U25 Team in Foynes

From 4–6 September, our club crew travelled to Foynes Yacht Club for the J/24 Nationals, taking on a highly competitive fleet and getting their first taste of J/24 racing at national level.

The crew — Sam Tanner, Sam Norris, Kate Deane, Ruby Foley and Michael Egan — had a fantastic weekend, racing against some of the best J/24 sailors in the country and gaining a huge amount of experience along the way.

The J/24 proved to be a fantastic boat for the team with a highly competitive fleet providing a great platform to develop their tactics, boat handling and teamwork. With changing conditions and strong tidal influences, every race brought a new challenge and another opportunity to learn.

The welcome from the wider J/24 fleet was a particular highlight. Competitive on the water but incredibly friendly and supportive ashore, the class made the team feel very welcome. A special thank you goes to Brian McConville, who generously provided sails for the event and was a huge help to the team.

The crew are also extremely grateful to Jon McLean and Mark Mansfield, who helped massively in the lead-up to the Nationals, and to Royal Cork Yacht Club for all their support and encouragement in getting the campaign off the ground.

Finally, a big thank you to Foynes Yacht Club for their fantastic hospitality and for making it such an enjoyable event.

For a crew new to the J/24 fleet, the Nationals were an incredibly positive introduction. The team came away with plenty of new knowledge, great memories and, most importantly, a real appetite for more J/24 racing. The Nationals are just the beginning, and the team are looking forward to building on this experience next season