Waterways Ireland J/24 Westerns at Lough Erne Yacht Club

19 teams for the Waterways Ireland J/24 Westerns at Lough Erne © Michael Clarke

Ireland’s 6 event J/24 circuit began with the Waterways Ireland J/24 Western Championship, hosted by Lough Erne YC on 23 & 24 April. 19 boats with 100 sailors from 10 clubs competed in 8 windward-leeward races on Lower Lough Erne, Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, in a moderate south east wind. Spring-time weather, cool but dry, even some sun amid lakeland scenery enriched an enthusiastic start to the 2005 Irish J/24 season.

Stefan Hyde, with a sharp young crew, had a remarkable success in Carabeg, one of seven Westerly boats competing, all over 20 years old. Second overall, they won three races, and shared overnight top places with John Patrick McCaldin in Jet, with a similar crew from Scotland’s Dalgety Bay SC, whose two OCS penalties on Sunday put them down to sixth overall, still wining the Westerly prize. All proof that. crew skills are paramount whatever the boat in J/24 racing. Another Westerly, Robin Eagleson’s Luder Too, Lough Neagh SC, got a Race Prize for 3rd in Race 3.

Ireland’s new Western J/24 Champion is LEYC’s Michael McCaldin, on home waters in Murder Picture and who has won this trophy on pervious occasions. Third overall were David Taylor and Paul Barbour, with another keen young crew in Taz from Carrickfergus SC, who will be among Ireland’s six at September’s J/24 World Championship.

Evidence of tight close racing included 8 first places shared among 6 boats and 60% of the fleet with at least one race finish place in the top 20%, that is 4th place or better. Finishes were often close, each next start soon after with perhaps too much J/24 exuberance at times, shown by the event’s 16 OCS penalties. One boat, James Byrne’s aptly named Gossip, and aptly 13th overall, took four of them, yet emerged with a Race Prize for wining Race 6.

This was real sport and hugely enjoyable. Boats the same, J/24 success depend on crew alone in level contest, not a procession of assorted boats putting in time around a course for someone ashore to do sums and tell them who won.

The 14 prizes, presented by Martin Dennany of Waterways Ireland, within its remit to encourage greater and more diverse recreational use of inland waters, included 8 race prizes for top race results to other crews in Bád, Royal Irish YC, Crazyhorse, Royal St George YC, Dandy Rocker, Dundalk & Carlingford SC, Hard on Port, RStGYC, Jigalo, Lough Erne YC, and Just4Fun, RStGYC. Two went to the Jester team, new owners and only boat from Lough Ree YC’s fleet and to Skipjack, LEYC, last overall, to reward and welcome participation, vital to J/24 event success.

Prize-giving thanks included event organiser, Shaun Sowden, LEYC’s new J/24 Fleet Captain, June Clarke and the Jeriatrix women crew for Registration, Bertie Forsythe, crane operator for a dozen visiting boats, John Kilpatrick, Catering, Fred Ternan, Race Officer, Peter Scott, Safety Officer, and all at LEYC for another excellent J/24 event.

May’s Irish J/24 outing is within the Royal Alfred YC Baily Bowl event. .J/24 fleets of 20 boats are expected in mid-June on Carlingford Lough, a popular J/24 venue, and in late July at a new venue, Carrickfergus SC on Belfast Lough.

Overall Results: (8 races, 1 discard)

1 Murder Picture, Michael McCaldin, LEYC, 1, 2, 2, 6, ocs, 2, 2, 2, 17pts
2 Carabeg, Stefan Hyde, RStGYC, 3, 9, 1, 1, ocs, 3, 1, 3, 21pts
3 Taz, David Taylor, CSC, 4, 5, 6, 7, 7, 15, 6, 1, 36pts
4 Crazyhorse, Frank Heath, RStGYC, 8, 1, ocs, 3, 6, 8, 5, 6, 37pts
5 Just 4 Fun, Barry O’Neill, RStGYC, 6, 6, 9, 8, 1, 5, 7, dnf, 42pts
6 Jet, John P McCaldin, DBSC, 2, 3, 7, 4, 4, 4, ocs, ocs, 44pts
7 Bád, Jerry Dowling, RIYC, 7, 13, 4, 10, 3, 6, 13, 4, 47pts
8 Jigalo, Tim Rippey, LEYC, 12, 11, 11, 2, 8, 12, 8, 5, 57pts
9 Dandy Rocker, Joey Kelly, DCSC, 9, 4, 8, 12, 5, ocs, 10, 10, 58pts
10 Jibberish, Stephen Bradshaw, PSC, 14, 8, 5, 11, 9, 14, 12, 7, 66pts
11 Hard on Port, Des Fortune, RStGYC, 5, ocs, 10, ocs, 2, 9, 3, ocs, 69pts
12 Luder Too, Robin Eagleson, LNSC, 10, 7, 3, 17, 11, 10, 11, 11, 70pts
13, Gossip, James Byrne, DCSC, 10, ocs, ocs, 5, ocs, 1, 4, ocs, 80pts
14 Justintime, Gerry Jones, GSC, 18, 15, 12, 14, 12, 11, 9, 9, 82pts
15, Just4one, Ron Finegan, DCSC, 11, 10, 13, 9, dsq, 13, 15, dnf, 91pts
16 Jorvik, Michael Norris, LEYC, 15, dnf, 18, 16, 10, 7, 17, 12, 93pts
17, Jeriatrix, Michael Clarke, LEYC, 13, 16, 14, 13, ocs, 17, ocs, 8, 101pts
18, Jester, Ciaran Killalea, LRYC, 17, 12, 15, 15, 14, 16, 16, 14, 102pts
19 Skipjack, John Kane, LEYC, 16, 14, 17, ocs, 13, 18, 14, 13, 105pts