Irish Squib Inland Championships at Lough Derg Yacht Club

by Vincent Delany 17 Oct 2023 01:58 NZDT 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.

Kerfuffle No.37, Durt No.241, Ruby Blue No. 35, and Alkypops No. 836. on the run - Irish Squib Inland Championships at Lough Derg - photo © Tadg Murphy

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.

Commodore Declan Mulcahy, Ian Travers, Keith O'Riordan of Outlaw and Anne Barrington Squib Captain in Lough Derg - Irish Squib Inland Championships at Lough Derg - photo © Josh St John

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