Beautiful Lough Ree was the setting for the 2009 Mirror Nationals over three days,the nine race format was sailed using the courses to be used in the forth coming Worlds in Pwllheli at the end of July.

Thirty boats made the journey for a very hotly contested championship with the 2005 World Champion Ross Kearney coming over from England to support the event.

Friday dawned sunny with southerly force 4 winds which were very shifty. The courses were outer loop trapezoidals with a leeward gate on the outer loop, and the top and bottom reaches were set quite tight to make boat handling a premium. First around the windward mark in race one were father and daughter Mike and Sarah Hill with Adam and Toby McCullough close behind and Ross Kearney and Katy Jones also in hot pursuit. However after lots of place changing Johnny and Adam Hill came through to win the first race and with it the Innishfree cup.

The second race followed quickly with Adam and Toby McCullough making no mistake this time and led most of the way round to take the win. Ross Kearney and Katy Jones followed in second with Mike and Sarah Hill in third.

The final race of the day was sailed in a moderating wind with the usual suspects at the front, however Cormac and Tiarnan Dickson in one of the Association’s Winder Demo boats sailed a superb race to win with Adam and Toby McCullough in second. The leaders into the clubhouse were Adam and Toby, in the silver fleet Jack Maye and Muiris Fitzgerald from Sligo led the way, with Thomas Finiucane and Robert Dickson from Lough Ree also in an Association Winder Demo boat, were leading the bronze fleet.

Day two was somewhat of a marathon... thunder storms, torrential rain, calms, squalls…I think the fleet got all four seasons in one day. Credit must go the PRO David Dickson for getting three races in and getting us all ashore for the dinner in the club house at 6pm.

The battle at the front continued with Barry and Ronan Armstrong joining in to lead the fleet for most of the way until the torrential rain arrived killing the breeze leaving the final beat to be sailed in a force one.Mike and Sarah Hill took advantage and took the bullet with Cormac and Tiaran Dickson finishing very closely behind, with Adam and Toby in third with Ross and Katy next dropping Barry and Ronan to fifth.

After the thunderstorm abated the fleet was moved to a more sheltered part of the lake as the wind had now increased to force 4 to 5. However, just as the course was set up it dropped to a force 2 and the lightest race of the championship was held with Mike and Sarah Hill running away with it, with Jack Maye and Muiris Fitzgerald from Sligo in second and Kerri-Ann Boylan and Erika Rugrok from Skerries in third and Cillian Dickson and Peter Regan from Lough Ree in fourth.

The last race of the day was sailed in white horses which suited Ross Kearney and Katy Jones showing great speed on the tight reaches in the big breeze, thus they took the gun with Cormac and Tiaran Dickson following in second to bring them into contention for the overall title. In the silver fleet Kerri-Ann Boylan and Erika Rugrok were now forging ahead to take the overall lead from Jack and Muiris, with Julie Donnelan and Hazel McDermott from Lough Derg in third.

In the bronze fleet Thomas Finiucane and Robert Dickson still led with Andrew Brady and Sarah White from Sligo in second.

The final day was much improved with sunny spells and a good force 4 with occasional force 5 southerly shifty winds. Adam and Toby McCullough meant business and sailed suberbly to take two bullets in the first two races of the day with Cormac and Tiaran Dickson attaining and second and a third to stay in contention, with Mike and Sarah Hill also slotting in a second and a third to keep up the pressure. Thus it was all down to the last race with Ross Kearney and Katy Jones taking their second win to finish fourth overall, Mike and Sarah Hill just overhauled Cormac and Tiarnan Dickson on the last two hundred yards to finish second and take the title by one point with Adam and Toby McCullough finishing fourth behind Cormac and Tiaran to finish runners up. Cormac and Tiaran Dickson from Lough Ree took third overall.

In the silver fleet Kerri-Ann Boylan and Erika Rugrok finished first and a creditable ninth overall in the main fleet, Jack Maye and Muiris Fitzgerald followed in second with Lough Derg girls Julie Donnelan and Hazel McDermott completing the line up in third.

In the bronze fleet Thomas Finiucane and Robert Dickson ran away with it easy winners, finishing twelve overall in the main fleet. Second in the bronze fleet was Andrew Brady and Sarah White (with Andrew’s Dad helping the odd time), and third was Kevin Hackett and Hugh Duffy from Mullingar in third.