Baltimore Sailing Club Claim National Team Racing Title at Royal St. George Yacht Club

19th November 2019

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Royal St George Commodore Peter Bowring (pictured centre) with Baltimore SC champions comprising Mark Hassett with Adam Hyland, Fionn Lyden with Amy Harrington and Johnny Durcan with Trudy O’Hara

The Royal St George Yacht Club hosted 16 teams at the 71st National Team Racing Championships last weekend in Dun Laoghaire.

Near perfect team racing conditions of 8-12 knots breeze allowed a full round-robin competition of 120 races to be sailed. Each team completed 15 races against their opponents. Baltimore SC conceded one loss to Not Fast Just Furious and Royal St George Knights conceded to Baltimore SC who both emerged on top with 14 wins apiece. In their wake were’ Not Fast Just Furious’ on 13 wins and Howth YC and Poppa J and Hoochie Men on 10 wins apiece.

HYC won the tie on lowest points to qualify for the Semi Finals against Baltimore. Not Fast Just Furious faced the George Knights in the other semi-final leg. Time was limited by the sailing instructions and consent had to be sought from the leading two teams to permit a semi final after 3pm: sportingly both Baltimore and the Knights agreed. Surprisingly ‘Fast not Furious’ overturned the Knights 2-0 to face Baltimore who despatched Howth 2-0; all races were fought frenetically with the umpire team fully engaged in sorting out the flurry of flags during racing.

ITRA 2019 red blue Near perfect team racing conditions of 8-12 knots breeze allowed a full round-robin competition of 120 races to be sailed

‘Fast and Furious’ were true to their moniker but calm and collected the Baltimore team comprising Mark Hassett with Adam Hyland, Fionn Lyden with Amy Harrington and Johnny Durcan with Trudy O’Hara controlled the races from the starts and systematically ground their opponents back to convincingly claim the title 3-0 in the final races. Fast not Furious comprised Finn Lynch, Liam Glynn, Conor O'Beirne, Cora McDowell, Sally Bell and Graine Young...... George Knights comprised John Sheehy with Rachel McManus, Nick Smyth with Jodie Jane Tingle, and Gerald Owens with Melanie Morris. The Knights despatched Howth YC in the petit final to claim the bronze medals. H.Y.C. Simon Rattigan, Lynn Reilly, Darragh O'Connor, Kerrie O'Leary, Aidan McLaverty & Jenny Andreason. The Youth division was won by RCYC Lola! Lola kohl, Eva Spillane, Justin Lucas, Killian Oregan, Rory O'Sullivan & Rob Keal

Results are downloadable below.

Downloads

ITRA Results Day 2.pdf (486 Downloads)

Published in Team Racing, RStGYC

Published in Team Racing

Tagged under

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.