O’DOWD
CUP 2007
Glorious sunshine was the
order of the day on the Saturday 15th September, as 26 mirrors
descended on Lough Derg for a great day’s sailing in a southerly force 3. Cian
Hickey and John Rooney led the first race with a cracking pin end start along
with Matthew O’Connor and Andrew Mackey, who led at the first windward mark.
However, the usual suspects were close behind, and after several place changes
in the shifty wind Karl Mackey and Toby McCullough (younger brother of that
blonde northern kid) got the bullet with Rachel Guy and Dan Bergin in a close
second, with cousins Johnny and Adam Hill in third just ahead of that blonde
northern kid, Adam McCullough and Craig Martin in fourth. Other notable
finishers were Tim Rafferty and Eoin Keller in 7th heading the bronze
fleet.
Cian
Hickey and John Rooney winning the pin end
Race two started in a
slightly increasing breeze with Rachel Guy and Dan Bergin leading round the
windward followed by Karl Mackey and Toby McCullough, Adam McCullough and Craig
Martin, the Dalys, Graham and Melissa and Maeve Dickson and Ruth Foy for Lough
Ree. Rachel and Dan sailed fast to win with Adam and Craig moving up to second
with Karl and Toby third and Graham
and Melissa fourth. In the silver fleet Maeve and Ruth finished sixth and in the
bronze the ever consistent Tim Rafferty and Eoin Keller finished 7th(again)!
Rachel Guy
and Dan Bergin leading Karl Mackey and Toby McCullough
Adam McCullough and Craig
Martin got off to a stormer of a pin end start in the third and final race of
the day , however Rachel and Dan were on form and caught them on the run, never
to be headed, taking their 2nd win of the day to lead overnight. Adam
and Craig finished second followed by Karl and Toby with Johnny and Adam fourth
and Maeve and Ruth in fifth to lead the silver fleet. As usual Tim and Eoin led
the bronze in 8th.
Rain and lots of wind greeted the sailors on Sunday morning, but undeterred the fleet were out promptly for the 10 am start of the fourth race. Adam and Craig, seemingly getting to grips with the pin end, flew off the start line and were determined not to be caught this time. There were plenty of casualties especially during the rain squalls, but Adam and Craig still won with Johnny and Adam Hill in 2nd,and Karl and Toby third. Rachel and Dan were 4th and Laura and Louise McCarthy finished 5th, obviously enjoying the conditions, with Ruth Harrison and Charlotte McCormack (or is that Chaz?) finishing 6th.
Adam
McCullough flying off the pin end…again!
Things were now looking
very close with Rachel Guy and Adam McCullough neck and neck .As it turned out
Rachel made the best start from the middle of the line with Adam at the pin end
and the two of them tussled for the whole race with Rachel Guy and Dan Bergin
taking their third bullet in the end from Adam McCullough with Johnny and Adam
Hill 3rd and Maeve Dickson and Ruth Foy in 4th.Sisters
Laura and Louise McCarthy were again 5th with Hodel and Hillary
Herlihy in 6th. Julie Donnelly and Ciara Houlihan sailed well on
Sunday with two 8th places to finish 2nd in the bronze,
Aoife O’Sullivan and Aine Lucey also liked the breeze on Sunday to snatch a 10th
and 7th place to finish 3rd in the bronze.
Thanks to Lough Derg for a
fabulously friendly event, a beautiful place to sail if you aren’t frightened
of spiders! The final results were ……
Overall
1st
Rachel Guy
Dan Bergin 69806
LDYC
2nd
Adam
McCullough Craig Martin
70388 RNIYC
3rd
Karl Mackey
Toby McCullough 69955 LDYC
4th
Johnny Hill
Adam Hill
70444 RNIYC
Silver fleet
1st
Maeve
Dickson Ruth Foy
70304 LRYC
2nd
Hodel
Herlihy
Hillary Herlihy 69451
LDYC
3rd
Matthew
O’Connor Andrew Mackey 70162
LDYC
4th
Zoe
McCullough Megan McCullough 70340 RNIYC
Bronze Fleet
1st Tim Rafferty
Eoin Keller 70213
LDYC
2nd Julie
Donnelly
Ciara Houlihan 70337 LDYC
3RD Aoife
O’Sullivan
Aine Lucey 703
LDYC
4TH Ruth Harrison Charlotte McCormack 69737 LDYC
Ruth and
Chaz keeping their boat flat
Michael Hill