West Kirby Win Inaugural Elmo Team Racing Trophy at Royal St. George Yacht Club

7th September 2015

Afloat.ie Team

#Elmo trophy #royalstgeorgeyachtclub #teamracing

A photo posted by Afloat Magazine (@afloat.ie) on Sep 7, 2015 at 1:39am PDT

West Kirby Sailing Club narrowly beat the RSGYC Green of the home club 2-1 in the final to win the first Elmo team racing Trophy.

8 teams of under 18 sailors took part, quickly getting to grips with the equally matched fleet of firefly dinghies. Blue skies and fresh breezes on Saturday saw Storm sails fitted as the teams got into their strides.

The experienced and fast team from Schull set the early pace and dominated the first round robin where each team sailed 7 races.

Joining Schull in the Top four and thus into the Gold League were West Kirby and RSGYC GREEN and RSGYC RED. Just missing out and into Silver were Sutton Dinghy Club who were new to Fireflies and to team racing – more to come from them in the Future.

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Elmo Trophy Winners

Sunday morning saw gentle breezes and a chance for the young flyers from Bray to post wins on the scoreboard. The weather co-operated all day and allowed the completion of a second round of Gold and Silver racing to be completed.

RSGYC Green won a three way tie to finish as top seeds for the Semi Final knock-outs. RSGYC RED and RSGYC Blue battled it out for the fourth seed with RSGYC RED emerging victorious.

The first Semi Finals saw West Kirby eliminate Schull 2-0 and RSGYC Green knocking out RSGYC RED by the same score. The final was closely fought with WKSC taking the first race only for RSGYC Green to stack the favoured pin in Race 2 and use their speed to sail off with a 1-2 victory. West Kirby showed their experience in the deciding race by dominating the pre-start and establishing a 1-2 combination at the first mark which they would never relinquish. Schull went back to West Cork with the consolation of third place after winning the petit final 2-0.

Special thanks go to the Race Team and Umpires whose efficiency saw each team sail at least 13 races over the weekend.

Final Results

1st West Kirby Sailing Club
Hollie Marston Tom James Ella Marston Henry Hughes Hannah Owen Alex Colquit
2nd RSGYC Green
Conor O'Beirne Molly Boyne Sean Donnelly Sarah Fogarty Patrick Cahill Emily Arrowsmith
3rd Schull
Isaac Mccarthy-Fisher Rosa Lyden Noah Mccarthy-Fisher Harry Durcan Florence Lyden Anna O'Regan
4th RSGYC Red
5th RSGYC Blue
6th Sutton Dinghy Club
7th Bray Sailing Club
8th National Yacht Club

Published in Team Racing

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About Team Racing

Team racing in sailing is an exciting, strategy-focused format where two teams, usually with three boats each, compete to achieve the best combined score by the end of the race. Unlike fleet racing, where individual performance matters most, team racing emphasises teamwork, tactics, and boat positioning to outmanoeuvre the opposing team.

Each team typically has three boats, often two-person dinghies like the Firefly class. The boats from each team are distinguished by their unique sail colours or numbers.

Points are assigned to finishing positions, with 1 point for 1st place, 2 points for 2nd place, and so on. The team with the lowest combined score wins. The target is to achieve a "winning combination" of points. In a six-boat race (three per team), winning combinations include scores like 10 points or less for a 1-2-6 or a 2-3-5 finish.

Teams can slow down or block opposing boats, especially in an advantageous position. A boat ahead can "cover" an opponent, manoeuvring to block the wind and slow them down.

Teams often employ manoeuvres to help slower boats catch up or pass opponents, switching positions if needed. This keeps the team in a winning configuration.

At key turning points, boats can execute mark traps, where they intentionally slow down or position themselves to block opponents, forcing them into bad turns or causing them to lose speed.

Team racing follows standard sailing rules but with some additions tailored to team tactics. For example, a "fouling" boat (one that breaks a rule) must complete a penalty turn or even multiple turns, depending on the rule violation. Penalty management is crucial as it can make or break a team's success in the race.

Constant communication is key as team members coordinate strategies, adjust for wind shifts, and adapt to changes in the race. They signal intentions, warn of opponents' moves, and ensure every team member’s position is optimized.

In short, team racing combines fast-paced sailing with strategic teamwork. While speed is essential, winning often depends more on positioning, communication, and the ability to execute effective tactics as a team.