The Viking Marine sponsored Frostbite fleet had another pleasant Sunday of racing in Dun Laoghaire harbour with light NNE winds and sunshine for the penultimate Sunday of the Series. Both the wind and temperature predictions were correct even if there seemed to be more wind than expected at the DMYC as the race team gathered.
However, on reaching the race area there was less wind with the strength at 4.5knots. It got to a high of 9knots during the afternoon, but for the bulk of the afternoon it ranged between these two limits. It was however rather steady from a direction perspective and the consequence was that the marks didn’t need to be moved for the three races.
Considering Sunday was the middle day of a long weekend with Monday St Patrick’s Day, the turnout was good. As ever the ILCA 7s had a high number of their total entry out with seven boats competing in all three races. The ILCA s had a fleet of thirteen boats which represented a drop off of about a third of their usual number. The PY fleet had a good turnout of Fireballs, with two GP14s, a Finn and at least four Aeros making up a 17-boat fleet.
A two-lap triangular course was set for the first race due to the lighter winds with a weather mark situated between the end of the East Pier and the monument on the upper wall. The gybe mark was set just inside the end of the West Pier with a leeward mark sitting to the west of the ferry dolphins.
Each of the three race starting sequences had a general recall with the PY fleet having three in total for the last race, once for their scheduled start and twice from their relegated start behind the two ILCA starts.
The Fireballs enjoyed the lighter conditions and two spinnaker legs on each triangle of the first race and this was manifested by their presence at the head of the PY fleet on the water. They enjoyed close racing conditions. On the water the Aeros and the GP14s seemed to be struggling in terms of distance and time between themselves and the Fireballs but on corrected time the GP14 of Norman Lee & Alan Leddy (14143) took the win with Des Fortune second in the Finn and Alastair Court & Gordon Syme (15167) third in the Fireball. This represents a slight change to the result announced in the clubhouse afterwards due to a difference between recorded times and video footage of the finishing sequence and times (as reviewed by our results guru Brian Mulkeen).
The ILCA 7s saw a race win from one of the DMYC boats with Roy McKay taking the gun with Damien Maloney and Matteo Valentini taking the other podium places. They appeared to enjoy a race where all the boats were in close company with each other.
The ILCA 6s also enjoyed some close racing with the 1-2-3 being claimed by Darren Griffin, Gareth Giles (launching from DMYC) and Conor Clancy respectively.
The consensus view of the race committee team, substantiated by wind readings throughout the first race was that there was enough wind to look at another race and a longer course. The quickest set-up was to leave the marks as was and go for a three-lap Olympic course. At this stage the wind was creeping upwards to 6.5 – 7.5knots.
All three fleets decided that the approach to the beat was to go left first before working their way upwards to the weather mark on port tack. The course wasn’t lopsided, but some people decided that the ebbing tide was to be factored into their machinations.
This led to a spread of boats across the racecourse, very satisfying from a race officer’s perspective. In the PY fleet the Fireballs were again to the fore, but this time they were unable to save their time and the corrected time positions saw the Aeros and the GP14 of Lee and Leddy take the podium places with the latter combination first followed by Noel Butler (Aero 6) and Sarah Dwyer (Aero 6).
In the ILCA 7s the only entry to stay on the podium from the first race was Matteo Valentini who won from Sam Wilkinson and Hugh Delap.
In the ILCA 6s two podium finishers stayed inside the 1-2-3 for the second race with Conor Clancy leading Darren Griffin home with Shirley Gilmore finishing third. Clancy had a comfortable win in this race in contrast to the closeness of finishers in Race 1.
During the third race, another three-lap Olympic course, the wind went up a small notch with a high of 9knots recorded, but this was momentary and for the majority of the race the wind was in the range 7 – 8.5knots.
The PYs blotted their copybook for this race and were relegated to the back of the start sequence, where they would take another two attempts to get away – though it was pointed out at the daily prize-giving, that the RO had got his flags and times wrong for the start that did get away……..apologies!!
Lee & Leddy scored a hat-trick of corrected time wins with this race, though the Fireballs dominated the finishing sequence on the water. They, in turn, were rewarded with the remaining podium places, with Harry & Daniel Thompson (15114) taking second place with Court & Syme third.
Valentini won again in the ILCA 7s with Gary O’Hare and Sam Wilkinson second and third respectively. This “double win” was repeated in the ILCA 6s where Conor Clancy led the fleet home again with Darren Griffin taking second and Sean Craig third.
Three races were completed by 16:30 in an afternoon where we enjoyed blue skies for the majority of the time on the water.
With a solitary Sunday left in the Series, there are some close calls that will be determined on March 23rd, assuming we get sailing. In Series 2 the pecking order is pretty well set with the exception of the position in the Fireball Class where two points separate 1st and 2nd. Alan Blay & Hugh McNally (14641) hold a two-point advantage on the McCartin/Thompson/Thompson entry. In the Aeros, three points separate Paul Phelan, Sarah Dwyer and Neil Colin.
However, in terms of the overall Series (Series 1 & 2 combined) there is more potential for close calls;
- Three points separate the top two in the ILCA 7s with Conor Byrne having the upper hand on Hugh Delap. A solitary point separates Roy McKay and John Marmelstein in fourth and fifth respectively.
- It is even tighter in the ILCAs where the delta between first and second is down to two points – Darren Griffin leads from Sean Craig.
- In the PY Class the first two places are sewn up but six points separate third, fourth and fifth overall – the McCartin/Thompson Fireball, Paul Phelan and Sarah Dwyer in the Aeros.
- In the Fireballs three points separate the top two boats – McCartin/Thompson and Blay & McNally.
- In the Aeros, 4.5 points cover second, third and fourth places with the current pecking order being Phelan, Dwyer and Coilin.
In terms of Frostbite Mugs for Sunday’s racing the only Mug awarded is to Vladimir Neudert (ILCA 6s) but a second Mug was presented to Alison Pigot for the ILCA 6s the previous Sunday.
The preliminary weather forecast from XCWeather shows next Sunday to be light again from a northerly direction. The number of races will be determined by the need to have a final prize-giving at a suitable time and Frostbiters are encouraged to attend to show support for our sponsor, Viking Marine as traditionally Ian O’Meara will be in attendance. Snacks will be available as per normal.