Irish Eastern J/24 Championship at Royal Alfred Yacht Club

Desmond Fortune, Royal St George YC in Hard on Port emerged Irish J/24 Eastern Champion after six excellent races on the weekend 15 & 16 May, in a sparkling summer wind on Dublin Bay, and organised by The Royal Alfred Yacht Club within its traditional Baily Bowl weekend event for several fleets of one-design keelboat classes.

The bonus points scoring system was used. Second overall was David Taylor in Taz from Carickfergus SC in a tie break with third Enda O’Coineen’s Kilcullen, National YC. Fourth was Bryan Maguire, Royal Irish YC, in Cries of Passion, past Eastern and 1999 National Champion. Narrowly fifth, after being third overnight, was Joey Kelly from Lough Erne YC in Dandy Rocker, one of yet another three J/24s recently imported from Britain, Holland and Italy.

In all, five J/24s were towed by road to Dublin Bay from Belfast, Strangford and Carlingford Loughs, on the coast, and from Loughs Erne and Ree inland. This typical range of travelling J/24s shows how over 60 International J/24s are spread out and active across the island. A fortnight after this Baily Bowl event, the next J/24 outing is the Aghinver Western J/24 Championship at Lough Erne YC on 29 & 30 May, where up to 20 boats and 100 sailors are expected.

Aghinver Boat Company is sponsor for this third J/24 event in a circuit of six that includes June’s Northerns on Lough Neagh, August’s Silver Anniversary 25th National Championship at RStGYC, and October’s Autumn Trophy on Carlingford. Results count towards Irish J/24 Champions of Championships trophies, and six places at the 2005 World Championship, which will be easier to get to than usual since a world-wide rotation puts it in Britain next year.

The Baily Bowl J/24 racing was tight, fair and hugely enjoyable, except for Ron Finegan in Just 4 One, who lost a burst winch overboard and sailed only two races. RAYC’s efficient race team neatly moved marks when wind shifted to keep legs true windward-leeward and no time was lost between races. In superb sport, crew skills were paramount with no scope for mistakes. Champion, Desmond Fortune’s very experienced crew helped him make two first and two second places and overall winning position made very clear by bonus point scoring. Typical of tight Irish J/24 racing, five boats shared first places in the six races, including Stephen Bradshaw’s Jibberish, Strangford SC. Four shared second places, including Peter Gray in Jana, Lough Ree YC. Third places were shared among five, including, both RStGYC, Richard O’Connor, Nivola, and Barry O’Neill in Just 4 Fun, recently bought from Holland. This boat, when last on Dublin Bay with a Dutch crew, won the 2002 European J/24 Championships, 50 entries from six nations.

Overall Results: