SAILING: Irish yachts competing at the MeesPierson British IRC National Championships at Cowes over the weekend enjoyed a comprehensive victory over the host nation in the overall stakes, as well as in several key classes.
Colm Barrington's year-old Kerr 40-footer Flying Glove emerged overall champion with Anthony O'Leary on Antix taking second place.
Meanwhile, Patches and Tiamat - Ireland's two newest racing yachts - had extremely mixed fortunes at the event and will now be looking forward to next weekend's start to the month-long domestic racing programme.
Five classes competed at the event, ranging from Class Super Zero, that featured a small selection of the largest racing yachts such as Farr 52 Bear of Britain, Ireland's arch-rival from last year's Rolex Commodore's Cup, down to IRC Class Three that included fast 30-footers and cruiser-racers such as Sigma 38s.
Barrington and his crew of regulars, including local professional Eddie Warden-Owen, counted five race wins plus two second-places in class zero to score nine points.
A seventh place was discarded and the Dún Laoghaire boat beat Jonathan and Lisa Goring's J133 Jeronimo by a very comfortable seven points.
Tim Costelloe's new Tiamat, the Mark Mills designed 40-footer that won the Scottish Series outright the previous week had a mixed series that included a first place, though the lack of consistency took its toll and the new boat placed fourth in class.
Consistency wasn't a problem for O'Leary and his team from the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Class Three. A slightly smaller fleet in this class meant his 8.5-point final tally from five race wins didn't oust Barrington, but did secure second overall as well as the class win.
Eamonn Connelly's brand new Transpac 52 Patches proved to be a head-turner on her first competitive outing at this event. Launched on Thursday, her first three races on Friday all resulted in winning bullets.
Her boatspeed and acceleration, especially off the wind, were vital to her performance as the highest handicapped boat at the event. Her pre-event rival, the Kerr designed 55-footer Aera, was reported in one race to have had a lead at the first mark of one minute.
However, by the leeward mark, Patches, under the helm of British Americas Cup skipper Ian Walker, had turned this lead into a two-minute deficit and the Galway yacht repeated this in every race that day.
By Saturday lunchtime, however, Patches was returning to Green Marine boat-builders in nearby Lymington after losing her mainsheet track in windy conditions while leading race four. Her absence for the remainder of the series left the door open for Bear of Britain to win class super zero, denying Conneelly's team a chance to continue its form and win seven straight races.
A large entry is expected to start Sunday's Pierse Dún Laoghaire to Dingle Race. At least 33 boats are expected.
