Cork Harbour tactician Mark Mansfield maybe setting his sights on the upcoming European Championships, as part of the JCup Ireland at the Royal Irish Yacht Club on Dublin Bay and the IRC European Championships the following weekend at the same venue.
With a strong early season showing at last weekend's Warsash Spring Championships, Mansfield aboard John Smart's Solent-based J/109 Jukebox is considered one of the leading UK contenders for both championship titles.
Competing against an IRC 2 fleet of J/109s, J/99s JPKs, J112e, A 35 and other designs, Jukebox emerged victorious in the four-day, 12-race series, counting seven first places and winning by a significant margin of 11 points from second-placed Arcus, an A 35 previously known as Fools Gold from Waterford Harbour. This marks the second consecutive year that Jukebox, with Mansfield as tactician, has won this event, having also won its class at Cowes Week 2023.
Despite varied conditions ranging from eight to 25 knots over the two weekends of racing, Jukebox and its crew proved to be a formidable force on the Hillhead plateau. The Solent-based boat is just one of a number of vessels from the region planning on heading to Dublin for the upcoming championships in September.
