Week four of the Autumn League brought a welcome return to sunshine, with a good turnout across both the Inshore and Offshore fleets. While conditions looked idyllic, sailors were met with light and highly variable westerly winds that kept crews and race officers on their toes throughout the afternoon.

The Inshore Fleet enjoyed fine, summer-like conditions, with a healthy turnout of Puppeteers, Squibs and Howth 17s. The wind hovered between 4 and 7 knots from the west, accompanied by a calm sea and plenty of shifts.

The Puppeteers and Squibs got away on schedule for their opening windward-leeward race, completing two rounds in challenging tactical conditions. The Howth 17s were also started on time and sent around a 6.7-nautical-mile round-the-cans course.

After a quick turnaround and some minor mark adjustments, the second race got underway. The only drama came at the start when Nimon found herself on the wrong side of the line, prompting a brief appearance from the X Flag before she returned to exonerate herself.

As the afternoon progressed and the breeze continued to fade, the Race Committee made the prudent decision to shorten the second windward-leeward race to one round. The Howth 17s were similarly shortened at the Island mark, decisions that were widely welcomed by competitors battling the increasingly fickle conditions.

In the Puppeteer fleet, Harlequin (Clarke) took scratch honours in both races, while Mojo (Martinez) and Gold Dust (Browne) claimed HPH honours in races one and two respectively. The Squibs may have been smaller in number, but the racing was no less competitive, with Crackertoo (Kay) taking the win ahead of Fantôme (O'Kelly/Barry). Among the Howth 17s, Deilginis (Massey/Toomey/Kenny) continued her consistent form to take first place on scratch, while Zaida (Houlihan) secured HPH honours.

Offshore competitors also faced light and shifting westerly winds, starting in 6 - 8 knots. Classes 1, 2 and 3 were set a windward-leeward course, while Classes 4 and 5 headed off on round-the-cans courses.

Unfortunately, the breeze steadily diminished and became increasingly unstable, making a second race for Classes 1, 2 and 3 impractical. Matters became even more complicated when the Committee Boat received word that the Garbh mark had gone walkabout, forcing the cancellation of racing for Classes 4 and 5.

In the Offshore fleet, Jeneral Lee (Kavanagh) took IRC honours in Class 1, with Lambay Rules (Quinn) claiming HPH. In Class 2, Symmetry (Korshunov) topped the IRC results and Maximus (Kyne) took HPH honours. Diamond (McMahon) was the HPH winner in Class 3.

The overall standings are beginning to take shape, with plenty still to play for. In Class 4, the battle at the top continues between Dermot Skehan's Toughnut and White Pearl, helmed by Malahide’s David Greene. In Class 5, Leeuwin (Murray/Burke) currently leads the way, though with catchup races and Demelza (Steffi & Windsor) leaping to the top of the leaderboard in last week’s racing, there is ample opportunity for the chasing pack to close the gap.

Back onshore, crews enjoyed chicken burgers in the Clubhouse and ice cream from Ice Qube in the welcome sun. Prizes were given for Autumn League weeks 3 and 4 before the evening’s revelry continued. A big thanks to Outcasts Sauna for sponsoring this week’s prizes.

With two weeks remaining, the Autumn League leaderboards are tightening and every race is becoming increasingly important. If the weather continues to provide variety, the final fortnight promises plenty more twists before the series reaches its conclusion.

Photos courtesy of Neil Murphy, Mary McDyer and John Furlong. You can view the full gallery or add your own Autumn League photos here.