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SDC
took first prize in both the silver and gold fleets at the
2011 IDRA Open Championship
in Clontarf Yacht and Boat Club on the 27th and 28th of August.
Alan
Henry and Simon Reville in Slipstream 14 / 125 won in the
gold fleet. This
team also won the Nationals this year making them the undisputed
2011 IDRA champions.
Charles
Sargent and John Lynch in Smurfette 14 / 126 won in the silver
fleet. Alan
Carr and Dana Kilroy in Starfish 14 / 38 got first place in
the preliminary races.
All three boats took back perpetual trophies to SDC. Two other
Sutton boats were well
placed in the event. Gordon Kelly and Mark Masterson in Sidh
Bhán 14 / 134
got
third place in the gold fleet. Paul McNally and Sara Horan
in Dolphin 14 / 6 got third
place in the silver fleet
The
event was held in strong winds - force 4 gusting to force
5 or 6 on occasion with
many thrills and spills. In the final race there were four
capsizes in a gust topping
25 knots. The IDRA Open Championship is unique event. On the
first day sailors
race their own boats in a series of preliminary races to determine
placement in
the gold or silver fleets on day 2.
On
the second day sailors in gold and silver fleets are randomly
assigned to sail 2
boats from their fleet which are not their own in a pair of
championship races.
The
event is a challenging test of sailing skills and eliminates
or reduces any advantage
or handicap sailors usually have by virtue of owning and sailing
a 'good'
or 'bad' boat.
The
IDRA 14 Open Championship has been running since 1967. Over
the past25
years SDC sailors have a strong track record of winning this
event. Past SDCwinners
include Aideen Sargent, Terry Harvey, Scorie Walls, Jim Lambkin,
Gerry
O'Hanlon and Alan Carr.
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