Northern Ireland Squib Championships Royal Ulster Yacht Club

UKMcWilliam/Crest Nicholson Northern Ireland Squib Championships
2/3 June

Michael and Stuart Kearney of Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club won two of the three races in a curtailed programme at the NI Squib Championships, discarded the sixth place in the third race and won the event with a net total of 2 points.

Runners-up were their clubmates, Peter Thallon and Fred Campbell who counted two thirds and discarded a disappointing 21st resulting from going the wrong way on a beat in the second race.

Strong northerlies and big seas on the Saturday resulted in a cancellation by Race officer Gerry Bell after several postponements, and despite some really fluky conditions with much shifting of the wind on the Sunday, he did managed to have the fleet complete three races.

Race 1 on a trapezoidal course got away in a steady north west force 3 and those who went left on the first beat to avoid the ebbing tide found their tactics paid and they lead at the windward mark. Michael Kearney and son Stuart on 'Jumini' were out in front and there they stayed, finishing ahead of 'Aficionado' sailed by Richard Kennedy and Mervyn Gilfillan, also from Royal North. Thallon and Campbell, on new boat 'Final Answer', came third. Best local Bangor boat was Jim Coffey of Ballyholme in 'Fox' at sixth and top of the far travelled Howth contingent was Peter Byrne and Chris Shackleton on 'Aurora' at seventh.

In a slightly eased wind, race 2 was sailed on an Olympic course, but a big windshift caused some consternation among the leading boats at the first mark. Those who went left had to beat again while the others reached in. The Kearney duo was on the right and lead at the mark, and lead again over the finish after an agonising time when the breeze faded and the fleet stopped approaching the gybe, allowing the backmarkers to claw up again. A shortened course left Kearney top and Peter Wallace and Stephen Kane (RNIYC) following with the Ballyholme pair of John Cunningham and Sarah Furney third in 'Osprey'.

So going into what was the final race, Kearney was well established with two firsts but the rest of the fleet had very mixed results. Thallon and Campbell had a disastrous 21st in race 2, and Byrne and Chris Shackleton counted a seven and eight, while Kennedy and Gilfillan of Royal North, had a second and 12. So nothing was a foregone conclusion.

With a northerly filling in after lunch, it was the turn of Byrne and Shackleton to take first at the first mark and lead virtually all the way after that. Closing up in the final stages of the last beat in a dying breeze, Dennis Todd and Des Clayton managed second with third place taken by 'Final Answer'.

Rear Commodore Stanton Adair expressed the club's thanks to the sponsors, UK McWilliam and Crest Nicholson, to the Race Officer and his team and to the mark layers from RUYC and Ballyholme. Special thanks went to Stephen Graham and Katy McKay for escorting the RNIYC Squibs up the Lough and ferrying crews back to Bangor for the prizegiving.

Overall Results:

Veteran’s Prize: (Combined age over 90 years) Final Answer, Peter Thallon and Fred Campbell RNIYC
Loving Couples Prize: Stephen and Janice Kirby. Catharsis East Antrim BC
Young Sailor: Stuart Kearney, Jumini RNIYC
Lady Sailor: Sarah Furney Osprey RUYC
Family Prize Greg and Richard Bell Fagin RNIYC

More Information:

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