With the early part of the GP season packed with events it was great to see that nearly twenty boats travelled to Swords Sailing Club on June 7th and 8th to join the local fleet for the ninth O’Tiarnaigh Challenge.
This event has been sailed at this club for seven of those years and they continue to raise the bar higher and higher in terms of event management both on and off the water. Competitors at the O’Tiarnaigh Challenge are guaranteed innovation and excitement. Each fleet (Gold, Silver and Bronze) each has their own start and a series of nine races.
The top four finishers from each fleet progress into a final series of three races concluding with a “Medal Race” in which competitors count double points. This gives competitors who are normally further down the fleet the feel of “line honours” and with their confidence built, the opportunity to take on the Gold Fleet elite. Who said GP14 racing was old – fashioned? With a light easterly breeze on Saturday morning the Officer of the Day Peter Smyth skilfully presented the fleet with a series of courses that constantly challenged the sailors and produced some very competitive racing.
Tim Corcoran and Brendan Brogan continued their Tiger Woods impression with what seems an effortless display of continuity and skill in leading the Gold Fleet around the courses for most of the day. In the Silver Fleet newcomers Alan Blay and John Pearson were showing no difficulty in adapting to the GP14 circuit and in this there first event produced five wins out of the six races sailed on Saturday. In the Bronze there was more competition at the top but it was Cathal Sheridan and David Coote who were overall leaders at the end of day. On Sunday morning the wind had swung to the west but remained light and the race team did a splendid job in getting the final three races of the qualification series in.
With the top four from each fleet sailing together in the new format for the finals, the wind moving around to the East and strengthening a little everything was in place for an exciting afternoons sailing. Niall Henry and Ossian Geraghty lead to the windward mark of the first race followed by Gerald Healy and Brendan Martyn. With the leaders rounding the leeward mark the wrong way (SatNav on the way) and CorcoranBrogan passing Healy/Martyn at the Gybe mark the order at the top of the feet quickly changed. Corcoran/Brogan held on to win with Healy/Martyn coming in second followed closely by Blay/Pearson. In the Bronze fleet the Sheridan/Coote team were hitting form with a couple of great races showing off some of their new skills picked up off Mike MacNamara at Newtownards earlier this season. Colm OFlaherty and Brian Reilly led the fleet for most of the second race only to pipped at the finish by Tiger Woods (didn’t know he sailed GPs - hope he is a member).
The first silver home was Blay/Person and first Bronze home was Sheridan/Coote. With no discards and the final “medal race” counting double points everything was not clear cut. But with a dreary consistency it was again the Corcoran/Brogan team that took line honours followed by Henry/Geraghty and Blay/Pearson in third. This gave Corcoran Brogan their third win in the O’Tiarnaigh and very worthy winners they are. The GP14 Irish circuit continues with the first “major” – the Leinster Championships being held at Blessington Sailing Club on 28th and 29th June.
