Autumn League week one - a gusty start

18 September 2026
 
Autumn League kicked off this week, in true Autumn League style, with testing weather conditions. This is a familiar story, as it seems each opening weekend of Autumn League brings with it all manner of gusts and squalls. With the safety of the fleet at the forefront of the Race Management teams’ minds, both the Inshore and Offshore fleets carried out risk assessments before racing began. As we all know, forecasts are only predictions. At 1100, when the Race Management team aboard North Star assessed the Met Éireann forecast, it indicated average wind speeds of 10 knots and gusts of 20 knots for the period from 1300 to 1700. In the event, conditions proved significantly stronger, with North Star recording average wind speeds of 19 knots and gusts up to 29 knots.
 
In the Inshore Fleet, Sea Wytch anchored in a suitable position, with the Puppeteers and Squibs sailing a windward/leeward course and the 17s sailing around the cans. The team proceeded with the starts despite an average wind speed of 22 knots, expecting conditions to moderate.
 
North Star faced a challenging start to the day. After initially taking up position and laying the course, the RO team was ready to begin proceedings when the anchor dragged. The vessel was repositioned and reset, but despite deploying 60 metres of chain, the anchor dragged once more. Matters were further complicated when the chain fouled during recovery, resulting in a lengthy delay before racing could get underway.
 
Eventually, Cruiser 1 was started, but the challenges were not over. The start mark subsequently began to drift, requiring another delay while it was repositioned. Unfortunately, it continued to move, leading to a further postponement and less-than-ideal start lines for the fleet.
 
The single offshore race of the day was sailed in challenging conditions, with numerous boats opting not to fly spinnakers and a high number of retirements. Despite this, we saw the first results of the season. In Class 1, The Big Picture (Michael and Richard Evans) took IRC honours, while Jeneral Lee (Colin and Kathy Kavanagh) picked up the HPH prize. In Class 2, Symmetry (Anton Korshunov) won IRC, with Insider Again (Ian Martin and Stephen Mullaney) taking HPH. Class 3 saw Alliance II (Vincent Gaffney) secure the IRC win, while Shenanigans (Lee Douglas and Aidan Keane) claimed HPH. In Class 4, White Pearl (David Greene) topped the IRC standings, with Out and About (Terry McCoy) taking the HPH award, while in Class 5, Leeuwin (Jason Murray and Eamonn Burke) claimed IRC honours and Bandersnatch of Howth (Kyran O’Grady) picked up the HPH prize.
 
In the Inshore Fleet, VHF communications proved difficult due to the strong winds. The Puppeteers continued racing and, although a few boats encountered difficulties with their spinnakers, they were managing well in the conditions and got one race completed. Nimon (Nigel Biggs, pictured above in Autumn League 2025) took line honours, while Blue Velvet (Gerard Kennedy) picked up the HPH prize. In the Howth 17s, the seemingly unbeatable Deilginis (Massey, Toomey and Kenny) secured the scratch win, while Silvermoon (Cian and Archie) claimed HPH honours. The Squibs gracefully retired from the day's racing due to the conditions. 
 
As the wind continued to increase, with gusts reaching 30 knots, the Inshore Race Management team decided that running a second race was unlikely to be appreciated. Some of the 17s revelled in the breezy conditions but were also pleased to find the Committee Vessel shortening course at the West Mark. The fleet was advised by VHF that there would be no second race. Shouts of delight could be heard across the radiowaves as the inshore fleet crossed the finish line and headed straight for the safety of the harbour and the warmth of the Clubhouse.
 
The Race Committee would like to thank sailors for their patience while waiting for their starts, particularly given the conditions, and in turn the sailors would like to thank the Race Committee for laying courses despite all the rollicking aboard both Race Management vessels.
 
The Race Committee is planning to make this Saturday a two-race day for the Offshore Fleet in an effort to keep the series on schedule.
 
Best of luck to all sailing this Saturday, especially the Puppeteers, who will be holding their Nationals this weekend as part of Autumn League.
 
Any photos of this year's Autumn League are greatly appreciated - the link to add your picutres is here.