Movistar on the move at Killyleagh keel boat day

Movistar on the move at Killyleagh keel boat day

4 September 2013

HOME club sailors swept the board as Killyleagh Yacht Club hosted its annual open keelboat event, incorporating both the Bennett and Crooks Cups, on Saturday.

Thirty competitors in four classes took part in two races and enjoyed both the sunshine and the sometimes blustery conditions.

In the IRC class, the racing was consistent and Raymond Killops’ Movistar Bleu dominated both races to claim first place overall and lift the Bennett Cup.  Ernie Kelly’s What’s the Rush II held off Le Basculer under Mike Spence to claim second overall, with Spence finishing in third.

In the PY class, the racing was very competitive, with only seconds between the top three finishers on corrected time.

The strong breeze suited Raymond Beattie’s Sun Odyssey to a tee and saw Tiger Lily power through the gusts to lift first place overall and claim the Crooks Cup.

A valiant effort from Denis Kirk and the crew of the much smaller Load of Mischief put them in second overall, while Portaferry stalwart Ryan Kelly in Wandering Angus finished in third.

The largest turnout on the day was in the restricted sail class where 14 competitors battled it out to be first overall.  Among these was a piece of floating history as Michael Coburn crossed the line in his 1938 Robert Clarke Mystery Class Bermudan ketch, celebrating its 75th birthday by taking part in its first race for many years.

The racing in this class was also the most competitive with the battle lines drawn after race one between Stephen Stewart’s Fantisera, Galloway/Thompson’s Finola’s Wing and last year’s winner, Mark Bridges in Extreme.

With the top two drawn on four points each, first overall on the day went to Galloway and Thompson in Finola’s Wing by virtue of a better result in the last race, leaving Fantisera in second and Extreme in third.

The convincing winner in the Squib class, with two firsts, was Robert Marshall’s Slipstream which stormed ahead of the rest of the fleet in both races.

With the next three competitors drawn on six points each, second overall on count back went to a delighted Simon Watson in Hawkeye, with David Hanna’s Blue in third.

The event was very kindly sponsored by the Bennett and Crooks families, who have been stalwart supporters of sailing at Killyleagh Yacht Club over many years.

The organisers would like to thank both families for their generosity and the Bennett family for providing superb catering for all competitors when they came ashore.

IRC1: 1st Movistar Bleu, R. Killops, 2 points; 2nd What’s the Rush II, E. Kelly, 4 points; 3rd Le Basculer, M. Spence, 6 points.

PY1: 1st Tiger Lily, R. Beattie, 2 points; 2nd Load of Mischief, D. Kirk, 4 points; 3rd Wandering Angus, R. Kelly, 6 points.

PYRS: 1st Finola’s Wing, Galloway/Thompson, 4 points; 2nd Fantisera, S. Stewart, 4 points, 3rd Extreme, M. Bridges, 6 points.

Squib: 1st Slipstream, R. Marshall, 2 points; 2nd Hawkeye, S. Watson, 6 points; 3rd Blue, Hanna/Curran, 6 points.