Tuesday, June 13. 2006Report: J/24 Northern Championship. Carrick’s Taz and Bád First and Second.
Carrickfergus Sailing Club crews took first and second places at a weekend J/24 championship run by Coleraine Yacht Club from Portrush Harbour on 10 & 11 June.
The new 2006 Northern J/24 Champions from Carrick are Paul Barbour’s team in Taz helm David Taylor, crew Woo Kerny, Steve Ferris and Connor Brennan. Second overall were Steve Atkinson’s team in Bád with Trevor D’Arcy, Richard McCaig and Trevor Kirkpatrick. Carrickfergus SC now has two J/24 teams doing well in Irish championships and aiming for significant success in national and international J/24 sailing. Belfast Lough sailors looking for the best of top sailing sport at local, national and international levels, should look closely at the experiences of these two Carrick crews, and join them in the real J/24 action in boats that are significantly economic to own, maintain and campaign around this island and beyond. The J/24s are the world’s most numerous and widespread class of high performance fin-keel racing boats. Designed by Rod Johnstone, an American of Ulster descent, and 24 feet long, the J/24 keep her crew of five men and women busy in close sailing sport. The boats are all the ‘one-design’ in hull, sails and rig, so sporting success depends largely on crew team skills. J/24 sailing thus is real team sport where boats are close round marks and first to finish wins. Stark and simple, it does not suit all sailors. Many value handicap sailing’s handy excuses, a timed procession spread out round a course, then a ‘winner’ declared by doing sums ashore. Carrickfergus SC will host the next big J/24 event, the National Championship, at on 7-9 July. Twenty J/24s with 100 sailors are expected from up to 10 clubs. The Carrick club won much praise for its management of last July’s J/24 Northern Championship and J/24 sailors from around the island are keen to return for this longer three-day championship event. At Portrush, a fleet of International J/24 racing yachts with sixty sailors in a dozen boats from six sailing clubs, north and south, including the two boats from Dublin Bay, made Portrush Harbour base for the 2006 Irish J/24 Northern Championship on the weekend, 11 & 12 June. Third and fourth overall were top Dublin Bay boats, both from Royal St George YC, J-Spot, Richard O’Connor and David Hammond, and Just 4 Fun, Barry O’Neill. The best among five older Westerly boats, Stuart Harrison’s Jay from Lough Neagh SC, got the perpetual Kinnego Plate. Other prizes, presented by CYC Commodore, Bruce McFarlane included bottles of a fair golden liquid distilled nearby in Bushmills with hip flasks for all crew. The event was hosted by Coleraine Yacht Club from Portrush Yacht Club premises, with racing near to the harbour in the West Bay. The aptly named event sponsor was a local financial enterprise called West Bay Capital. CYC Race Officer, Joe Slater’s timely management secured the necessary three good races for an event by early Saturday afternoon before he wisely abandoned racing in a nasty strong and rising gusty south wind. Five of the J/24s up on the north coast at Portrush, including Carrick’s Taz and Bád, will be on loan to the Irish Sailing Association and Royal Cork YC and down on the south coast for use in September’s International Sailing Federation’s Nation’s Cup match racing final, the most important international sailing event anywhere in Ireland this 2006 season. This is the final among continental champions in a worldwide competition involving over 60 sailing nations. Later in September, several boats, including Carrick’s Taz and Bád, are expected to go by road trailer and ferry to Poole in England for the 60 boat 2006 European J/24 Championship. Other J/24s from Northern Ireland with European event plans include Lough Erne boats, Tim Rippey’s Jigalo, Michael McCaldin’s Murder Picture and Diarmuid O’Donovan’s Virjin. Northern J/24 Results 1 Taz, Carrickfergus SC, David Taylor & Paul Barbour, 1,1,3 tot 3 pts 2 Bád, Steve Atkinson, CSC, 2, 3, 3, 8pts 3 J-Spot, Richard O'Connor & David Hammond, Royal St George YC, 3, 2, 4, 9pts 4 Just4Fun, Barry O'Neill, RStGYC, 4, 4, 2, 10 pts 5 Jibberish, Stephen Bradshaw, Portaferry SC, 5, 5, 5, 15pts 6 Jay, Stuart Harrison, Lough Neagh SC, 6, 7, 7, 20 pts 7 Skipjack, John Kane, Lough Erne YC, 10, 6, 6, 22 pts 8 Jeriatrix, Michael Clarke, LEYC, 7, 8, 8, 23pts 9 Jezebel, Anthony Clendining, Coleraine SC, 8, 9, 10, 27 pts 10 Jigalo, Tim Rippey, LEYC, 9, 10, 9, 28pts 11 Sandpiper, Andy Sloan, CSC, 11, 11, 11, 33pts 12, Luder Too, Robin Eagleson, LNSC 13, 13, 13, 39pts Michael Clarke, President, J/24 Association of Ireland Email (new) michaelclarke719@btinternet.com Home 028/048-6862-1436 Mobile 079-2241-1443 |
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