Howth Yacht Club

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Autumn League Home

Report - 15th September - Day 1

15 Sept | 22 Sept | 29 Sept | 13/10 | 19/10

by Andy Sargent

This year's Autumn Series, sponsored by Kingfisher Communcations, has over 180 entries, with boats travelling from all coasts of Ireland. We welcome visitors from Sligo with Donagh McSharry sporting Excession, and B Raftery in X-Div. Mayo Sailing Club is represented by Obsession sailed by the partnership of Baird/Tully. The ever faithful entry from Carlingford is Johnny Morgan sailing Something Fishy. From Lough Neagh adding to the already increasing Pupeteer Fleet is Charlie McAlister's Jelly Roll defending his title and Autumn Series "virgins" club mates Alfie Myers in Papagena and E Monaghan in Miss Piggy. The strength of the local one-design fleets and competitive cruiser racing entices such competitors to be part of what has continued to become the only Autumn Series in East coast waters.

Sunday September 15th - the first race day - was overcast with light winds and testing conditions for both race-management and competitors alike. The inshore committee boat team led by PRO Capt Peter McKenna and the offshore team led by PRO David Lovegrove were forced to postpone the starts due to unsteady and fickle breezes.

Racing started some 45 minutes later than scheduled and the winds throughout the entire race course were generally light and patchy.

With the ebb tide early in the race quite evident, the lure of better wind eastward was not as favourable as the left side of the offshore courses, where in Class 0 one boat Azure was noted to have Fergus O'Kelly (a local ace) calling tides. They took one long starboard tack into Portrane before tacking for the Talbot Mark and it was reported that they took one hour on Cracklin Rosie on this leg. It was however Gloves Off who showed them the way home.

In Class I it was Equinox who showed a clean pair o heels closely followed by the McMullan/Walls team aboard Megalopolis on both IRC and Echo.

In Class II a close encounter with Phantom, Merlin, Chardonnay, Funny Business and Blue Berret saw Phantom take the honours on IRC. Chardonnay took honours in Echo and the IRC Classic Division.

In Class III it was Gunsmoke the Dillon/Smith partnership who topped the IRC and Echo league table.

The 31.7 fleet with 10 entries was led home by Sosumi Don Breen the skipper and new class member C Harrigan in Martin Reilly's old Extremity coming home in second place on IRC.

The 1720's winner was Lennon/Cagney's Hibernian who had just returned from a creditable third place overall in the 1720 Europeans held in the Hamble. Wet and Black finished second, Michael Evans in third place and current European Champion Des Faherty and Prof Auqatack in fourth place.

In the Puppeteers Dave Clarke in Harlequin led the 24 boat fleet from start to finish with Brian Jennings establishing a good second place. Gepetto sailed by Eddie O'Reilly sailed a superb race to take top honours on Echo. Quite a number of Pups failed to finish within the time limit.

The Shipman fleet was headed home convincingly by the Headon Team on Panache and Macro One took the Echo honours.

Paul and Fiona Newport in Puffin the Squib "light weather specialists" took the gun with an outstanding lead. Followed home by Whipper Snapper and Aurora in hot pursuit.

The Howth 17 fleet had tight racing and were one of the few classes where everyone completed the course within the time limit. It was Rita sailed by Lynch/Curley who led the fleet being comfortably ahead of Peter Courtney in Oona. Bobblink sailed exceptionally well to win echo by some 4 minutes 15 seconds on corrected time.

Overall racing for all fleets was difficult and some concentration was required to keep the VMG up to the maximum. A comment heard in the bar afterwards referred to "difficult and frustrating conditions encountered but accepted it was the same for everyone. Whilst our discard has now been used it is somewhat focuses the mind on next week's race".

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