Mustang is the overall winner

Following a short and closely-sailed series, Max McMullan's Mustang Sally from Howth Yacht Club emerged as overall winner of The Stentor Challenge (formerly the Cruiser Challenge) at the National Yacht Club yesterday. The organisers, Dublin Bay Sailing Club, held this year's event as the first Irish Sea Open CHS Championship.

Robert Stewart's two-year reign on Little Bear as overall winner was broken by Midnight Express in class two while racing was so close in all three classes that tiebreaks had to be used to determine this year's winner. Normally, the lowest scoring yacht in the combined fleet takes the prize but all three class winners had matching results.

Mustang Sally's win in Class Zero came thanks to the opening race of four being abandoned on Saturday morning. Approaching the end of the race, a wind-shift of almost 180 degrees saw the fleet running and beating to the finishing line. McMullan and his crew had been placed badly and would certainly not have won the series but for the abandonment.

Little Bear's defence and attempt at a three-year winning hattrick saw a shaky start on Saturday as the class one pack enjoyed some of the closest sailing in the fleet throughout the course. Although picking up to second place, the Royal Irish YC boat could only muster a fourth and a third compared to Midnight Express's consistent one-two-three result.

Meanwhile, in Class Two, the Guinan and Fitzpatrick-partnered Fast Buck led a string of Impala 28-foot one-designs to victory at the front of the largest class. More than 50 keelboats from around the region turned up for the event.