A slightly reduced turnout for the strongest winds of the Winter series so far saw some fine J109 spinnaker handling in race six of DBSC's Citroen South Dublin sponsored Turkey Shoot.
With northerly winds gusting to well over 25-knots, the well–reefed fleet had a start off Dun Laoghaire Harbour Mouth before a short upwind to the outfall mark off Dun Laoghaire's West Pier, then a long broad reach across Scotsman's Bay down to the Muglins Rock at the Southern tip of Dublin Bay and ending with a tough beat back in big seas to the harbour finish line.
Race organiser Fintan Cairns reminded competitors via VHF radio to steer clear of Leac Buidhe, a notorious outcrop of rocks at Dalkey Island that, although now buoyed, still represent a hazard to the Turkey Shoot fleet.
The overall series leader, Vespucci, Sean O'Regan's Dehler 31, was well set–up and sailing fast in the blustery conditions but a lot of the smaller boats in this class opted for white sails only on the long downwind leg.
That wasn't the case for the bigger boats such as the Sunfast 3600, the J109s and the big Beneteau 50, Mermaid V, that all set kites but with varying levels of success.
There were a number of retirals across the fleet with a 1720 sportsboat losing its rudder and requiring a tow back to harbour.
Race six results and overall positions going into next Sunday's final are expected to be calculated by Tuesday and will be available on Afloat.ie
Read also: The Zest is back in Irish Sailing by WM Nixon