Pat Kelly’s family crewed J109 Storm from Howth and Rush began this year’s Celtic Cup RC 35 series with a win at Kip Regatta, the first big event of the season.
Dad Pat Kelly skippered the very competitive Storm with three generations of Kellys; sons Paddy, Paul and Ronan, and grandson David Jnr and, Ronan tells me, the long-standing crew members Kevin Sheridan, Mark Ferguson and Nin O’Leary, who call the shots!
The 11-strong fleet at Kip Regatta run out of Kip Marina at Inverkip in the Clyde, had mainly five light weather races over two days, 13th and 14th May.
Storm came through a very enjoyable tricky regatta in tight racing. Storm won two of the five outings but, after finishing first in Race 3, had to swallow a DSQ for that outing. This left the event wide open with Charlie Frize’s
Corby 33 Banshee and Ben and Jono’s J109 Mocking-J were close on points. Storm fought back on the second day to win Race 4 and take fourth in Race 5. That was enough to snatch first overall by two points to bring home the prize to Rush and Howth.
The expected battle with John Minnis’s Archambault 35 Final Call II from Belfast Lough didn’t materialise.
Next up for Storm is next weekend’s Scottish Series at Tarbert on Loch Fyne in an expected large class of RC35s.
As well as the Kip regatta, the Tarbert event, the RC 35 Celtic Cup series includes the Bangor IRC and RC35 weekend, the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta and Largs Regatta Festival.
