It’s over 300 miles from Belfast to Baltimore in County Cork, and for many Northern Ireland Laser enthusiasts, it was a worthwhile trip last weekend for the ILCA Munster Championships.
Twelve sailors from East Antrim, Portrush and Coleraine in Co.Antrim, and Ballyholme, Strangford Lough YC and East Down in Co. Down competed across ILCA 4, ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 in a gathering of just over 100 in the Munster Championships hosted by Baltimore Sailing Club.
Tom Coulter from East Antrim BC and Portrush YC produced the best result with a win in the ILCA 6 fleet, and it was in this 36-strong division that creditable scorings were achieved by Ballyholme’s Daniel Palmer, who came 5th, and Lewis Thompson, who finished 7th with Charlotte Eadie also BYC at 9th. 17th was Callum Jackson of Coleraine and Portrush, with Sam Kelly from East Down 23rd. Jenna Reid (County Antrim YC/East Antrim BC came 30th.
And even Performance Committee Member Colin Leonard BYC/SLYC showed he can still compete in the ILCA 7 Class with a 4th overall and a race win.
Lucy Ives from Carlingford SC finished a close second in the ILCA 4, losing out on the win by just one point, and Autumn Halliday finished 29th in the 42-strong fleet.
RYA Northern Ireland said this was “a well-organised event both on and off the water with first-class hospitality”.