After completing the second stage of the DMYC lift-out on Bank Holiday Monday, thoughts turned to the first Sunday of the Frostbites, due to take place six days later. Using the 7-day forecast from the weather App XCWeather the initial suggestion was that it would be a light wind start to the series, with projected wind strengths of 5-6 knots. However, as the week progressed that forecast dramatically changed to the extent that Vincent Delaney pulled the International and DBSC 12-footers from the proceedings on the Thursday morning as the projected wind strength was well above their threshold for sailing. By that stage, XCWeather was also painting a dramatically different picture with winds in the high teens/low twenties and gust of a much higher order. On Thursday Brian Mulkeen and I discussed our options and while we were still wary of the forecast, there was a determination not to have the opening Sunday cancelled. By Friday, Met Eireann was the “go to” forecasting reference and they had a “clatter” of wind warnings for Friday going into Saturday, but a sense that Sunday might just be manageable. On Saturday afternoon, the Flying Fifteens were sailing their opening Frostbite races outside the harbour and there were ILCAs and Optimists also out. Maybe Sunday would work! By now Met Eireann was suggesting winds in the mid-teens with gusts in the low twenties for Sunday.

The sea area forecast at 23:55 on Saturday evening was encouraging but didn’t dilute the sense of caution for what Sunday might bring.

Travelling East to West along the seafront (from NYC to DMYC) on Sunday morning the flags on the East side of the harbour were limp which was deceptive, surely the predictions of Met Eireann couldn’t be that far out. At DMYC there was whistling in the rigging and a handheld anemometer on the West Pier gave numbers that were more akin to Met Eireann’s prediction. A late phone call from the RStGYC suggested that there was enthusiasm for a race and also suggested that the wind was due to drop by the middle of the afternoon. This reinforced the decision to go – if it was extreme, a single race would be sailed to get the series underway.

With base winds in the high teens and gusts going over the twenty mark, fifty-three boats ermbraced the brisk conditions that were highlighted by multiple capsizes before a single signal had been sounded. Still nobody was questioning whay we were out there in the first place.

A windward mark was set off the western breakwater and a gybe mark to the east of the ferry dolphins with a leeward mark tied to a hand buoy in the proximity of the weather station on the upper wall of the east Pier.

Newcomers to the opening day included a Melges 15 and a 29er while some of the Frostbite regulars had changed classes. Sarah Dwyer, a stalwart of the Aeros Class in recent years has transferred into a RS200, while ILCA stalwart and multiple winner, Sean Craig has transferred into a GP14 with Stephen Boyle. A returning entrant came in the form of Kenny Rumball in an Aero 7. It was also great to see a fleet of ILCA4s registered an entrants with a good turnout of six boats on the day.

Two races were sailed of a 3-lap Olympic course, with the combined ILCA7s and 4s opening their account with a General Recall in Race 1. All other starts got away cleanly with fourteen boats in the PY Fleet, twenty-two ILCA6s, eleven ILCA7s and six ILCA4s. 

A reflection of the wind strength was that the first boat home in the PY Fleet was the Fireball (14915) of Frank Miller & Neil Cramer who finished in 21:27 which converted to 22:22 on handicap which left them with the opening Frostbite Mugs of the new season. The leading Aero, Roy van Maanen (Aero 6) came home 4:36 behind the Fireball, to claim third on corrected time, while Sean Criag & Stephen Boyle who were 5:08 down in real time on the water closed the gap to Miller & Cramer to 0:56 on handicap to finish second. Aeros occupied places 3 – 9, with two more Fireballs down the pecking order.

While at least two combinations appear to have a timing and/or signal issue with the second start which was in the projected lighter conditions. One of them recovered to claim another podium place on handicap. Noel Butler led home a procession of Aeros on the water and on handicap, taking 1^st and 3^rd to 6^th places in the latter category. The “flow” of Aeros was interrupted by Craig & Boyle who claimed another podium place, sandwiched between Bulter and Kenny Rumball.  Butler’s handicap margin on Craig was 31 seconds compared to a delta of 1:39 on the water.

In the ILCA7s, the podium places were shared by five boats with only one boat getting into the top three in both races. George Kingston finished third in Race 1 but stepped up to 1^st place in the second race. The honour of winning the opening race went to Matteo Valentini, with Conor Byrne finishing second. In Race 2, Hugh Delap (2^nd) and Chris Arrowsmith (3^rd) completed the podium places.

In the ILCA6s, Conor Clancy took the opening race in a new boat, with Darren Griffin and Thomas Evans second and third respectively. In the lighter wind second race, Shirley Gilmore was at the head of the fleet for long periods of the race but was beaten by Patrick Foley with John O’Driscoll finishing third.

In a welcome return, six ILCA4s raced with two competitors securing a podium place in both races. Jackson Clark won the opening race and followed that up with a third in Race 2. Alex Butcher was third in Race 1 but finished second in Race 2. Conor Lynch was second in Race 1 and Abigail Murphy won Race 2.

The feedback, post racing, was that the decision to sail in the heavier conditions was well received.

Fleet		1st	2nd	3rd
Aeros (7 boats)	Race 1	Roy van Mannen	Noel Butler	Kenny Rumball
	Race 2	Noel Butler	Kenny Rumball	Stephen Oram
ILCA7s (11 boats)	Race 1	Matteo Valentini	Conor Byrne	George Kingston
	Race 2	George Kingston	Hugh Delap	Chris Arrowsmith
ILCA6s (22 boats)	Race 1	Conor Clancy	Darren Griffin	Thomas Evans
	Race 2	Patrick Foley	Shirley Gilmore	John O’Driscoll
ILCA4s (6 boats)	Race 1	Jackson Clark	Conor Lynch	Alex Butcher
	Race 2	Abigail Murphy	Alex Butcher	Jackson Clark
PY Fleet (14 boats)	Race 1	Frank Miller & Neil Cramer (Fireball)	Sean Craig & Stephen Boyle (GP14)	Roy van Maanen (Aero)
	Race 2	Noel Butler	Sean Craig & Stephen Boyle	Kenny Rumball