Sunday’s Viking Marine DMYC Dinghy Frostbites in Dun Laoghaire Harbour were a test for organisers and competitors alike. The forecast suggested a North Easterly breeze, produced on the day, though it was from an ENE direction. Wind strength had been predicted in the high teens, gusting into the low twenties, and that, too, manifested itself. However, there was a wider range of wind speeds recorded, from a low of 14 knots to a base wind of 18/19 knots with gusts comfortably into the twenties. Indeed, Frostbites Co-ordinator Neil Colin recorded a gust of 31 knots on a handheld device at the end of the western breakwater.
Possibly because of the weather, numbers were low on the day with the PY fleet mustering ten boats for Race 1, the ILCA 7s had a bumper turn-out of eleven boats and the ILCA 6s had fourteen giving a fleet turnout of 35 boats. This would compare with 40+ boat in recent weeks and fleets of 60+ boats in the 2022/23 season.
"Frostbites Co-ordinator Neil Colin recorded a gust of 31 knots"
Brendan Duffy of the DMYC Ruffian fleet was the Race Officer with this correspondent laying the weather mark which was located just inside the end of the East Pier. In this location there were some “cats’ paws” racing across the water – a combination of the wind direction and the wind coming through the harbour mouth. The top reach of the Olympic course set for both races would see the fleet sail east to west across the harbour mouth and this made for a very fast passage to the gybe mark set in the approximate location of the INSS’ green platform. The leeward mark was off the marina wall and it would see some additional action during the afternoon.
For the first race, the majority view as to sail up the left hand-side of the beat on starboard tack before putting in a tack to come into the mark on port. All three fleets pursued this approach and it resulted in a tight pack of PY boats and subsequently ILCA 7s approaching the mark. In the PY fleet Pat McGoldrick and Paul ter Horst (14790) led the charge from Alastair Court & Gordon Syme (15156) with Michael Keegan and helm (14676) also well placed. My recall is that Noel Butler in the Aero was also well up the fleet on the water.
Sanity seemed to be the order of the day for the two reaches with no spinnakers flying on either leg which may have helped the handicap stakes for the slightly slower boats (on the water). By the second windward mark Court & Syme had taken the lead though the other two aforementioned Fireball combinations were still in touch. The Fireball was first home but on corrected time concede the win to Butler’s Aero. The top five on corrected time were evenly spread with two Aeros, two Fireballs and the RS200 of Jamie and Katie Tingle with the sequence being Butler, Court, Roy van Maanen, McGoldrick and Tingle.
The ILCA 7s were evenly more tightly bunched as they approached the weather mark with Conor Byrne being the “rabbit” to everyone else’s hounds. However, getting around the mark got more complicated as the second (or third placed) boat capsized bringing at least one other boat with him. Byrne won the race with the pecking order behind him being; Theo Lyttle, Chris Arrowsmith, Gavan Murphy and John Marmelstein.
The ILCA 6s had some air and water between them at the first weather mark, but again, given the conditions, it was competitive at the front. I don’t have the details for this race as I was now engaged in rescue duties (Aero with a broken main halyard, capsized Fireball) and indeed my observation obligation was ultimately usurped by rescue undertakings. In R1 for the ILCA 6s the finishing order was Owen Laverty, Hugh Delap, Conor Clancy, Darren Griffin and Hugh Cahill.
The first race was of less that 20 minutes duration and there was quite a few dropouts for the second race – PY (4 boats), ILCA 7s (1) and ILCA 6s (6).
Another three lap Olympic course was set and I have no observations of the race at all, other than to say that the wind had risen from the first race and some experienced competitors were finding the challenge a bit too robust. However, those who did manage to get their way around the course were delighted that racing had continued.
Race 2 – Finishers (1 – 5).
PY – Noel Butler (Aero), Roy van Maanen (Aero), Alastair Court & Gordon Syme, Jamie & Katie Tingle and Pierre & Remy Long (IDRA).
ILCA 7s – Conor Byrne, Niall Cowman, Gavan Murphy, Theo Lyttle and Roy McKay.
ILCA 6s – Hugh Delap, Conor Clancy, Darren Griffin, Hugh Cahill, Michael Norman.
In overall terms, for Series 2, the 1-5 in each class are as follows;
PY – Butler(7), Court & Syme (27), van Maanen (32), Sarah Dwyer (Aero) (32) and Pierre & Remy Long (IDRA) (34).
ILCA 7s – Byrne (8), Lyttle (14), Gary O’Hare (21), Murphy (29) and Marmelstein (30).
ILCA 6s – Griffin (13), Clancy (17), Delap (21), Shirley Gilmore (43) and Norman (43).
