#mod70 – The National Yacht Club rolled out the red carpet for its MOD70 European tour visitors this afternoon with the Irish London Olympic sailing team making its presence felt on and off the water.
The MOD70s are the latest in Ocean Racing craft and are crewed by some of the most experienced ocean sailors in the world.
A fickle south easterly breeze tuned inside out by close of play but not before the much fancied Foncia took a well earned double. Scroll down for further race reporting from Dublin.
Ireland's Olympic Games race officer Jack Roy was in charge of the Scotsman's bay course and in spite of a reported early grounding the five boat trimaran fleet had a series of quick round the cans races in the 8 to ten knots of south easterly breezes.
The trimaran racing crewed by international hot shots such as the winner of the Volvo Ocean Race Franck Cammas was escorted by a small armada of support vessels and Dun Laoghaire spectators boats. Among those out on the water for the end of season spectacular was Afloat's own WM Nixon who was on Hal Sisk's Molly Bawn along with Dun Laoghaire regatta's Ciara Dowling. Volvo Ocean Race officer Bill O'Hara from Belfast was aboard a RIB and on the water jury duty. The National Yacht Club's Dara Totterdell was on RIB duty too and the National Yacht Club's platform manager Olivier Proveur was also afloat.
Estimates that thousands lined the shore may well have been exaggerated but there was certaintly interest in the giant craft navigating so close to the Dublin Bay shoreline. The festival atmosphere was helped by by a commentary given by Olympic 470 helmsman Ger Owens from the nearby East pier.
It was certainly a successful if sedate debut for the European tour opn Irish waters and as the fleet and its supporters headed back to harbor the 238 metre Crystal Symphony cruise liner departed Dublin Port and the Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC) turned out for its end of season race, all in all a busy afternoon on the capitals waters.
Tomorrow, Irish Olympic Sailor Annalise Murphy is to sail onboard Oman Sail as part of the MOD70 European Tour. This is to celebrate the 19th anniversary of the Round Ireland speed record which was achieved by the late Steve Fossett onboard the trimaran Lakota with Brian Thompson who holds 20 world speed sailing records and is sailing onboard Oman Sail as part of the MOD70 European Tour. Also sailing tomorrow are former Irish Olympic sailor Cathy McAleavey and Con Murphy who were also part of the Lakota crew in 1993 and are parents of Annalise.
Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company has organised a festival on the East Pier for the event including food stalls, craft market, children's entertainment and street theatre. This event continues until Sunday.
Todays Results:
Race 1
1st Spindrift
2nd Foncia
3rd: Race for Water
Race 2
1st Foncia
2nd Spindrift
3rd Edmund de Rothschild
Race 3
1st Foncia
2nd Edmund de Rothschild
3rd Race for Water
Outline Programme
Saturday 8th September 10am – 6pm Food courts, farmers market, fairtrade & ethnic stalls, craft stalls, family entertainment, vintage amusements
2pm Dublin City Races and Speed Matches. Vantage points from the East Pier to Sandycove with live commentary from the East Pier.
Sunday 9th September 10am – 6pm Food courts, farmers market, fairtrade & ethnic stalls, craft stalls, family entertainment, vintage amusements
3pm Start of Leg 2 Dublin (Dun Laoghaire)-Cascais. Vantage points from the East Pier to Sandycove with live commentary from the East Pier.
Additional race reporting from the MOD70 Euro tour below:
Very early in the first race FONCIA struggled a little, but after that they were the team which were most cohesive and consistent around the race course, their victory in the third race being the hardest earned when the gentle SE'ly was turned inside out and left the race arena riddled with very calm patches.
The afternoon started well for Yann Guichard's Spindrift crew but ended in frustration. They won the first race, were runner's up in the second. But after they lead the final race they sailed into a localised millpond off Sandy Cove on the first downwind and the chasing pack sailed around them.
The start line was set within 100 metres of the East Pier and Race direction set the short leg of the triangle shaped course almost parallel to the pier, which gave the assembled crowd of spectators a close up view of much of the action.
After making the best starts in Kiel, it looked as if FONCIA had carried that momentum forward to Dublin Bay when they broke the start line first, but it was Guichard's Spindrift racing and Race for Water which had better speed. FONCIA were fourth at the top gate of the course.
On the first downwind Guichard and crew wisely chose the inshore path and were rewarded with a good lead which they held to the finish. FONCIA took second, Race for Water third and Groupe Edmond de Rothschild fourth.
After touching the bottom before the start Musandam-Oman Sail took the precaution to return to the harbour at the National Yacht Club to make an assessment of possible damage. They were back in action for Race 2 and Race 3.
In the second race FONCIA managed the start well and were able to lead all the way around the course from Spindrift racing. With the breeze slightly more to the south it made the course a little more one sided.
But it was the third race which was the most random and most difficult. That was obvious from the start when the breeze was extremely light in the start area. Guichard's crew seem to be most attuned to what was happening and set up on a high lay line for the start line, which allowed them to use their gennaker twice to build speed to get them to the line. That proved key as the MOD70 with the black hull and sails, was able to escape to what might otherwise have been an unassailable lead.
Musandam-Oman Sail and Groupe Edmond de Rothschild found themselves with hardly any wind at all, only 20 metres close to the pier where the new offshore breeze was just not reaching. It was a matter of four or five minutes before this unfortunate duo made it across the line.
As Spindrift racing lead up the second leg the breeze folded completely as a N'ly wind generated by a big, dark cloud crawled progressively down the arena to partially replace the S'ly.
The inshore area off Sandy Cove developed the biggest hole in the breeze which swallowed the race leader which remaining rooted to the spot while the pack behind were able to see their predicament and try to do something different.
FONCIA managed to pick their way up this second leg with the best breeze. Race for Water and Groupe Edmond Rothschild took the longest and most offshore route, but sailed in consistent pressure for much of this leg. After taking the lead before the top gate Desjoyeaux and crew were able to extend while Josse and the Groupe Edmond de Rothschild team were rewarded with second. Spindrift racing finally took fourth, ahead of Musandam-Oman Sailing.
Three further City Races scheduled for Saturday starting at 2 p.m.
Dun Laoghaire City Race after three City Races
1- FONCIA (Michel Desjoyeaux) 11+12+12 = 35 points
2- Spindrift racing (Yann Guichard) 12+11+9 = 32 points
3-Groupe Edmond de Rothschild (Sébastien Josse) 9+10+11 = 30 points
4- Race for Water (Stève Ravussin) 10+9+10 = 29 points
5-Musandam-Oman Sail (Sidney Gavignet) 8+8+8 = 24 points
Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA) skipper-helm FONCIA: "For sure you can be more satisfied to come ashore with good results after a day like that, it was not easy but the crew worked hard to take every opportunity that came to use and I think we did a good job with that. Our starts were not so good. The first one was bad and we had to do a lot to get back into that race.
In fact there is a committee working all the time to make decisions where we go and what we will do, between myself Charles (Caudrelier) and Xavier (Revil) depending on what is happening, but at the end of that process I am on the helm and sometimes take the decision depending on what I feel on the helm and see in the sails. We have a good organisation on board though, a good mood and good confidence on board and that makes a difference because everyone is good here, it is very tight."
Yann Guichard (FRA), skipper-helm Spindrift racing (EUR); "It was not great but not bad for us. The first race was good for us and the last race we lead for one leg with that big advantage but we saw the wind dropping, we tried to gybe and get out of there but there was nothing we could do. We were stopped. This is part of the game though, you sail close to the shore and the wind will drop like that, that is the game we play."
