Irish South Coast Dragon Championship at Glandore Harbour Yacht Club

Prize winners in the Irish South Coast Dragon Championship at Glandore © Cormac O’Carroll

Glandore Harbour Yacht Club this year has a very strong fleet of ten Dragons racing this season and the South Coast Dragon Championship was the concluding regatta of a season that kicked off in the second week of May and included a full seventeen week sailing schedule. The Club has been host to the Dragon South Coast and the Irish Dragon National championship regularly over the last 25 years and the Dragons have been sailed in the harbour since the late 70’s. This year there were sixteen entries and the Club welcomed Patrick Gifford from the Aldeburgh Dragon fleet and his crew sailing Basilisk to Glandore for the first time.

Racing was scheduled for Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday, though given the weather outlook principle race officer Alan Crosby wisely decided to pull forward race three to Friday evening, as the outlook forSaturday was not good at all. As it happened Saturday racing was postponed and competitors had full unexpected day off to visit the historic sites and gardens in the vicinity of Glandore Castletownsend and Skibbereen, finishing the day with the regatta dinner in the Glandore Bistro at the club house.

With three races completed on Friday afternoon Little Fella sailed by Cameron Good had two wins and a third, with Phantom in hot pursuit sailed by David Williams on two seconds and a third, Jaguar sailed by Martin Byrne was gaining momentum with a 5th a second and a win, so tight at the sharp end of the fleet. Wind speeds on Saturday arrived as forecasted and at 9.30am the PRO signalled the postponement of racing for the day.

Sunday was expected to be light winds and the start time was brought forward to attempt to complete the series on schedule, Race 4 start had to be postponed from 11.00hrs to allow some wind build to about 5knots and race 4 got away about noon, the winds continued to be light and race 4 was shortened again with the time of getting race 5 started before the 14.00hr cut off time. Race 4 was won by Patrick Gifford sailing Basilisk, Little Fella was second and Adrian Bendon’s MarJ finished in third his bed result on the event.

Overall with four races and no discard the Dragon South Coast Champions for 2016 were Little fella sailed by Cameron Good Henry Kingston and Simon Furney, in second place Jaguar sailed by Martin Byrne, Adam Winkleman and Donal Small and third place Phantom, David Williams, Peter Bowring and Arthur Meighan

The prize giving took place at the Glandore Inn after lift out and the Commodore thanked PRO Alan Crosbie and Michael O’Donnell for providing committee boat for the three days, Commodore also thanked on the Mark boat Boy Scott and all the other volunteers who gave their time or equipment to support the event.

Overall Results: