Blessington Sailing Club hosted the RS400s, 200s & Fevas for a very breezy weekend of racing incorporating all three fleets’ National Championships and the inaugural RS Fest. Blessington was, as ever, a very welcoming and accessible club on Friday morning. Plenty of space available for cars, campers, trailers and rigging of boats. Scones, pastries, tea and coffee are laid out for everyone in the busy club room. Entries were very strong for the event, with 25 RS 400s, 5 RS 200s and 25 RS Fevas, who are continuing their development streak!

Blessington Sailing Club hosted the RS400s, 200s & Fevas for a very breezy weekend of racing incorporating all three fleets’ National Championships and the inaugural RS Fest   

Strong winds and dark streaks on the lake promised fun racing for the first day of racing on Friday…. and so it was. After a brief delay, the 400 and 200 fleets kicked off with the first few races. Awesome downwind legs after such an extended period of light airs across the country were such a breath of fresh air (excuse the pun). By the end of the day, Michael Tyrell and team had already put away three races of the 9 scheduled for both fleets.

RS Fest Committee Vessel

Leading the 400s after Day 1 was Marty O’Leary & Conor Kinsella (Greystones SC) with three 2nd places, despite hitting the front in each race. Wins were spread out between Peter Kennedy/Stephen Kane (RNIYC, SLYC), Andy Verso & Tom Moran (Greystones SC) and Luke/Erin McIlwaine (Newcastle YC/CSC).

RS400s on Blessington lake

In the 200s, Jocelyn & Emily Hill from CASC set the pace with three convincing wins, a dominant performance that they would continue across the weekend.

Plenty of gear damage across the fleet caused a scramble on Saturday morning to fix rivets and glue slot gaskets in time for racing. Winds were stronger still and building; meaning champagne sailing for some, and lukewarm lake-baths for others. With one race completed and one boat dis-masted, racing was postponed ashore to see if it would moderate.

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Sarah Dwyer who was sailing in her RS200 was delighted to be back in the boat; ‘What a weekend to get back in the RS200 after a two-year absence! My crew, Flore, had a blast, a baptism of fire. The disconcerting bend in the bowsprit as the bow and much of the centreboard left the water had the adrenalin pumping, particularly as we held off a few 400s! We couldn’t touch Jocelyn and Emily Hill all weekend, but even that didn’t dampen the on-the-water fun. Congratulations to them both on a well-deserved gold. I love the Aero, and I’m sure it too, would have hit a few record speeds, but it’s great craic to share the experience. Big thanks to all the friendly volunteers in Blessington, also to Michael & Therese Tyrell, David Mullally and our friendly RS dealer, Kenny Rumball!’

"Entries were very strong for the event, with 25 RS 400s, 5 RS 200s and 25 RS Fevas"

Day two was a little breezier. With Fevas now also on the water in a strengthening breeze, race 1 gradually became an obstacle course downwind, trying to locate a good spot to gybe.

A dismasting in the breezy conditions

A few key 400 breakages ( a mast and a rudder) and some lesser issues, assured sailors that going ashore was indeed a good call. We waited for a possible abatement but it didn’t happen and we retired for the evening due to the regular 30-knot gusts.

Verso/Moran crept into the lead by 1 point in the 400s ahead of both Kennedy/Kane & O’Leary/Kinsella. Blessington, superb hosts throughout, kindly arranged to bus the visitors down to The Avon resort for an evening out by the lake. Uncle Liam kindly hosted an after-party with a firepit back at the club’s campsite into the small hours.

Weary heads popping out of tents were greeted by a comically wet and calm Sunday morning, with an early start time in the hopes of making up for the missed races on Saturday. Unfortunately, the lake had other ideas, providing a 90-degree shift that forced the abandonment of race 5, and a long delay until the wind settled. Two more races were squeezed in, which ended dramatically with thunder and lightning on the final beat, and 40 knots of wind as boats approached the finish. A graveyard of capsized hulls littered the gate and finish line while the squall blew through.

Verso/Moran did just enough to seal first place overall, while the McIlwaines leapfrogged from 4th to 2nd with a 1,2 on the final day. Chris Helme & Alan Claffey won the biblical final race, having led the abandoned race earlier. O’Leary/Kinsella ended with 3rd overall, a capsize on the last drop ending their chance of claiming second after overtaking ten boats on the final frenzied leg. Liam Donnelly claimed the Masters prize with 4th overall.

Day three, the Fevas needed another race to complete a series. As the wind was already shifting right, the team set up a course that by the first DW leg was already well skewed with all 400s and 200s coming to the left gate together, so the race was wisely abandoned on the second lap and the breeze then vanished…

RS Fevas waiting for wind on Blessington Lake

A few hours of waiting and finally two races were run with an ominous grey cloud formation looming to windward, which managed to reach us with a bang and 40 knots at the end of the second race, again flattening many on the water and allowing some in the 400s to make huge gains in the final race of the weekend.

RS400 National Champion Andy Verso Tom Moran with Irish RS agent Kenny Rumball

The Fevas had three races completed, the RS200s and 400s had 6.

RS Fest, RS Feva Gold Fleet winners - Jessica Daley Young Sally Nixon with Kenny Rumball

Bedraggled, dripping and exhausted sailors made it back ashore to pack up and eat!

Huge thanks must go to Blessington SC, the RS committee and event sponsors, RS Ireland, for the prizes.

The next RS200/400 event is the Easterns/Southerns on the 26/27 August in Wexford Harbour, SC.

The next Feva event is August 26th and 27th at East Down Yacht Club

Results are below

With just over three weeks to go to the inaugural RS Fest hosted by Blessington Sailing Club incorporating the RS200/400 National Championships, the RS Feva Nationals, RS Aeros & RS Teras, we thought it would be good to get a quick update out!

Entries are live and bookable on the all new RS Ireland Website, this website has been constructed to cater for all the RS classes in one dedicated website giving the entire RS Class Associations within Ireland a concise place for all news, information and entry links for each specific fleet! Entry for the Fest which incorporates all these classes is available here. Just find the relevant link for your class below and follow the few simple steps to enter.

Racing will be across two race courses, the 200s & 400s will start their National Championships on the Friday, racing through until Sunday. The Fevas & Aeros on course two kick off on the Saturday and racing Sunday too with the potential for a smaller course for the fledgling Tera fleet depending on take up!

RS Fevas

Camping accommodation is available on site in Blessington Sailing Club, however, it is booking up fast, even more of an incentive to get your entries in sooner rather than later! Blessington Sailing Club always cater excellently for camping on site… Coffee, showers & good vibes guaranteed!

RS Aero

The Avon resort is booked for Saturday night craic and entertainment for all the classes. Meal and drink vouchers will be provided, and within their food court, there is plenty on offer from the Big Blue Pizza Bus, Big Dog Burgers, Sweet Churros, Brew Twenty one and an outdoor Bar! For all the info, have a look here. The Avon Food Court has a marvellous selection of premium sweet & savoury food trucks to choose from. Take your pick and fill your belly while you take in panoramic views of the lake. See you at The Food Court! 

Local RS agents who are supporting the event, Kenny and his team have some great prizes available to raffle off with all proceeds going to the RNLI, the charity that saves lives at sea. Rumour has it that sails, clothing and boat parts are up for grabs, however you have to be there to win! Kenny & His team will be on hand all weekend to keep boats on the water with a trailer full of spares, tools, ropes, sails etc all there to keep the fleet on the water.

Charter boats are available for all classes, Feva, 200, 400, Aero & Tera. However pre booking at least 5 days in advance is essential as boats would need to be transported, rigged etc. Please do not hesitate to contact [email protected] if you require a boat!

Don’t forget to book in now for this fantastic weekend of RS Sailing at Blessington Lakes Sailing Club!

On the weekend of 6/7th May, a total of 28 RS400s and RS200s gathered at Strangford sailing club in Co. Down for the RS Northern Championships, the second event of the year on the calendar with the furthest travelled from Killaloe in Co. Clare. Fortunately for the fleet, they were met with sunshine, 10 knots of southerly breeze and a warm welcome from the host club…. bacon sandwiches included!

Several class stalwarts dusted off their boats after a long winter under covers, while others have been out training/racing more regularly. As there have also been a few new boats and personnel coming into the fleet, it was sure to be a competitive championship. Fresh from a win with "all firsts" at the RS Westerns, Luke McIlwaine/Ryan Wilson were sure to be in the mix; Stephen McLernon had upgraded his ship, now sailing with Edwina Ternan and feeling confident while never discounting Liam Donnelly/Rick Mc Caig. As it was to turn out, multiple boats showed impressive speed over the weekend. Relative newcomers to the fleet of Dan Sheriff/ Dan Corbett also impressed. Except for a windward capsize on the start line during Sunday's racing, one would have thought this pair had been sailing the boat for years!

Race officer Gerry Reilly from the Host Club Strangford Sailing Club and his team did a good job operating with an oscillating Southerly breeze in 8-12 knots both days, making for exciting racing conditions. Strong tides and overly keen racers, knowing that every inch on startline counts in this fleet, made for the early introduction of the Black flag, which quickly put manners on the 26-boat RS400 fleet.

The RS400s go downwind on Strangford Lough at the class Northern Championships for 2023

With shifty conditions and large tidal variations across the course, it was a “snakes and ladders” sort of day. It was extremely close racing at the top, and after four races on Day 1 (3 to count) put, Luke McIlwaine (Newcastle sailing club) and Ryan Wilson (Carrickfergus Sailing Club) in first place overnight (1,2,16,1). They were closely followed by super consistency of Stephen McLernon/ Edwina Ternan of Carrickfergus (4,1,3,2) and Govan Berridge/ David Coleman of Killaloe in third (5,3,5,3) with two races still planned for Sunday.

Following Saturday racing, there was beautiful evening sunshine; multiple debriefs and topics over cold beers and a BBQ hosted by Strangford sailing club. This once again reminded all the competitors how lucky they were to have been welcomed to such a location. Many camped onsite as well, keeping the fun going.

Sunday provided similar racing conditions to Saturday, with a shifty southerly Breeze, big tides and startlines playing a part once again. Race 5, the top 2 finished in that order, with Simon Hutchison/Ben Williams in 3rd place. That being said, going into the last race of the championship, there was everything to play for the overall title in Race 6.

Right from the final race start, Liam Donnelly/ Rick McCaig finished the series with a now trademark Donnelly pin-end start and, subsequently, the race win. Followed in 2nd by Govan/David and the Purdon brothers in 3rd. Notably, the top two in the series were not in the leading bunch as a match race ensued right from the start between McLernon/ Ternan (after some careful maths) and McIlwaine/ Wilson as they held each other to mid-20s around the first windward mark. However, a testament to their speed all weekend, McIlwaine/ Wilson did start making their way back up the fleet (much to the worry of the other boat) coming back to finish with a score of an 8th on their scorecard. Incredibly though, this was only one point off that which was needed to secure the championship, so in the end, the title went to Stephen McLernon/ Edwina Ternan of Carrickfergus Sailing Club, successfully overturning them in the last race.

RS400 Northern Championships winners at Strangford Sailing Club were Stephen McLernon and Edwina Ternan of Carrickfergus Sailing Club

On the same weekend, the RS Feva fleet had a mega turnout of 26 boats in Dun Laoghaire, so things are promising thus far in RS fleets in Ireland.

The next event for the RS fleet is the big event of the year, “RS FEST" in Blessington Sailing Club on 23-25th June, which is to cater for all RS400, 200, Feva, Aeros with camping onsite, activities and BBQ nearby at Avon RI. With even more boats expected to be there, including 10 or more from Greystones SC, Dublin, Cork and more, it promises to be an incredible event both on and off the water.

After last week’s crash and burn single race, this week, the RS400 Winter Series sailors at RNIYC on Belfast Lough were met by a more manageable 14-20 kts from the southwest, but about 10 degrees colder. Bob Hastings had done a good job on the RS 400 WhatsApp group rounding up and encouraging a good turnout, so 19 boats arrived on the start line. The female side of the fleet was boosted by the arrival of Sharon Corkhill in her first outing since motherhood, Jocelyn Hill in her newly acquired RS400 and Jane Kearney, recent runner-up in the Champions Cup.

The RS400 fleet go upwind at the Winter Series sailors at RNIYC Photo: Zac Dalzell

The first race start line was busy with a short line set and most of the fleet trying to pick the berth beside the start boat on the slight starboard bias. Robert Hastings got away cleanly to lead at the first mark with Peter Kennedy and Liam Donnelly recovering from poor starts by getting a nice right-hand shift after bailing out to the right. Hastings lost his mojo on the downwind, allowing Kennedy to take the whistle at the finish. Barry McCartin had overcompensated for arriving late for last week’s race by arriving early for this week’s race climbing his way back to 4th after his restart.

Tom Purdon and Purdon of Strangford Lough Yacht Club Photo: Zac Dalzell

There was a short delay whilst the rescue team attended to a couple of fallers, including Jane Kearney, who headbutted her boat and came off second best. Dan Sherriff’s mast was making ominous noises, so they called it quits too.

The second start was cleaner with Kennedy, McCartin (recently 4th in the Champions Cup) and Donnelly taking advantage of a left-hand shift off from the middle of the start line; this was the order at the top of the second beat, but Kennedy dropped his mainsheet and rolled into windward. This greatly amused the two chasers, McCartin keeping the lead to the finish.

The RS400 fleet gybe downwind at the Winter Series sailors at RNIYC Photo: Zac Dalzell

The third race was a humdinger with 6 boats vying for the lead all the way round, Tom Purdon with the lead at the first mark; Donnelly’s masterstroke was an early gybe to take advantage of a nice shift
and gust to plane into the lead and ultimate victory; Andrew Vaughan also took a lot of places on both downwinds, but in second place with only the last mark to round his spinnaker halyard knotted
and he slid down the snake to his worst place of the day.

12 boats finished the 3rd race, which was much less attrition than the previous week, but the windchill was playing its part and race officer Gerry Reid decided it would be prudent to get the fleet ashore
safely before any major mishaps and called off the planned 4th race. Congratulations to the evergreen Liam Donnelly for winning the day with scores 2,2,1.

Peter Kennedy and Stevie Kane were first in the single heavy weather race of the RS400 Frostbite Series at the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club on Belfast Lough last Sunday. 

Out of the thirteen boats that raced, there were only five finishers. 

Second was Andrew Vaughan and Callum Dalzell in second, the Purdon Brothers Tom and Sam, were third. 

Results are below.

Racing will continue next Sunday, 20th November, starting at 13.26. 

The RS400 Winter series kicked off for the 15th year on Sunday 6th, November out of Belfast Lough’s Royal North of Ireland YC.

For this very popular series, many people come to compete from all over NI, sometimes fly-in from UK & up from Dublin such is the rewarding format of racing, focused on fun!

With 20 entries to date, many boats started arriving in the days before, filling up the dinghy park to tweak and tune their beloved vessels before racing was to kick off 1.30 pm that Day.

Event PRO Gerry Reid performed the Briefing before sailing, commending everyone’s participation and the intention for 3 x quick-fire Windward-Leeward races each day.

The plan being to get on and off the water as quickly as possible so as to claim heat by the fire and have a beer/debrief of the day in the Clubhouse for a rest.

For Day 1 Sunday 6th Nov, the forecast was to feature SW 11-20kts, so an exciting first day in store beckoned. As everyone arrived, after a bit of chatting, rigging, some last-minute drilling and repairing as well as some uncovering their boats for the first time, the fleet hurriedly made it out to the start line. (Kites up on a reach, full plane putting a smile on everyone’s face before we even started!)

The first race quickly went into a sequence as 15 boats took the start line and got away at first attempt bar one; event sponsor Bob Hastings (1353) called over the line and even punished himself by capsizing as he went back round the committee end!

As for the other boats, they took off upwind in 11-15kts with Hammy Baker/Dan Sheriff (1006) leading at windward followed by BMcCartin/J Porter (1406) and Will Findlay 877. The leaders swapped on the downwind as the fireball-lightweights in 1406 got through only at the leeward mark/next beat to have issues getting their “simpler” asymmetric spinnaker down. This let Andrew Vaughan (1438) come back into the top 3 where he stayed on the second beat as a bit more wind right-hand side benefited. Come the finish, Baker/D Sheriff (1006) got back in lead for 1st, Will Findlay (who won this year’s Irish Traveller’s Trophy in 877) in 2nd place.

The second race kicked off shortly after, (9-12kts) this time a clean start with some pin bias and a strong flooding tide against you meant each boat had to get laylines right.

McCartin/Porter (1406) got away to lead followed by Mikey Ferguson/ S Kane (1339) and winner of the CSC Autumn series L Donnelly/R McCaig (1405). The wind was shifting and gusty so finding pressure was key. The top 3 reversed as L Donnelly/R McCaig rounded 2nd lap in the lead, which they held on the run. In 2nd McCartin/Porter attacked-opting a higher planing mode and the last cross at the leeward gate it was super-close;  in the end, McCartin/Porter (1406) won by a boat length at a windward finish. In 3rd was Ferguson/Kane, Hastings/Higgins (1353) kept it upright this time for a 4th, Baker/Sheriff (1006) in 5th.

The 3rd and final race got off in 8-11kts and again port bias, lighter wind against tide making lay lines critical. There was some noise down pin-end as one boat bravely tried to port-start but managed to (just) tack under and get away. McCartin/Porter (1406) this time lead throughout a bit more comfortably, although kept honest by Ferguson/Kane (1339). Baker/D Sheriff 3rd, Hastings/Higgins (1353 4th and Will Findlay (877) rounding out the top 5 after a mishap in race 2. That concluded the first day of sailing as all retreated for a shower.

The event continues for six more consecutive weeks through to the final-feature Christmas Race on the 18th of December. As well as the 20 x Rs400s entered, there is an expected  12 GP14 entries that day as well which will include mulled wine and followed by a Prizegiving dinner party. Visitor boats are welcome to join for even 1 day or the whole series via signup here

This year's Royal North of Ireland RS400 Winter Series 2022 represents the fifteenth year of the popular Belfast Lough sailing event.

It will kick off on Sunday, the 8th of November, for seven consecutive weeks up to the 18th of December.

With a regular 18 boats on the start line and a bonanza of boats turning up for the last day, GP14s are joining the RS 400’s for the last day, known as the Christmas race. A further twelve GPs are expected for that.

Last year a record 20 RS 400’s entered for the whole series. The Series draws boats and very talented sailors from all over the country, with one boat travelling all the way from Dublin.

Last year's winners, Peter Kennedy and Stephen Kane won a hard-fought battle, mostly coming down to the last day, with relentless pressure from Andrew Vaughan and veteran of the fleet Liam Donnelly. This year will see additional pressure from other contenders, Jane Kearney, or Tom Purdon perhaps. 

A busy Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club dinghy park at last year's RS400 Winter Series 2022 on Belfast Lough

The PRO Gerry Reid said, “A typical Sunday race will consist of three quick-fire races of about 20 minutes each. We bear in mind that it gets cold for the competitors and the event team, so we don’t hang about. This all came about back in 2007 when a few 400’ guys approached the Club and asked about a few races around Halloween, this developed into its present guise of, three races per day over 7 /8 weekends the numbers just built. We are delighted to keep this event going despite an interruption from Covid.”

Racing can be watched from the shore at Cultra, starting at 1.30 Sunday 6th November.

Racing at last year's Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club hosted RS400 Winter Series 2022 on Belfast Lough

Last weekend, the RS400 and RS200 fleets descended on Lough Derg for the RS Inlands, hosted by Killaloe Sailing Club (KSC). Despite the October weather, the event attracted the largest fleet of the season. Perhaps everyone was keen to have a good nose around the brand-new facilities, as KSC has just redeveloped their grounds, adding in a clubhouse and boathouse and extending the dinghy park and car park.

With the forecast for Sunday threatening 30+ knot gusts, Race Officer Michael Tyrell scheduled four races on the Saturday.

The 17-boat-strong RS400 fleet kicked off the racing into a challenging southerly beat. Most of the sailors were used to compensating for tides and waves and so had the comparatively novel challenge of fickle lake winds to contend with. The fleet split early as everyone headed to the eastern or western shores to search for the best pressure. Perhaps it was local knowledge that won out in the search for the wind as Govan Berridge and David Coleman of KSC led at the windward mark, a lead they held to the race finish, despite the challenge from Marty O'Leary and Kevin Johnson of Greystones SC, who themselves kept John Downey and Sandy Rimmington from Monkstown Bay SC in third.

The second race was a stand-out victory for Paul Phelan and Alan Leddy of Greystones SC. They practically ran aground on the Tipperary shore before tacking to the mark and consolidating a massive lead that nobody could overhaul. Robbie O’Sullivan and Phil McGlade from Monkstown Bay SC, who had explored the Clare shoreline before, came home to second place, beating Peter Bayly and Paddy Blackley of Greystones SC to third.

Peter Bayly and Paddy Blackley of Greystones Sailing Club on Lough Derg for the RS400 end of season event

The third race was another cat and mouse affair, with Bayly and Blackley proving the eventual winners, while the almost inevitable split in the fleet probably gave them huge headaches about who to cover, made slightly easier by O'Leary/johnson breaking their boom clean in half! Berridge and Coleman took second place, with O’Sullivan and McGlade in third.

Killaloe Sailing Club's Govan Berridge and David Coleman were the winners of the RS Inland Championships on Lough Derg

The final race of the day featured the most lead changes, with the nip-and-tuck racing bringing equal measures of satisfaction and stress, as everyone continued to seek the best pressure across the width of the lake. Berridge and Coleman, eventually found the front of the fleet at the final windward mark and held on during the final downwind to pip Bayly and Blackley, while Downey and Sandy took the final placing.

Sunday’s forecast proved frustratingly accurate, and so the results from Saturday stood, with overall winners Govan Berridge and David Coleman taking the trophy to Killaloe. Second place went to Peter Bayly and Paddy Blackley with consistent showing by Robbie O’Sullivan and Phil McGlade earning them third overall.

While it may be obvious that the author wasn’t following the RS200 fleet, Galway City SC’s Alex and Martin Roe scored a series of bullets to take the overall win, with KSC pairing Pat Culloo and Susan Le Mignon coming second. Third place was taken by the Galway Bay SC duo, John Barry and Margaret Cronin.

All competitors, however, enjoyed the KSC hospitality and their new club facilities had a proper commissioning!

Report by David Coleman

In a year that Ireland has hosted the 505, GP14, Fireball, SB20 World championships, some of the other classes have had a quieter year.

However, the RS fleet has seen some resurgence with boats changing hands quickly already in late summer/autumn with sailors joining fleet for first time and some coming back to join the fleet after a year or two away.

Why sail RS? RS is a forward-thinking sailboat manufacturer, the boats are light, fast and fun, sure to put a smile on your face and a thrill for sailing.

The RS Aero has transformed the game while RS200 numbers thrive as youth/lighter teams come through with as many as 180 boats at UK Nats in Hayling Island August-2022.

The RS400 is the original "modern classic" RS boat. It has a wide weight range that combines power & speed with an asymmetric at an affordable price! Just take a look at this video from RS400 Nationals this year (in champagne conditions in Ballyholme. 

The RS fleet is scheduled to have the final event of the year 8/9 October in the brand new clubhouse of Killaloe SC, Co. Clare for the RS200/400 Inlands. The club already has an established RS fleet, with many more coming from strongholds of Greystones, Blessington and across Northern Ireland expected to travel.

Signup is available for the inlands for anyone thinking of coming, NOR, Entry Page, SIs and Whatsapp Group, all listed on the page with some suggestions for places to stay while Camping etc will be available at the club.

For those not yet with a boat but interested in joining the class, there is a Crew Union Facebook page below (anyone interested can join) and Class website here and the Irish RS200 / RS400 Dinghy Crews' Union (Facebook page)

The AGM is to be scheduled at the end of October and will decide Irish events for 2023.

Already confirmed for 2023 is RS400 Eurocup is the epic venue of Torbole, Lake Garda 29 May-2nd June and UK Nationals Mounts Bay SC 31st July-4th Aug with the same event strongly rumoured to be coming back to Northern Ireland in 2025.

It looked as if the RS fleets were in for a drenching on the second day (20th) of the Championship event at Ballyholme with torrential rain for the early part of the morning, then the clouds broke, and the sun shone on Belfast Lough. Winds were fresh with lulls at times and a less bumpy sea than Friday, but the breeze took a while to settle in the southwest.

Race Officers were Robin Gray and Sheela Lewis for the two race areas.

In the RS 200 National Championship after seven races Joycelyn Hill and Jenny Lewis of County Antrim YC are firmly in charge with another run of first places in the four races with Alex and Martin Roe from Galway some 5 points behind. Third place is held by the host club’s Martin and Vicky Dews who also represent Donaghadee SC.

In the RS 400 division Bob Espey and Richard McCullough still maintain the dominant place and were only knocked off the top once, and that was in Race 7 by Mikey Ferguson and Philip Adams from the host club. The Greystones pair, Conor Galligan and Evan Smith have hardly anything to play with, being just one point ahead of Ferguson.

Bob Espey and Richard McCullough RS 400 with Robert Hastings and Michael McAlister behind Photo: Simon McIlwaine

The Aeros, Fevas and 2000s had their first races for the Northern Championships and in Aeros had their first races for the Northern Championship and here Liam Glynn (BYC) leads by three points from Daragh Sheridan of Howth YC counting three firsts to Sheridan’s three seconds. Glynn was began racing in a Topper at which he excelled and has now retired from the Irish Sailing Performance Team. Daragh Sheridan won the Aero Nationals at the same venue in May.

The RS Feva fleet Photo: Simon McIlwaine

The nine-strong Feva fleet the lead is held by Ross and Ellie Nolan of Royal North of Ireland YC a few miles along the Belfast Lough coast with three wins from four races, with the Ridout family taking second and third places. Matthew and Peter were second and Emily and Annabel third.

Dave Fletcher and Ryan Smith hold a three-point lead in the RS2000s, having counted three bullets with Aileen and Dave Smith lying second with a consistent run of second places.

Racing continues today (21st) at 10.55hrs

Results downloadable below