Mirror Northerns at Carlingford Lough Yacht Club

The first event of the Irish Mirror circuit, the Northern Area Championships was held at Carlingford Lough Yacht Club over the Easter weekend. Fifty five boats travelled from all parts of Ireland to take part. The host club with the assistance of their sponsors, Volvo, had carried out considerable preparations to make this a great event. The first event of the season is always an exciting time for the sailors as they pick up on old friendships, but it is also a nervous time as they wait to find out how the new boats are going and who has improved over the winter.

Saturday was a dry cold day with a southerly breeze which steadied at about 12 knots. Two races were sailed. The first was won by Mike & Adam Hill, hotly pursued by Alex Kaiser & Robin O’Mahoney. The second race was won by Kaiser & O’Mahoney with Gordon Taylor & Simon Martin second. At the end of the first day racing Kaiser & O’Mahoney were leading with 3 points. Clayton & Martin where 2nd with 12 points and Taylor & Martin where third with 13 points. Kaiser’s lead looked almost unassailable.

On Sunday the promised force 5 didn’t materialise, instead the winds were light and shifty providing a nightmare for Chris O’Hare the OOD. The wind initially died away completely. Racing was postponed. It then began to fill with its direction varying from south west to north east. O’Hare eventually got a race away. At the top end of the first beat, Clayton & Martin were lying third and Kaiser & O’Mahoney where buried in the fleet. Then the wind swung 180 degrees, the boats pulled up their spinnakers to make the mark and the race had to be abandoned.

Back to the start they came. The start line was moved closer to Warrenpoint to try to find steadier wind. Eventually the wind steadied enough to get the fleet way. The first beat was very shifty but eventually the left side paid and Taylor & Martin rounded first hotly pursued by McGonigle & O’Sullivan with Adrian & Michael Allen third. Clayton & Martin were back at about 20th and Kaiser & O’Mahoney were further back at about 30th. At this point in time Taylor & Martin looked well placed to win the event. At the end of the first run the front places had changed little. Clayton & Martin and Kaiser & O’Mahoney had worked their way through the traffic and had each moved up about 4 places. The bulk of the fleet took the port choice mark at the bottom of the beat and worked conservatively up the middle of the course. The Allen’s and Clayton & Martin took the starboard choice mark and headed out to the left of the course. This paid handsomely. The Allens rounded the windward mark first. Clayton & Martin just squeezed in second ahead of McGonigle & O’Sullivan and Taylor & Martin had now dropped to 5th. Meanwhile Kaiser & O’Mahoney had climbed to about 16th. Now the calculators were out Clayton & Martin seemed to have got it, but could they keep enough places between themselves and Kaiser & O’Mahoney. On the other hand would they loose places to the Allens who could then win the event. In the end Clayton & Martin finished 3rd and Kaiser & O’Mahoney through a superb bit of downwind sailing and a well judged gybe to the line finished 10 boats behind them. This would have given Clayton & Martin the championship, but it wasn’t over yet. One of the boats between Clayton and Kaiser had not gone between the choice marks and was therefore disqualified. Clayton and Kaiser were on equal points and the Championship went to Kaiser & O’Mahoney on best 1’s best 2’s. Its never over until its over!

Overall Results: