The second day of HYC’s 2025 Autumn League, sponsored by Fingal County Council, saw the ominous predictions of heavy rain and unmanageable wind come to nought. After the blustery conditions of Day 1, there was a collective sigh of relief from both competitors and race management as they went afloat for the scheduled single race.

The two fleets, Inshore and Offshore, raced around the Club’s permanent summer marks and enjoyed great sailing in the 12–15 knot northerly breeze. The ebb tide, flowing in the same direction as the wind, lengthened the upwind legs and tested the sailors’ ability to balance between following the shifts and finding relief from the fast-moving water.

The Inshore fleet, comprising Puppeteer 22s, Howth 17s and Squibs, raced closer to the shore. With tactical options between heading towards Portmarnock beach for less tide or staying further east for more breeze, the winners and losers on each leg only became clear when the fleets converged at the marks. The Howth 17s took the honour of ‘best-dressed’ on the day, with six boats flying topsails. Deilginis (Massey, Toomey & Kenny) repeated their Day 1 victory to win on Scratch, while Ian Malcolm’s Aura topped HPH, and Isobel (B. & C. Turvey) took second in both. In the Puppeteers, Nimon (Nigel Biggs) remained unbeaten with another comfortable win, this time over Yellow Peril (Murphy & Costello). The youngest crew in the fleet, on Intersceptre (Matthew Knowles), secured their first HPH victory.

In the Squibs, Tears in Heaven (Tom McMahon) and Tears for Fears (Niall Monks) repeated their strong showing from Day 1, taking first and second on Scratch. Tears for Fears also topped HPH, with Halloween (Loughran & Hattaway) celebrating second place.

The Offshore fleet, made up of keelboats racing on handicap, contested courses further east in stronger tide and deeper water. In White Sails Class 4, the four-minute gap between Splashdance (J Beckett & A George) and David Greene’s White Pearl was erased by the IRC system, leaving them tied for first. White Pearl topped HPH, with Splashdance second. In Class 5, racing HPH only, Leeuwin (Burke & Murray) added another win to their tally, with Demelza (Lauden & Ennis) securing second in their first outing of the series.

Class 1 saw Storm (Pat Kelly, J109), that shares its loyalties between HYC and Rush SC, make its Autumn League debut, resuming its season-long duel with The Big Picture (M & R Evans). Storm claimed victories on both IRC and HPH, with The Big Picture taking second on IRC and Jeneral Lee (Colin & Kathy Kavanagh) second on HPH. In Class 2, Maximus (Paddy Kyne) bounced back from its Day 1 retirement due to a broken guard-wire to take wins on both IRC and HPH. Impetuous (Noonan & Chambers) and Pepperbox (C. Farrelly) followed in second on IRC and HPH respectively. In Class 3, Insider (S. Mullaney) and Alliance II (V. Gaffney) continued to dominate. After Insider’s double win on Day 1, Alliance II struck back, topping IRC with Insider in second. On HPH, Malahide YC’s youth team on Battling J (J24) earned their first win, with Alliance II second.

Race report: Neil Murphy

 Protests to be heard that may affect Class 5 - Report based on the results as they stood at 22/9/25   

Full results

Photo Gallery: Judith Malcolm, Robert Orr, Harry Gallagher, Stephanie Ennis