The ongoing vagaries of wind forecasts continue to be a major factor in deciding whether Frostbite racing will proceed or “knot” (deliberate pun), but this past Sunday we had the additional distraction of a rugby match, not just any rugby match, but the fixture between hosts Scotland and visitors Ireland in Murrayfield. In recent years this 6-Nation’s fixture has generated additional spice to the game and thus the questions being asked of the race team were not about the climatic conditions but rather how many races would be sailed to facilitate watching the rugby. Even on the water, people were suggesting that only one race was required. Ironically, during the week I was advised that some people were questioning the value of the Frostbites given how many Sundays we had lost to adverse winds!
The weather forecast for Sunday had changed quite a bit during the week with light winds suggested when I wrote the report for the previous Sunday last Wednesday. However, as the weekend approached, the forecast changed and at one stage I thought we might be in trouble. But XCWeather and, more importantly, Met Eireann at midnight on Saturday night were both agreed that while the winds would be in the mid-teens, the gusts would still be under 20 knots. My initial assessment on Sunday morning was that there was an eerie calm as I went about my other commitments and even when I arrived at the water’s edge, the match racers out of the National Yacht Club weren’t being hard-pressed in the main harbour. It was even more calm at the DMYC, until I heard wind whistling through the rigging of the boats on the hard.
By the time the committee boat was on station there was 8/9 knots coming from a direction of 060° which suggested a weather mark in the proximity of the weather station on the East Pier. A triangular course was set up and three laps indicated. The gybe mark was set to the west of the end of the West Pier and the leeward mark was ½-way between the fairway to the marina and the ferry dolphins.
A traffic jam at the committee boat end of the line populated by Aeros and Fireballs caused a General Recall to be signalled for the PY Class and they paid the price by having a lap docked from their course. Their error also relegated them to the last start. The smaller fleet of ILCA 7s and a modest fleet of ILCA 6s got away first time and enjoyed a full three lap race for their best behaviour. When the PYs did get away the race was led for three laps on the water by Nicole Hemeryck & Michael Keegan (FB 14676) and were joined in this extra lap by a number of others including another Fireball combination who noted the change of laps from three to two (I heard them) but still decided to sail three anyway. This particular combination flew spinnaker on the top reaches each time but could not overtake Hemeryck &Keegan. The first finisher “on the water” was Noel Butler, followed by Stuart Harris both in Aeros and on corrected time these two were joined by Paul Phelan to give the exclusive occupation of the podium to the single-handers.
In the ILCA 7s the group got spread out a little bit but not excessively so and were led home by Conor Byrne, with Matteo Valentini and Hugh Delap claiming the other podium places. In the ILCA 6s, Sean Craig won, with Darren Griffin and Conor Clancy taking the next two spots. My sense was that Sean led from start to finish but still kept a careful eye on his chasers to make sure they didn’t catch him out.
Post-race comments suggest that while the early and middle parts of the beat to the windward mark were ok, the real challenge was the final approach to the mark. Going up the port lay line meant having to deal with shifty winds coming off the end of the East Pier.
By the end of the first race the wind was starting to get into the low/mid-teens and had shifted slightly southwards. With the PYs having pushed the start the limit mark on the line had already been moved as there is now an inner limit mark for the finish. The weather mark and gybe mark were also moved, the first due to the wind shift and the latter to try and prompt the Fireballs to fly spinnaker on the top reach.
At this stage the RO decided that an Olympic two-lap race would allow some of the rugby to be watched live. All three starts got away cleanly and as the breeze freshened further as the race progressed, the off-wind legs looked more exciting, though the objective of getting more spinnakers flying was not met – the Fireballs were reticent but the solitary GP14 was game! Hemeryck & Keegan retained their good form in the conditions and led again. Behind them (in Fireball terms) were Alan Blay & Hugh McNally (14641) and Frank Miller and Marjo Moneen (14915) with the former leading the latter by a few boat lengths. Blay & McNally capsized immediately after the gybe mark to allow Miller & Moneen into second place on the water only for this couple to have a capsize just short of the finish line, and with a prolonged recovery lost their place in the pecking order and a final result.
In handicap terms the Aeros of Butler and Harris were separated on the podium by the Fireball of Hemeryck & Keegan.
In the ILCA 7s, Matteo Valentini took a step up on the podium with a race win with John Marmelstein second and a stirling performance by Roy McKay being rewarded with third.
In the ILCA 6s, Sean Craig again stamped his authority on the fleet with Neil Hegarty and Conor Clancy doing the immediate chasing.
Unbeknownst to those of us on the water, a serious injury in the first half of the rugby meant that most competitors should have been able to catch most of the Scotland – Ireland second half…….and we all know how that finished.
In terms of awarding Frostbite Mugs, the prize-giving started with awards carried over from the previous Sunday:-
PY Fleet – Colin Nixon, Aero 5 – a debutant Frostbiter (I think) getting a Mug.
ILCA 7s Fleet – Conor O’Leary.
Sunday 9th February 2025, Mug Winners
PY Fleet, Race 1: Louise McKenna & Hermine O’Keeffe, Fireball 15016.
PY Fleet, Race 2: Alan Blay & Hugh McNally, (not in attendance).
ILCA 7s, – No Awards.
ILCA 6s, Race 1: Nathan Harris (not in attendance).
ILCA 6s, Race 2: Hugh Cahill (not in attendance).