George Knights and DIT have qualified for the ISAF 2009 Team Racing Worlds. The top four teams from this years' Nationals were invited to the qualifying event in the RSt.GYC in Dun Laoghaire on 26th April. The one day, 30 race regatta in Fireflies, decided two IRL teams for Perth, Australia, next February.
Teams sailed each other five times around an M-shaped course, not until Race 24 had the 'Knights qualified, the last races left to decide Ireland 2. In league four, Trinity beat the Knights for the second time, and looked poised to take the second IRL spot.
In the final league, National champions Trinity had to beat Varsity champions DIT and win or lose the same races against UL and the Knights, and vice versa.
Both beat UL, then faced each other in Race 26. Winning with a 2, 3, 5 for much of the race, DIT marched through to win with a 1, 2, 4 combination.
In Race 27 the Knights destroyed DIT, and all Trinity could do was win their last race, but the Knights proved too strong.
Pa Hegarty's Schull team had previously qualified as IRL U-21 in the Nationals.
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ENDS
Results:
1st George Knights, 7 points
2nd DIT - The Deadliest Catch, 11 points
3rd Trinity College Cork, 12 points
4th University of Limerick, 20 points
Irish Teams for 2009 ISAF Team Racing World Championships:
Ireland 1 (George Knights): Nicky Smyth, Rachel McManus, Andrew Fowler, Eavan Gannon, Ger Owens & Rebecca Killian.
Ireland 2 (DIT: The Deadliest Catch): Marty O'Leary, Brian Fenlon, Jonny O'Dowd, Rachel Guy, Emer McNally & Conor Byrne.
Ireland 3 (U-21) (Schull U-21), as qualified previously from ITRA Nationals: Pa Hegarty, Billy Clarke, John O'Regan, Dermie Coughlan, Dave Barnett & Sonya Minihane.
