#flyingfifteen – Once again the Flying Fifteens were all greeted by a bank of fog when they arrived in Dun Laoghaire writes our special correspondent. It didn't look like we would get out sailing especially as the 250 Optimists had just been brought ashore after several hours on the water. The PRO made a great decision and postponed racing for an hour, this does not happen very often in Dublin Bay, long may it last! The fog moved back out to sea and we got racing in Seapoint Bay. There were fourteen boats out and the Flying Fifteen race was won by Justin Maguire & Frank Burgess in Snowwhite with Ben Mulligan & Chris Doorly teaming up in Mellifluence a very close second.
The winds was generally light, force 3 or less, from E/SE with a strong tide going out, it seemed logical to go right out of the tide but just before the start the wind filled in over the course so last minute decisions had to be made. The majority of boats headed in towards the shore on the right but Maguire and Mulligan kept going out to see in the wind, Maguire tacked about half way up, Mulligan kindly allowing him to cross on port as he wanted to go further out. Maguire crossed all the boats but when Mulligan came across the pressure dropped slightly and Murphy and Donleavy crossed, Mulligan tacked for the mark as the other two crossed him again but they overstood the mark allowing Mulligan to stay second behind Maguire with Donleavy, Murphy and the Meaghers all close behind.
It was all very close going downwind but Mulligan did a good rounding at the leeward mark as Donleavy was ready to pounce, but his spinnaker halyard got stuck and that was that! Maguire had a good lead, as all boats generally headed towards the pier it seemed a soldier's race. Maguire kept going in and eventually joined the stacking of other squibs and dinghies above the layline, Mulligan tacked early and had a clear lane up to the weather mark, there was now only one boat length in it. Downwind it was close with Maguire watching to see if Mulligan would attack, nothing significant happened as Mulligan waited for the leeward mark, there he just got his nose between Maguire and the mark but Maguire held on and survived a tacking duel up to the finish line to deservedly win but it was close! Meanwhile at the leeward mark the Meagher's got past Gerry Donleavy & Alan Green to take third place.
Well done to the PRO Brian O'Hara and his team for getting a race in on a difficult day.
