Irish Armada enjoys epic Cascais conditions at Winter Series

The five boat Irish Armada enjoyed a thrilling few days afloat and ashore at the final European Winter Series event in Cascais this Easter. The team at Sail Cascais delivered a nine race series in conditions that ranged from 6 to 26 knots over 3 days of racing. 14 teams from 5 countries with crews aging from 18 to 68 enjoyed the event.

The Irish Armada enjoying the hospitality at Clube Naval de Cascais - Photo credit Neuza Aires Pereira

Day 1’s sailing saw light winds of 6-10 knots which saw the local teams off to a strong start where experience of where to go on the first beat shaping the results. It was evident too that a long Winters rest hindered the Armada with the Portugese and American teams being sharper around the course. 3 races saw Portugese teams lead 1,2,3 overnight.

Gentler conditons on Day 1 with Cascais delivering sunshine and shifty winds - - Photo credit Neuza Aires Pereira

Day 2 saw much firmer conditions with the swell increasing, which enabled fast exhilarting conditions downwind. The American team of Searle and McGranaham started to show their hand with super speed upwind and downwind moving them up the rankings. The Irish too began to shake off some rust with the Sheehy combination regularly running near the top of the fleet before slipping back. It was left to class president Theo Lytttle sailing with his daughter Alannah to put the Armada on the podium with a thrillng downwind leg giving them the lead in race 7, only to narrowly miss out on a deserved win at the finish.

Theo and Alannah Lyttle leading the fleet offwind in Race 7 - - Photo credit Neuza Aires Pereira

With a very threatening forecast for Day 3, the race committee looked to maximise the champagne conditions on Day 2 and wisely chose to run 4 races. Expert race management along with robotic marks really added to the enjoyment for all sailors.

After 4 races the restaurants and bars in Cascais were much needed on Friday night to help everyone recover.

It seems in Cascais the cut off for the Kids table is 25 !

Day 3 saw 3.5m swells and gusts of up to 30 knots. Smart thinking by the race team saw a postponement ashore to see if conditions settled. This was a chance to trade notes, with the American and Portuguese sailors quizzed on set up and technique. Finally the decision was made to launch with two races the target. Races were held in winds of 22-26 knots which was definitely at the upper limit for sailing. Bragging rights for the day went to the American pair who hit a class race record of 19.5 knots on the day’s first race as they made a bold effort to win overall.

Howth’s Karena Knaggs and Lauren Campbell showcasing great upwind speed - Photo credit Neuza Aires Pereira

The Armada had their best results on day 3 with the long Winter’s layoff subsiding. Kate and Morgan Lyttle leading a 2,3,4 or Irish boats in the events final race to move the Irish teams up the leaderboard.

Kate and Morgan Lyttle on their way to a second place finish in the last race - Photo credit Neuza Aires Pereira

But it was the consistency of the Murphy family that ended as top Irish boat for the event and the title of Irish South Coast Champions. With a rotation policy in effect father Ronan and sons Jacques and Conn pulled up the rankings to take the spoils.

Ronan and Jacques Murphy giving Conn a rest in the Rib as they approach the windward mark in Race 8 - Photo credit Neuza Aires Pereira

All that was left was to thank our hosts, especially Vasco of Sail Cascais for providing the charter fleet and ensuring the event ran so smoothly. The overall title went to double SB20 world champion Artem Basalkin and Maxim Chekurov proving that they are quick in any boat they sail ! A very consistent score line was enough to secure the win.

Consistency Wins out for overall winners Artem Basalkin and Maxim Chekurov - Photo credit Neuza Aires Pereira

The Irish focus is now on next weekend demo sail at RIYC. Spaces available to try the boat as well as hear about special offers to acquire a Melges15 and join in the fun. Learn more here.