The J/24 National Championships were held in Foynes Yacht Club last weekend. 18 boats took part in the event drawn from all over the country.
Thursday evening was very busy with boats being launched and some final adjustments being made. Regisytration and Weigh-in also took place that evening, with a few having to run a marathon and have saunas to make the final cut, but perseverance prevailed, and everybody was at their target weight of 400 kgs in time for the first race on Friday morning!!
Foynes Yacht Club’s U25 J/24 team team were very busy making and selling sandwiches every morning before racing, with the proceeds going towards the upkeep of their J/24 Jasper.
At the outset, Commodore John Paul Buckley welcomed everyone to Foynes Yacht Club and wished fair and safe sailing to all competitors and hoped that it would be an enjoyable event both on and off the water. Mark Usher, President of the J/24 Association, said a few words on behalf of the J/24 Association, and Derek Bothwell, Race Officer, gave the briefing.
Eight races were held over the weekend, three races on Friday, four races on Saturday, and one on Sunday. Friday was an extremely tricky day o the water. The wind was light and shifty, making it difficult for OOD Derek Bothwell and his Mark Layers to set courses. However, they did prevail and managed to run three races. Saturday and Sunday brought a much steadier breeze.
Congratulations to Headcase (Howth Yacht Club) who were the overall winners of the J/24 National Championships 2022. It has been a great year for Headcase so far this year, winning the UK J/24 Nationals and the Kiel Regatta in Germany. In their prizegiving speech, Sam O’Byrne stated that they loved coming to Foynes Yacht Club, and that the standard of racing was one of the best. He complimented the Race Management, the onshore support, and the great hospitality.
Taking second place were the Kerry boys, Janx Spirit from Tralee Bay Sailing Club, and third place went to El Rico, Lough Erne Yacht Club, all the way from Enniskillen. Kinsailor (Kinsale Yacht Club) won the U25 category and took first in the Silver Fleet. Foynes Yacht Club’s U25 Jasper came send in the U25 category. Great competition all round!!
Thank you to all competitors for a very successful and enjoyable event, and to our Photographer Michel King McGibney.
Last but not least, a huge thank you to our main sponsors of the event, BCS Crane Hire Ltd and Shannon Estuary Marine, without their help and support we could not run this event.
Next up are the J/24 Eastern Championships at Howth Yacht Club, followed by the J/24 European Championships.
