Irish Martin 16 Nationals at Lough Derg Yacht Club

Race Report:

Lough Derg Yacht Club, Dromineer, Co. Tipperary, was the location for the inaugural Irish National Martin 16 Regatta on June 3-4, 2006. The primary concerns for us were sailors and good weather, and we found ourselves in the welcome position of having plenty of both! There was an unexpectedly high turnout and we had more sailors than capacity in the boats. Special thanks are due to Danny McCoy, Pete Bisson, Mike Wood and Amy Kelehan for volunteering to sit out on the racing to allow other sailors to get their first taste of action in the Martin 16. Danny is a Paralympic sailor from Canada who took time out from his busy race schedule to attend the event, and gave invaluable coaching tips to all. The others brought their own boats, but kindly gave them up.

The weather presented an unusual problem for an Irish Bank Holiday weekend; a huge high pressure system bought unseasonably hot weather, and this often results in a total lack of wind in Lough Derg. Fortunately, though conditions were light, the excellent race committee managed to get off the full schedule of eight races over the weekend, and there was even enough breeze to keep the asymmetric spinnakers flying, and the crews too busy to get in some sunbathing.

On the first day Paul McCarthy (IRL) from Kinsale Yacht Club won Race 1 at his first attempt in a Martin 16, but as the day went on Judi Figgures (UK) and Tony Flinn (UK), who have much more Martin 16 experience, managed to move into 1st and 2nd place respectively.

Lough Derg Yacht Club hosted some excellent social events and this has been attributed as the reason (excuse?) for my own performance. My infinitely patient helm Chris Atkin (UK) managed 4th place in spite of my attempts to attribute a hangover to the heat and sunburn. Kevin Downing (IRL) and crew John Leane (IRL) were competitive upwind, but totally new to asymmetric spinnakers, and struggled for speed downwind. Eddie Pickering (UK) had some equipment issues, and was forced to miss a few races; he was well down on his usual winning pace.

The 6 boats were close on the water, especially upwind where the racing was tactical, but downwind the people with asymmetric experience had a real advantage. By the second day this advantage had been significantly reduced, and Paul McCarthy won the final three races to take second place overall. Judi Figgures (UK) and her crew Marion Edwards (UK) won first place overall, and were presented with the Irish Martin 16 National Championship Trophy that afternoon in the Clubhouse, as the sun still shone.

Shore Report:

Friday June 2nd was set aside as the rigging/arrival day for boats and competitors. As there is actually only one Martin 16 in Ireland, this event could not have taken place without the generous support of Mike Wood and Pete Bisson, both of whom brought over extra boats for other competitors. The Goodie Bags were handed out on Friday – the sunscreen was particularly needed over the weekend! For those towing a boat over from the UK, Stenaline kindly provided a 'Special Event Discount', which greatly reduced costs, and was most welcome. By Friday evening, most competitors and guests had settled into their rooms in the Dromineer Bay Hotel and the Lough Derg Hostel, had more or less taken over the entire ground floor of both, and had already located the nearest barÉ from where they forced themselves to the Clubhouse for dinner. The Friday night meal was provided and prepared by Maire Kelehan and Margaret McDermott, with salads from 'Country Choice', and was enjoyed in the wonderful setting of the upper floor and deck of the Club, affording a beautiful view of the sunset over Lough Derg, so skillfully organized to compliment the meal. Afterwards, most competitors adjourned to the Crow's Nest Pub, pivotal in their performances the next day.

After the first day's racing on Saturday, the sunburnt competitors joined a Barbeque in the Club that night, with Clubmembers and participants from the other regattas on that weekend. Food for competitors and guests of the Irish Martin 16 National Championship was sponsored by DCC.

When the regatta finished on Sunday afternoon, the hot and weary sailors recovered on Tea and Biscuits while gazing out the Clubhouse window at the Shannon-One-Designs floating home after their own racing. After a few hours of this, the tables were pulled aside to prepare for the prize-giving ceremony, and the prizes were laid out, with the trophy hidden under a towel until its unveiling. As well as Club Mugs for each of the top 3 skippers and crews, there were also 3 Winner's Bags, provided by Onboard. The trophy for the Irish Martin 16 National Championship is a unique half-model of a Martin 16, made by Reggie Goodbody, and sponsored by Michael Hassey. It was presented to the Championship winners, Judi Figgures (UK) and Marion Edwards (UK) by David Coote. All participants received a regatta t-shirt, provide by Rory O'Connor of O'Connor's LTD, to remind them of this great event in Dromineer.

After the prize-giving ceremony on Sunday, competitors and guests moved to Gilles Restaurant, where dinner was put on by Declan Collison of the Dromineer Bay Hotel. This wonderful meal was sponsored by kind donations from Eagle Star Insurance and the Musgrave Group. The evening (and the regatta) was capped off with another night in the Crow's Nest, toasting the festivities, our successes, the glorious weather, our old friends, and our new friends.