Favourites emerge to duke it out in the ITRA finals.
The Irish Team Racing Association’s 75th National Championships concluded Saturday in the RStGYC. The round robin event was truncated to a day’s racing as forecast was showing winds gusting to 30 knots Sunday morning. Eighteen teams competed in the event and after sixty races in two round robin leagues the top four teams progressed to a semifinal knockout. Baltimore comprising UCC alumni was top team in League A with Georges Street clear second. George Jesters the UCD alumni team topped League B but with Lunsters edging Bunkers on % wins. The league toppers progressed from the semis to the final although Lunsters took a race off Baltimore having suffered a capsize in the first race. The best of three finals started in the fading light of dusk with a bisk breeze with intermittent strong squalls. Control off the startline was to be critical. Baltimore emerged into a winning combination to take the first race. Jesters struck back to even the score and force a decider in failing light. Jesters controlled well off the start line in the final race and sailed into a one two combination which they didn’t yield taking the 75th anniversary event and adding it to their BUSA crown. The Petit Final was won by Georges Street defeating Lunsters sudden death. The youth event was won by Prestige World Wide and Holy Child Killiney were awarded the all girl team prize. At the event dinner in the George John Sheehy presented ITRA outgoing Chairman Ailbe Millerick & outgoing ITRA Secretary Eunice Kennedy jacket awards for their long service to Team Racing in Ireland.
2023 ITRA Champions George Jesters
Jack Fahy, Liam Glynn, Tom Higgins
Crews: Kathy Kelly, Emilly Hill & Cian Lynch
Silver Medalists Baltimore Sailing Club
Johnny Durkin, Fionn Lyden & Mark Hassett.
Crews: Trudy O’Hare, Rosa Lyden & Adam Hyland.
Bronze Medalists – Georges Street
Peter Fagan, Toby Fowler & Noah McCarthy
Crews – Emma Gallagher, Fiona Ferguson, & Rosemary Tyrrell.
First Youth – Prestige Worldwide
Russell Bolger, Max Cantwell, and Peter Williams
Crews – Lilley Dwyer, Patrick Foley and Ella Dempsey
Holy Child Killiney
Olivia Ryan, Zita Tempany, Nora Jane Sexton, Orla Casey, Molly O’Flaherty, Ameline Hennessy, Lily Donagh, Lucia Cullen and H.C.K. Principal Caroline O’Brien
