This year the organisers of the Viking Marine sponsored Frostbites made it known that they would, when weather allowed sail a third race of an afternoon to bank against Sundays when no sailing was possible. The idea was to be pro-active to losing a Sunday’s races rather than reactive. Unfortunately, on Sunday 9^th November, we were only able to sail a single race, under the management of Ian Cutliffe, which mean that we had to be reactive the following Sunday, the 16^th.

The objective for making up for the lost race was achieved when we sailed three races in winds that started in the high teens but gradually eased as the afternoon progressed with a high of 17/18 knots at the start of the afternoon easing to 10 knots at the end.

Three races were sailed, two 3-lap Olympic courses with a 2-lap Windward/Leeward to close. With the wind almost due North, we originally set Goose up to the East of the dolphins but were asked to relocate by the team racing organisers who occupied the area in front of the National Yacht Club. We duly obliged which left the weather mark sitting in the mouth of the harbour, closer to the West Pier than the East. The gybe mark was set towards the western breakwater and a leeward mark was set East of the dolphins in the area in front of the Royal St George – with the line of sight checked from the gybe mark to confirm that the dolphins weren’t a factor in navigating this leg.

Across nine starts there was a single OCS, in the ILCA 6s, but some of the starts were very close. The first two races for the PY Fleet were of 25/26 minutes duration with the last race a slightly shorter affair, down to 19.5 minutes. The Fireball of Frank Miller & Neil Cramer (14915) dominated the racing on the water taking the gun in all three races. The middle race by a significant distance on the water and 3:48 of the GP14 of Sean Craig & Stephen Boyle, who had seventeen seconds on Noel Butler in the Aero 6. In Race 1 Miller’s margin of time was 2:30 on Butler and in Race 3 the margin was 1:45 on Craig.

However, on handicap, Craig & Boyle scored a hat-trick, winning all three races, by nine seconds on Butler in  Race 1, by1:05 on Miller in Race 2, with Butler 12 seconds further down and by 50 seconds on fellow GP14-ers Norman Lee & Alan Leddy, with Butler 16 seconds later and Miller 1:43 down in fifth place.

Another hat-trick of wins, but this time on the water, was recorded by Alex Butcher in the ILCA 4s. Others who enjoyed success, in podium place terms were Kate Spain with a 2 in Race 1 and a 3 in Race 2, Amy Shelley who scored a 3, 2, 3 in that order and James Crawford who finished second in Race 3. Thus, the podium places across three races were shared by only four people.

In the ILCA 6s there was a similar scenario with Darren Griffin (1, 2, 2), Owen Laverty (2, 3, 1)  and Conor Clancy (3,1) occupying the majority of the podium places. Sean Flanagan joined them in Race 3 at the expense of Clancy.

In the ILCA 7s there was a larger spread of name in the podium places with Conor Byrne winning the day with a 1, 1, 2 score sheet. Matteo Valentini won Race 3 following a third in Race 2, while Theo Lyttle (3) Chris Arrowsmith (2) and Hugh Delap (3) enjoyed podium places in Races 1, 2 and 3 respectively.

Within the PY Fleet there are two classes that have enough entries to run a class event within the race, Fireballs and Aeros. Frank Miller & Neil Cramer did the hat-trick of race wins on the water with Louise Mckenna & Hermine O’Keefe (15016) a.k.a. “The Pink Ladies” scored a 3 and a 2 in Races 1 and 2 respectively while Colm Breen & Paul ter Horst had two second places in Races 1 and 3. Owen Sinnott & Grattan Donnelly (14865) and Morris ter Horst & Harry Gray shared the third places in Races 2 and 3. ter Horst & Gray are one of the younger combinations in the fleet and they made everyone sure of how much they enjoyed finishing third as they crossed the finish line.

The Aeros had a smaller than usual fleet out with five boats in Race 1 and only four in the latter two. As is his wont, Noel Butler (Aero 6) won all three on handicap, with Stuart Harris (Aero 7) claiming two second places in Races 1 and 3, and a third in Race 2. Gordon Syme (Aero 6) took third place in Race 1 and Neil Colin (Aero 6) had a second and a third in Races 2 and 3.  

The course had to be rejigged between Races 1 and 2 as the wind went westwards causing all three marks to be reset. For the last race of the day, the Windward/Leeward, the windward mark was moved again – further westwards, but the leeward gate stayed in place.

The racing was completed shortly after 16:00, but grey clouds made it feel later than it actually was. There were no complaints in the clubhouse afterwards as Frostbite Mugs were presented to those who had made the trip across the waterfront to be present in what was a sparse attendance in the DMYC.

Competitors are reminded that they have two chances to claim a Frostbite Mug, on the day, and on the subsequent Sunday. Thereafter the chance is gone. Some of you may have so many Mugs that this is neither here nor there, but for those who have yet to develop a substantial collection – “them is the rules”.

While this report has been delayed, with the postponement of racing this Sunday past, due to a severe forecast that also caused the Turkey Shoot to be a non-event, at least you will have some thing to read.