With College teams from third-level institutions north and south and east and west, the annual Intervarsities Keelboat Championship in the final weekend of March in Howth Yacht Club’s J/80s was very representative of rising talent, and a complete spectrum of winds and weather over the two-day event puts skippers and crews through a very rigorous test.
In the early stages, things were only looking so-so for University College Cork Firsts skippered by Michael O'Suilleabhain, as they emerged from the First Flight one point down on Technical University Dublin. Nevertheless, they made it to the final, but even here it went right to the wire, as they came out of the lee mark for the final beat with the spinnaker snagged at the masthead.
Yet they sorted that in record time, and sailed the concluding beat like people possessed to take the win. We have to nominate the Captain for “Sailor of the Month” in a team-racing situation, but the total lineup was Micheal O'Suilleabhain, Sally O'Flynn, Cathal O Regan, Michael Carroll and Rosa Lyden.
