Irish Schools Team Racing Championships 2024: St. Andrew's One Crowned Leinster Champions

1st May 2024

Afloat.ie Team

A Team Racing event is quite different from a fleet racing event. Competitors do not need to bring their own boats, but instead swap out of different boats throughout the day

On Sunday 21st April, the Royal Saint George Yacht Club at Dun Laoghaire Harbour hosted the Irish Schools Team Racing Association (ISTRA) Leinster Championships.

The event saw 16 teams from 12 schools around Leinster compete in a Team Racing event, which is quite different from a fleet racing event. Competitors do not need to bring their own boats, but instead swap out of different boats throughout the day. Each team consists of three boats with a helm and crew per boat, so 6 people on a team.

The race report of the event indicated that the weather conditions were perfect for team racing, with the teams able to demonstrate their sailing tactics, mark traps, boat handling, and working as a team. The format for the event was a Swiss League leading to knockout stages, with the top four teams consisting of Mount Anville, St Conleth’s, St Andrew’s 1, and Wild Card.

After four rounds, the top four were consistent performers with Mount Anville and St Conleth’s on 4 wins from 4 races and St Andrew’s 1 and St Michael’s 1 on three wins from four races. Blackrock was unfortunate to be in 5th place with two wins from two, having been beaten in earlier rounds by Mount Anville and St Conleth’s. Holy Child Killiney had a strong showing early on but suffered defeats from St Andrew’s 1 and Blackrock.

In the first semi-final, St Conleth’s faced St Michael’s 1, and two thrilling races saw St Michael’s qualify for the final. St Andrew’s 1 squared up against Mount Anville for the second semi-final and went ahead 1-0 after the first race. The second race was as close as they come with the race been decided on the 5th and 6th place position. It was so close even the competitors weren’t sure of the result until the finish boat confirmed St Andrew’s 1 as the winner and the second qualifier for the final.

For the first race of the final, St Michael’s 1 took a close win to go ahead 1-0. St Andrew’s 1 dug deep from their experience and managed to win the second final race, leaving a do-or-die final race to decide the Leinster Champion. Both teams displayed fantastic tactics, sailing ability, and superb boat handling ability, with St Andrew’s 1 emerging as victors and being confirmed as Leinster Team Racing Champions 2024.

The National Schools Team Racing Championships will take place in Bantry Sailing Club over the weekend of 4th and 5th May, with a total of 20 teams qualifying from around the country.

Leinster has an allocation of 8 teams to qualify, and the Leinster Championship is the deciding ranking for teams. Therefore, the following teams have qualified to enter the Irish Schools Team Racing Championships:

Leinster Schools Team Racing Championships Results 2024:

St Andrew’s 1
St Michael’s 1
Mount Anville
St Conleth’s
Blackrock
St Andrew’s 4
Holy Child Killiney
Wild Card

The RStGYC is known as a premier club for hosting high-quality team racing events, and the next major team racing event to be hosted will be the George Invitational on the weekend of the 25th and 26th May.

Details of entry (including for youth teams) can be obtained by contacting the RSGYC. Further details can be seen here. Other team racing in May is the Cannonball trophy, a team racing event for Dragons held on the 18th and 19th May.

The largest youth sailing event and largest team racing event in Ireland is the Elmo trophy, which will take place in August.

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.

THE IRISH TEAM RACING ASSOCIATION CALENDAR 2024