The Squib Northern Championship went right down to the wire last weekend when the far travelled Ian Travers and Keith O’Riordan in Atomic from Kinsale Yacht Club won the final of five races to knock Dick Batt and Gordy Wright, the overnight leaders from Royal Victoria YC on the Isle of Wight, off the top spot winning by just one point. 

The Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club hosted the event at Cultra on the south side of Belfast Lough with a fiercely competitive fleet of 22 from Iocal clubs and visitors from Howth, Kinsale, Aberdeen and Isle of Wight. The host club’s Ross Kearney and Michael Wright finished third.

Squib Northern Championship overall winners Ian Travers (left) and Keith O’Riordan of Kinsale Yacht Club Photo: Lindsay Nolan

The tight nature of the racing was shown with the spread of first places among four competitors, with the first race going to John Driscoll and David Cagney from RNIYC, the second to Batt and Withers, with the third and last to Atomic and topping Race 4 was another local boat, Jumini sailed by Ross Kearney and Michael Wright.

Results from the 2024 Squib Northern Championship at Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club

Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club on the southern shore of Belfast Lough has a long-established Squib fleet, and this weekend (25th/26th May), will host the Northern Championships.

The entry list (download as a PDF below) is a respectable 22 with a good mix of local and visiting boats. If the weather cooperates, another couple of local entries may be possible.

Among the ones to watch are locals Gordon Patterson and Ross Nolan on Quickstep III, the far-travelled Ian Travers and Kieth O’Riordan and Ronan MacDonell and Lindsay Nolan from Kinsale, the always fast Peter Wallace and Carl Allen on Toy for the Boys and the defenders Terry Rowan and Andrew Vaughan on Dogwatch, all from the host club. A couple of returning national champions are certain to be near the top, Ross Kearney and Micheal Wright on Jumini and John Driscoll and David Cagney on Aficionado.

Also on a long trip to Belfast Lough are Dick Batt from Royal Victoria YC on the Isle of Wight, Mark Bradshaw from Aberdeen and Stonehaven Sailing in the North East of Scotland and Tudor Roberts from Holyhead.

Killyleagh on Strangford Lough and Howth YC are represented, too.

The forecast is to settle to a brisk and more manageable South Easterly of 14 -18 knots on both days, which will provide flat seas and relief from the very strong Northerlies and rough seas midweek.

The Race Officer for the four-race programme of windward /leeward courses is Sam Lyness.

After 12 races sailed at Kinsale Yacht Club's 2024 Custom Rigging Frostbite Series, Ian Travers and Keith O'Riordan sailing Outlaw were crowned overall Squib keelboat division winners on 16 points, three points clear of Colm Dunne and Daniel McCloskey in Allegro.

KYC Club mates Harvey Tucker and Harvey Matthews in Fagan were third on 21. 11 competed.

Kinsale Frostbite Prizegiving 2024 - John Stallard, Principal Race Officer, Michele Kennelly (Sailing Secretary of Kinsale YC), Daniel McCloskey (Squib keelboat division second place crew), Harry Lewis (Custom Rigging Sponsor) and second-placed skipper Colm Dunne Photo: Bob Bateman

Mixed dinghies

First in the mixed dinghies division after 11 races sailed was Mark O'Driscoll in the Laser 4.7 on 21. Second was Ben Fusco and Aisling Fiuza in an RS 400 on 28. Robert Hughes sailing a Laser 4.7 was third on 33. Five competed.

Mark O'Driscoll (left) was the Kinsale Yacht Club's Custom Rigging Frostbite Series mixed dinghies division winner and Rachel Bogue was the Topper class winner Photo: Bob Bateman

Toppers 

Rachel Bogue topped the four boat Topper fleet on 11 points, one point ahead of Fintan Tuohy with clubmate Ollie Lyons third on 15.

Kinsale Yacht Club Frostbite Prizegiving 2024 Photo Gallery by Bob Bateman

After six races sailed at Kinsale Yacht Club's Custom Rigging Frostbite Series, Ian Travers and Keith O'Riordan sailing Outlaw are overall Squib keelboat division leaders on seven points, four points clear of Harvey Tucker and Harvey Matthews in Fagan.

Springtime weather greeted the competitors for the third race day, with the wind from the same westerly direction as last week but moderate in strength to run a full programme of three races.

KYC Club mates Colm Dunne and Daniel McCloskey are third in Allegro on eight in the ten-boat fleet.

Ten Squibs are contesting Kinsale Yacht Club's Custom Rigging Frostbite Series Photo: Bob Bateman

The Squib class has recently confirmed its 2024 calendar with the provisional May date for the Southern Championships at Baltimore in West Cork now moved to 8th/9th June.

Kinsale Yacht Club will start their Winter Frostbite Series of dinghy and Squibs racing on Sunday, January 28.

It will run for six weeks for Squibs, Lasers, 420s, Toppers, and Mixed Dinghies, concluding on March 3.

Racing will be on laid courses within or just south of Kinsale Harbour, with a First Gun at 11:55 daily. There is an entry fee of €40 for single-handed and €60 for all others.

Registration is online or 10 a.m. in the clubhouse on the first day. Entry forms, SIs and all details online at kyc.ie

A win in race four meant Kinsale Yacht Club Squib duo Ian Travers and Keith O'Riordan won a cut-short Lough Derg Yacht Club Freshwater Keelboat One Design Regatta on Sunday. 

Four races were sailed on Saturday with one discard, but racing was abandoned on Sunday by Race Officer John Leech due to a lack of wind at Dromineer. 

A 35-boat turnout of the Squibs – boosted by a local fleet of 14 – meant the tan sails had more than triple the number of the other competing classes of SB20s, Dragons and Flying Fifteens.

Howth Yacht Club pair Fergus O'Kelly and Rob Stanley were runners-up on 11 points with Kinsale's James and Harvey Matthews, the father and son winners of July's southern championships, continued their good form to finish on the same 11 points but be third overall after countback.

Squib National Champions Gordon Patterson and Ross Nolan from Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club on Belfast Lough are among 33 class entries that will compete this weekend at Lough Derg Yacht Club's Freshwater Keelboat Regatta in County Tipperary.

Other entries include six Dragons, eight Flying Fifteens and eight SB20s.

The local Squib fleet at LDYC and at neighbouring Iniscealthra Sailing Club (ICS) in Mountshannon, has grown to approximately forty boats.

David Eccles and Mike Wright, in Inshallah from the host club, Royal North on the south side of Belfast Lough, are the new Irish National Squib Champions and lifted the trophy for the first time.

Second were Ruan O’Tiarnaigh and Ross Nolan, also from RNIYC.

The event was held on the first weekend in August. Inshallah dominated the scoresheet with three first places and an 11, and the OCS in Race 5 was the discard.

The 22-strong fleet counted a very strong local contingent, including many previous national champions. Competitors came from Kinsale, Dun Laoghaire, Howth and Killyleagh and were joined by Ryan Seddon and Leuan William from Wales.

Fresh conditions for the Squib National Championships on Belfast Lough Photo: Lindsay Nolan McCarthy

Friday's opening races saw a mixture of sunshine and squally showers, making it difficult to anticipate the wind shifts accurately. Race Officer Sammy Lyness got the fleet underway in light conditions on Friday evening, but a dying breeze meant that not all the fleet finished the race within the time limit.

The race was won by David Eccles and Michael Wright in Inshallah who established a lead at the end of the first run over early leader Vincent Delaney and Joe O’Byrne in Femme Fatale Royal from Royal St George YC. After a tortuous final run the committee finished at the leeward gate and after a period of sustained battling against a stubborn tide it was Inshallah first and Femme Fatale in second but the Royal St.George pair hit the finish mark and were forced to refinish losing a number of place to end up fifth.

2023 Squib Champion Inshallah in a tight weather mark rounding Photo: Lindsay Nolan McCarthy

Saturday dawned with an overcast sky, and the sailors faced a challenging day on the water with a northeast wind which produced a nasty chop. The weather gods were particularly demanding, with winds varying from almost dead calm to gusts that tested the sailors' control and tactical decision-making. Eccles and Wright continued their winning streak, finishing the day with another two firsts, an 11th and, unfortunately, an OCS, allowing them to hold on to their lead, but the following pack of Ian Travers and Keith O’Riordan from Kinsale in Outlaw and the local Peter Wallace and Martin Weatherstone in Toy for the Boys kept them on their toes.

The overall scores on Saturday night were intriguing, with Eccles and Wright in Inshallah, having discarded an OCS but carrying three firsts and an 11th, were leading on 14 points. The most consistent boat of the fleet was Quickstep, Ruan O’Tiarnaigh and Ross Nolan, whose discard was seventh, was lying in second.

As Sunday approached, the event was still all to play for, and hopes were high for two thrilling races to determine the champions. However, heavy rain engulfed the course, reducing visibility and creating unpredictable and shifty winds. The race committee diligently attempted to set a fair course, but the conditions deteriorated, and after several attempts to lay the course, the difficult decision was taken to abandon Sunday's race. This called for the championship standings to be determined based on the results from the previous days. With local boat Inshallah's consistent performance, they secured their victory as the new Irish National Champions.

The Silver Fleet was won by the local crew of Stephen Stewart and Kevin Thomas in Second Chance, just pipping Johnny Park and Bob Stinson in Gizmo and overseas Welsh visitors Ryan Seddon and Ieuan William in Siadwel. Sorcha Ni Shuilleabhain in Mucky Duck from Kinsale won the prize for the first female helm.

The event was sponsored by the Estate Agents Rodgers and Browne, and the organisers managed to ensure the success of the event despite the challenging weather.

The class now looks forward to the Irish East Coast Championships 2023 at Howth Yacht Club Howth Yacht Club on 9th and 10th September.

An OCS in race four proved costly for overnight leaders Ian Travers and Keith O'Riordan at Sunday's Squib South Coast Championship at Kinsale Yacht Club. 

The national champions were beaten overall by clubmates James and Harvey Matthews, whose consistent scoreline in the five-race series of 2, (3), 1, 2, 2  produced a two-point winning margin.

Three further strong wind races were held on Sunday for the 21-boat fleet at the Frank Clark Ltd Sponsored event.

Jill and Suzie Roy from Dun Laoghaire Harbour competing in the Squib Southern Championships Photo: Bob Bateman

Sean and Paul Murphy were third in a clean sweep for the host club.

James and Harvey Matthews, pictured with Anthony O'Neill, KYC Rear Commodore, (centre), were the overall winners of the 21-boat fleet assembled at the Squib South Coast Championships at Kinsale Yacht Club Photo: Bob Bateman

Second overall at the Squib Southern championships at Kinsale Yacht Club were Ian Travers and Keith O'Riordan Photo: Bob Bateman

Third overall at the Squib Southern championships at Kinsale Yacht Club were Sean and Paul Murphy Photo: Bob Bateman

Squib Southern Championships 2023 (Day Two) Photo Gallery by Bob Bateman

The Squib South Coast Championships are scheduled for this weekend at Kinsale Yacht Club, where the class has strong support.

Racing is planned for Saturday and Sunday, with the rules requiring that boats be kept afloat during the event, no hauling-out and no cleaning below the waterline by any means allowed during the championships. Pretty strict regulations to keep the boats in equal conditions!

As Afloat previously reported, the National Squib Championships were raced at Weymouth Bay in Dorset, hosted by the local sailing club last week on the south coast of England. In strong conditions, with winds up to 25 knots, they did not thrive. Kinsale YC’s 'Outlaw' (Ian Travers and Keith O'Riordan) was best Irish-placed, in 26th.

Squibs are two-person keelboats measuring seven metres long, originally designed in 1967 as a racing and teaching boat. There are 800 of what is a one-design class around Britain and Ireland.