Irish Match Racing Qualifier
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What an electrifying weekend of sailing action at HYC! The 2025 Match Racing National Championships qualifier brought together eight exceptional teams, showcasing the crème de la crème of match racing talent from across the nation. With a diverse line-up—three HYC teams, two Cork teams, one from Greystones, and two mixed-club teams—the competition was a true nationwide spectacle.
The sailors found challenging conditions on Saturday morning, with wind appearing and disappearing and cycling through 100-degree shifts and some serious wind chill to boot. Race Officer Scorie Walls orchestrated the event masterfully, navigating through shifty, light, and sunny conditions on Day 1, followed by steadier winds of 8-12 knots on Day 2. The round-robin format ensured every team faced off, culminating in a thrilling semi final and final on Sunday afternoon.
The semi-finals were nail-biting: Ryan Scott vs. Scott Flanigan and Adam Leddy vs. Simon Rattigan. Emerging victorious, Ryan Scott and Simon Rattigan clashed in a best-of-three final that kept everyone on the edge of their seats. Ryan Scott clinched the first race, but the second race brought drama—despite leading after Round 1, Ryan had a penalty to take. His team’s strategic decision to clear the penalty on the last beat led to a neck-and-neck showdown. With a flawless hoist at the final windward mark, Ryan edged ahead of Simon Rattigan to claim victory.
Ryan Scott, alongside his stellar crew—Matthew Cotter, Isabel O’Grady, and Olympic sailor Ewan McMahon—secured an automatic spot in the Grade 3 IMRA National Championships finals this September. What a story of skill, strategy, and teamwork!
The boats were beautifully prepared and maintained throughout the weekend by Kieran Jameson and HYC Bosun Alin Gudea.
Guided by International Umpire Bill O'Hara, thanks also go to Emmet Dalton, Oisín Cullen and Ruari Finnegan for maintaining good, clean fights!
Keeping cool heads in challenging weather conditions, thank you to PRO Scorie Walls and her race management team of Mike Head, Ronan MacDonell, Susanne Cruise, Anne MacManus, and Jim Lambkin, along with Mark Layers Eoin and Karolina Kernan, Craig Connor, and Barry Twohig, and support boat crew David Jones, Paddy Judge, Robert Kennedy, Jill Sommerville, and Matthew Conway.
Last but not least, a big thank you to our sponsors Kraken Rum, Rooster and Dubarry for their support to make the event happen.
Visit HYC gallery for selection of photos from the weekend: Irish Match Racing Qualifier 2025 - All Photos - HYC.ie and click here to view all the photos. Watch highlights videos here: Day 1 and Day 2. Thanks to Karolina Kernan for capturing it all!
