ICRA Nationals and Sovereigns Cup - Day 2
by Jackie Dawson 26 Jun 2015 09:02 BST
24-27 June 2015
At the halfway mark of the ICRA Nationals Sovereigns Cup at Kinsale Yacht Club, overall positions in most of the eight racing classes lie finely balanced with just four races remaining in the Cork County Council sponsored series.
The 109-strong fleet enjoyed fresher conditions though a lumpy seaway proved challenging for some despite the steady 14-18 knot southerly breeze.
The mid-size divisions are providing some of the closest battles with changes to overall leaderboards since the opening day. In Division 1, the two-way battle for the lead between Ian Nagle's Jelly Baby from the Royal Cork YC and John Maybury's Joker 2 from the Royal Irish YC reversed places as the Dublin boat edged ahead by a single point.
Meanwhile, Division 2 saw David Cullen's Checkmate XV ousted from his overall lead when his Howth club-mate Ross McDonald on Equinox matched his opening day double-win with one of his own yesterday to take the lead in the class. Howth boats continue to dominate this class, occupying the top four places though there is still scope for change.
"There are five or six boats in with a real chance at the overall win at this halfway stage," said Kinsale Yacht Club's Denis Kiely. "The decision to put the modified half-tonners with the three-quarter ton size boats is proving to be correct and there's genuine competition taking place in this division."
In Division 0, a navigational error cost Andy Williams the overall lead of this eleven strong class as he was obliged to retire or face protests from the fleet. A win in the afternoon was more like his form and with the single discard coming into force after race six, the Plymouth Ker 40 is almost certain to retake the lead.
However, ICRA Commodore Norbert Reilly still holds first place in the class on Crazy Horse and any further slips by Williams could still upset the standings. Also waiting in the wings is Conor Phelan's Jump Juice from the Royal Cork YC who delivered a win and a second place yesterday in a markedly improved form from the opening day.
"Crazy Horse is being really well sailed this week with good starts and super fast in light airs so she'll be hard to beat," commented Maurice O'Connell, Crew Boss on Jump Juice.
Elsewhere in the large fleet, the White Sails divisions enjoyed an 18-mile race from their start off Charles Fort in Kinsale's spectacular natural harbour. Windsor Laudan's venerable but fast Club Shamrock Demelza from Howth delivered impressive performances on the water and leads on both IRC and ECHO handicaps. Racing continues tomorrow with the finale on Saturday afternoon.
Results posted at www.sovereignscup.com