GP14 Leinster Championship at Greystones Sailing Club
by Dee Foley 24 Jul 23:14 PDT
12-13 July 2025
The 2025 GP14 Leinsters took place last weekend at Greystones Sailing Club. There had been some concern as to the impact this change might have on numbers as many of the fleet enjoy sailing in other Classes and types of boats.
We needn't have worried too much as 31 GP14s made it to the Greystones startline. Leading into the event, the form team this season was Team Gringles having won the Munster Championship recently in Cullaun. However with Colman Grimes & Ross Gingles unavailable the focus was on other form crews such as Keith & Matteo Louden, Alan Blay & Hugh McNally, Paddy O'Connor & Richad Street. Also in the mix is Ger Owens & Mel Morris who missed Cullaun.
An interesting aside is that 14302, recently home built by Kevin Donnelly in Antrim Boat Club and based on the Ginger Boat moulds, will be racing for the first time. Kevin has done a remarkable job and the finish is magnificent. Kevin has been able to tap into the experience and support of GP14 guru Alistair Duffin as well as GP14 technical expertise from across the International fleet.
The GP14 Leinster Championship made a long-awaited return to Greystones Sailing Club on the 12th and 13th of July, with 31 boats representing 16 clubs from across Ireland. This marked the first GP14 event hosted at the club since 2012, and it was greeted by glorious sunshine and warm temperatures as forecasted by Met Éireann.
Saturday: Sun-Soaked but Windless
Saturday morning saw Race Officer Jim Lambkin and his experienced team, including GP14 Ireland Class President Andy Johnston, head out in search of raceable wind. At 12:30, the call was made for the fleet to proceed to the course area, and a line was laid in anticipation. However, a general recall at the first start and then a complete drop in wind resulted in the race being abandoned. Despite a three-hour wait on the water, conditions failed to improve. The day ended with sailors enjoying the sunshine—albeit without a single race completed.
Sunday: Light Winds Deliver Close Racing
With everything to play for on Sunday, the fleet watched the morning flags with cautious optimism. Thankfully, by mid-morning, conditions improved just enough for racing to get under way. Jim Lambkin and his team expertly managed to complete three races in light fickle winds and strong tides, before the breeze faded once again.
Competition was tight across the board, but it was Ger Owens and Melanie Morris who delivered a masterclass, winning all three races to take the Leinster Cup in dominant fashion.
Keith and Mateo Louden from Lough Foyle Sailing Club secured second place overall, while local sailor Rob Lee and Stephen Lynch had a strong third-place finish. Special mention to overall fourth place Peter Brines and Leah Pedersen (LEYC) who are currently bronze fleet sailors, though I suspect not for much longer.
Fleet Breakdown and Racing Spirit
The event saw great participation across all fleet levels: 11 entries in Gold, 4 in Silver, and an impressive 16 in Bronze. Racing was close throughout the day, with narrow margins separating the front and back of the fleet—highlighting the depth of talent and competitiveness on display.
Though Saturday may have lacked wind, the event overall was a great success, combining high-quality racing, a fantastic atmosphere, and superb summer weather.
Results by Fleet:
Gold Fleet
1st place Ger Owens and Melanie Morris
2nd place Keith Louden and Mateo Louden
3rd place Rob Lee and Stephen Lynch
Silver Fleet
1st place Simon Cully and Libby Tierney
2nd place Neil Willis and Peter Sloan
3rd place Alan Pinder and John Zumerchik
Bronze Fleet
1st place Peter Brines and Leah Pedersen
2nd place Denis Cully and Matthew Street
3rd place Riaghan Boardman and Maedbh Butterly
1st Youth Boat Peter Brines and Leah Pedersen
1st Junior Boat Riaghan Boardman and Maedbh Butterly
Overall Results:
| Pos | Fleet | Sail No | Helm | Crew | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | Pts |
|---|
| 1st | Gold | 14256 | Ger Owens | Melanie Morris | Royal St George /EABC | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 2nd | Gold | 14214 | Keith Louden | Mateo Louden | Lough Foyle | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 |
| 3rd | Gold | 14185 | Rob Lee | Stephen Lynch | Greystones SC | 2 | 6 | 5 | 13 |
| 4th | Bronze | 14077 | Peter Brines | Leah Pedersen | LEYC | 8 | 5 | 7 | 20 |
| 5th | Silver | 14274 | Simon Cully | Libby Tierney | Greystones SC | 5 | 7 | 8 | 20 |
| 6th | Gold | 14143 | Marty O'Leary | Tom Moran | Greystones SC | 6 | 10 | 9 | 25 |
| 7th | Bronze | 13466 | Denis Cully | Matthew Street | BSC | 18 | 2 | 10 | 30 |
| 8th | Gold | 14270 | Norman Lee | Alan Leddy | Greystones SC | 11 | 9 | 12 | 32 |
| 9th | Gold | 14277 | Curley Morris | Treen Morris | EABC | 13 | 19 | 2 | 34 |
| 10th | Bronze | 14036 | Riaghan Boardman | Maedbh Butterly | SSC | 15 | 4 | 16 | 35 |
| 11th | Gold | 14235 | Alan Blay | Hugh McNally | Sutton DC | 4 | OCS | 4 | 40 |
| 12th | Gold | 13403 | Roy VanMaanen | Frank O'Rourke | Greystones SC | 19 | 12 | 11 | 42 |
| 13th | Gold | 14271 | Patrick O'Connor | Richard Street | Sligo YC | 10 | OCS | 3 | 45 |
| 14th | Gold | 14295 | John McGuinness | Donal McGuinness | Moville BC | 9 | 14 | 24 | 47 |
| 15th | Bronze | 13993 | Ben Cowley | Maximus Decimus Antonius Cully | Blessington SC | 14 | 18 | 17 | 49 |
| 16th | Bronze | 13999 | Joris Rooney | Nancy Rooney | Sligo YC | 24 | 11 | 15 | 50 |
| 17th | Bronze | 13955 | Paula Carthy | Muriel Carthy | | 20 | 13 | 19 | 52 |
| 18th | Bronze | 13865 | Jennifer Bryce | Vivika Timmer | Newtownards SC | 17 | 22 | 14 | 53 |
| 19th | Bronze | 14247 | Aisling kelly | Matthew kelly | Rush SC | 16 | 8 | OCS | 56 |
| 20th | Bronze | 14178 | John Borne | Meredith Greive | | 7 | OCS | 18 | 57 |
| 21st | Bronze | 14302 | Kevin Donnelly | Paidi Donnelly | | 25 | 21 | 13 | 59 |
| 22nd | gold | 13981 | Sam Street | Josh Lloyd | Blessington SC | 12 | 17 | OCS | 61 |
| 23rd | Silver | 14297 | Neil Willis | Peter Sloan | Greystones SC | 26 | 16 | 22 | 64 |
| 24th | Silver | 14105 | Alan Pinder | John Zumerchik | Mullingar SC | 23 | 23 | 20 | 66 |
| 25th | Silver | 14284 | Michael Collendar | Brian Walker | Mullingar SC | 22 | 15 | OCS | 69 |
| 26th | Bronze | 13353 | Des MacMahon | Pat Beisty | Cullaun | OCS | 20 | 23 | 75 |
| 27th | Bronze | 13569 | Tadhg McCarthy | Deirdre Foley | Greystones SC | 30 | 27 | 21 | 78 |
| 28th | Bronze | 14037 | Alan Butterly | Eoin Butterly | | 27 | 24 | 27 | 78 |
| 29th | Bronze | 14130 | Maebh Hawkins | Damian Hawkins | CSC | 28 | 25 | 25 | 78 |
| 30th | Bronze | 13238 | George Fitzgerald | Frank Mulqueen | Cullaun | 29 | 26 | 26 | 81 |
| 31st | Bronze | 14041 | Paul Soffe | Neil Soffe | | 21 | DNF | OCS | 85 |
