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Event Report Saturday

by Graham Smith

Flannigan takes control of SB3 Nationals at Howth

What a difference a day makes in sailing! On day one of the Investwise SB3 Nationals at HYC, Ben Duncan and his crew on 'Sharkbait' reigned supreme, with two bullets and a sixth to head the 48-boat fleet by four points.

Three more races on Saturday in blustery south-easterlies yielding three poor results by their high standards and three top drawer performances by the pre-event favourite Gareth Flannigan and crew on 'McCready's Gill Team' have seen the complexion of this championship change completely.

The Royal Ulster YC team won the day's opening race and then notched two second places behind Ross Vaughan ('Toucan 3') and Andrew Algeo ('Flutter') respectively, results which have leapfrogged the Ballyholme men from fifth overnight to a handsome 8-point margin over 'Sharkbait'. The Howth crew had a real off-day, with a sixth followed by an 11th and then a 7th. They effectively now share 2nd overall with the consistent Sean Craig ('Yeti') whose 3/5/10 scores keep him very much in the hunt.

McCready's Gill Race Team
Brian Spence - Royal Ulster YC

It was a good day for northern crews. In addition to 'McCready's' opening race win, race two went to Ross Vaughan with the next three places also going north and they filled four of the top six places in race three for good measure. Stefan Hyde sailing 'Bad' will probably feel the name was appropriate on the day. Like Duncan, he had a day to forget, with three results in the mid-teens dropping him to seventh overall, twenty points adrift of even the runners-up spot at present.

As it stands, northern boats hold 1st and 5th overall while Royal St. George YC entries fill three of the top six spots. Two more races are scheduled for the final day, with 'Sharkbait' and 'Yeti' the most serious contenders to 'McCreadys Gill Team' ambitions of lifting the title.

Overall after Saturday (6 races total)

1	McCreadys Gill Team	Gareth Flannigan	RUYC	13.00
2	Sharkbait	Ben Duncan	HYC	21.00
3	Yeti	Sean Craig	RStGYC	21.00
4	Flutter	Andrew Algeo	RStGYC	34.00
5	Toucan 3	Ross Vaughan	RNIYC	38.00
6	Monkey	Aidan O'Connell	RStGYC	38.00

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