�Down to the wire� was almost putting it mildly as Gorey 1 were narrowly beaten by Crosshaven. The first encounter between the two was right at the start of the first day. Two days and 18 races later they had faced each other twice, both teams winning one each. Crosshaven 13, Gorey 12 was how it finished, and the bronze medal went begging. Still Gorey 1 finished the best placed Leinster team and will be highly rated for next year�s Leinster Qualifications.

The event itself has grown from a relatively small qualification stage to a fiercely competitive and well-known competition. This year the Leinster Qualifications were held in the Royal St. George Yacht club in Dun Laoghaire.

12 teams from all over the province raced for an opportunity to go to Cork, and race in the national event. Four spaces were available, and with only 5 knots of wind for the Firefly�s to work with the racing was hard.

Finally Gonzaga, Belvedere, Gorey 1 and Old Wesley triumphed. Gorey 2 were very well-placed and when Belvedere dropped out they went to Schull in their place.

On Saturday and Sunday the 8th and 9th of April, 10 teams from all over Leinster and Munster competed for the National title. The teams raced in 420�s and DY�s and as winds varied the teams battled on. Over the two days the Race Committee ran 90 races with each team racing 18 times.

At the end of the week-end Gorey 1 had finished 4th and Gorey 2 were less fortunately placed. There is no doubt that the G.C.S. Sailing teams will continue to improve and will be in contention in the future!