Fair winds at Killyleagh

Fair winds at Killyleagh

24 July 2019

AFTER a very wet and dismal Friday, the sun returned at intervals on Saturday as Killyleagh Yacht Club hosted its annual regatta.

While the rain stayed away, a fickle westerly wind made life difficult for the race management team as they tried desperately to find a beat.

However, for once, a good strong breeze kept up for most of the day.  The good sailing conditions saw over 70 yachts in various shapes and sizes line up on the main course to compete on the day.

The home club had their fair share of winners with first place in the Squib class and the Nautilus Cup, going to Steven Bridges and Matthew Bolton, while last week’s Narrows champion, David Hanna, in Blue, was left in second place.

Keeping it in the family, Clive Bridges in Honey B, under the helm of brother Don, claimed another first for Killyleagh in the restricted sail two class, keeping Adam Morrison’s new Achilles, Kili, in second place — still not a bad achievement for a first regatta.

SLYC unsurprisingly claimed both the River and Glen prizes with the ubiquitous Laragh and Kenny Smith reigning supreme yet again in the River class.  After a tight race, Mike Stephens and Glenoe won the Glen fleet — his first regatta win to date — while Hammy Baker put one on the table for QYC and SLYC as he finished first over the line in the Flying 15 class.

In the large dinghy handicap class, Alistair Duffin showed that he can sail them as well as he can build them, lifting the prize in a GP14, holding off the more modern Laser of Adam Fermor in second and the Greer/Bell 420 in third.

Ernie Kelly’s What the Rush II showed that persistence is key, finishing almost four minutes behind Peter Holden’s Go to Red, but still beating them by over a minute on corrected time, while local hopeful Movistar Bleu claimed a third position, beaten out of second place by just seven seconds.

Meanwhile in IRC2, tight racing between the EDYC Impalas saw both boats finish within 16 seconds of each other, with Stephen Lynn’s Mipaal winning their third regatta this year so far, keeping Peter Thompson’s Alcyone just behind in second.

Frank Petticrew, also from EDYC, in the majestic Magdaleyne, took the honours in the NHC1 class, holding off last year’s winner Lizante by over 12 minutes on corrected time, while in NHC2 Curran and Swail’s Escape had another commanding win — over six minutes ahead of their closest rival.

In the restricted sail one class Mark and Mandy Brougton lifted the prize for the home club in their Westerly Storm, Mannanan Mac Lir.

Club commodore Graham Chambers, was not set for an easy day, as he and his team not only provided a fantastic day at the club, with a traditional regatta tea followed by live entertainment, but he was also found in the role of race officer on the dinghy course.

After a year at university, Olivia Mooney returned to show she hadn’t lost any of her skills, taking top spot in the laser radial class, while Cody Halliday won the Toppers with an unbeatable two firsts.

With over 90 yachts taking part overall, this was a busy day for all involved, both on the water and off and  KYC would like to thanks all those who helped to make this regatta a huge success, including Jim Lindsay and Graham Chambers, who provided committee boats and a wealth of expertise on the day.

Results

IRC1: 1st What’s the Rush II, E Kelly; 2nd, Go To Red, P Holden; 3rd Movistar Bleu – R Killops.

IRC2: 1st Mipaal, S Lynn; 2nd Alcyone, P Thompson; 3rd Apache, J Gifford.

NHC1: 1st Magdaleyne, F Petticrew; 2nd Lizante, J Regan; 3rd Stardust, McCullough/Maxwell.

Flying Fifteen: 1st Fawke You, Hammy Baker; 2nd Final Fling, McCarthy/Rogers;  3rd Stiffler’s Mom, Brian McKee.

NHC2: 1st Escape, Curran/Swail; 2nd Triad, Robert Darnley; 3rd Shanty, B White.

NHC Restricted Sail 1: 1st Mannanan Mac Lir, M & M Broughton; 2nd Madrigal of Saltash, S Dow; 3rd Wild Honey, G McDowell.

Rivers: 1st Laragh, K Smith; 2nd Gweebarra, Cunningham, Marten, Brooks; 3rd Shimna, Andrews & Andrews.

Glens: 1st Glenoe, M Stephens; 2nd Glen Lark, R Aiken; 3rd Glen Moyle, C Mackenzie.

NHC Restricted Sail 2:  1st Honey B, C Bridges; 2nd Kili, A Morrison; 3rd Umlani, R & S Edwards.

Squib: 1st Firecracker, S Bridges; 2nd Blue, D Hanna; 3rd Volante, S Watson.

Dinghy Handicap 1134 & under: 1st GP14, Alistair Duffin;  2nd Laser, Adam Fermor; 3rd 420, Emma Greer/Lucy Bell.

Topper: 1st Cody Halliday.

Laser Radial: 1st Olivia Mooney.