Ger Owens & Mel Morris Crowned GP14 Irish Champions at Sutton Dinghy Club

3rd September 2023

Tight racing on Dublin Bay for the GP14 Championship of Ireland hosted by Sutton Dinghy Club

With seven top-two finishes (and four race wins) from eight races sailed, Ger Owens & Mel Morris took the GP14 National dinghy title in style in a tricky light air championship on Dublin Bay.

Three races on Friday were followed by another three races on Saturday and two on Sunday for the 37-boat fleet.

There were difficult conditions to start with, as Dublin Bay was flat calm. PRO Jim Lambkin kept the fleet ashore under AP for 30 minutes beyond planned start times on the first two days. However, the breeze filled in along the Sutton and Red Rock shore, enabling racing to start....tides and the lack of water in Sutton Creek were also an added consideration as racing extended past 5 pm on Friday. Ger Owens & Mel Morris, with a bullet and two seconds, led Race 1 winners Jane Kearney & Rebekkah O' Tiarnaigh into Day 2 with, Sean Craig & Stephen Boyle, Robert Dickson & Adrian Lee, Ross Kearny & Daniel Nelson and Race 2 winners Chris Bateman & Jame O'Dwyer not too far back in the largest fleet of the year.

Three light air races on Friday were followed by another three races on Saturday and two on Sunday for the 37-boat GP14 Championship fleet

Friday's racing was closely contested by 7 or 8 boats, but ultimately, Ger & Mel taking two bullets from the three races leaves them in an almost unbeatable position. The other podium spots are all to play for, with Ruan & Charlotte O'Tiarnaigh just ahead of Robert Dickson & Adrian Lee, with Race 5 winners Sean Craig & Stephen Boyle in 4th.

Two more races on Sunday allowed a second discard that altered positions in all fleets and on the podium aside from the overall winners.

Race Results

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Published in GP14

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GP14

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