Former ISA Helmsmans championship winner Tom Fitzpatrick marred his Beneteau 25 debut when he retired following a protest by Howth Yacht Club vice-commodore Francis Ennis this week.
Fitzpatrick, helming a much fancied Beneteau 25 footer, a new arrival to these shores, in the opening race of the club's 215 boat Heineken Autumn league last weekend, was observed to be contravening a rule that forbids a yacht's crew from sitting outside the guard-rails.
In spite of the debut discard, however, the French 25 footer, with a Channel handicap of .962, is still a class favourite in the 30-boat fleet, especially if the breeze, for the remaining five races, is in the 10-knot range. Crewed up with dinghy talent, skipper Aidan Keating adds Sutton's Ruan O'Tiarnaigh, another helmsmans champion, to his line-up for Sunday's second race.
Ennis, helmsman of second overall Joker's Wild, supported by third placed Philip Watson in Pathfinder, alleged both Fitzpatrick and mainsheet trimmer David McHugh were sailing with their upper body outside the guard rail. They hailed Keating and then lodged a protest under Racing rule 49.2.
There was absolutely nothing deliberate about the action Keating said yesterday: "It was just a slip - the guy's found it more comfortable to sail that way.
Coming from a dinghy background they were unfamiliar with the guardrail rule.
Elsewhere, 1996 Senior Helms championship winner Laura Dillon is one of 12 junior sailors heading for west Cork this weekend following an Irish Sailing Association nomination to compete in the (ISA) annual Junior Helmsmans championship.
The series features supplied boats from the Fastnet Marine Education Centre in Schull. Six races will be sailed in double-handed 420s and single-handed Toppers.
