There is not much in the way of shelter when the wind is in the north on Lough Neagh, so the fleet from the Club in the north west corner was greeted for the first race of the second half of the Antrim Boat Club Winter Series with a cold northerly and plenty of rain, the windiest of the whole series.

A slightly biased pin-end start saw Final Fling (Alfie Mayrs’ H-Boat) clear the fleet on port tack with the McAllister and Harrison duo in the Limbo 6.6 FA2 slightly late for the start but opting to split from Final Fling. But it was the larger H323 TicTac (Peter Frazier) that led the fleet round the first windward mark. As TicTac was sailing solo and not flying a spinnaker on the first reaches, it allowed Final Fling to pass towards the leeward mark while FA2 was close behind and managed to gain an overlap at the mark. From that point, Final Fling was unmatched, excelling in the breezy conditions in the flat water close to the shore, taking line honours and a comfortable victory on elapsed time. FA2 was second followed by Tic Tac in an excellent third place considering his solo sail in the gusty conditions.

The fleet go downwind at the Antrim Boat Club Winter Series on Lough Neagh

Although the previous week’s race results had confirmed FA2 as the Series winner, as results for the first and second half are split up for individual series prizes, Final Fling had a one-point margin over FA2 going into the next race.

The wind had all but dropped for Race 14 with Race Officer Alan Reilly starting the fleet drifting conditions. Final Fling had made a decent start but then struggled to get much speed up in the light conditions allowing FA2 to catch up. Andy Speedy’s MG Spring Corinthian had started lower down the line but was managing to maintain good speed in one of the heavier boats. The fickle wind looked like filling in and FA2 read the shifts correctly to gain ground along with Corinthian while the rest of the fleet was left in the bottom half of the course still without wind.

The crew of FA2 being presented with The Pat Kelly Memorial Cup for the overall win in the Antrim Boat Club Winter Series. Pictured left to right are Michael Patton, Jeff Harrison, Charlie McAllister, Gordon Rowan of Sponsor Rolos and Peter Bell

The slightly strengthening breeze allowed the back markers to get around the shortened course, which finished at the top of the second windward leg. FA2 claimed line honours and a comfortable third on elapsed time, with Corinthian second equalling his best result of the series, and Final Fling third. With these results, FA2 and Final Fling were now tied heading into the last race, with FA2 in the lead on countback. But the ensuing duel was not to be, as high winds and rough water forced the Race Officer to cancel the last race. That left the first three results in the second half, FA2, Final Fling and Corinthian, in the same order overall.

Antrim Boat Club Winter Series results

With Antrim Boat Club on the north west corner of Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland nearing the end of the second half of its Winter Series it will be a close gallop to the final result. There is little between Alfie Mayrs’ H Boat Final Fling and Charlie McAllister’s Limbo 6.6 FA 2. This part of the series was due to return for Race 7 on 28th January, but it was blown out as was the following week for Race 8.

Race 9 saw return to action but in a slightly different format. As the Committee Boat was out of action for this race, the fleet raced round the cans. This made for a very exciting race as FA2 (Charlie McAllister and Jeff Harrison) made the better start but was quickly hunted down on the close reach to Kettlebottom mark by Final Fling, Alfie Mayrs’ H Boat sporting new North Sails along with the MG Spring 25 (Andy Speedy), followed up by a chasing TicTac (H323 Peter Frazier) who had been slightly early for the line. The race ended with six seconds separating three boats on the water. FA2 was first, followed by Final Fling and TicTac making his return to racing with a third place.

The Antrim Boat Club's Winter Series fleet rounding Firing Head on Lough Neagh

For Race 10 normal service resumed with the Committee Boat back on the water setting an Olympic course in the light shifty conditions. Another exciting race for the top 3 as the shifty conditions made for multiple lead changes on the water throughout the whole race. The first upwind leg saw Corinthian gain the lead but they were hunted down on the reaching legs by Final Fling and FA2 with the latter gaining a sizeable lead by the leeward mark. With the wind dying the Race Officer shortened the race on the third upwind leg. Corinthian took line honours and second on corrected time with Final Fling close behind on the water and taking their first win of the series.

Race 11 saw a duel between series leaders FA2, their second-place rivals Final Fling. A congested pin end at the start with the much larger TicTac becoming an obstacle with the three contenders forced out. In the end the Final Fling made the most of the flat water and 10 knot breeze and could not be matched for the rest of the race.

Race 12 saw another dramatic race between the series leading pair of FA2 and Final Fling – a race long duel between the two boats was had in the light winds. Crucially nearing the leeward mark, both FA2 and Final Fling gybed simultaneously but a slow gybe on Final Fling left the door open for FA2 to retake the lead but only just, as both boats rounded the final leeward mark only an inch separated them. But in the end Final Fling had to sit in dirty air before tacking off, but FA2 made sure to cover their rival on the beat home to the finish to take line honours and first place on corrected.

With today seeing Race 13 followed by Races 14 and 15 the current leaders is Final Fling by one point.

Antrim Boat Club Winter Series returned on 5th November with six races scheduled for the first half when nine competitors signed up for the series and sailed out of the club in the northwest corner of Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland.

This year, the event is sponsored by Gordon Rowan and Rolo’s Traditional Fish & Chips.

The first race of the series was held in perfect conditions, and as is the tradition, the first race prize was the Shane Magill Memorial Cup. The competition was closer this year with Aflie Mayrs’ new boat (the H-Boat, Final Fling) out for its debut race, but it was the McAllister/Harrison duo in the Limbo 6.6 FA2 who continued their good club form to win the opening race.

The wind increased for the second race the following week and after a competitive start, there was high drama as Jamie Jess (MG Spring) suffered a man overboard when a guard rail had failed. While the rest of the fleet continued the first beat, the Race Committee stood by for assistance while Skipper Willy McIlvenna and long-time crew Keith McKay had quickly recovered their errant crew back aboard to safety.

They retired from the race to bring their crew to shore, as like the previous week Final Fling was nipping at the heels of FA2 for the whole race with Andy Speedy’s MG Spring Corinthain just behind the leading duo. FA2 secured first place with a corrected margin of 72 seconds over Final Fling in second place once again and Corinthian in third place.

Race Three saw the start compacted at the Committee Boat end, with Corinthian getting the better start with good pace off the line. For the last spinnaker reach, the wind had increased to 25kts plus, resulting in a broach for FA2, which allowed Final Fling, who opted not to fly their spinnaker, to get ahead. The final beat saw a showdown between the lead boats, with Final Fling taking line honours but FA2 had the handicap advantage, winning the race by 35 seconds on handicap.

Race Four was cancelled due to poor visibility and lack of wind. But the following week, the weather looked as if it would be a repeat, but the wind filled in eventually for Race 5, which, after a close race, McAllister and Harrison picked up another first place.

Antrim Boat Club Winter Series 1st Half Prizegiving with from left Michael Patton crew of FA2, sponsor Gordon Rowan of Rolo’s and right Andy Smith crew of Corinthian

The sixth and last race of the first half saw a depleted fleet. The wind was not as strong as forecast, but there was still a chop on the Lough. Most boats struggled upwind, but FA2 trimmed for speed and managed to open up a sizeable lead on the rest of the fleet to build up a significant winning margin.

The nine-race second half of Rolo’s Winter Series starts again on 28th January 2024. The overall winner will be presented with the Pat Kelly Memorial Trophy.

Overall results from the first half:

1st : ‘FA2’ (Limbo 6.6) – Charlie McAllister & Jeff Harrison, 4pts
2nd: ‘Final Fling’ (H-Boat) – Alfie Mayrs, 8pts
3rd: ‘Corinthian’ (MG Spring) – Andy Speedy, 12pts

Antrim Boat Club (ABC) in Northern Ireland has taken a step towards bringing back dinghy sailing after a long absence with the purchase of five RS Zest dinghies to develop a new training centre.

Training has already started.

The Club lies on the northwest corner of Lough Neagh at the mouth of the Six Mile Water River. That river had been used for fishing boats, industrial navigation, and even sports sailing as it was at the start of the 20th century, the home of a sailing club for about six boats.

In the 1960s, the club enjoyed an upsurge in sailing with the launch of the Mirror dinghy, and one such boat made locally was on display at the launch of the present Antrim Boat Club in 1966.

The RS Zest dinghies sailing on Lough Neagh as part of an Antrim boat Club initiative to revitalise dinghy sailing on the Lough

The club quickly established a fleet of about 12 dinghies, and along with some GP14s and National 12s, racing started with a twice-weekly programme.

Other dinghies popular at the club were Scorpions and Finns. The club was careful to include motorboat and canoe enthusiasts in the original charter, but it was the sailors who drove the formation of the club.

The winter series became very popular when the coastal venues closed at that time of year, which is hard to imagine now, and Squibs and Puppeteer 22s were racing regularly.

Although sailing at the club suffered when the modern marinas developed, the fact that the club sits on private land and has an excellent clubhouse should ensure its future.

The five Zests are part of the new training centre development to be built next to the clubhouse, which will hopefully open next season.

Planning started during Covid, aiming to attract younger people and have them more active on the water, aiming to improve their skills and those of the current sailors.

In 2020, PGM Training established a base at Antrim, BC; Paul Magee is an experienced RYA Instructor and Yachtmaster.

Last year, Eagle Divers NI became involved, offering paddle boarding, kayaking and water bikes.

ABC Commodore Charlie McAllister and Jeff Harrison researched the best dinghy to start with, and the RS Zest seemed to cover a wide range of sailing and different types of sailors. Jeff is pleased with the progress “So far, we are very pleased with the boats. We have been running a training course for members, and the boats seem popular with the sailors”.

The final four races in the Antrim Boat Club Summer series saw Jeff Harrison and Charlie McAllister’s Limbo 6.6 FA2 dominating the score sheet as they had done in the previous four races, to take the overall prize by nine points in the twelve-strong fleet.

Racing out of Antrim Boat Club on the north shore of Lough Neagh, a downwind start in the fifth race resulted in a compact crowd at the bottom mark. There were many close battles throughout the fleet, with less than 90 seconds separating 4th to 9th on corrected time. FA2 and the H323 TicTac (Peter Frazer) had done enough to score 1st and 2nd with some fast reaching from Main mark to the finish. But it was the new boat in the fleet Michael Browne’s Avalon, another Limbo 6.6, who, after a slow start, made a great recovery to take 3rd place.

What was becoming a weekly tradition with the same preset course as the previous two weeks, albeit with the wind in the opposite direction, another close race enfolded in the sixth outing. It was JouJou (Hunter F1 Ivan Miles) and TicTac (H323) quick off the start leading the fleet round the first two marks with FA2 (Limbo 6.6) fast approaching. The three MG Springs seemed pre-occupied with racing each other and lost touch in the race. The long upwind leg from Main mark to finish saw FA2 claim line honours and a rejuvenated JouJou pip TicTac for second on the water and corrected time.

The Antrim Boat Club fleet on a downwind start to Kettle bottom mark

With a steady breeze forecast for Race 7 the Race Officer saw an opportunity for one of the longer courses with a long reach to Watertower and an even longer reach across to Main Mark. It was FA2 and TicTac quick off the line in the biggest turnout of the series so far with 12 boats on the short start line meaning many boats struggled to cross the line on one tack. TicTac used her speed advantage over FA2 to gain ground quickly, first to Kettlebottom and extending up the long reach to Watertower while FA2 tried in vain with the only spinnaker up on that tight reach to keep in touching distance midfield and battle for 3rd. But the long beat from Main to the finish saw both Limbos use their upwind advantage, with FA2 overtaking TicTac on the water to claim another win.

At the Antrim Boat Club Summer Series Prizegiving were from left to right Peter Frazer TicTac, Zee of sponsors Eagle Divers NI, and Katie Ryles from FA2

The final race of the series saw a consistent turnout of 11 boats. The Race Committee reverted to the pre-set course of B5 yet again, but another dramatic race on the water followed. FA2 (Limbo 6.6) and JouJou (Hunter F1) fought long and hard all race long to see who would get line honours - the race lead changing at least eight times on the water.
The battle for 3rd overall was going to the wire, with Wild Rover (MG Spring 25) having a slow beat to Kettlebottom, allowing Jena Collier’s Bandersnatch (Beneteau 211) to eke out some distance over them. Even the battle for who would be last, went down to this final race, with the improving Mr. J (Pegasus 700) beating his race series nemesis Coriander (Corribee) to avoid the dreaded wooden spoon.

Eventually, the Hunter F1 JouJou took line honours, but FA2 secured another win on corrected time with a solid race from Avalon to get 3rd place in as many races. Bandersnatch did enough to secure 3rd overall, while TicTac secured 2nd overall in the series, with FA2 again the overall winners.

Antrim Boat Club Summer Series Overall Results

Antrim Boat Club’s Summer Series is halfway through and enjoying good turnouts in a variety of conditions, with the courses being set using the club marks. Charlie McAllister and Jeff Harrison’s Limbo 6.6 F A 2 lead after four races. One race of the Round the Bay series has also been sailed.

Race 1 brought 10 boats to the start line in light airs. It was FA2 quick off the line continuing their good form from the Winter Series, closely followed by the H323 TicTac (Peter Frazer). It was a tight reach to the Middle mark followed by a long spinnaker run to the Main mark. In the longer legs, Tictac had time to hoist their spinnaker. The dying breeze made it difficult for the slower boats to finish, with four retiring. Tic Tac first followed FA2. Race 2 was cancelled due to the high winds.

Mixed cruiser racing at Antrim Boat Club’s 2023 Summer Series

Race 3 started downwind with Tictac and the Micropup Shoestring first away, but hot on their heels was Jenna Collier’s Beneteau 211 Bandersnatch. It was again a tussle between TicTac and FA2, with TicTac eventually claiming the line honours but FA2 winning on handicap. The battle for third went down to 1 second, with Bandersnatch showing good form to pip Shoestring.

Race 4 saw another good turnout with ten boats, and this time it was Willie McIlvennas’s MG Spring 25 Jamie Jess at the windward end of the line. The starboard windward leg to the mark saw the fleet much compacted and fighting for position, with some boats forgetting the closer to the shore, the less depth there is, and a few boats touched the bottom. FA2 got ahead, but Jamie Jess was hot on their heels. On the downwind legs to the finish, FA2 renewed their lead again, with the Sonata Gemini (Adam O’Boyle) showing a great downwind pace after their spring training to finish second.

Last Saturday, the club hosted its first Round the Bay race. This is a new series of five longer-style races over five months, with a social event after. The breeze all died off for the start, and it was a very slow beat to the main mark with Ivan Miles Hunter F1, JouJou, Wild Rover (Heather Elliot) and Bandersnatch getting good starts, but it was JouJou that got clear ahead with FA2 making a slow recovery to clear the other boats. JouJou and FA2 made good use of the breeze downwind to get across the bay before it died off. On the upwind leg to the finish, JouJou had done enough to secure a convincing win over FA2.

The calendar is full with four more weeks of the Summer Series, the annual Regatta sponsored by PGM Training, on Saturday, 10th June, and the next Round the Bay Race will be Saturday, 24th June.

Antrim Boat Club’s 2023 Summer Series overall results

The Antrim Boat Club Winter Series in north east Lough Neagh has been the premier event for the Club since 1969 and this year, with the blessing of the late Pat Kelly’s family, the club will award the Pat Kelly Memorial Cup to the overall winner of the Winter Series going forward. Throughout the decades of the Winter Series Pat set the bar for the competitors in dinghies, keelboats and cruisers - he has the most series wins with 10, his first being in 1975-1976 and the last win in 2018-2019 at the age of 82.

The second half of the Winter Series began on 29th January with Race 7 being something of a struggle with the result being a sailover for Charlie McAllister and Jeff Harrison in the Limbo 6.6 FA2 as they were the only boat to make it out of the river mouth which had become very shallow over the mid-winter break and there was a wave crashing and breaking across the river mouth in the moderate to strong south westerly gusts.

The late Pat Kelly (right) with Charlie McAllister in Pat's last race in September 2021. Charlie is the current Commodore of Antrim Boat Club

Race 8 was a little more successful as far as starters were concerned but many, after the previous week’s events decided not to chance it with the very cold weather and high wind chill factor.

Antrim Boat Club's Pat Kelly Memorial Cup

FA2 was challenged in the early stages by Corinthian, Andy Speedy’s MG Spring 25 who was fully manned as some of the crew of TicTac and the Sonata, Gemini, who had turned up to race but subsequently decided that their boats’ draft was too deep to chance the treacherous river mouth, had volunteered. The only other starter was the Miles family’s Hunter F1 JouJou who crossed late as they seemed to be struggling with their rig. FA2 got her nose in front at the first mark and Corinthian finished with Jou Jou behind her.

A downwind leg of race nine of the Antrim Boat Club Winter Series with overall winner FA2 flying the red spinnaker

Race 9 brought a problem for Peter Frazer in the H323 Tictac with the Committee boat trying to tow her unsuccessfully through the silted up river mouth. Karl Thrower in the Trapper Murphy kept up with the more experienced sailors in FA2 and Corinthian and the first beat saw the three leaders neck and neck to the windward mark with FA2 just ahead a lead which she kept to the finish and with the lowest handicap she took the race victory. Corinthian and Murphy crossed the line almost together with Corinthian ahead by two seconds but with Murphy ahead on handicap.

Race 10 of the Antrim Boat Club Winter Series with FA2 (right) and Tic Tac in strong winds

Race 10 turned out to be a dual in the white horses in the wind-swept Antrim Bay. The weather forecast was for gusty conditions but as race time arrived it looked perfect although strong gusts were predicted. The short start line presented difficult manoeuvres as most of the starters were early. Murphy found herself the meat in the sandwich and FA2 wisely stayed out of the way of the charging starters and picked her time and place to get under way, achieving an immediate advantage.

From then on it was a tight contest between FA2 and Tictac in the very strong winds with the last beat proving crucial with FA2 finishing mere seconds in front.

The weather for the 11th race was bright and the breeze perfect for racing. Despite a variety of strategies but no real aggression, the whole fleet was late for the start and subsequently all favoured the right-hand side of the course.

The upwind performance was as varied as the boat types and the first mark saw Corinthian rounding well ahead of JouJou. FA2 unusually had had a poor first beat and was some way behind when she rounded the windward buoy. After the second reach FA2 had overhauled the wandering JouJou and was making inroads into Corinthian’s lead. After close racing and an awkward windshift it was FA2 beating comfortably up the last leg in first, Corinthian unchallenged in second but close racing for the minor positions, Gemini, Adam Boyle’s Sonata just edging Murphy on handicap for 3rd. Overall winner was Jeff Harrison and Charlie McAlister’s FA 2.

Antrim Boat Club - Winter Series 2022/3 Second Half results

Antrim Boat Club - Winter Series 2022/3 overall results

Racing in the Summer Series begins on 27th April and runs until 18th June.

The club is introducing a new Round the Bay series which will run over five months with eight longer races on 13th May, 24th June, 29th July, 12th August and 16th September. The annual Regatta is on 29th June.

In true proverbial fashion, the weather for the races in Part 1 of the Antrim Boat Club Winter Series came in like a lion and out like a lamb. And for the last two races in the series winds were light and the water was flat on Lough Neagh, the largest lake in the British Isles. Antrim Boat Club lies on the northern shore.

Race 5

The north-easterly wind dictated the finish position, which unusually was in front of the clubhouse, so the large crowd gathered to see Santa had the added pleasure of watching the racing close up on the short course.

Light weather series finish to  Part 1 of the Antrim Boat Club Winter Series

Karl Thrower in the Trapper TS240 Murphy and Peter Frazer’s 323 Tictac were first away. Unusually FAToo, Charlie McAllister and Jeff Harrison’s Limbo 6.6 started late but came through the line at speed and found just enough space to squeeze between the committee boat and the Achilles 24 Tenacious (Alfie Mayrs). Andy Speedy in the MG25 Corinthian risked a port hand start and found clean air.

Peter Frazer second overall in Part 1 of the Antrim Boat Club Winter Series with Marian McAllister

A wind shift before the second windward leg saw FAToo taking a long port tack followed by Tictac, who likes fewer tacks as possible as he was short-crewed. Corinthian, Murphy and Tenacious went up the centre and it seemed the latter plan was the better as FAToo lost some time. Tictac lost out and fell within the clutches of the ever-improving Murphy, who managed to get in front of him at the windward mark. These three had been sailing nip and tuck throughout.

On the last beat, Tictac took second place over the water but handicap shuffled the fortunes once again, as Alfie Mayrs in Tenacious clinched second place behind FAToo.

Race 6

Again for the last race in the series, the wind was in short supply. Although the first half results were all but settled, the races all count towards the complete series, so points were important.

With the wind in the north, temperatures were very low and ice had to be cleared off the committee boat deck. The lough level had dropped considerably, and TicTac grounded in the river mouth but wriggled off to join the fleet who were waiting for at least a hint of a breeze to start the race.

The Race Officer Alan Reilly took a gamble when a suggestion of a breeze showed on the water, and the race got slowly underway. FAToo started off on port, and it appeared to have been the right choice, as the other boats were in a small bunch with only enough energy in the wind to drive the windward boat, TicTac. Tenacious, with Alfie Mayrs at the helm, starved of wind, tacked from the lee of that group and passed behind Tictac into what he expected was clean air. From then on it was a slow and painful negotiation, finding what little breeze there was, with TicTac first at the windward mark.

Charlie McAllister and Jeff Harrison’s Limbo 6.6, FAToo under spinnaker on Lough Neagh in Part 1 of the Antrim Boat Club Winter Series

Ever so slowly, FAToo began reeling in the upstarts who had dared to better her on the beat and by the time they reached the gybe mark, the race officials had decided to shorten the race to just one lap. First over the line was TicTac but FAToo now only seconds behind, won on handicap.

The return to the river and the prize giving was not without drama; Tictac again went aground and had to be towed off by the committee boat, but skipper Peter Frazer, was happy enough as his efforts rewarded him with second place.

The event was sponsored by the local branch of Howden Joinery, and the second half of the Winter Series starts on Sunday 29th Jan.

Part 1 of the Antrim Boat Club Winter Series results

The conditions for Race 3 of the Antrim Boat Club Winter Series were not just as gusty as the previous weeks but nevertheless, it was blowing hard. With its situation on the North shore of Lough Neagh at the mouth of the Six Mile Water river, it was unfortunate that the wind was south-westerly which meant big waves at the river mouth and with weeks of rain, the level was high, meaning there was the danger of grounding between the waves on the way out.

Race officer Alan Reilly displayed the postponement flag and gave it half an hour to see if a change was in the offing and then made the decision to go ahead. It turned out to be manageable.

The start line was long with no distinct bias. Alfie Mayrs in the Achilles 24 Tenacious and Charlie McAllister’s Limbo 6.6 in FA2 got the best start. At the windward mark it was FA2 with a clear lead and JouJou, the Miles family’s Hunter 21, then Andy Speedy in the MG 25 Corinthian.

A big shift in the wind as it veered towards the west meant the subsequent laps were lopsided, with the big waves battering the boats in the long starboard tack. Once round the windward mark, the crews had no problems controlling the spinnaker on the first reach, but not all carried them on the port reach. The last beat and leg saw FA2 unchallenged in the lead with the MG 25, Corinthian (Andy Speedie) and Peter Frazer’s H323 Tictac establishing a gap from the following boats. Tictac judged the long second tack well and just got her nose in front to take second place by seconds.

Race 4

Antrim Boat Club had another lively race in its winter series, with strong winds and glorious sunshine for Race 4, but then as it nearly mid-winter, very low temperatures. Again, after weeks of rain the water was high at the mouth of the Six Mile Water river so there was no problem getting out on to the Lough.

The now standard Olympic Triangle course with short legs kept the crews working hard and skippers were seen to test the line using various methods finding apparently only a slight bias with a starboard start. One though, the skipper of Corinthian, Andy Speedie, looked as if he might try a port hand start at the pin end, but thought the better of it as the rest of the fleet bore down on starboard, changed his mind, and tacked at the last moment. The visibility on the first beat suffered from the bright mid-winter sun low in the sky.

Charlie McAlister and Jeff Harrison in the Limbo 6.6 FA2, seemed well to leeward of the fleet but must have been going fast, as after her first tack was first at the windward mark. Tictac, the H323 with Peter Frazer sailing single handed was second and Andy Speedie in Corinthian third.

Eventually the tight knit three at the front opened out a gap from the rest, but the others managed to put up a fight and with Alfie Mayrs in the Achilles 24, Tenacious flying her big blue and white spinnaker and Murphy, a Trapper TS240; (Karl Thrower) and Willy McIlvenna in the MG Spring 25 Jamie Jess all mixing it

It stayed like that until the downwind leg when Corinthian took a penalty turn and in doing so was overtaken by Karl Thrower in Murphy. The chase was on for third. Murphy’s crew, galvanised by their good fortune, upped their game and the fleet was now three groups.

The close contest lasted to the end with FA 2 finishing first followed by Tic Tac and then Tenacious, who pipped both Murphy and Corinthian to finish third.

This leaves the overall leader FA2 Limbo 6.6 Charlie McAllister and Jeff Harrison with TicTac H323 Peter Frazer in second slot and Tenacious Achilles 24 Alfie Mayrs third.

The first half of the Howden Joinery sponsored series ends on Sunday 11th December.

Antrim Boat Club Winter Series Overall Results 

Antrim Boat Club on the northeast shore of Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland, the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles, welcomed the start of the winter series on 6th November, the 51st year of the two-part series.

Now, after two races, Charlie McAllister and Jeff Harrison in the Limbo 6.6, F.A.Too have stamped their mark on the series and won the Shane Memorial Cup traditionally presented to the winner of the first race. They also took first place in Race 2.

The Club was founded when a group of enthusiasts met in the Massereene Arms hotel in Antrim in January 1967 and later the Committee approached Lord O’Neill of Shane’s Castle, the family seat of the O’Neills of Clannaboy, (now Clandeboye) whose land borders the shore of the Lough, with a view to citing the club in its now present location. Lord O’Neill generously agreed to the request and was subsequently elected President of the Club, a position he still holds today.

Antrim Boat Club on the northeast shore of Lough Neagh

Initially, Scorpions dinghies were the chosen racing class, and later Finns were added and then keel boats appeared. Most of the ABC events take place in Antrim Bay, giving a safe area of about six square miles, while at any time never being out of sight of land.

The weather for the ten starters in the first race on 6th November turned out to be about 14 knots with stronger gusts, and as weeks of rain had left the water level in the Lough high, so the river mouth had an adequate draft. F.A.Too who had stayed aloof from the madding crowd, many of whom had reefed, crossed the start line and into a lead that would never be challenged. Runner-up was Peter Frazer in the H323 Tic Tac, back in the Lough after a couple of successful seasons sailing in Lough Swilly. Third was Murphy, Andy Speedie’s Trapper. The race officer was Alan Reilly.

The winds were stronger for the second race on Sunday 13th at about 22 knots from the South East, and the turnout was smaller. But F.A. Too clocked up a second win, with the H323 Tic Tac claiming another second place ahead of Alfie Mayrs’ Achilles Tenacious.

Antrim Boat Club Jeff Harrison (left), winner of the Shane Magill Memorial Cup, and Frank Hamill  of the ABC Race Committee

There are four more outings before Christmas, with the 2023 part of the series starting on 29th January.