Another Great Turnout in Race Four of DBSC's Turkey Shoot

25th November 2018

Great racing in the DBSC Turkey Shoot 75-boat mixed cruiser fleet. Scroll down for more photos below Credit: Afloat.ie

More great sailing conditions of 15 knots or more and another great turnout for Dublin Bay Sailing Club's Citroen South Dublin Turkey Shoot as it passed the halfway stage of the series in yesterday's fourth race off Dun Laoghaire.

With race start times from 10 am, some (black sail) boats are on the race track from 8. 30 am such is the level of competition now generated for the popular series.

With four separate starts for the 75-boat fleet and some keen jostling for the pin end, Race Officer Henry Leonard got the fleets away promptly for three rounds of a course that featured a near one-kilometre beat, a gybe mark, and a downwind to the West Pier Outfall mark before a finish off that pier's lighthouse.

Turkey Shoot Henry Leonard 3492 Race Officer Henry Leonard underneath the DBSC Turkey Shoot flag Photo: Afloat.ie

Turkey Shoot Henry Leonard 3492 Great racing for all types of cruisers in the second start

Turkey Shoot Henry Leonard 3492

Ruffian 4670

Mixed sportboats

Q: What is the start time for the Dublin Bay DBSC Turkey Shoot Series?

The first warning signal is at 10.10 am.

A great turnout of mixed sportsboats saw a keenly contested start with the 1720 Wolfe, full of Royal St. George One design talent, including Neil Hegarty, Peter Bowring, Bill Nolan and John O'Connor, winning the pin end battle.

Turkey Shoot 3501 Ten seconds to go to the mixed Sportsboat third start and the race is on for the pin end...

Turkey Shoot Henry Leonard 3492 ....intense concentration on the RSTGYC 1720 skippered by Dragon ace Neil Hegarty

Turkey Shoot Henry Leonard 3492 ....five seconds...

Turkey Shoot Henry Leonard 3492 With one boat clearly over as the gun goes, Hegarty nails the start....
....and the RStGYC 1720 gets clean away at the pin

As well as 1720s, there are several J70s and J80s competing, including one of the Royal St. George's newly refurbished J80 fleet.

Turkey Shoot Henry Leonard 3492 J70 Jheetah

Turkey Shoot Henry Leonard 3492 (Above and below) One of the Royal St. George's newly refurbished J80 fleet

Turkey Shoot Henry Leonard 3492

Turkey Shoot Henry Leonard 3492 In 15 knots and an edd tide, the outfall buoy proved a tricky leeward mark in race four

Turkey Shoot Henry Leonard 3492 (above and below) The Royal St. George Yacht Club's Wolfe was a clear sportsboat winner on the water in race four

Turkey Shoot Henry Leonard 3492

Big J109 turnout

In the fourth start of the day, a great mix of cruisers zero and one came to the line to challenge any summer turnout. The Grand Soleil 34 debutante JustTina was out again as was the Farr 42 Wow. Both Sunfast 3600s were on the line, as was the former Turkey Shoot winner Mermaid, a Beneteau 50, and the top DBSC J97 Windjammer too, but the most popular type was the J109 that made up six of the sixteen-boat fleet.

It was nip and tuck, right off the line for the two top J109s in the country and when White Mischief (Tim Goodbody) and Juggerknot (Andrew Algeo) split tacks halfway up the first beat there was only a boat length between them. White Mischief rounded first and looked to gain initially downwind but the intriguing dogfight was shortlived because White Mischief was diverted to come to the rescue of a Man overboard. Read more here.

Turkey Shoot Henry Leonard 3492 In the fourth start, top Irish J109s fight for the pin end....

Turkey Shoot Henry Leonard 3492 Seconds after the start White Mischief, to weather, gets a nose out in front of national champion Juggerknot....

Turkey Shoot Henry Leonard 3492 ...but it is short lived as Juggerknot skipper Andrew Algeo powers off (above and below)

Turkey Shoot Henry Leonard 3492

Turkey Shoot Henry Leonard 3492 By the weather mark, White Mischief leads Juggerknot by two boat lengths or more

Turkey Shoot Henry Leonard 3492 Sunfast 3600 Hot Cookie

Turkey Shoot Henry Leonard 3492 J109 Ruth

Turkey Shoot Henry Leonard 3492 Sunfast 3600 YoYo

Turkey Shoot Henry Leonard 3492 J97 Windjammer

Turkey Shoot Henry Leonard 3492 Grand Soleil 34 Justtina

Turkey Shoot Henry Leonard 3492

Turkey Shoot Henry Leonard 3492 A mix of cruisers at the gybe mark includes Yoyo (Sunfast 3600), Dear Prudence, a J109, and the J122 Jib and Tonic

Sailing coach Maurice O'Connell shot the video below from the stern of Brendan Coghlan's "YoYo" (O'Connell was tactician). Olympic squad Laser sailor Ewan McMahon (in blue cap) was trimming the kite. The video shows the last leeward mark rounding (the yellow out fall mark off the back of the West Pier).

Turkey Shoot Henry Leonard 3492 Overall Turkey Shoot leader, the Beneteau 31.7 Camira

Turkey Shoot Henry Leonard 3492 J109 Jalapeno

Turkey Shoot Henry Leonard 3492

Race four results to follow on Afloat.ie's dedicated Turkey Shoot section here

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Dublin Bay Sailing Club Turkey Shoot Winter Series

Dublin Bay Sailing Club's Turkey Shoot Series reached its 20th year in 2020.

The popular yacht series racing provides winter-racing for all the sailing clubs on the southside of Dublin Bay in the run-up to Christmas.

It regularly attracts a fleet of up to 70 boats of different shapes and sizes from all four yachts clubs at Dun Laoghaire: The National Yacht Club, The Royal St. George Yacht Club, The Royal Irish Yacht Club and the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club as well as other clubs such as Sailing in Dublin. Typically the event is hosted by each club in rotation.

The series has a short, sharp format for racing that starts at approximately 10 am and concludes around noon. The event was the brainchild of former DBSC Commodore Fintan Cairns to give the club year-round racing on the Bay thanks to the arrival of the marina at Dun Laoghaire in 2001. Cairns, an IRC racer himself, continues to run the series each winter.

Typically, racing features separate starts for different cruiser-racers but in fact, any type of boat is allowed to participate, even those yachts that do not normally race are encouraged to do so.

Turkey Shoot results are calculated under a modified ECHO handicap system and there can be a fun aspect to some of the scoring in keeping with the Christmas spirit of the occasion.

As a result, the Turkey Shoot often receives entries from boats as large as Beneteau 50 footers and one designs as small as 20-foot flying Fifteens, all competing over the same course.

It also has legendary weekly prizegivings in the host waterfront yacht clubs immediately after racing. There are fun prizes and overall prizes based on series results.

Regular updates and DBSC Turkey Shoot Results are published on Afloat each week as the series progresses.

FAQs

What is the start time for the Dublin Bay DBSC Turkey Shoot Series?

The first warning signal is at 10.10 am

Who can race in the Dublin Bay DBSC Turkey Shoot Series?

Cruisers, cruising boats, one-designs and boats that do not normally race are very welcome. Boats range in size from ocean-going cruisers at 60 and 60 feet right down to small one-design keelboats such as 20-foot Flying Fifteens. A listing of boats for different starts is announced on Channel 74 before racing each week.

When is the Dublin Bay DBSC Turkey Shoot Series held?

Each winter from the first Sunday in November until the last week before Christmas.

How long does a Dublin Bay DBSC Turkey Shoot Series race take?

Usually no more than two hours. The racecourse time limit is 12.30 hours.

How many races are in the Dublin Bay DBSC Turkey Shoot Series

Between six and eight with one or two discards applied.

What club hosts the Dublin Bay DBSC Turkey Shoot Series?

Racing is organised by Dublin Bay Sailing Club and the Series is rotated across different waterfront yacht clubs for the popular after race party and prizegiving. The waterfront clubs are National Yacht Club (NYC), Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC), Royal St George Yacht Club (RSGYC) and Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC).