Irish J/24 Autumn Cup at Dundalk & Carlingford Sailing Club

by Michael Clarke 5 Oct 2004 10:32 BST 2-3 October 2004

Over 100 sailors in 21 boats took part in Ireland’s Autumn J/24 Championship hosted by Dundalk and Carlingford SC and sponsored by the Loughs Agency, cross border body for sea loughs between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

Andrew Algeo and Ben Cooke in Scandal won in a tie break with Enda O’Coineen in Kilcullen. Michael McCaldin was third in Murder Picture and best among the six old Westerly built boats was Ron Finegan’s Just4One.

Race Officer, Michael Harris Barke, set courses, start & finish in Rostrevor Bay, at the foot of the Mourne Mountains, with windward mark under Carlingford Mountain, for two days of enjoyable, exciting racing, close and lively. International Race Judge, Paul Murphy was on the course. Some penalties were taken and no protests lodged.

Weather, strong wet SW winds with sudden hard squalls both days and Race 4 shortened when wind briefly fell light.

Crazyhorse and Virjin on the Ridiculous both RTD, each with rudder broken in a twisting hard squall during race 1.

The British J/24 Autumn Cup championship in Poole on the same weekend also had very windy weather.

Boats came from nine clubs, Carrickergus SC, Dundalk & Carlingford SC, Lough Erne YC, Lough Neagh SC, National YC, Portaferry SC, Royal Irish YC, Royal St George YC, and Western Yacht Club (five hours tow by road).

Scandal received the Autumn Championship Trophy (a fine cased full model of a J/24) and First Prize Kilcullen received Second Prize, and Murder Picture Third Prize. Just4One received the Prize for Westerly built boats, of which six competed. Six Race Prizes went to Jay Kay (1st Race 4, 3rd R2, 4th R3), Sidney (2nd R4 & 3 R6), Gossip (2nd R5 & 4th R4), Taz (3rd in R3 & 5), Jibberish (3rd R1), Bád (4th R6)

Half the fleet had at least one race score in the top 25 % that is 5th place or better.

Overall Results: (6 races, 1 discard)

Pos	Helm	Boat Name	Club	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	Pts
1	Andrew Algeo	Scandal	RStGYC	1	2	6	3	5	1	12
2	Enda O’Coineen	Kilcullen	NYC	4	1	1	7	4	2	12
3	Michael McCaldin	Murder Picture	LEYC	2	11	2	16	1	5	21
4	David Taylor	Taz	CSC	7	4	3	6	3	7	30
5	Tim Sheard	Jay Kay	LNSC	6	3	4	1	10	11	24
6	Simon McGibney	Sidney	WYC	5	6	14	2	12	3	28
7	James Byrne	Gossip	DCSC	8	5	11	4	2	12	30
8	Jerry Dowling	Bád	RIYC	14	12	5	9	6	4	36
9	Joey Kelly	Dandy Rocker	LEYC	10	13	9	10	7	6	42
10	Stephen Bradshaw	Jibberish	PSC	3	10	12	8	11	22	44
11	Gerry Jones	Justintime	RStGYC	9	9	10	12	9	9	46
12	Des Fortune	Hard on Port	RStGYC	11	7	7	13	14	10	48
13	Ron Finegan	Just4One	DCSC	16	8	8	11	13	15	55
14	Robin Eagleson	Luder Too	LNSC	17	17	13	5	8	13	56
15	Johnny Morgan	JAB	DCSC	12	14	16	17	16	8	66
16	Ruari Herraghty	Jaws	LRYC	13	16	15	15	15	14	72
17	Michael Clarke	Jeriatrix	LEYC	15	15	17	18	17	16	80
18	Tara Mooney	Jacquerie	LRYC	22	22	19	14	18	17	88
19	Ivan Slater	Jewel Purpose	DCSC	18	18	18	19	19	22	92
20	Diarmuid O’Donovan	Virjin OTR	LEYC	22	22	22	22	22	22	110
21	Frank Heath	Crazyhorse	RStGYC	22	22	22	22	22	22	110

This was the final event from which scores count for Irish J/24 Champion of Championships ranking and selection ranking for six Irish places at next year’s J/24 World Championship 2005. More news on these later.