixed Dinghies, concluding on March 3.

Racing will be on laid courses within or just south of Kinsale Harbour, with a First Gun at 11:55 daily. There is an entry fee of €40 for single-handed and €60 for all others.

Registration is online or 10 a.m. in the clubhouse on the first day. Entry forms, SIs and all details online at kyc.ie

A win in race four meant Kinsale Yacht Club Squib duo Ian Travers and Keith O'Riordan won a cut-short Lough Derg Yacht Club Freshwater Keelboat One Design Regatta on Sunday. 

Four races were sailed on Saturday with one discard, but racing was abandoned on Sunday by Race Officer John Leech due to a lack of wind at Dromineer. 

A 35-boat turnout of the Squibs – boosted by a local fleet of 14 – meant the tan sails had more than triple the number of the other competing classes of SB20s, Dragons and Flying Fifteens.

Howth Yacht Club pair Fergus O'Kelly and Rob Stanley were runners-up on 11 points with Kinsale's James and Harvey Matthews, the father and son winners of July's southern championships, continued their good form to finish on the same 11 points but be third overall after countback.

Squib National Champions Gordon Patterson and Ross Nolan from Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club on Belfast Lough are among 33 class entries that will compete this weekend at Lough Derg Yacht Club's Freshwater Keelboat Regatta in County Tipperary.

Other entries include six Dragons, eight Flying Fifteens and eight SB20s.

The local Squib fleet at LDYC and at neighbouring Iniscealthra Sailing Club (ICS) in Mountshannon, has grown to approximately forty boats.

David Eccles and Mike Wright, in Inshallah from the host club, Royal North on the south side of Belfast Lough, are the new Irish National Squib Champions and lifted the trophy for the first time.

Second were Ruan O’Tiarnaigh and Ross Nolan, also from RNIYC.

The event was held on the first weekend in August. Inshallah dominated the scoresheet with three first places and an 11, and the OCS in Race 5 was the discard.

The 22-strong fleet counted a very strong local contingent, including many previous national champions. Competitors came from Kinsale, Dun Laoghaire, Howth and Killyleagh and were joined by Ryan Seddon and Leuan William from Wales.

Fresh conditions for the Squib National Championships on Belfast Lough Photo: Lindsay Nolan McCarthy

Friday's opening races saw a mixture of sunshine and squally showers, making it difficult to anticipate the wind shifts accurately. Race Officer Sammy Lyness got the fleet underway in light conditions on Friday evening, but a dying breeze meant that not all the fleet finished the race within the time limit.

The race was won by David Eccles and Michael Wright in Inshallah who established a lead at the end of the first run over early leader Vincent Delaney and Joe O’Byrne in Femme Fatale Royal from Royal St George YC. After a tortuous final run the committee finished at the leeward gate and after a period of sustained battling against a stubborn tide it was Inshallah first and Femme Fatale in second but the Royal St.George pair hit the finish mark and were forced to refinish losing a number of place to end up fifth.

2023 Squib Champion Inshallah in a tight weather mark rounding Photo: Lindsay Nolan McCarthy

Saturday dawned with an overcast sky, and the sailors faced a challenging day on the water with a northeast wind which produced a nasty chop. The weather gods were particularly demanding, with winds varying from almost dead calm to gusts that tested the sailors' control and tactical decision-making. Eccles and Wright continued their winning streak, finishing the day with another two firsts, an 11th and, unfortunately, an OCS, allowing them to hold on to their lead, but the following pack of Ian Travers and Keith O’Riordan from Kinsale in Outlaw and the local Peter Wallace and Martin Weatherstone in Toy for the Boys kept them on their toes.

The overall scores on Saturday night were intriguing, with Eccles and Wright in Inshallah, having discarded an OCS but carrying three firsts and an 11th, were leading on 14 points. The most consistent boat of the fleet was Quickstep, Ruan O’Tiarnaigh and Ross Nolan, whose discard was seventh, was lying in second.

As Sunday approached, the event was still all to play for, and hopes were high for two thrilling races to determine the champions. However, heavy rain engulfed the course, reducing visibility and creating unpredictable and shifty winds. The race committee diligently attempted to set a fair course, but the conditions deteriorated, and after several attempts to lay the course, the difficult decision was taken to abandon Sunday's race. This called for the championship standings to be determined based on the results from the previous days. With local boat Inshallah's consistent performance, they secured their victory as the new Irish National Champions.

The Silver Fleet was won by the local crew of Stephen Stewart and Kevin Thomas in Second Chance, just pipping Johnny Park and Bob Stinson in Gizmo and overseas Welsh visitors Ryan Seddon and Ieuan William in Siadwel. Sorcha Ni Shuilleabhain in Mucky Duck from Kinsale won the prize for the first female helm.

The event was sponsored by the Estate Agents Rodgers and Browne, and the organisers managed to ensure the success of the event despite the challenging weather.

The class now looks forward to the Irish East Coast Championships 2023 at Howth Yacht Club Howth Yacht Club on 9th and 10th September.