Shipping News: Kilbaha Regatta

Author

Alan Murphy, Naomhóga Chorcaí Chairperson

Great day’s currach racing in Kilbaha Regatta yesterday in the shiny new Clare boats, rain held off (mostly) and a stiff cross breeze made things interesting out in the bay!

​Myself John and Stephen O’Brien from Kilrush got through the heat and were going well in the final when doonbeg went the wrong way around a buoy turn, we t-boned them accidentally, pushed them over the right side of it, they got away and we couldn’t recover the ground lost, to come fourth; gutted!

Diana with Mairead O’Brien from Kilrush and Charlotte Hannon came third in the straight women’s final!

The u18s all did very well in the strong breeze and rough water, even young Cian Sullivan’s crew got a prize despite their age/size disadvantage against the older teenagers!

In the single hand heat my start rope knot tightened around my hand to hinder my start, but I gained ground with Ray O’Leary and Patrick Hussey, all in a line to the buoy, but after the inevitable tangle i ended with another fourth place!

Myself and Diana didn’t have 9 months to wait, so we had to nab a child on the quayside for the inaugural first ever Man, Woman and Child race. Lucky for us 13 year old Clare newcomer Ruairi was on hand and we won our heat over the tough full course, with Stephen & Mairead O’Brien’s crew pushing us hard to the finish line.
Yet another first buoy tangle nearly scuppered us in the final , but we pulled hard all the way to a third place photo finish and we thought we’d lost it, but later Rory discovered we’d actually got third! Well done Ruairi, a future rowing star in the making! ⭐️

Straight after that in the Clare league mixed ‘as an hata’ myself Diana & Seanie Honan got caught in yet another tangle and didn’t make it through to final. John drew a junior/senior mixed crew with Paraic O Fatharta and young Fionn O’Leary and they pulled out all the stops to barely miss out on a final place against a strong full adult crew who nearly missed the finish line buoy, in another exciting finish!
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Prizes were held after badly needed food in Keating’s before the long drive home, after a great day in Kilbaha - wind, tangles, photo-finishes, multi-age crews, Eugene’s legendary MCing, (he has Diana’s name down pat, and treated us to a history lesson with the Carrigaholt regatta results from 1886, he’s not that old though!) and Stephen O’Brien’s amazing bike! Thanks to all.