Ireland's top GP14 dinghy sailors ruled the waves at the annual Helmsmans' Championships, rebranded as the Champions' Cup for this year's 75th edition, at Sutton Dinghy Club on Saturday.
The defending title holder Ger Owens of the Royal St George Yacht Club, won the one-day series – being sailed in GP14s – in which 16 of Ireland’s best sailors competed for the silver salver trophy.
Owens, a three-time Olympian in the 470 dinghy, was defending the title he won last year when the event was sailed in the three-man National 18 dinghy at Royal Cork. This year, he won the event with Melanie Morris, his long-standing crew of 23 years.
A two-day competition format was squeezed into Saturday, due to the adverse weather conditions forecast for Sunday.
Conditions were ideal for the racing, with westerly winds up to ten knots in the north of Dublin Bay.
Two qualifying fleets raced from mid-morning to decide the eight finalists, which then sailed a four-race finals series.
GP14 sailors were well represented in the competition that controversially did not include invitations to other classes such as the ICRA and 1720 sportsboat fleets.
Current GP14 national champion Shane MacCarthy, a former world champion, appeared unstoppable by winning the first two races, while Owens was second in both.
Then Dun Laoghaire sailor Owens (Royal St George YC) won the next race, and the stage was set for a final race showdown.
This saw Owens duelling MacCarthy (Greystones SC), who was slightly ahead, and a match race was in prospect until the Wicklow sailor was penalised for not giving way to another boat.
Owens slipped ahead into fourth place, enough to secure the championship, while MacCarthy dropped back to seventh place in the race and third overall.
Jane Kearney, with her husband Ross Kearney of Royal North of Ireland YC, took second overall in the GP14 domination of the event.