Four boats represented Lough Erne Yacht Club in a big fleet at the weekend’s Irish J/24 Northern Championship hosted by Sligo Yacht Club. John Patrick (JP) McCaldin’s Jamais Encore team finished second overall. Evening dinghy racing began with four races last Wednesday. Jo Thompson scored three second places in her GP14 Dinghy, Black Magic. On Tuesday evening, John Mulholland’s Jasper won the first and Michael Clarke’s Jeriatrix the second of two J/24 races. LEYC’s Annual Try Sailing Open Day is 1.00 to 5.00 pm this Sunday– seeking recruits, female, male, teenage to pensioner, families into Fermanagh’s most ancient sport, racing fast sailing boats on scenic Lough Erne.
On Sligo’s sheltered Atlantic bay, six J/24 championship races involved 19 boats and over 100 sailors afloat for superb challenging sport in sparkling conditions: dry and sunny, winds from hard squalls that knocked some boats over to dead calm, seas lumpy to flat. Sligo YC’s 4 J/24s hosted 4 from Lough Erne and 11 others from around Ireland, coast and inland.
Best LEYC boat and second overall was Jamais Encore, helm JP McCaldin’s best scores two firsts and two seconds. Jigalo, Tim Rippey made ninth overall, third Silver Fleet, best a fifth. Jota, John Buckley won a race, and made 12th overall, fifth Silver. Jet, John Carton’s best finish was a fifth: sixteenth overall. Come try sailing on any or all of Jota, Jet and Jeriatrix at Sunday’s LEYC Open Day.
Wednesday evening dinghy racing began its 2016 season on 18 May. Race Officer, Michael Clarke set courses from a RIB for four races: start line at Inner Bay mark upwind to Inner Limit Mark, crews squinting into a multi-colour sunset to spot the windward mark. The wind was West, Force 3, weather cool but dry, excellent for dinghy sport. Three boats competed: Jo Thompson & Johnny in her GP14 Black Magic, Michael Brines with Philomena & Brenna in his Laser 2000, and Hugh & son Finbar McCann, sharing helm in LEYC’s Laser 2000.
A modern Laser 2000 is faster than a GP14. Nevertheless, Jo helmed Black Magic into second place in three races, ahead of one then her other Laser 2000 rival. Michael won second and fourth races, Finbar first and third. Simple sailing sport fun: Jo’s three seconds, summer evening on Lough Erne as worthy of joyful pride as LEYC’s top sailor, JP McCaldin’s second, J/24 racing on an Atlantic bay.
Yet another second to celebrate: LEYC’s Diarmuid O’Donovan is in the crew of the Northern Irish boat, Derry-Londonderry-Doire racing round the world. Fourth in the tenth race to Panama further secured DLD’s second overall - 96 points besting Great Britain’s 92 points, third. Next race is to New York and twelfth to a line off Donegal. Thence the 12 boats procession sails up the Foyle in July.
Sunday’s Open Day at LEYC is a great opportunity to experience sailing on Lough Erne and to get involved in this most engaging family sport and recreation on Europe’s finest inland waters.