A healthy tally of five race wins assured Howth Yacht Club that its defending champion Ross McDonald would be returning with the 1720 European Championship crown after nine races sailed at the 2023 Simply Blue Sovereign's Cup off Kinsale today.
After Friday's, somewhat controversial cancellation of all racing, the final races were completed today in tricky 'weight-in' conditions and a shifting breeze that challenged Race Officer Ciaran MacSweeney.
The ultra-consistent Atara crew drawn from Howth and Royal Cork in Crosshaven concluded the event with a margin of nine points over Wednesday's overnight leader Julian Hughes of Waterford Harbour Sailing Club.
Just one point off second place, Baltimore Sailing Club's Fionn Lyden finished on 32 points.
Team Atara showed a return to their 2022 form as they notched up five bullets and all scores in the top ten ((9), 4, 1, 1, 5, 1, 8, 1, 1) to be comprehensive winners and retain the Cup won last July at Cork Week 2022.
Julian Hughes's Waterford Harbour team on Root 1, who were only a point behind Atara overall going into Saturday's races and sailed well to take two second places but ultimately faced an OCS from Race 6 (that they were able to discard) and a 14th in race eight (1,2,2,2, 6, (25.0 OCS) 2, 14, 2) which shut the door on title hopes for the Kilkenny sailor.
After the disappointment of having all racing on Day 3 of the Simply Blue Sovereign’s Cup cancelled yesterday, sailors were anxious to get back on the water today and an amendment to the sailing instructions brought the first gun of the day forward by 30 minutes with the Race Officer and his team set to run off three races to conclude the 1720 European Championships.
Ross, Robbie and Co on Rope Dock Atara retained their European 1720 crown with five bullets out of nine races sailed Photo: Bob Bateman
The sunshine of the first two days was nowhere to be seen, but the conditions had moderated significantly from those of Friday, and the fleet headed out to the race area with full jibs and masthead kites. The records will show that Ross, Robbie and Co on Rope Dock Atara retained their European 1720 crown with five bullets out of nine races sailed – and after a shaky start this morning, they capped off their championship with two wins in the last races.
Conditions had moderated significantly from those of Friday for the last races of the 1720 Euros on Saturday Photo: Bob Bateman
The Root 1 team from Dunmore East can only rue their missed opportunity – a 14th place in the second last race that they couldn’t discard effectively sinking their challenge, despite two fine second place finishes in today’s other two races. Rope Dock Atara won with a total score of 22 points to the 31 of Root 1; had Julian Hughes’ crew on Root 1 been able to score a second, third or fourth place in Race 8 they would be European 1720 champions, but it wasn’t to be… Tight margins at the top! As if to underline that point, Root 1 had only a single point to spare over Fionn Lyden on Spiced Beef.
Root 1 Skipper Julian Hughes is presented with his second overall trophy in the 1720 Europeans from sponsor Hugh Kelly of Simply Blue Photo: Bob Bateman
The Baltimore Sailing Club team had two third-place finishes today to lock in the overall third place they had claimed after the first two days of racing. Interestingly, the finishing order of the series' final race was Rope Dock Atara first, Root 1 second and Spiced Beef third – fittingly matching the overall outcome of the series.
A big shout out to Robert O’Leary and crew on Dutch Courage who came home a very creditable fourth overall with just a single top-three finish in Race 8, but a string of finishes comfortably in the top ten. Anthony and Nin on Antix got pinged for an OCS in Race 7 that dropped them out of the top five placings overall. The team who claimed the last top-five berth overall was Dave Kenefick’s Full Irish, who started the final day with a bullet and a third place but slipped to a tenth for the final race. Spare a thought for the After Headcase team of Dickson, Mulloy, Ryan, Glynn and O’Byrne. They finished even on points with Full Irish but lost out on the top-five slot on countback.
The 1720 silver fleet prize went to Davie Ryan's Big Bad Wolf from the Royal Irish Yacht Club.
The forecasted build in the wind in the afternoon never materialised, and the race management team had crews heading back to base with a very pleasant breeze not long after 13:30. Boats were being hauled out from both Kinsale boatyard and the main pier in the town not long after.
Next for the 172 class is The Baltimore Cup on August Bank Holiday weekend and the Irish 1720 Nationals hosted by Waterford Harbour Sailing Club in Dunmore East on 21st-23rd September.
Read all Afloat's 2023 Sovereign's Cup Regatta coverage in one handy link here
Results below
