Although the 123-year-old Howth 17s are scheduled to start their fully-sanctioned club programme of weekly racing tomorrow (Tuesday) evening, five of the class’s most dedicated aficionados reckoned that the lifting of limitations - which had permitted only Training Races until today - was a pandemic-recovery milestone that should not go unmarked. So despite the fact that most reasonable folk reckon a Bank Holiday Monday morning merits a lie-in, at 1030hrs Race Officer Davy Jones had everything in place to set the starting sequence in motion at the HYC Starting Hut on Howth’s East Pier, and what is almost certainly the very first "real and official" race of Sailing Season 2021 anywhere in the Republic of Ireland got underway in a very pleasant and gently building south-east breeze.
Very properly, the winner was Ian Malcolm in the 1898-built Aura, a popular victory for someone who has done much to keep this ancient class in top competitive condition. And second was the Massey-Toomey syndicate’s 1907-vintage Deilginis, another boat whose owners have played a key role in the class’s continuing good health, which will see 20 boats afloat at full strength.