Irish J/24 Autumn Cup at Dundalk & Carlingford Sailing Club
by Michael Clarke 5 Oct 2004 19:32 AEST
2-3 October 2004
Over 100 sailors in 21 boats took part in Ireland’s Autumn J/24 Championship hosted by Dundalk and Carlingford SC and sponsored by the Loughs Agency, cross border body for sea loughs between Northern Ireland and the Republic.
Andrew Algeo and Ben Cooke in Scandal won in a tie break with Enda O’Coineen in Kilcullen. Michael McCaldin was third in Murder Picture and best among the six old Westerly built boats was Ron Finegan’s Just4One.
Race Officer, Michael Harris Barke, set courses, start & finish in Rostrevor Bay, at the foot of the Mourne Mountains, with windward mark under Carlingford Mountain, for two days of enjoyable, exciting racing, close and lively. International Race Judge, Paul Murphy was on the course. Some penalties were taken and no protests lodged.
Weather, strong wet SW winds with sudden hard squalls both days and Race 4 shortened when wind briefly fell light.
Crazyhorse and Virjin on the Ridiculous both RTD, each with rudder broken in a twisting hard squall during race 1.
The British J/24 Autumn Cup championship in Poole on the same weekend also had very windy weather.
Boats came from nine clubs, Carrickergus SC, Dundalk & Carlingford SC, Lough Erne YC, Lough Neagh SC, National YC, Portaferry SC, Royal Irish YC, Royal St George YC, and Western Yacht Club (five hours tow by road).
Scandal received the Autumn Championship Trophy (a fine cased full model of a J/24) and First Prize
Kilcullen received Second Prize, and Murder Picture Third Prize. Just4One received the Prize for Westerly built boats, of which six competed. Six Race Prizes went to Jay Kay (1st Race 4, 3rd R2, 4th R3), Sidney (2nd R4 & 3 R6), Gossip (2nd R5 & 4th R4), Taz (3rd in R3 & 5), Jibberish (3rd R1), Bád (4th R6)
Half the fleet had at least one race score in the top 25 % that is 5th place or better.
Overall Results: (6 races, 1 discard)
| Pos | Helm | Boat Name | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | Andrew Algeo | Scandal | RStGYC | 1 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 12 |
| 2 | Enda O’Coineen | Kilcullen | NYC | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 12 |
| 3 | Michael McCaldin | Murder Picture | LEYC | 2 | 11 | 2 | 16 | 1 | 5 | 21 |
| 4 | David Taylor | Taz | CSC | 7 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 30 |
| 5 | Tim Sheard | Jay Kay | LNSC | 6 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 24 |
| 6 | Simon McGibney | Sidney | WYC | 5 | 6 | 14 | 2 | 12 | 3 | 28 |
| 7 | James Byrne | Gossip | DCSC | 8 | 5 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 30 |
| 8 | Jerry Dowling | Bád | RIYC | 14 | 12 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 36 |
| 9 | Joey Kelly | Dandy Rocker | LEYC | 10 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 42 |
| 10 | Stephen Bradshaw | Jibberish | PSC | 3 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 11 | 22 | 44 |
| 11 | Gerry Jones | Justintime | RStGYC | 9 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 46 |
| 12 | Des Fortune | Hard on Port | RStGYC | 11 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 14 | 10 | 48 |
| 13 | Ron Finegan | Just4One | DCSC | 16 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 55 |
| 14 | Robin Eagleson | Luder Too | LNSC | 17 | 17 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 56 |
| 15 | Johnny Morgan | JAB | DCSC | 12 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 8 | 66 |
| 16 | Ruari Herraghty | Jaws | LRYC | 13 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 72 |
| 17 | Michael Clarke | Jeriatrix | LEYC | 15 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 80 |
| 18 | Tara Mooney | Jacquerie | LRYC | 22 | 22 | 19 | 14 | 18 | 17 | 88 |
| 19 | Ivan Slater | Jewel Purpose | DCSC | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 22 | 92 |
| 20 | Diarmuid O’Donovan | Virjin OTR | LEYC | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 110 |
| 21 | Frank Heath | Crazyhorse | RStGYC | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 110 |
This was the final event from which scores count for Irish J/24 Champion of Championships ranking and selection ranking for six Irish places at next year’s J/24 World Championship 2005. More news on these later.