The long-running Icebreaker series at Ballyholme Yacht Club on Belfast Lough started Series One of the winter racing last Sunday with over 40 dinghies sailing in a damp, southeasterly breeze of 8 – 12 knots.
The series began in the seventies and has regular good turnouts throughout the winter.
Race Officer Aidan Pounder set a fair and even start line and racing for the ILCA fleet got underway with a clean start for what turned out to be a tight race. This event is a fresh opportunity for everyone as the Gold, Silver and Bronze fleets are not named until after the fifth race of the series. Some of the regulars in the ILCA 7 division showed signs of summer dinghy inactivity with some swimming and missed marks. The results saw Jonny Henry take the win with Conor Simms in second place and James Moore, after recovering well from his swim, finished third.
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Some sailors who had been missing from Sunday racing for some years made a comeback. Warren Polly, Tactician on John Minnis's Archambault 35 Final Call II, raced his new boat and finished seventh in the 28-strong fleet.
Andrew Henry closely followed in eighth with Peter Cameron finishing ninth. Also, young Daniel Palmer was fourth, having stepped up to an ILCA 7. Recently, Daniel won the ILCA 6 division in the ILCA Ireland End-of-Season Regatta at Malahide YC. Cormac Byrne took the bragging rights winning in the ILCA 6s. Cormac was 24th in the Emerald fleet at the ILCA 6 Europeans at this home club in August.
Outside of the ILCA fleets there was some great racing in the Large Dinghy fleet, which saw a slightly reduced number of boats for Race One with only seven out. Despite this there were some close finishes on corrected time. The bragging rights in the Large Dinghy fleet went to Dave Fletcher and Ryan Smith in their Laser 2000, with Aileen and David Smith coming in second, also in a Laser 2000 and Commodore, Rob Milligan, third in his RS Aero 7. Martin Dews who also races a Sigma 33 was fourth in his new Aero 7.
The multihulls sail a slightly larger course due to being a faster boat, Richard and Barry Swanston took the win. In the Small Dinghy fleet Aaron Moore was first in his Topper 4.2.
Racing continues on Sundays until 22nd December with Series 2 starting on 28th January 2025.
