One of the closest ever set of results in the seven-year history of the event saw organisers of Dublin Bay Sailing Club's Equity Bank Challenge resort to fine tie-breakers to determine the overall winner of the four race, no discard series. However, only a pre-event rule excluding the Sigma 33 class from winning denied the best performing boat of the series the title.
Three crews made the final tiebreaker with Enda Connellan's Space Odyssey, Colm Barrington's Velvet Glove and Gwillym Evans Welsh entry Corwynt III all level on six points by yesterday evening. Working off performance and best results, Barrington and Connellan were eliminated and the overall trophy and Irish Sea IRC Championship title departed for Wales for the first time.
Four classes competed in the event that is deliberately aimed at the larger boat end of the Irish Sea sailing spectrum and specifically at IRC handicapped boats. Fifty-one boats competed with numbers boosted by the Sigma 33 footers, the first time that one-designs have been permitted to compete. Being one-designs meant, however, they were ineligible for the IRC title thus denying Tim Goodbody the overall title after his four straight wins.
Space Odyssey didn't leave empty-handed however, having convincingly won Class Two with two firsts and two second places. Along with Corwynt III's victory in Class Zero, the duel Royal Irish YC/Royal St George YC boat also underpinned the "Georgian Fare" line-up to win the team prize.
Meanwhile, Noel Butler and Garth Ablett of the Dun Laoghaire Motor YC had a highly creditable top 10 result at the Laser 2 World Championship that ended on Saturday in Kingston, Ontario. The pair ended in eighth out of 90 boats and counted a fourth as their best result in five races.
