The tale of the 2014 Commodores’ Cup win by the Irish Team was an epic one. An unrivalled performance that saw the team climb to the top of the ranking early in the competition.
Described as one of the most clinical focused keelboat Irish team effort at an International event, the three boats Antix Anthony O Leary , Quokka Neil Dowling and Michael Boyd and Mark Glimchers Catapult left no stone unturned showing total commitment to optimising their boats so they were fully prepared to arrive at the start line in optimum set up.
Antix did a lot of work over the previous Winter and did extensive training program seeing them arriving as a very slick team as always. Due to late arrival of Quokka Niall and Michael chartered 3 different boats to ensure their team were up to speed. They did a great job with Niall driving and Prof and Michael co-ordinating a great campaign. Catapult being shipped across the Atlantic also showed great commitment with Mark, Geoff Ewenson and Peter O Leary pulling a strong team spirit between the Americans and Irish jelling to form a winning combination ending up as top boat in the Regatta
ICRA contributed by managing to bring to the team the most sought after weather and tidal expert Mike Broughton, who acted as overall team coach at the event. This role was pivotal in maintaining the focus of the team.
The racing was exciting, difficult and not without some drama, with Antix hitting a rock on and their shore team working all night re launching in time to go out and win on last day typified the committed , organised , professional winning approach of this challenge .
Overall, Ireland’s three boat team scored the most comprehensive victory in the 22 year history of the Commodores’ Cup. The team finished the regatta on 268 points, with an unprecedented lead of 173.5 points.
It was a proud achievement for Irish Sailing.
Congratulations to all sailors involved they were a credit to their Clubs and Country!
Prof (Maurice O’Connell) Collected the coveted prize on behalf of the team at the 2015 ICRA Annual National Conference.
[button link=”https://cruiserracing.ie/blog/category/news/regattas/commodores-cup-regattas/” color=”black”] Relive the 2014 Commodores’ Cup Irish Team Victory[/button]
