The MG Motors All Ireland School Team Racing Championship took place in The Royal St George Yacht Club on Sat 29th and Sun 30th April 2023.
St Conleth’s College took first place, a first for the school as overall winners and, indeed, only the second time a Leinster school has won. St Conleth’s College came close last year as runners-up to Gonzaga, but it was St Andrews First team this year who gave St Conleth’s a close run and ended up in 2nd place in a very tightly fought contest.
A total of nineteen teams qualified for the event, with Munster schools sending eight teams. The most prolific winner of the Fastnet trophy, Schull Community College, with nine All Ireland wins since 2004 and recent winner of the Munster Championships, had three teams competing with the teams from Bandon Grammar, Skibbereen Community School (2 teams), CBC Cork (previous winner in 2011) and a team from Colaiste Mhuire, Crosshaven making up the Munster bidding for the trophy. The Leinster intent to retain the title was led by St Andrew’s (winners and runners-up of the Leinster Championship) with three teams, Holy Child Killiney with two teams (3rd place in Leinster Championship), St Michael’s College (winners of the Shanahan Cup), St Conleth’s, CBC Monkstown, St David’s/Holy Faith, Mount Anville and Blackrock College.
St Conleth's in yellow vs Schull Community College on the downwind from mark 2 at the The MG Motors All Ireland School Team Racing Championship at Dun Laoghaire Harbour
With 19 teams and light wind forecast for the event, the Organising Authority settled on a round robin format with two groups, A with 10 teams and B with 9 teams. As competitors and support teams gathered at 8.30 on Saturday morning, no wind was evident in the boat park or in the harbour. A one-hour AP from 8.50 was followed by a further one-hour AP until 10.50. The breeze started to fill and the fleet were able to launch around 11am and racing for Group A began around 11.30. The race team sailed 18 races for group A and then switched over to Group B where 21 races were sailed before switching back to Group A. A further 15 races for Group A were sailed when at 5.30 the race officer ordered the fleet ashore so that they could get their glad rags on for the All Ireland Gala dinner in the dining room of Royal Saint George Yacht Club. After the first days racing, Group A had 33 of their 45 races completed and Group B had 21 of their 36 races completed. With 54 races completed in the day, the contenders in each group were coming to fore but more racing would be needed on the following day.
"A total of nineteen teams qualified for the event, with Munster schools sending eight teams"
All 114 sailors changed into their smart suits, dresses, ties, tiaras and heels for dinner in the main dining room at 7.30 where banter and discussion on the days racing was loud and lively. It was great to see the social side of sailing and team racing as competitors from different provinces, clubs and schools swapped stories and made and renewed friendships which will last their sailing careers.
A tight start to one of the 69 races sailed at the 2023 MG Motors ISTRA All Ireland Team Racing Championship 2023
As day two dawned for the Championships, the race team faced a difficult challenge with the wind conditions (or lack of) facing them. This time an indefinite AP was hoisted as the race team took to the water to be ready as soon as conditions allowed racing to recommence. Group B would sail first to allow them to have leaders emerge for the knock-out stages. Just after 10 am a 5-7 knot breeze from the east allowed the race team to get some racing in. However, a series of course shifts, APs and race abandonments meant that by 1pm, only a further 9 races had been completed in the Group B round robin. This was sufficient racing to proceed to knock out stages from the groups.
Max Cantwell, Captain of St Michael's team leads them to third place in the 2023 MG Motors All Ireland Team Racing Championships at the RStGYC
In group A, Andrews 1 had 6 race wins from 7 races only losing to Andrews 2 who had 5 race wins from 7 races. CBC Cork also had 5 race wins from 7 races but had a higher average points score. Next was Andrews 3 with 4 race wins from 6 races. In Group B, St Conleth’s and St Michael’s both had 6 wins from 7 races with St Conleth’s having a lower average points per race. Next, was Schull 2 with 5 wins from 7 races. Battling for 4th position in the group was Blackrock and Skibbereen 1 both with 3 races wins from 7 races and with Blackrock having a lower average point score.
On this basis, the quarter finals would have consisted of Andrews 1, Andrews 2, CBC Cork, Andrew’s 3, St Conleth’s, St Michael’s, Schull 2 and Blackrock. With the weather behaving the way it was, the Organising Authority decided to proceed to semi-finals with semi-final 1 consisting of St Conleth’s v St Andrew’s 2 and semi-final 2 consisting of St Andrews 1 v St Michael’s. The trophy was destined to return to Leinster. The semi-finals were best of three and the breeze allowed the race team to get them started with the first races won by St Conleth’s and St Andrew’s 1. St Andrew’s 2 came back strong in the 2nd race to level the score with St Conleth’s. St Andrew’s 1 won their 2nd race against St Michael’s to proceed to the final. After a couple of APs, the last semi-final between St Conleth’s and St Andrew’s 2 saw St Conleth’s win with a very close 1,4,5 combination.
The final beckoned between St Conleth’s and St Andrew’s. After a long wait yet again due to the wind not playing ball, numerous course resets, the championship final was finally underway. It was a close first race but in the end St Conleth’s emerged on top with a 1,2,4 combination. Time had now run out for the race team as had the wind and N over A was displayed cancelling racing for the day and crowning St Conleth’s as All Ireland Schools Team Racing Championship winners.
The St Conleth’s team was captained by Russell Bolger, with Louis McGovern and Daniel O’Connor as helms and Saoirse Corry, Fergus O’Reilly and James O’Kelly as crew. St Andrew’s team was captained Oisin Hughes with Caoilinn Geraghty-McDonnell and Sam Ledoux as helms and Norah Tinney, Ruby Slye O’Connell and Matvey Sorgassi as crew. The third-place team was decided by coin toss won by St Michael’s team of Captain, Max Cantwell, helms, Christian Ennis and Rory McMullan and crews Peadar Doyle, Michael Byrne and Alex Deasy.
Thanks to the event sponsors, MG Motors and Mervue Laboratories without whose generosity, the event would not be as successful or as stylish with our the ISTRA bucket hats. A huge thanks are attributed to Eunice Kennedy as Event Director and her wonderful team of volunteers for running this Team Racing Event. The Irish Schools Team Racing Association is delighted with the result, as the competitors had a great weekend of racing and lots of fun ashore between their races. The competitors were exemplary with their good behaviour both on and off the water, and we express our Thanks as it enhanced the running of the event.
Captain Russell Bolger and crew James O’Kelly at the 2023 All Ireland Schools Team Racing Championship sport their ISTRA bucket hats sponsored by MG Motors
Thanks go to Ailbe Millerick, Pat McCarthy and Dave Sheehan for their on-the-water umpiring, Ronan Flood, on water Safety Officers, David Bolger and his team of volunteers on the Start Boat, David Williams on the Finish Boat Team, Mark Layers, Keith Start the Beach Master and his team of volunteers, Lorraine O’Connor on Results, Harriet Walker and her Race Office Team, the Change Over Rib volunteers, Hal Fitzgerald as PRO and Robert Walker for acting as Bosun, the School Representatives who looked after their teams and assisted with the running of the event.
The SSAI would like to thank the Royal St George Yacht Club and Flag Officers, Ronan Adams, Sailing manager, Karin Ryan, Sailing Secretary and catering and boathouse staff.
The next major youth team racing event will be the Elmo Trophy hosted by the Royal St George Yacht Club on the weekend of the 26th and 27th August. Over 30 teams are expected and planning has already commenced with great plans for what will be the largest and most competitive team racing in Ireland in 2023.
