Irish Squib Inland Championships at Lough Derg Yacht Club
by Vincent Delany 16 Oct 2023 12:58 UTC
14-15 October 2023
Start line - Irish Squib Inland Championships at Lough Derg © Josh St John
Lough Derg Yacht Club in Tipperary hosted this year's Inland championship on the weekend of 14-15 October. Three UK visitors were made most welcome and we hope to have even more overseas Squib sailors next year. In all, there were 35 Squibs from all the Irish Squib fleets, which is more than attended this year's Irish Squib Championship in August.
Four races were held in the open waters north of the Corrikeen Islands with a windward/leeward course of two laps. The wind was shifting back and forth by up to 30 degrees, as can be expected on a lake, and the wind strength averaged about 12 knots, but varied from about knots to 16 knots ahead of a rain shower.
Inevitably the anxious competitors pushed the line too hard at the first race and created a general recall. After the restart, race one was won by No. 24 'Femme Fatale' sailed by Vincent Delany and Joe O'Byrne who jumped on the opportunity when the four leading Squibs headed to the wrong offset mark on the first lap. Emmet Dalton and Neal Merry in No. 37 'Kerfuffle' took second place and Ian Travers and Keith O'Riordan in No. 785 'Outlaw' third.
The wind dropped a little for the second race which was won by Gordon Patterson and Ross Nolan in No. 820 'Quickstep III' with Cliodhna Ni Shuilleabhain in No. 51 'Mucky Duck' and the immaculately prepared No. 241 'Durt' sailed by Fergus O'Kelly and Rob Stanley in third.
It was apparent at this stage that consistency of results in this competitive fleet was a commodity hard to achieve, but one which would produce results later.
Race three was held as a rainsquall crossed the Lough and again it was won by 'Quickstep' ahead of 'Durt' and 'Outlaw'.
Due to a weather forecast of little or no wind on Sunday, Liam Moloney the race officer decided to proceed with a fourth race in lighter winds. This one was won by 'Outlaw' from last year's bridesmaids David Stewart and Brian Hare in No. 871 'Granat' and No. 100 'Fagan' sailed by James and Harvey Matthews.
Following the racing there was an opportunity to see Wales (supported by Ireland) playing Argentina and Ireland (supported by Wales) play New Zealand in the quarter finals of the Rugby World Cup.
At the prize-giving, an innovation was to present prizes to the leading Hunter built Squibs, and the Commodore of LDYC, Declan Mulcahy invited all the competitors and their friends back for the Inland Championships next year on 12 and 13 October 2024.
Overall Results:
Pos | Fleet | Boat Name | Sail | Helm | Crew | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Pts |
1 | SQUIB | Outlaw | 785 | Ian Travers | Keith O'Riordan | Kinsale Yacht | 3 | ‑13 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
2 | SQUIB | Durt | 241 | Fergus O'Kelly | Rob Stanley | Howth Yacht | 6 | 3 | 2 | ‑9 | 11 |
3 | SQUIB | Fagin | 100 | James Matthews | Harvey Matthews | Kinsale Yacht | ‑8 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
4 | SQUIB | Quickstep | 820 | Gordon Patterson | Ross Nolan | Royal North of Ireland | (RET) | 1 | 1 | 11 | 13 |
5 | SQUIB | Mucky | 51 | Cliodhna Ni Shuilleabhain | Michael O'Sullivan | Kinsale Yacht | 7 | 2 | ‑9 | 6 | 15 |
6 | SQUIB | Squib | 11 | Dick Batt | Pamela Batt | Royal Victoria | 5 | 5 | 5 | ‑7 | 15 |
7 | SQUIB | Femme Fatale | 24 | Vincent Delany | Joe O' Byrne | LDYC/RstGYC | 1 | 8 | 7 | ‑15 | 16 |
8 | SQUIB | Ruby Blue | 35 | Aidan O'Connell | Cian Lynch | RIYC | 4 | 7 | 6 | ‑14 | 17 |
9 | SQUIB | Kerfuffle | 37 | Emmet Dalton | Neal Merry | Howth Yacht | 2 | ‑12 | 8 | 10 | 20 |
10 | SQUIB | Granat | 871 | David Stewart | Brian Hare | RIYC | 14 | 10 | ‑23 | 2 | 26 |
11 | SQUIB | Misfire | 127 | David McFarlane | Tadg Murphy | LDYC | ‑13 | 9 | 12 | 5 | 26 |
12 | SQUIB | Big Shadow | 869 | Jill Somerville | Tom McMahon | Howth Yacht | 10 | ‑22 | 13 | 4 | 27 |
13 | SQUIB | Gizmo | 746 | Johnny Park | Bob Stinson | RNIYC | 11 | ‑19 | 16 | 8 | 35 |
14 | SQUIB | Toy for the Boys | 818 | Peter Wallace | Kevin Thomas | RNIYC | 9 | ‑21 | 19 | 12 | 40 |
15 | SQUIB | Flora | 643 | Bobby Nash | Una Leader | Kinsale Yacht | 18 | 11 | 14 | ‑18 | 42 |
16 | SQUIB | Alkypops | 836 | Garreth Pritchard | Steve Panard McQuirk | Holyhead | 15 | 15 | ‑18 | 13 | 43 |
17 | SQUIB | Slipstream | 102 | R Marshall | N Logan | Killyleagh | ‑22 | 6 | 20 | 21 | 47 |
18 | SQUIB | Klipbok | 89 | Mikey Carroll | Michael Carroll | Kinsale Yacht | ‑16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 47 |
19 | SQUIB | Cool beans | 770 | Thomas O'Reilly | Peter Malone | Howth YC | ‑21 | 17 | 11 | 20 | 48 |
20 | SQUIB | Beesknees | 97 | Frank McGowan | Richard Callanan | Kinsale Yachy | 12 | 18 | ‑26 | 23 | 53 |
21 | SQUIB | Siadwel | 878 | Tudor Roberts | Ieuan Williams | Holyhead | 19 | ‑20 | 17 | 19 | 54 |
22 | SQUIB | Adora | 510 | Ciaran O'Farrell | Catherine Staines | LDYC | 23 | 23 | 10 | ‑25 | 55 |
23 | SQUIB | Squibble | 581 | Joe Gilmartin | Dan Larkin | LDYC | 20 | ‑27 | 22 | 17 | 58 |
24 | SQUIB | Boadacious | 391 | Fergal Keating | David Maher | LDYC | ‑25 | 14 | 24 | 24 | 62 |
25 | SQUIB | Supersonic | 94 | Patrick Birdthistle | David Adley | LDYC | 24 | ‑25 | 21 | 22 | 66 |
26 | SQUIB | Dorado | 477 | Patricia George | Billy George | LDYC | 26 | 26 | ‑33 | 28 | 79 |
27 | SQUIB | Lazarus | 483 | Jerry Buckley | Olly Kierse | LDYC | 27 | ‑30 | 25 | 29 | 80 |
28 | SQUIB | Samphire | 497 | Roger Jones | Sara Winward | LDYC | 28 | ‑28 | 27 | 26 | 80 |
29 | SQUIB | Fitz | 670 | Fred Campbell | Avril Fitzgerald | LDYC | ‑32 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 84 |
30 | SQUIB | Selik | 223 | Christine O'Malley | Anne Barrington | LDYC | ‑33 | 24 | 30 | 31 | 85 |
31 | SQUIB | Melody | 576 | Sally Starbuck | Des Carty | LDYC | 29 | 31 | 31 | (DNC) | 90 |
32 | SQUIB | Chocolate | 528 | Anna Furno | Saoirse Evans | LDYC | 30 | ‑32 | 32 | 30 | 91 |
33 | SQUIB | Joker | 504 | David Brosnahan | Dermod Hanrahan & Anthony Twomey | LDYC | 31 | ‑33 | 29 | 32 | 91 |
34 | SQUIB | Plan B | 494 | Pat Salter | Avril Lysaght & Matthew Ahern | Kinsale Yacht | (DNC) | DNC | DNC | DNC | 108 |
34 | SQUIB | Cá bhfuil Walley | 716 | Paul O'Brien | Jamie Fenton | LDYC/Arklow | (RET) | DNC | DNC | DNC | 108 |