J24 Easterns Report 2014 – Howth Yacht Club

The Irish J24 Eastern Championships were run in Howth Yacht Club last weekend as part of the inaugural Sportsboat Cup.

Event Report from Howth Yacht club can be found here

After 2 days of close racing Flor O’Driscoll(Hard on Port) won the J24 Eastern Championships in Howth Yacht Club.

Steve Atkinson(Bád) won the silver fleet.

Day 1

After 3 races on Saturday afternoon in a decreasing & veering north easterly breeze Hamilton Bear had a 2 point lead over Hard on Port, with Jebus close behind. Reigning National Champions Eurocarparks Kilcullen had a tough day on the water and were lying another point behind Jebus overnight. The 3rd race of the day was abandoned & restarted after the wind veered massively just after the start.

Day 2

Once the discard applied Hard on Port & Hamilton Bear were on equal points. In the first race of the day Flor O’Driscoll moved into a 2 point lead by winning the race while Hamilton Bear finished in 6th place. Eurocarparks Kilcullen finished 2nd to move 2 points ahead of Jebus who could only manage a 5th. Bad & Jamias Encore also moved closer to Jebus finishing 4th & 3rd respectively.. In the 2nd race Hard on Port beat Hamilton Bear to  give herself a comfortable 3 point cushion going into the last race. In the chasing pack Eurocarparks Kilcullen got a 7th place meaning Jebus jumped ahead of them again to 13 points, Kilcullen on 14 points and Bád on 16points made for a tense last race. In the last race Hamilton Bear took an early lead, and needing to put 2 boats between herself & Hard on Port sat relentlessly on them up the beat. The race positions were up and down, but in the end Hard on Port took 2nd behind Hamilton Bear to win the event, while Eurocarparks Kilcullen 4th place finish was enough to keep them ahead of Jebus & Bád who both finished one point behind her on 19 points.

With 3 race wins Hard on Port also won the overall Sportsboat Cup.