Stampede takes up early running

Tough conditions on first day of Matthews Centre Irish Dragon Naionals

Shifting conditions and heavy gusts caused problems for the thirty-one boat Dragon fleet taking part in the Matthews Centre Dragon Nationals at Kinsale.

After an ideal start to the first race, conditions worsened throughout the day testing both the competitors and the race management team.

Stampede from England raced by Martin Payne, Jonathan Mortimer and Duncan Gundley won the first race, followed by Denmark’s Christianna with former World Champion Pol Richard Hoj Jensen, Shawn Kingston and Michael Barry on board in second place and defending champion Simon Brien, Mark Brien and David Gomes in Kin from Belfast third.

Former Flying Fifteen World Champion John Lavery, with Paul Maguire and Peter Bowring on Das Boot from Dublin added a win in the second race to fourth place in the first race to put them in second position overall at the end of the first day’s racing. A third for Stampede in the second race put her into the overall lead. Fourth place in the second race sees Christianna in third place overall.

Provisional Results Race 1:
1.Stampede (Payne / Mortimer / Gundley)
2.Christianna (Hoj Jensen / Kingston / Barry)
3.Kin (Brien / Brien / Gomes)

Provisional Results Race 2:
1.Das Boot (Lavery / Maguire / Bowring)
2.Whisper (Cotter / McHugh / Tavern)
3.Stampede (Payne / Mortimer / Gundley)

Provisional Results Overall Day 1:
1. Stampede
2. Das Boot
3.Christianna