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RC35 Scottish Championships Sees 'Banshee' Leading on Ascog Bay

23rd June 2019
Defending Champion Animal on Ascog Bay off the Isle of Bute on day one of the Luddon Construction RC35 Scottish Championships Defending Champion Animal on Ascog Bay off the Isle of Bute on day one of the Luddon Construction RC35 Scottish Championships Credit: Cameron Shaw

The competitive eight boat fleet was treated to glorious conditions in Ascog Bay off the Isle of Bute on day one of the Luddon Construction RC35 Scottish Championships writes Robin Young.

Day one of the annual championships held under the burgee of the Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club saw a generally southerly wind of between 6 and 15 knots and sunny skies. The race committee did an excellent job to get four quality races away in short order.

RC35 3

The two Corby's of John Stamp and Charlie Frize got off to a good start sharing a first and a second each in the first two races. As the wind began to lighten in the later races Animal capitalised with two bullets in the last two races of the day.

RC35 2Jings lies fifth Photo Cameron Shaw

The rest of the fleet are tightly packed as ever with Blue Jay having an ever-improving day to lead the chasing bunch.

With similar conditions forecast for the second day of the event all the competitors will be looking forward to another great day on the water.

RC35 1Blue Jay Photo: Cameron Shaw

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Published in ICRA, RC35, Scottish Waters, Clyde
Robin Young

About The Author

Robin Young

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Robin Young is A Scottish-based RC35 sailor

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The Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) Information

The creation of the Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) began in a very low key way in the autumn of 2002 with an exploratory meeting between Denis Kiely, Jim Donegan and Fintan Cairns in the Granville Hotel in Waterford, and the first conference was held in February 2003 in Kilkenny.

While numbers of cruiser-racers were large, their specific locations were widespread, but there was simply no denying the numerical strength and majority power of the Cork-Dublin axis. To get what was then a very novel concept up and running, this strength of numbers had to be acknowledged, and the first National Championship in 2003 reflected this, as it was staged in Howth.

ICRA was run by a dedicated group of volunteers each of whom brought their special talents to the organisation. Jim Donegan, the elder statesman, was so much more interested in the wellbeing of the new organisation than in personal advancement that he insisted on Fintan Cairns being the first Commodore, while the distinguished Cork sailor was more than content to be Vice Commodore.

ICRA National Championships

Initially, the highlight of the ICRA season was the National Championship, which is essentially self-limiting, as it is restricted to boats which have or would be eligible for an IRC Rating. Boats not actually rated but eligible were catered for by ICRA’s ace number-cruncher Denis Kiely, who took Ireland’s long-established native rating system ECHO to new heights, thereby providing for extra entries which brought fleet numbers at most annual national championships to comfortably above the hundred mark, particularly at the height of the boom years. 

ICRA Boat of the Year (Winners 2004-2019)