Greystones Solo dinghy sailor Shane MacCarthy took third overall in the Spring Cup OK Solo 2019 in Holland last weekend.
GP14 world champion Shane MacCarthy is known for his exploits across a number of sailing classes, including the Fireball dinghy, but perhaps less known is his Solo dinghy form.
MacCarthy was up against some stiff British competition at the weekend as well as a crop of top Dutch sailors in a 31-boat fleet.
British Fireball sailor Tom Gillard took the overall win in his North/Winder ship from fellow brit Guy Mayger who secured his best finish at a Solo Super Series event racing with a HD/Winder setup.
The Wicklow helmsman can be well pleased with his solid performance using a HD/Winder combination as the sole Irish sailor and there are some great clips of MacCarthy sailing in the Solo vid below (but who chose the soundtrack?)
As regular Afloat readers will recall, the Greystones Sailing Club champion has been the owner of a double-chined Solo for a couple of years for 'messing about in' since 2016 and is a regular DMYC Frostbiter.
Like the beloved Geep, the Solo was designed by Jack Holt in 1956. The Solo dinghy is sailed in the United Kingdom, Holland and Australia....and now Ireland. Perhaps McCarthy has stumbled on a new class for Ireland as the love affair with single-handed dinghy sailing continues as evinced by the recent growth in Laser Masters division racing?
Originally designed in wood, competitive boats are now widely available in Fibre Reinforced Plastic (FRP) or composite construction (FRP hull and wood deck) as well as wood.
2006 was the 50th anniversary of the design.
Back in 2016, MacCarthy told Afloat had 'no serious Solo campaign plans but very much enjoys taking the dinghy for an evening spin'. Maybe this Dutch foray has heightened his appetite for more international Solo sailing?
More on MacCarthy's Medemblik's exploits in Yachts and Yachting here. Overall results here.
