Obsession and Canterbury lead Kinsale classes
The north easterly breeze was light and very shifty for the first race at Easter, with a strong ebb running. Crews had to use every ounce of their skills as positions changed at every tack. The officer of the day, Alan Crosbie, with Ted Ender and Giles Battcock gave the fleets a beat to Bullman against the tide and then spinnakers to Black Head and Hake. Then it was a beat again to Bullman and a harbour mouth finish.
In the second race, on a similar course, winds were forecast to go light and all 43 finishers met with huge wind shifts, slackening winds and falling tide.
In Class One the first race saw Barry and David Rose triumph in IRC from Anthony O’Leary’s Antix with the McCarthys third on Checkmate. But in Echo Gary Horgan’s Lobster came up trumps beating Obsession with Antix third. In the second race it was even hotter, with Antix taking IRC from Obsession and Checkmate. Echo went to Conor O’Donovan’s X-Tension, from Antix and David O’Connell’s Canterbury.
Overall now in Class One IRC Obsession leads Antix with Checkmate third. In Echo Canterbury leads from Antix and Obsession.
Class Two’s first race saw IRC co to Jerome McCarthy on Le Big Mac with the McCarthy Bros on Mac Magic second and Clive O’Shea third on Wicked. In Echo Le Big Mac won from Tom Brennon’s Respect, with Clem McElligott third on Sea Hawk. Race Two IRC was won by Le Big Mac with Mac Magic second and Pat Salter’s Affrica third. Echo went to Le Big Mac with John Twomey second on Cool Runnings Too and Mac Magic third.
Overall IRC is now led by Le Big Mac, Mac Magic second, Wicket third. Echo is led by Le Big Mac from Mac Magic with Cool Runnings third.
In Class Three Alan Bateman on Pathfinder won both races in IRC, in each case with Aidan Heffernan’s Argus second and Mike Sexton’s Granny Knot third. But an Echo victory in the first race went to John Doyle’s Atonic with Granny Knot second. In the second race Pathfinder took victory with Argus second.
Overall in Class Three IRC Argus leads from Pathfinder and Granny Knot. In Echo Atonic leads from Granny Knot and Pathfinder.
A total of 122 boats challenged for the O’Leary Insurances Munster Laser Championships at Baltimore, made up of 54 Standard Rigs. 47 Radials and 21 4.7s. They represented nearly every sailing club in the country. It blew force 5 to 6 on day on gusting 7, really testing for the juniors. One race which sailed by the conditions did not ease and sailing was abandoned for the day. On Sunday they had an early start and got in four races under Principal Race Officer John Crotty. It began very fresh but gradually improved. The success of the event in such conditions was a tribute to the host club.
