Last Saturday’s race at the Metung Yacht Club (MYC) commemorated the longstanding and ongoing involvement of the Byrne family in the Club.
The Byrne family has been synonymous with MYC from its establishment, and the connection of the family to the Club remains revered.
The David and James Byrne Memorial Trophy honours David and his son, James/Jamie known as Sam.
David helped establish MYC, helped develop the Club burgee, and was an early commodore.
He mentored many young sailors, including taking Stephen Bull on his first Sydney-Hobart race.
Among the boats he owned included Southerly Buster and Bancroft Bay.
Sam was a multiple Etchells champion and an Olympic sailor, a posthumous Barrenjoey medallist.
Di Byrne gave an insight at the presentation into
why a bottle of rum and a block of chocolate are part of the trophy presentation each year.
The race course was 14 with three leeward/windward legs, and set over 0.8 nautical miles in Lake King (with a club start/finish), wind was 11 knots and 120 degree axis.
Eight boats contested the race, with two having to retire on the second windward/leeward leg.
Beagle was the first of the division two boats across the finish line, and first finished overall across the line.
AUS1292 was the first of the division one boats across the line and second overall.
On handicap times the placings were Odyssey, Etchellente and AUS1292.
One of the daughters of David Byrne, Susie Graham, sailed on board Al Capone.
