Irish J/24 Midlands Championships at Lough Ree Yacht Club

Emma Lovegrove, foredeck, calls a start line for Andrew Algeo in Scandal during the Irish J/24 Midland Championships © Michael Clarke

This Irish season’s largest J/24 fleet, 22 boats and 110 sailors, gathered on 30 & 31 August at Lough Ree YC for the J/24 Midlands Championship, sponsored by Dubarry and Andrew Mannion Engineering. It was won in Scandal, RStGYC, by Andrew Algeo, helm, Ben Cooke, joint-owner, Emma Lovegrove, Claire Dunwoody and Simon Fry. They were very clear winners, counting three firsts and all other scores in the top three places for an overall net 11 points.

Club mate Barry O’Neill in Jazz emerged second overall (23 points) and third was Michael McCaldin on Murder Picture from Lough Erne YC (29 points). Both won one race as did fourth overall, Enda O’Coineen, Kilcullen, National YC, and fifth, Joey Kelly, LEYC, White Trash on Tour, built by Rogers in 1983, and wining the new best placed Classic J/24 prize. Sixth overall, and taking the prize for best of the early Westerly built J/24s, now all 20 or more years old, was Ron Finegan from Dundalk and Carlingford SC in Just4One, best result second in the seventh race.

As usual for these very enjoyable Irish weekend J/24 events, of which this was the fourth so far in 2002, up to eight windward leeward races with leeward finishes were scheduled, with six best results counting. The courses were on the southern part of scenic Lough Ree at the very centre point of the island of Ireland, hence the unique event title, Irish J/24 Midland Championship. The perpetual trophy is an unusual and elegant J/24 model made from bog oak several thousand years old and found nearby, that was presented to the J/24 Class by LRYC a few year ago.

Race Officer David Dickson skilfully managed that all 8 races were sailed, with just one, the first, shortened, despite unreliable and shifty light to moderate northerly winds, that forced postponements to re-set marks or wait for wind to settle. A large and eager fleet on the start line caused more general recalls that usual, especially on Sunday morning, all keen to improve overnight placings. The, black flag came out, but only for the final race, with only one boat, Kilcullen disqualified. Other measures of the close and enjoyable racing include that half the fleet each had at least one finish place in the top 20%, that is fourth or better among 22 boats, and the bulk of the fleet usually finished within five minutes after almost an hour’s racing.

Other race Prizes went to Stephen Bradshaw, Jibberish, Strangford SC, Andrew Mannion in Jiffy, and best overall of the local LRYC boats, Mark McCormick, Jana and Jamie Bergin, Jaws, both also LRYC, Desmond Fortune, Hard on Port and Richard O’Connor, Nivola, both RStGYC, and David Taylor in Taz, a boat towed all the way from Carrickfergus for her first event outing with new owners on Belfast Lough, and hopefully first of a new J/24 fleet there.

Overall Results:

Results generated and submitted using Sailwave sailing scoring software