National Squib Irish Championship at the Royal Irish Yacht Club - Overall

by Vincent Delany 19 Aug 2018 20:42 BST 17-19 August 2018

The National Squib Irish Championship was hosted this year by the elegant Royal Irish Yacht Club, Dun Laoghaire from 17-19 August. A feature of this championship was the very small differences in performance between the Squibs, irrespective of sailmakers or age of boat.

Nineteen boats competed which included a substantial contingent of competitors from Killyleagh and Cultra in Northern Ireland, and one very welcome visitor from Holyhead, Wales, Tudor Robert's 'L'il Quickie'. Two boats were crewed by father and son teams- Greg & Harry Bell in 'Prodigal', and Dave & Simon Sheahan in their recently acquired 'O'Leary.' The ladies helming in the fleet included Sheila Power in 'Perfection', Mary Faherty who is 'Ab. Fab.', and Serena Blacoe in 'Seabiscuit'. Among the skilled female crews were Fiona Ward, Tonia McAllister, and Linda Darb.

Race one on Friday was held in strenuous conditions with 500mm waves and unstable winds varying from 22 kts. to 6 kts., which required quick changing of gears by the crews. Peter Wallace and Martin Weatherstone were worthy winners.

Races two to five were held on Saturday in the flat water west of Dun Laoghaire Harbour with an oscillating wind of up to ten knots. Race winners were 'Fagan', 'Aficianado', and 'Toy for the Boys' who took two guns.

The final race in similar conditions but with a steadier breeze was held close to the entrance to Dublin Port. 'Allegro' led this race from beginning to end. Regrettably, her final placing did not reflect her speed and tactical finesse on the water.

Are there any conclusions to be drawn from this event? 'Toys' uses Hyde sails, but 'Fagan' uses Batt Sails. Many of the top crews weigh more than 160 kg. combined weight. All of the boats were weighed before the event, and most were close to the minimum weight, and only one was found to be below 680 kg., and was therefore required to install additional weight. Regional and National championships such as this really do provide a great opportunity for like-minded people to compare notes, and to increase their skills.

The next regional championships for the Squib Class in Ireland is the popular Irish inland Championship at Lough Derg Yacht Club, Dromineer in October. For more information on Squibs see www.nsoa.co.uk

Overall Results:

Pos	Boat Name	Sail No	Helm	Crew	Club	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	Pts
1	Toy for the Boys	818	Peter Wallace	Martin Weatherstone	RNIYC	1	8	2	1	1	2	7
2	Fagan	100	Gordon Patterson	Ross Nolan	RNIYC	4	1	5	2	2	3	12
3	Aficianado	78	John Driscoll	Chris Gracey	RNIYC	3	4	1	9	6	4	18
4	Slipstream	102	David Ferris	Robert Marshall	Killyleagh	2	2	3	8	7	7	21
5	Prodigal	146	Greg Bell	Harry Bell	RNIYC	5	3	4	3	20	8	23
6	Allegro	134	Colm Dunne	Fiona Ward	Kinsale	6	5	9	20	4	1	25
7	Firecracker	149	Stephen Bridges	Matthew Bolton	Killyleagh	8	10	6	6	20	6	36
8	Sidewinder	138	Rupert Westrup	Tonia McAllister	RStGYC	10	7	8	7	10	5	37
9	Tears in Heaven	869	Fergus O'Kelly	David Cotter	Howth	11	13	10	5	3	10	39
10	Billy Ruff'n	841	Dermot Quinn	TBC	Killyleagh	12	9	11	4	10	9	43
11	Perfection	44	Sheila Power	Vincent Delany	RStGYC	13	6	13	20	5	12	49
12	Gizmo	746	Johnny Park	Bob Stinson	RNIYC	7	16	7	11	11	13	49
13	O'Leary	123	Dave Sheahan	Simon Sheahan	Howth	9	12	12	10	9	11	51
14	Periquin	48	John White	Noel Colclough	DMYC	16	14	15	12	12	20	69
15	L'il Quickie	847	Tudor Roberts	Leuan Williams	Holyhead	15	15	14	13	20	14	71
16	Ab Fab.	792	Mary Faherty	Linda Darbey	Howth	17	18	17	15	13	16	78
17	Fox	738	Michael Moran	Michael Shiel	RStGYC	20	17	16	14	14	20	81
18	Volante	807	Simon Watson	Ryan Withers	Killyleagh	14	11	20	20	20	20	85
19	Seabiscuit	423	Serena Blacoe	Emmet Dalton	Howth	20	20	20	20	20	15	95