Irish J/24 Northern Championship at Coleraine Yacht Club
by Michael Clarke 12 Jun 2006 17:47 UTC
10-11 June 2006
Boats from Belfast Lough and Dublin Bay, took top places at the Irish J/24 Northern Championship, on 10 & 11 June, hosted by Coleraine YC at Portrush Harbour on Ireland’s north coast, and sponsored by West Bay Capital. Sixty J/24 sailors in 12 boats from 6 clubs took part.
Ireland’s new Northern J/24 Champions are Paul Barbour’s Taz team from Carrickfergus SC, Belfast Lough, helm David Taylor, crew Woo Kerny, Steve Ferris and Connor Brennan.
Second overall was Steve Atkinson’s Bád, also Carrick. Third and fourth were from Dublin Bay’s Royal St George YC, J-Spot, Richard O’Connor and David Hammond, and Just 4 Fun, Barry O’Neill.
Best among 5 old Westerly boats, Stuart Harrison’s Jay from Lough Neagh SC, got the perpetual Kinnego Plate. Prizes were bottles of Bushmills Whiskey, brewed nearby, and handy hip flasks for all crew.
Race Officer Joe Slater’s timely management and prompt re-starts secured the three good races necessary for an event by early Saturday afternoon before racing was wisely abandoned in a very strong and rising gusty south wind. No racing was possible on Sunday.
Ireland’s next big J/24 event is the three-day National Championship, at Carrickfergus SC on 7-9 July then the revived Southern J/24 Championship on 19 & 20 August.
Five of the J/24s at Portrush up on the north coast will be on loan to Irish Sailing Association and Royal Cork YC on Ireland’s south coast in for use in September’s ISAF Nation’s Cup match racing final, the most important international sailing event in Ireland this season.
Overall Results:
1 Taz, Carrickfergus SC, David Taylor & Paul Barbour, 1,1,3, 3pts
2 Bád, Steve Atkinson, CSC, 2, 3, 3, 8pts
3 J-Spot, Richard O'Connor & David Hammond, Royal St George YC, 3, 2, 4, 9pts
4 Just4Fun, Barry O'Neill, RStGYC, 4, 4, 2, 10 pts
5 Jibberish, Stephen Bradshaw, Portaferry SC, 5, 5, 5, 15pts
6 Jay, Stuart Harrison, Lough Neagh SC, 6, 7, 7, 20 pts
7 Skipjack, John Kane, Lough Erne YC, 10, 6, 6, 22 pts
8 Jeriatrix, Michael Clarke, LEYC, 7, 8, 8, 23pts
9 Jezebel, Anthony Clendining, Coleraine SC, 8, 9, 10, 27 pts
10 Jigalo, Tim Rippey, LEYC, 9, 10, 9, 28pts
11 Sandpiper, Andy Sloan, CSC, 11, 11, 11, 33pts
12 Luder Too, Robin Eagleson, LNSC 13, 13, 13, 39pts