Lough Erne Yacht Club

News > J/24 Prize Giving 2009

Created: 12/14/2009 11:10:01 AM, Updated: 5/24/2010 4:34:33 PM

Women J/24 sailors figured prominently in 2009’s J/24 prize giving at LEYC Christmas Party. Not least Clare Brogan, whose great enthusiasm for J/24 crewing was rewarded by the J/24 fleet’s small but elegant and historic Miss Irvine Cup.



Back in 1990, Trudy Mannion, past Lady Commodore and Jamais owner, organised a house in Foxrock that slept a large party of Erne J/24 sailors there to sail in or help ashore and afloat at the Dublin Bay World J/24 Championship. Trudy’s food kitty surplus was spent on a perpetual cup, for each Erne season’s best woman J/24 sailor, the Foxrock Cup.

For 2009, the Foxrock Cup went to Katrina McGirr. Her busy season included weekly J/24 crewing at LEYC, helming at Autumn Regatta, crewing at Cork and at Cowes Week, an encounter with Prince Phillip at the Royal Yacht Squadron, a club whose founders included Fermanagh’s Earl of Belmore, and match racing in Canada with Anne Marie Shewfelt, most successful ever Jeriatrix helm.

Ann Sheehy took the J/24 John Gretton cup for Mejoolie, 2009’s best improved J/24 team. This cup was presented over 100 years ago by a Bass beer magnate, Olympic yachtsman and LEYC member, for 2-rater racing, the J/24 equivalent in the 1890s.

June Clarke collected for Jeriatrix the Lower Lake Regatta Cup, for autumn J/24 racing. This cup, a three handled Gaelic design, dates back to the Edwardian LEYC and the early days of Erne women sailors - first made full LEYC members in 1895.

Angel MacManus was LEYC’s first woman Commodore. Her Tankard is another J/24 cup today. It went to Brendan Gallagher, who helmed Jeriatrix, owner on holiday, and did very well in summer J/24 Tuesday series. Later, he took Jorvik to the National Championship on Lough Ree, and now has bought her jointly with Ruth Richie.

The 20 year old Big Cup for Notable J/24 Achievement, an extravagant Portuguese porcelain imitation of an Italian design, very vaguely resembling the America’s Cup, went for 2009 to Ruth Richie. Her J/24 crew qualities caught the eye of Yeoman Brendan Gallagher. He bore her off to crew on Sundays. She often helmed, steered him back with her to J/24s, Jeriatrix and Jorvik, now they jointly own Yeoman and J/24, all an achievement well worth the Big Cup.

Most J/24 trophies are awarded a time of winning in seven series of six races for two cups through the season, and at regattas, to give immediate reward to success and participation, and to save annual prize giving time. All was recorded on www.leyc.net throughout the season.

Speaking for Fleet Captain, Barry Humphries, who could not be present, Michael Clarke reported another excellent J/24 season, started prompt as programme said on 14 April and accumulating over 50 full races for over 60 sailors on Tuesdays, at Regattas and a J/24 Championship. Mickey McCaldin’s Murder Picture team won the Irish National J/24 Championship, three times this decade that this top trophy was taken by an LEYC helm, Mickey in 2000 and 2009, Diarmuid O’Donovan in 2003.

The new decade has rich J/24 promise for LEYC’s strongest fleet, at home and with European and World J/24 Championship opportunities in Ireland in 2011 and 2013.

Barry thanked all in the fleet for their support, the Beattie family for race officer services, and offered the fleet’s condolences to two who had lost fathers in 2009, Bridget Rippey, Fleet Captain 2007-08 and Brendan Gallagher.