Four-day festival yet again brings out huge numbers

Four-day festival yet again brings out huge numbers

20 July 2022

SUNSHINE and a good, steady breeze provided great conditions for the start of the largest event on the Strangford Lough Sailing calendar this year — the Narrows Series, a four-day festival of racing hosted by Strangford and Portaferry Sailing Clubs.

The event kicked off on Monday evening when over 80 competitors of all shapes and sizes lined up for the Bar Buoy Race, under the expert eye of race officer Gerry Reilly.   

For the first time a fleet of RS200 dinghies took part in the race and although Paul McMahon led the pack home, it was East Down YC’s Patrick Hamilton who won the dinghy class in his Laser, Trudi 5.

Peter Kennedy’s Team Ridgeway, took the Flying Fifteen class prize, while the ubiquitous Kenny Smyth in Laragh claimed the River prize for yet another year, with John Gilmore in Glenoe winning the Glens.   

Visitors Ryan and Brian Wilson in Elixir had an easy victory in IRC1, while Mark Mackey’s Mithril from QYC stormed ahead of the rest in IRC2.

In the NHC classes, home knowledge was key as Ronnie McLarnon’s Scotch Mist and Charles Slevin’s Casualen took the top spots for PSC and SSC respectively.

In the NHC restricted sail 1 class, Madrigal of Saltash proved victorious for Stephen Dow and EDYC, while clubmate Keith Carr took the win in restricted sail 2, with SLYC’s Robert Darnley winning the Sonata class in Triad. 

Despite the excellent hospitality from SSC encouraging visitors to stay late into the evening, over 70 yachts still managed to line up on the main course to take part in an early morning start on Saturday.

On the main course, the breeze certainly suited Peter Holden’s mighty Going to Red in the IRC1 class as he claimed a first place on day one, which along with a fifth and yet another first over the next two days, lifted him to the top of the pile overall ahead of KYC’s Mike Spence in Le Basculer in second. 

In a well-supported IRC2 class, Stephen Lynn in Mipaal took the first of his two first places at the event, with a second leaving him unbeatable overall, despite two seconds and a first from Mark Mackey in Mithril, who ended up second. Anderson and Corry looked certain to take the NHC1 class by storm, but despite two firsts, missing the last day of the event catapulted Scott Hagan and Midnight Express into first overall, with Rampart under David McIlveen in second.

In NHC2 the Sonatas from SLYC were too hard to beat with Niall Eames’ Mr McGregor taking three firsts and lifting the overall prize, leaving clubmate Robert Darnley and Triad in second overall.

Sailors from SLYC made up the entire entry in some classes, and in a shock result, Kenny Smith was only second overall in the River class with Peter Burrowes in Uladh claiming the victory, showing its always important to get the right course.

Similar issues in the Glen fleet saw Phil Martin in Glen Orchy take pole position, with John Gilmore in Glenoe in second.

Eight Flying Fifteens turned out in force and while the overall result was only determined after race three,  a consistent performance from Andrew McCleery and Colin Dougan in Ffast Antic, put them at the top of the table, two points ahead of Peter Kennedy’s Team Ridgeway in second.

In a poorly supported Squib class, Robert Marshall in Slipstream and Simon Watson’s Volante ended on equal points, with Marshall taking the win on count back. 

While SSC played hosts to the Bar Buoy Race and the first of the three regattas, days two and three were hosted by Portaferry Sailing Club with race officer John McAlea taking command at the start line in Black Boat Bay. 

Hot weather and good breezes saw another large flotilla lining up for the starts and it was Stephen Andrews’ Dark and Scary, with a second on day two, who took the overall win in the restricted sail NHC1 class, with Madrigal of Saltash and Stephen Dow in second.

In the restricted sail NHC2 class, however, two firsts and a second were unbeatable for Keith Carr in Kestrel, leaving Julian Marshall and Peter Bloch’s Rio in second.

Castleward Bay was the sailing area for all the dinghy classes this year, both the older sailors who joined the main fleet sailing on the lough, and the juniors who raced in the relative safety and shelter of the bay. 

Under the expert eye of John Findlay, the RS200s battled the tidal conditions on the lough, with brother and sister team of William and Tara Findlay taking a well deserved first overall, with the McVeigh family second and Paul and Lara McMahon third. 

The large dinghy handicap class also ventured into the lough, where the Lasers dominated with Patrick Hamilton first and Adam Fermor second, leaving John Murray third overall in his Wychcraft.

The remainder of the Lasers battled it out in Castleward Bay, completing nine races in total, with EDYC’s Sam Kelly and SSC/KYC’s Isabella Kelly battling daily for the podium place.

Overall, consistent first and second places with only two thirds lifted Sam to the top of the list, with Isabella in second and Charlotte Ashe, sailing a 4.7, in third.

Eight Toppers also took part over the three day series with SSC/KYC’s Maya Kelly providing a challenge for Caitlin Kearney of SSC.  Maya, however, peaked just too late and three first places in the final three races were not enough to shake off Caitlin’s four firsts from day one and two.

Overall in the Toppers, Caitlin 

Kearney pushed Maya Kelly into second place, with Rose Kelly from EDYC in third.

Finally in the small dinghy handicap class, Anna Wilkinson in a 4.2, held off Matthew Holden’s Optimist to take first overall, with Matthew in second.

Bar Buoy results

IRC1: 1st Elixir, Brian & Ryan Wilson; 2nd Fat Tony, Phil Quinn; 3rd Going to Red, Peter Holden.

IRC2: 1st Mithril, Mark Mackey; 2nd Alcyone, Thompson/Watson; 3rd Mipaal, Stephen Lynn.

NHC1: 1st Scotch Mist – Ronnie McLarnon, 2nd Galeforce, J Curran; 3rd Rock n Goose, McLarnon/Wilkinson.

NHC2: 1st Casualen, Charles Slevin; 2nd Puff, Joe Clarke; 3rd Widgeon, George Cromie.

NHCRS1: 1st Madrigal of Saltash, Stephen Dow; 2nd Tiger Rag, Colin Blair; 3rd Self Expression, Ramsey/Findlay.

NHCRS2: 1st Kestrel, Keith Carr; 2nd Rio, Marshall/Bloch; 3rd Souwester, T Allen Hudson.

Flying Fifteen: 1st Team Ridgeway, Peter Kennedy, 2nd Ffast Antic, McCleery/Dougan, 3rd Ffrig-It, Peter Lawson.

River: 1st Laragh, Kenny Smyth, 2nd Uladh, Peter Burrowes, 3rd Shimna, Andrews & Andrews.

Glen: 1st Glen Iris, Henry Anstey; 2nd Glenoe, J Gilmore; 3rd Glen Elg, Patrick Storey.

Sonata: 1st Triad, Robert Darnley; 2nd Mr McGregor, Niall Eames; 3rd Meltemi, Jack Kennedy.

Dinghy Handicap: 1st Trudy 5, Patrick Hamilton; 2nd Laser Radial, Sam Kelly; 3rd Laser Radial, Sarah Kelly.

Narrows results

IRC1: 1st Going to Red, Peter Holden; 2nd Le Basculer, Mike Spence; 3rd Fat Tony, Phil Quinn.

IRC2: 1st Mipaal, Stephen Lynn; 2nd Mithril, Mark Mackey, 3rd Maverick, John Patterson.

NHC1: 1st Midnight Express, Scott Hagan; 2nd Rampart, David McIlveen; 3rd Scotch Mist, Ronnie McLarnon.

NHC2: 1st Mr McGregor, Niall Eames; 2nd Triad, Robert Darnley; 3rd Meltemi, Jack Kennedy.

NHCRS1: 1st Dark and Scary, Stephen Andrews; 2nd Madrigal of Saltash, Stephen Dow; 3rd Zeelander, Peter Niblock.

NHCRS2: 1st Kestrel, Keith Carr, 2nd Rio, Marshall/Bloch; 3rd Little Boat, Matthew Patterson.

Flying Fifteen: Ffast Antic, McCleery/Dougan; 2nd Team Ridgeway, Peter Kennedy; 3rd Final Fling, McCarthy/Rogers.

River: 1st Uladh, Peter Burrowes; 2nd Laragh, Kenny & Sonia Smyth; 3rd Quoile, John McVea.

Glen: 1st Glen Orchy, Phil Martin; 2nd Glenoe, J Gilmore; 3rd Glen Shiel, Ian Gleadhill.

Squib: 1st Slipstream, Robert Marshall; 2nd Volante, Simon Watson.

Large Dinghy Handicap: 1st Patrick Hamilton, 2nd Adam Fermor, 3rd John Murray.

RS200: 1st William and Tara Findlay, 2nd McVeigh family, 3rd Paul and Lara McMahon.

Topper: 1st Caitlin Kearney, 2nd Maya Kelly, 3rd Rose Kelly.

Laser Handicap: 1stSam Kelly, 2nd Isabella Kelly, 3rd Charlotte Ashe.

Small Dinghy Handicap: 1st Anna Wilkinson, 2nd Matthew Holden.