With winds gusting to 35 knots at times off Lambay Island yesterday, there was widespread damage in the penultimate race of the Heineken Autumn League. Two boats sank while several others were dismasted. The Howth Lifeboat was launched though its assistance was not required.

In class zero, Max McMullan's Mustang Sally took third yesterday which barely dented the local boat's overall points lead.

Cormac Twomey's Sarah J took the bullet in a return to form not seen since the Beneteau 43-footer's heyday in 1997 and before.

Twomey moves up to third in the class and seriously threatens Michael Fleming's Sigma 400 Trinculo for second with just one point in the difference. Expect a fight between this pair next week though McMullan is safe for the overall win.

Meanwhile, in Class One, Jim Hyland's Maxim has a four-point lead over Howth's Changeling. In class three, previous overall leader, Gung Ho, was racing without skipper Ian Switzer yesterday but still managed to place third while Philip Watson's Pathfinder under Mossy Shanahan took first. Gung Ho lost a protest earlier in the week and the Howth boat is now sixth overall. The dispute threatens to drag on. In the 1720 Sports boat fleet, Philip Watson clocked off another win for Raz Beshoff's Tuff Stuff and holds a firm grip on the 20 boat class.

In terms of damage yesterday, while the Squibs had two boats sunk, one lost completely, the 1720s probably had the greatest share of gear carnage. Quite apart from sails, no less than two masts, two booms and one bowsprit broke in the two-hour race. With reports of some 1720s claiming speeds of 24 knots, thrills won out over spills.

In Dun Laoghaire, the visiting Spinnaker team from Southampton emerged overall winner of the ISA National Dinghy Team Racing Championship at the Royal St George YC in a weather curtailed series.

After postponing the morning series due to the high wind, the event cut straight to the semi-finals with the host club's A Team duelling Spinnaker.