Search


Malahide Dinghy Regatta - HYC sailors travel in numbers
Author: Chris Howard Posted on: 2/9/09 Print Version


Photos by Chris Howard
 
Following a week of uncertainty, the Malaide Dinghy Regatta got under way in windy and wet conditions in Broadmeadows last Saturday, August 29th.
 

Oppie sailors including Ben Jennings, Aoife Markey, Claude Mollard,
Lilly Jennings, Aoife Hopkins, Hanna Blandford and Conor Howard
 
With the Viaduct or as it's referred to locally 'The Arches' having collapsed in spectacular style a few days before the event, for a time all water sports were banned in the area.

However by mid week the ban was lifted and over 20 HYC members participated in five classes.

The collapse of the Viaduct had an impact on the water levels in the estuary and with windy conditions during the first race, a number of our Optimist sailors discovered that they could stand up following a capsize and simply hop back onto their boats.

In the Feva Class, Jennifer Harris with her crew of Gillian Guinness earned first place with a clean sweep in all three races. Molly Wheeler together with birthday girl Megan Callen came in third.

Hope Blanford sailing with Catherine Marsh was 5th in the combined Mirror and Pico fleet.
 

With the tide out, Lilly Jennings helping Izzy Cahill bring her
boat up from the beach
 

RS Feva sailors. Gillian Guinness, Jennifer Harris, Molly Wheeler and Megan Callen
 
HYC were well represented in both the main and regatta Optimist fleets with seven HYC entries in each. In the main Optimist Fleet, Fergus Flood came home 2nd and Richard Hogan 5th, with Aoife Hopkins and Conor Howard coming 8th and 9th respectively.

In the Regatta Fleet, Hana Blandford was 4th, Daniel Hopkins was 5th, with Ewan McMahon and Alex Kavanagh coming 8th and 9th respectively.

Congratulations to MYC for putting on an excellent regatta, especially given the events of the previous week.
 

Three of our regatta sailors, Lilly Jennings, Ewan McMahon and Daniel Hopkins
 
Finally congratulations to a number of our own sailors who participated in their first event outside the Club. It was great to see so many new sailors and parents making the effort to travel and based on the enthusiasm exhibited, good participation in local regattas seems likely next season.