Displaying items by tag: VB250

18th September 2015

Villierstown Boating Club Attracts 25 Dinghies for Union Chandlery VB250 Pursuit Race

The sun shone down on Villierstown Boating Club on September 6th for the inaugural VB250 pursuit race for 25 dinghy sailing crews sponsored by Union Chandlery. Competitors arrived from the local club, Youghal SC, Dungarvan Harbour SC and Greystones SC in wicklow. The fleet prepared for challenging light winds and the ebb and flow of the picturesque river Blackwater. The race got underway promptly at 12pm with the Topaz UNOs setting the pace. Hot on their transoms came the Topaz DUOs, a Gaff rigged Sailing Cob, the beautiful Dublin Bay Mermaid Akita, GP14s, Wayfarer's and the Laser 16 of Gareth Higgins. By 12:25pm the entire fleet was underway and the chase had begun.

Half an hour of racing passed before two of the GP14s crewed by Adrian Lee and Ed Coyne and Jordan Lupton and Norman Lee managed to battle through the fleet and overhaul the Topaz UNO of Barry Morrissey to take the race lead close to the first mark near to Dromana House. These two highly experienced GP14 crews, who have honed their skills at national and international events, gradually pulled out an unassailable lead. The only question for the crowds on Villierstown quay: Who will win? Never more than 3 boat lengths separated the two GP14s and the lead changed many times. It was nail-biting stuff!

The racing amongst the rest of the competitors remained tight too. The boats and crews were well matched and the concentration to eek out every knot of speed to get the edge was intense. For most at least! It was noted by the race committee that a number of competitors decided to focus on family fun and picnics were concealed on-board several boats, which were enjoyed as the fleet glided to the mark off Strancally Castle.

After 3 hours of great racing and family entertainment, the finishing line was laid and the race positions determined. After a great battle between the GP14s a dramatic moment right on the finishing line nearly cost Adrian Lee the race. However, some fine sportsman ship from Jordan Lupton and Norman Lee enabled Adrian Lee and Ed Coyne to secure 1st place and become the first winners of the first VB250 pursuit race.

To round off a fabulous day VBC laid on a BBQ for all the competitors and families. Then prizes, kindly sponsored by Union Chandlery, were awarded by the Union Chandlery supremo, Peter Burke, also a competitor in the race. Awards were:

1st Adrian Lee & Ed Coyne - GP14
2nd Jordan Lupton & Norman Lee - GP14
3rd Barry Morrissey - Topaz UNO
4th Alex Ballot - Sailing Cob
5th Eugene Burke, Eoghan Burke, Shane Buckley - Dublin Bay Mermaid

1st Helm U18 - Jordan Lupton
1st Lady - Ella Crowe

Best family effort - Maisie and Pippa Burke
Best Juniors - Aidan and Eabha Higgins
Fastest Rigging - Tiernan Beresford"

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About the 29er Skiff Dinghy

The 29er is a one-design double-handed, single trapeze skiff for youth sailors.

There is an active class in Ireland, just one of the 38-countries from across all continents now racing the high-performance skiff.

The 29er is one of the latest dinghy classes to arrive in Ireland and has a 50/50 split between boys and girls.

The class like to describe the boat as "The most popular skiff for sailors who want to go fast!".

Derived from the Olympic class 49er class and designed by Julian Bethwaite the 29er was first produced in 1998.

Two sailors sail the 29er, one on trapeze.

The 6.25-metre high rig features a fractional asymmetrical spinnaker; a self-tacking jib decreases the workload of the crew, making manoeuvres more efficient and freeing the crew to take the mainsheet upwind and on two-sail reaches.

The 15.00 m2 spinnaker rigging set-up challenges crews to be fit and coordinated, and manoeuvres in the boat require athleticism due to its lack of inherent stability and the high speed with which the fully battened mainsail and jib power up.

The 74kg weight hull is constructed of fibreglass-reinforced polyester in a foam sandwich layout.

The fully battened mainsail and jib are made from a transparent Mylar laminate with orange or red Dacron trimming, while the spinnaker is manufactured from ripstop Nylon.

The mast is in three parts - an aluminium bottom and middle section, with a polyester-fibreglass composite tip to increase mast bend and decrease both overall weights, and the capsizing moment a heavy mast tip can generate. Foils are aluminium or fibreglass.

About the ILCA/Laser Dinghy

The ILCA, formerly known as the Laser, is the most produced boat in the world, with 220,000 units built since 1971.

It's easy to see why the single-handed dinghy has won the title of the most widely distributed boat of all time.

The Laser is a one-design dinghy, the hulls being identical but three rigs that can be used according to the size and weight of the sailor.

The class is international, with sailors from 120 countries. The boat has also been an Olympic class since 1996, being both the men's and women's singlehanded dinghy.

Three rigs are recognised by the International Laser Class Association (ILCA):

ILCA 4: sail of 4.70m2

ILCA 6: sail of 5.76 m2

ILCA 7: sail of 7.06 m2