MoCo Irish J/24 Northerns at Lough Neagh Sailing Club

7 & 8 June 2003

Ireland’s new Northern J/24 Champion is Michael McCaldin, in his brand new Italian built J/24, Murder Picture. He won 3 of 7 races sailed of 8 planned, with 6 best counting, at the MoCo Irish J/24 Northern Championship hosted by Lough Neagh SC on the largest lake in these islands on 7 & 8 June. Main sponsor was MOCO, the independent mobile phone retailers group. Others included Craigavon Borough Council, whose Kinnego Marina was event HQ.

Remaining race winners were Barry O’Neill in Jazz and Hard on Port, twice, both Royal St George YC, and Tim Sheard, best local in Jay Kay, LNSC. In typical tight close Irish J/24 racing, 10 of the 17 boats each finished at least one race in a first, second or third place. Best placed of the six old Westerly built boats competing, and Kinnego Plate winner, was Douglas Harrison’s Jay, LNSC, eighth overall, best result a second.

85 sailors competed in 6 home fleet boats joined by 5 from Lough Erne, 5 Dublin Bay, and 1 Carlingford. Race Officer, Tom Beckett set windward-leeward courses in a variable southerly, force 2 to 4 on Saturday and northerly force 1 to calm on Sunday, when only four finished the seventh race and the eighth was abandoned.

Next Irish J/24 event is the Western Championship on Galway Bay, 12 & 13 July.

Overall Results: