Howth Yacht Club’s useful flotilla of J/80s provided all the right sail-handling and sportsboat challenges for the university teams competing at the weekend for the right to represent Ireland in the Student Yachting Worlds in France in the Autumn writes W M Nixon
And thanks to the extra availability of the committee boat Saoirse from Sutton Dinghy Club on the other side of the Howth Peninsula, Race Officer Scorie Walls was able to put through a crisp programme despite sometimes frustratingly light wind and the occasional interference of fog.
Pressure on Committee Boats saw Sutton Dinghy Club obliging with the loan of their Saoirse Photo: Conor Lindsay...
…while Howth’s own main Committee Boat Star Point was used as an on-site waiting room at the course area. Photo: Conor Lindsay
The efficiency of the programme was made possible by optimum crew-changing arrangements in the race area. For this particular event, Howth YC’s own big Committee Boat Star Point was best used as a sort of Crew Waiting Room out at the race area. But as they’d needed HYC’s other committee boat Sea Wych to run the J/24 Easterns taking place at the same time on a separate course area nearby, Sutton’s Saoirse obligingly came north round the Baily headland to do the business, and the show was on the road.
Howth Yacht Club’s useful flotilla of J/80s provided all the right sail-handling and sportsboat challenges for the university teams
The eternal yet ever-hanging backdrop of the island of Ireland’s Eye is an essential part of the Howth sailing scene, whatever the event. Photo: Conor Lindsay
A slight freshening of the breeze from the southeast ensured that the programme would be completed. Photo: Conor Lindsay
In fact, it was only when they came ashore that the pace slowed down with a slew of protests to be resolved, for the stakes are internationally high in this particular selection trials. But once it was all sorted, University College Cork skippered in style by Fionn Lyden of Baltimore were declared overall winners.
In previewing this past weekend’s J/Boat festival at Howth, we commented that UCC seemed to be on something of a roll these days, but now there’s no denying it. This latest university sportsboat victory at Howth comes precisely four weeks after UCC won the Intervarsities Team Racing in dinghies at Kilrush from 28 teams, skippered by Fionn Lyden’s cousin Brendan. Seems like not only are UCC Sailing on a roll - so too are the Lyden family of West Cork.
The winning UCC team with skipper Fionn Lyden second from left, Race Officer Scorie Walls third left, and HYC Vice Commodore Ian Byrne at centre congratulating the team
