Dinghy Regatta ends the summer sailing season in style

28 August 2016
Dinghy Regatta ends the summer sailing season in style

HYC hosted its annual dinghy regatta on Sunday.  We had a great turnout with 86 dinghies participating across eight fleets. The early morning fog burnt off quickly and participants enjoyed blistering end-of-summer sunshine and a perfect sailing breeze. Richard Kissane and the team on Star Point did a great job to get all races completed for the seven main fleets, comprising a strong fleet of Lasers (full rig, radial and 4.7s), Toppers, Optimists, 420s and a sundry fleet (Mirror, Feva, Topaz) with the top spots very tightly contested in all classes.

The largest class was the Optimist regatta fleet with 24 starters.  Stephen Quinn and the team on Sea Wych did a superb job of running three races in Howth sound – Congratulations to all the kids – everyone got around the course and got an overall finishing place.

The event was really well attended by local clubs especially  Malahide, Sutton, Rush, Skerries, Clontarf, RStGYC and NYC with sailors also traveling from Galway Bay, Spiddal, Lough Derg and Barcelona, Spain!

HYC sailors faired well in the results with Aoife Hopkins winning Laser Radial and Shane McLoughlan and Saoirse Kelly winning the 420 class.  Congrats also to Jamie McMahon (best placed Laser 4.7 – 2nd), Kirsty Quinn (Best placed topper – 3rd) Luke Turvey ( Best placed Optimist main fleet (2nd) and Oisin Kelly (Best placed Optimist Regatta 3rd)

Jason in the Restaurant made sure that all the kids were well fed and Frank and the team in the bar did a great job of making sure that parents and kids alike were made welcome and enjoyed the club facilities including complimentary teas and coffees. Commodore Berchmans Gannon presided over the Prize giving ceremony to close out a great event. A huge thank you goes to all the volunteers on the day for the slick handling of over eighty competitors managing everything from registration, slipway, committee boat, rescue to protests and results.

Event chairman Cormac Farrelly

​See all results here and on-the-water gallery here

Commodore Berchmans Gannon presents 1st prize in the Regatta fleet to Ciaran Kelly

The Commodore presents the Regatta Fleet Silver Medal to Tadhg O'Callaghan

Oisin Kelly - 3rd place in the Regatta Fleet

Commodore Berchmans Gannon presents Ganan Murphy with the Laser (Full Rig) Prize

The Commodore with the Laser 4.7 podium: Max Kavanagh (3rd), Jack Fahy (1st) and Jamie McMahon (2nd)

The Laser Radial podium with Aaron Rogers (3rd), Commodore Berchmans Gannon, Loghlen Rickard (2nd) and Aoife Hopkins (1st)

Commodore Berchmans Gannon with Topper Class winner Albert Ventura

HYC's Shane McLoughlin with Saoirse Kelly - winners of the 420 Class

The Commodore on the 'Optimist Class Podium' with Luke Turvey (2nd), Leah Rickard (1st) and Hugh Turvey (3rd)

Youngest sailor in the regatta - Dylan Cassidy