Irish IRC championship

Azure takes the trophies in Dublin Bay

Dun Laoghaire crews appeared out of the autumn mist on Dublin Bay carrying the bulk of the silverware at last weekend's Cruiser national championships where both class zero and one national titles were decided as part of the 10th Cruiser Challenge.

It was always a no-discard event that placed an emphasis on consistency over DBSC's course configurations but there were few of the 65-boat fleet who could have predicted that the Autumn championships would be cut to just three light air affairs from a scheduled five races.

After the abandonment of Sunday's racing due to sea fog it was the Dun Laoghaire Dubois 40 Azure (Bob and Bairbre Stewart) who emerged from the mist to retain her Cruisers zero IRC championship title against the biggest fleet of Cruisers zero mustered for several seasons.

But it's pre-regatta billing of the battle of the giants was some what short-lived when four contenders suffered disqualifications.

Gloves off (Colm Barrington, Royal Irish YC) and Cracklin Rosie (Roy Dickson, Howth YC were disqualified from Friday evening's opener for being on Course side (OCS).

It was a case of sudden death for both veterans as they were required to count a disqualification as part of their points tally, a clear advantage to the rest of the 15-boat fleet.

Similarly, John Killeen's Nimmo, a Dubois 36, the double class zero winner at Kinsale's Sovereign's Cup and Galway bay week also counted a disqualification after protest in race three putting paid to his national championship bid.

And in an incident filled two days there were further casualties in the big boat class when, in race two, favourite Voodoo Chile collided with Xerxes (Peter Redden) leaving the latter with a gaping hole just above the waterline.It forced Xerxes immediate withdrawal from the regatta and led to the subsequent retiral of Voodoo Chile from
Saturday morning's race.

By 3pm on Sunday with a lingering fog that put visibility down to 200m for most of the day, the final two races were abandoned leaving the overnight leader Azure as winners by two points and national champions in clas zero. The National Yacht club's Loose
Change were runners-up with Peter Beamish's Aztec II third.

In Class one, Dun Laoghaire's Frank Elmes sailing Marissa IX became IRC class one national champion beating the X-332 On-the-rox (Charlie and John Boyle) of Howth. Chris Power-Smith was third sailing Jostle.

In class two IRC handicap, the surname Byrne took gold, silver and bronze. Mixed feelings sailed by Colin Byrne beat the Elan 31 Rumdoodle (Declan Byrne) with Ian Byrne's Sunburn third in a very competitive 24-boat fleet.

The 15-boat one design Sigma 33 class was won by the class European champion Tim Goodbody.

The overall DBSC cruiser challenge trophy was won by Azure.

Dublin Bay Sailing Club Cruiser Challenge (provisional results)
August 22-25 2003
Cruisers 0: (IRC)
1. Azure (B and B Stewart) 8pts.
2. Loose Change M. Mitton 10pts.
3. Aztec II Peter Beamish. 15pts.

Cruisers 0: (ECHO)
1. Kind of Magic (T. Fox) 9pts.
2. Infinity (A. Chambers) 10pts.
3. Cracklin' Rosie (Roy Dickson). 12pts.

Cruisers 1: (IRC)
1. Marisa IX. (F.Elmes) 8pts.
2. On-the-Rox (C and J. Boyle) 10pts.
3. Jostle (C. Power-Smith) 14pts

Cruisers 1: (ECHO)
1. Jostle 6 pts
2. Marisa IX. 8pts.
3. Diatas Air (C. O'Mara and P. O'Neill) 13 pts.

Cruisers 2: (IRC)
1. Mixed Feelings C. Byrne 15pts.
2. Rumdoodle D. Byrne 16pts
3. Sunburn.I.Byrne 16pts

Cruisers 2: (ECHO)
1. Sunburn 6pts.
2. Rumdoodle 17pts.
3. Dochas J. Molohan 17pts.

Sigma 33
1. White Mischief (T. Goodbody) 6pts
2. Leewin H. Leonard 14pts
3. Boojum. T. Fitzpatrick and D. Lennon 15pts