Strong North–westerlies gusting to 40–knots lead to the cancellation of this morning's Rathfarnham Ford sponsored DBSC Spring Chicken Series on Dublin Bay.

This year's weather–hit series aims to end on a high though with a final race climax next Sunday, March 26 with a prizegiving party at the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire for the 40–boat fleet.

Overall leader into the final race is the 1720 sportsboat Merlin. See overall results here.

1720 Merlin leads the ICRA Boat of the Year Joker II by a single point after three races sailed in the 2017 DBSC Spring Chicken Series on Dublin Bay.

Sunday's third race was sailed in blustery conditions that led to some eventful gybes at the outfall buoy of the back fo the West Pier.

Overall results after three races are downloadable below.

Racing continues on Sunday.

The Beneteau 34.7 Black Velvet is the leader after two races sailed of the DBSC Spring Chicken race on Dublin Bay. The Leslie Parnell skippered yacht from the Royal Irish Yacht Club leads J109 Dear Prudence in the Rathfarnham Ford Sponsored series that has attracted a mix of up to 40 keelboats from fifty–footers to Flying Fifteens.

We reported on Sunday, that the ICRA Boat of the Year Joker II lead a group of J109s into last Sunday morning's race, the first in weeks due to bad weather. A reader, A. Rowan, has been in touch to say that, in fact, another J109, Dear Prudence (black spinnaker), was in front of Joker II by the third mark as our picture above now illustrates. 

Download overall results below. Racing continues this Sunday from the National Yacht Club.

Just crowned ICRA Boat of the Year Joker II was back on the water this morning in a buoyant DBSC Spring Chicken fleet that enjoyed perfect 10–15 knot northwesterly winds after a number of cancellations over the past three weekends. 

The third race of the Rathfarnham Ford sponsored series for keelboats involved a fetch to the first turning mark in Scotsman's Bay and a Spinnaker reach past Sandycove point on Dublin Bay.

Joker II from the Royal Irish Yacht Club was second among a group of J109 sisterships into the third mark on the course. Latest results will be posted later this week.

Strong westerly winds gusting to over 50mph off Dun Laoghaire Harbour this morning led to the cancellation of both the DBSC Spring Chicken Series for sailing cruisers and this afternoon's DMYC dinghy Frostbites series. 

As the popular Spring Chicken event has now lost three of its four races of the series so far, the DBSC committee aims to extend it to 19th & 26th March in order to complete the six race series.

Unfortunately, Storm Ewan also resulted in all sailing being cancelled in Kinsale today.

After only one race sailed in three weeks, DBSC Spring Chicken organisers are making plans to extend the Dun Laoghaire series if this weekend also falls foul of the strong wind forecast. 

Handicaps and Starts for next Sunday's Dublin Bay race are downloadable below. 

The DBSC committee are considering extending to 19th & 26th March in order to complete the six race series and a decision is expected next week.

15–knot westerlies should give Dublin Bay Sailing Club Spring Chicken sailors grounds for optimism this Sunday at the National Yacht Club.  

After two cancellations, the 50–boat fleet is hopeful for a start this weekend after two missed Sundays so far in the pre–season warmer on Dublin Bay. As Afloat.ie previously reported there's been either too little or too much wind on the Bay so far for the popular Rathfarnham Ford sponsored series. 

Simple courses using just two fixed marks – the West Pier Outfall Buoy and the Muglins Rock – and a starting-line set by Henry Leonard’s of the DBSC Race Management team have proved a winning formula under organiser Fintan Cairns.

The series has also got support from Dun Laoghaire's Irish National Sailing School, North Sails and UK McWilliam Sails.

Attached below are handicaps and starts for Sunday.

Unsuitable wind conditions disrupted this morning's Dublin Bay Sailing Club's (DBSC) Spring Chicken Series for a second week in a row.

While last week's Rathfarnham Ford sponsored racing was scrubbbed because of no wind, this morning's round–the–cans race was forced off by 30–mph East North East winds on the capital's waters.

Although competitors are well capable of racing in such wind speeds, the sea state on Dublin Bay is the cause of the problem for the second race.

Organisers made the call to abandon at 0800 by email to all skippers.

The DMYC Frostbite series at Dun Laoghaire was also cancelled on Sunday afternoon.

Racing was abandoned on Dublin Bay this morning because of high winds and big seas

Organisers of Dublin Bay Sailing Club's Rathfarnham Ford sponsored Spring Chicken Series are expecting a last minute rush to enter Sunday's first of six races. More than 25 boats are already entered but the 2017 warm–up series usually attracts double that number. 

The series runs from February 5th to March 12th from the National Yacht Club.

Laset year's winner, the J109 Joker II from the Royal Irish Yacht Club is entered in a fleet that ranges in size from a 65–foot cruiser right down to a 20–foot Flying Fifteen keelboat.

Download entry forms and the Notice of Race here.

A series of six Dublin Bay Sailing Club will be held on Sunday mornings for racing under modified ECHO. Cruisers, cruising boats, one-designs and boats that do not normally race are very welcome to join in the DBSC warm-up series sponsored by Rathfarnham Ford that runs from February 5th to March 12th.

An entry fee €60.00 includes temporary membership of Dublin Bay S.C. and National Y.C. Entry forms are in the waterfront clubs and downloadable below

Sailing instructions will be available on Sunday 5th February and will be emailed to entrants beforehand.

After sailing, food will be available to competitors in the National Y.C.

Completed entries to Donal P. O’Sullivan, 72 Clonkeen Drive, Foxrock, D.18, by Wednesday 1st February.