FOUR Clyde boats scooped the podium places in the Sigma National Championships in Dun Laoghaire near Dublin at the weekend.

The event, at the Royal St George Yacht Club, attracted 23 entries – some 161 competitors in total – from five different countries.

The sun shone for three straight days, the Guinness flowed relentlessly and the Irish hospitality was, as always, second to none. A great time was had by all and a fair amount of silverware headed north across the Irish Sea towards Cove and Helensburgh.

With positions based on the results of 10 races over three days, it was snakes and ladders in the points table and a nail biting last day, but ‘Leaky Roof II’ from Cove Sailing Club sailed into the top spot to take the championship with eight race results in the top five and finished six points clear.

The Harper/Robertson owned winning boat was helmed by Alan Harper from Kilcreggan and his all-local crew, Eric Robertson, Kirsty Robertson, Alan Devenny, Catriona McMurtrie, John McNeilage and Zoe Robinson.

Alan said afterwards: “This was a great nationals. We’re delighted to have won after a few previous attempts and particularly after an early end to our season last year, when a start line incident took our boat out of the water for major repairs. Huge thanks to my amazing crew – I couldn’t have done it without them!”

Grant Simpson’s ‘Miss Behavin’, from Helensburgh, was second overall, and ‘Busy Beaver’, skippered by Mark Bradshaw of Fairlie YC, took third.

Fourth place was also taken by a Clyde crew on ‘Sigmatic’, helmed by Donald McLaren. ‘Rajah’ from RNCYC came in a very respectable eighth position as they celebrated the 83rd birthday of their helm, Roy Summers.