Sailors revel in the sunshine

Sailors revel in the sunshine

16 July 2025

THE Strangford Narrows was the place to be on Thursday night as a fleet of over 90 boats lined up to provide a spectacle of sail, competing in the Bar Buoy Race, the precursor to the annual Narrows Regatta Series. 

A steady breeze accompanied the blistering heat and glorious sunshine, as the fleet headed to the Angus Rock and out into the Irish Sea.

While the faster boats steamed ahead on the way down the Narrows, when they turned to come back they had to push the tide, allowing some of their slower competitors to catch up, playing havoc in the handicap classes.

Once again, the historic Wychcrafts took part in the race, maintaining the old traditions and providing a glance into the past.  This year it was Oliver Curran’s Master McGrath who took first place, beating John Murray’s Bernadette into second. 

SLYC’s Adelante held off their club mates in Peter Holden’s Going to Red to claim the big boat class, but the tables were turned the following day as Holden’s Going to Red had a commanding victory at Strangford Sailing Club’s regatta.

The wind gods did not play fair though and in spite of also winning Portaferry Sailing Club regatta on Sunday in spectacular style, almost eight minutes ahead of the best of the rest, a bad result for Holden at Portaferry Town Regatta put KYC’s Mike Spence and Le Basculer in first place overall in the series, with Going to Red in second place, tying on points with Ross Boyd’s Sting, who claimed third.

This year a Sports Boat class was added to the programme with five visitors from Belfast Lough trying their hand for a second year against the tides of Strangford Lough.

David McFarland’s Vixen romped home at the Bar Buoy race and at PSC Regatta, but two firsts and a fourth saw Alan McClernon in Sheep Dawg win the series, following up on his success in the YTC1 class last year.

In YTC2, the Bar Buoy Race mapped out the pattern for the rest of the event with Findlay and Ramsey’s Self Expression taking the podium position, just 21 seconds ahead of Ryan Kelly’s Scampalong.  With the top three boats all tied on seven points at the end of the series, it was Self Expression who triumphed on count back, with Scampalong in second place.

In a smaller than usual YTCRS1 class Kyle Bolton’s Kilcuan finished high in the pecking order, taking first place at the Bar Buoy Race, but over the next three races, two firsts and a third gave the series victory to Peter Niblock’s Zeelander, just one point clear of SLYC club mate Stevie Andrews in his Dark and Scary Hanse 375.

David Ashe in Wing It took a commanding victory for QYC in the YTCRS2 class at the Bar Buoy Race, but despite another win on Sunday, it was Paddy Graham in Screwball for KYC who claimed the top spot in the series, ahead of SLYC’s Pequita in second. 

With the Squib class in decline, with no competitors this year, the other one design classes turned out in force, rivalling the handicap classes for the first time in many years.

With 12 Flying 15s taking part in the event, it was McCleery/Dougan’s Foxtrot Oscar who led the way to take first place at the Bar Buoy Race, but despite a first and second over the next three days the fickle winds on Saturday kept them out of the overall results.  The battle lines were drawn between Roger Chamberlain’s The Final Resort and Niall Bradshaw’s Double Trouble with both finishing on 13 points, but a first on day two gave the victory to Chamberlain, with Bradshaw in second overall.

With six Impalas entered, the Bar Buoy Race provided an exciting finish between John Patterson’s Maverick and Thompson and Watson’s Alcyone, with Maverick claiming first place practically on the finish line.  With two firsts and a third, however, the evergreen Alcyone came back fighting to win the Narrows series, with Michael Heath’s Jiminy Cricket in second overall.

The untouchable Kenny Smith is still the King of the Narrows in the River class, with straight firsts in the Bar Buoy Race and all three regattas, while John and Heather Gilmore almost took his crown in the Glen class, with three bullets over the four days, just missing out on a first at SSC Regatta, giving Roger Pannell in Glen Cuan the podium position for the day.

After a recent decline, a fleet of eight Sonatas competed this year, with McGimpsy and Pollock on Cockahoop laying down the gauntlet with a victory over Mary Martin’s Mouse at the Bar Buoy race.  While fleet stalwart, Robert Darnley in Triad claimed the top spot at SSC regatta, the main competition was between Cockahoop and Mouse, and the RYA’s Development Officer was not going down without a fight.

Two firsts and a second gave Martin and Mouse a resounding victory, with Cockahoop putting in a sterling performance to finish second overall.

The resurgence of the Sonata fleet is due in part to the number of younger sailors progressing to this very accessible boat and special mention goes to the youth team of Ashe, Crichton and Hanlon, from Quoile Yacht Club, getting a third at PSC regatta and finishing a very respectable fourth overall at their first Narrows event.  Backchat is one to look out for in the future.

The infamous Leisure 17 fleet has also grown in recent years with five boats entered at the Narrows this year.

With a win at the Bar Buoy Race, Matthew Patterson’s Little Boat also led the entire pack home on Sunday, the first from any fleet to cross the finish line at PSC regatta, to resounding cheers from those on the battery.  A 1,2,3 gave Patterson a first overall in the series, with Keith Nash in Orby II taking second.

In the large dinghy handicap class Adam Fermor not only took the Bar Buoy prize but also lifted the Narrows series trophy overall. Racing in this class was extremely competitive with the top three all tied on seven points, but a second place in race three put Fermor ahead of Rory Pollard in second on count back, leaving Patrick Hamilton in third.

The juniors also lined up in Castleward Bay, under the watchful eye of race officer Jordan Conway, to take part in their regattas.

Four firsts out of six races put SLYC’s Autumn Halliday on top in the Laser Radial class, closely followed by a visiting Callum Pollard, with Sam McLernon in third.

In much smaller fleets, Jonah Kelly took the Laser 4.7 prize with Aoife Pollard lifting the Topper 4.2 award. 

As always, the full rig Topper class was the largest and most competitive junior fleet and it was SLYC hotshot Caroline Byrne, who powered to the top of the table with an absolutely unbeatable six firsts across the board.

Just eight points behind in second place was PSC’s Anna Wilkinson with the best of the rest, her brother Jack, in third. Girl power is definitely the way to go when Topper sailing in Strangford Lough!

A legion of volunteers from both Strangford and Portaferry Sailing Clubs are required to manage the Narrows Series – for many the biggest and best regatta series in Northern Ireland and without them the event would not be the resounding victory it is, year after year.

Many thanks must go to the race officers, safety boat teams, shore teams and all the other volunteers involved. Special mention has to be given to the legendary team of Gerry Reilly and John McAlea, whose combined brand of wit, humour and camaraderie are almost as unique as the event itself.

Least but not last, many thanks go to the main event sponsors, Sliderobes, alongside support from North Down and Ards Council. As one sailor said on the finish line, “PSC and SSC have set the bar for the rest of the events this year.”

So if you missed the fun this year, the dates for next year are already set.

Overall results

YTC1: 1 Le Basculer, Mike Spence; 2 Going to Red, Peter Holden;  3 Sting, Ross Boyd.

Sports boat: 1 Sheep Dawg, Alan McClernon;  2 No Quarter, Paul Stocker; 3 Sid, Ian Patterson.

Impala: 1 Alcyone, Thompson/Watson;  2.Jiminy Cricket, Michael Heath; 3 Maverick, John Patterson.

Flying 15: 1 The Final Resort, Roger Chamberlain; 2 Double Trouble, Niall Bradshaw; 3 Icarus, Peter Kennedy.

YTC2: 1 Self Expression, Findlay/Ramsey; 2 Scampalong, Ryan Kelly; 3 Mississippi, Simon Watson.

YTCRS1: 1 Zeelander, Peter Niblock; 2 Dark and Scary, Stephen Andrews; 3 Kestrel, Keith Carr.

River: 1 Laragh, Kenny & Sonya Smyth; 2 Strule, McKnight/Tyler; 3 Lackagh, Andrews/Robinson. 

Glen: 1 Glenoe, John & Heather Gilmore; 2 Cuan, Roger Pannell; 3 Sheil, Ian Gleadhill.

Sonata: 1 Mouse, Mary Martin; 2 Cockahoop, McGimpsey/Pollock; 3 Triad, Robert Darnley.

YTCRS2: 1 Screwball, Paddy Graham; 2 Pequita, Peter Bloch; 3 Wing It, David Ashe.

Leisure 17: 1 Little Boat, Matthew Patterson; 2 Orby II, Keith Nash;  3 Wee Bert, John Kelly.

Large Dinghy Handicap: 1 Pier Pressure, Adam Fermor; 2 Laser, Rory Pollard; 3 Un Poco Loco, Patrick Hamilton.

Topper 4.2: 1 Aoife Pollard.

Topper: 1 Caroline Byrne, 2 Anna Wilkinson, 3 Jack Wilkinson.

Laser 4.7: 1 Jonah Kelly.

Laser Radial: 1 Autumn Halliday, 2 Callum Pollard, 3 Sam McClernon.