#flyingfifteen – The last of the waterfront clubs summer regatta's took place at the RStGYC on Saturday and the Flying Fifteen class was won by Dave Gorman & Chris Doorly in Betty in testing conditions as the winds were all over the bay. This gives them the 'grand slam' as they won all four waterfront regattas. Second was Ian Mathews with Jonathan O'Rourke helming on the same points as Adrian Cooper & Joe in Gulfstream in a well deserved third place.

It was forecast to be windy from the west, something we havnt had for a while but during racing the prevailing wind was fighting with the sea breeze and the usual hole appeared in the Bay giving a testing time to the competitors and the Race Officers.

In race 1 there was a bias to the pin and there were about 12knots under the big dirty cloud above so full hiking was the order of the day . . for a while at least! O'Rourke/Mathews led the way after a good start at the pin, as the boats tacked onto port there was a shift and a change in wind strength, those on the left were knocked and the two boats that had gone right were coming in full steam with Ken & Maryjane leading at the weather mark from O'Rourke, Justin Maguire and Adrian Cooper, Gorman was fifth to the weather mark. On the reach Gorman sailed low to try and get some place by getting water at the next mark, this worked well and at the gybe mark was second. The wind was holding, O'Rourke went to the right of the second beat along with Adraian while Gorman and Maguire went left, by now the wind was getting lighter and flukier. Maguire & Burgess made big gains and tacked in under O'Rourke at the weather mark but were sailed over, Gorman was fifth. Downwind Gorman went right hoping for that sea breeze and the help of the incoming tide, it looked good for a while as those on the left had no wind Then the wind gods gave those on the left wind and took it from the right! As the boats neared the leeward mark the wind picked up for a few minutes. As Gorman went left on starboard he got tangled with a port Fireball, for the last lap the positions didn't change so O'Rourke won from Justin & Frank with Gorman third and Adrian & Joe fourth.

There was a very long break between races as all classes were given 3 laps, this is preventable if the first couple of classes are given an extra lap. With the winds now more easterly the PRO reset the course, due to the uncertainty it was to be a shorter two lap course- this proved to be an inspired decision!

To have any chance of winning the regatta Gorman had to win and hope O'Rourke and Maguire have a poor race, this was unlikely but you would never know. The Meagher's were also out to add to the mix for the second race after having a lie in! In race 2 the wind was up and the pin end was biased, O'Rourke got the pin, with Colman to his weather, Gorman started away from the pin and managed to trap the two boat below, as in last week regatta there was actually very little time to be on starboard ,Gorman went a little beyond the lay line and O'Rourke and Colman had now overstood the mark and were in Gorman's dirt. As he approached the weather mark the boats from the right were coming in on starboard, Gorman got in about two boat lenghts in front of Alan Dooley and Adrian Cooper with the Cahills close behind. There was a bit of heavy traffic at the weather mark and O'Rourke and Maguire got caught up in it as Gorman increased his lead. On the second beat Dooley was sailing well on the right, the wind had now dropped and anything could happen, Gorman was in the middle but headed slightly right and was relieved to get around the weather mark intact- the rest were not so lucky. It was a beat now on the run, Gorman went left to the forecasted wind from the west and kept moving in the light winds, the beat to the finish was a run. Dooley stayed second with Adrian third, the Cahills fourth and the Meagher's fifth with O'Rourke in sixth place and Maguire behind them. So the regatta was won in difficult conditions where anything could happen and anything did happen.

Once ashore it was down to the RStGYC for the usual regatta festivities and prize giving, the club had a great bbq with super food and live music. Next week its back to the DBSC series.

#flyinfgfifteen – The wind gods were toying with the Flying fifteens last night and depending where you were you had zero wind up to about 10knots towards the end, despite a good forecast with a steady building wind from the SE it was always a surprise to what direction it came from last night.

The course was set up by Jack and his team and it was to be a short beat to East mark with the pin favoured, this was reinforced as we watched the SB start. Chris with Valerie Mulvin crewing and Ben & Maryjane crossed the fleet and were looking good, then from below Joe and Tom Murphy sailed around the leaders to take the lead . . or so they thought!

As Tom tacked for the mark he ended up pointing northwest back towards Dun Laoghaire. Meanwhile Chris and Ben seemed to redeem themselves as they pointed east towards the mark. At this stage those on the left got their own private breeze and Adrian, the Cahills and Alan Balfe came into the mark to be confronted by the Dragons and Sb's coming from the right with spinnakers up . . figure that one out! Those in the middle had little or no wind but and this led to a dangerous situation with all the inside boats coming in demanding their rights at the mark. The boats with no wind had no time and opportunity to get out of the way and some very poor seamanship was shown by some of the bigger boats, a dragon was actually spotted in Alan Dooley's boat!

Eventually everyone got around and headed to Omega, out of the mess Alan Balfe & Karl Lynch led the way hotly persued by Hugh & Michael Cahill with Adrian & Joe next. This is the way it finished as very little changed after that as the next four legs were all fetches. Alan Dooley & Joe Hickey recovered to be fourth after disentangling himself from the dragon earlier. It may take others longer to recover and get their heads together. So well done to Alan and Karl, it was Karls first ever win in the class!

Hopefully they can keep the good form for the RStGYC regatta at the weekend where there should be some great racing in a good sized fleet assuming the wind gods will be kinder to us As usual it will be fiercely contested, Dave Gorman & Chris Doorly may be slight favourites as they will be looking to complete the grand slam of the four waterfront regattas.

#flyingfifteen – The third of the waterfront clubs summer regattas turned out to be a fantastic day on the water after a wet morning, with a nice building breeze from N/NE and sunshine most of the afternoon. With a good Flying Fifteen turnout for the DMYC event there promised to be some exciting racing. Gerry Donleavy was back in action sailing with Alan Green, other favourites included National Champions Ian & Keith, the Meagher's, David Gorman & Chris Doorly who won last week's NYC regatta, Brian Maguire & Frank Burgess and Tom & Diego were also back after a rest weekend last week.

The wind was from the north at about 10-12knots, but was forecast to build during the day and flick more N/NW and for the first race the tide was still coming in.

In race 1 there was a bias to the pin so all the boats were blasting out to the left hand side, it was a short starboard tack and it looked like a procession in peeling off on the lay line, this was not good for those to leeward. Gorman made a quick decision to tack and duck four boats, as he pointed back up there seemed to be a small lift, enough to point him at the mark and stay above Alan Balfe and just ahead of Ben & Maryjane Mulligan, the others on the left had by now over stood the mark. The reach was a bit of a run really and some of the back places changed, on the next beat it was shifty and sloppy, Ben stayed close to Gorman, while Balfe dropped back as Tom & Diego made large gains by going left, Mathews & Poole came back up to fourth. This was how it stayed to the finish.

There was a very long break between races as all classes were given 3 laps, crews were getting cold with the northerly winds. With the winds now more northerly the PRO reset the course. Again the pin end was biased, Gorman mistimed his start and was left behind on the line, Maguire, Mathews and Donleavy were all flying up the beat out to the left. As in the first race there was actually very little time to be on starboard and soon all the boats were heading out to sea on a long port tack. Gorman had recovered and was sailing fast through the waves to somehow get his nose in front as the boats approached the weather mark. He was closely followed by Donleavy & Green, Murphy and Mathews. Down the reach (run really) and at the gybe mark Murphy started to take down his spinnaker to the surprise of those around him, on realising his mistake he had lost three places- expensive mistake! However he kept battling and soon caught up with the group ahead. On the second beat Donleavy went more right and was right up with Gorman, Gorman headed even further left while Donleavy went right, left paid as there was more wind and Gorman kept the lead to the gun. These two were well ahead of the rest, Mathews came in third with the Meaghe'rs fourth.

Overall then it was David & Chris in first place with two wins, Ian and Keith in second and Tom & Diego in third. Well done to all who participated and to PRO and his team, it was an interesting and challenging days racing. Once ashore it was down to the DMYC for the usual regatta festivities and prize giving, the club had a great bbq and music. Next week is the RStGYC Regatta. Details of that event are here.

#flyingfifteen – Midsummer's day turned out to be a fantastic day on the water for the Flying fifteens and off with a nice breeze and sunshine all day. Racing started early and with an 18–boat entry there promised to be some exciting racing. Gerry Donleavy was back in action sailing with Alan Green, other favourites included National Champions Ian & Keith, the Meagher's in their new boat, David & Chris and Jonathan O'Rourke & Carol in Alan Dooley's boat Fflogger.

The wind was from the north at about 10knots, a little more than forecast and for the first race the tide was still going out. As on Thursday night there appeared to be more wind uptide out on the left and the group of boats that included the Meaghers, Mathews, Green and Tom Galvin came in to the first mark in the lead, Gorman had gone right to clear air and was back in sixth but it was all very close going down the reach. On the second beat the lead boats stayed on port tack going right, Gorman went left straight away, half way up the beat he was in third place, meanwhile Mathews and Galvin had cut across and were first and second, Tom and his brother Eamon were flying and crossed Mathews to lead but it was short lived as they over stood the mark and Mathews squeezed up in front of them. Downwind thing stayed the same. On the third beat the wind was steady enough and the lead boats were covering each other, at the last quarter Mathews and Tom were neck and neck as the went slightly to the right near the mark, Gorman to an extra hitch to the left and came in on port, this was going to be close with the two boats coming over on starboard, would he make it? . . going a bit faster he managed to squeeze in with a few boat lengths to spare to the lead at the mark and consolidated it on the reaches.
After the leeward mark Gorman covered the two boat all going to the left side. As Gorman crossed the line and Mathews and Galvin tacked out there was a windshift, those just behind, Green and the Meagher's, were now on a lift heading for the finish, Mathews managed to hold on to second, Green squeezed in ahead of the Meagher's to get third and Tom ended up fifth after sailing a great race- sailing can be like a game of snakes and ladders!
Between racing the wind was moving to the east and PRO officer Larry Power and his team had to reset the course. After the delay everyone was keen and over the line, general recall, the wind continued to go more E/SE and Larry had to change the course again. Eventually we got going, Gorman went right quickly but those on the left fared better, Green came across in a good position but tacked back out and was under the now weather boats on starboard, not a good place to be coming into the mark! The Meaghe'rs in Ffantastically Mr Fox lead at the mark followed by the ever consistant Mathews & Poole, Green came in on port and managed to hit Jonathan O'Rourke, in the pile up Gorman sailed over them into third position. On the second reach which was broad, the boats were settled but suddenly Gorman made an attack on Mathews, sudden and decisive action was required by Ian but it was too late, Gorman was over him into second place with the Meagher's still in first watching their back!
On the second beat the right paid, there was a strong ebbing tide now so staying in the shallow waters was helpful. The Meagher's and Gorman went right but not all the way, Jonathan & Carol went further to the right and came into the weather mark in first followed bt the Meaghers with Gorman back a bit, meanwhile Mathews had gone left and struggled with the lighter winds and strong tide against him to fall back from the lead group. Downwind Gorman went left while the others stayed out right, Gorman came into the mark at a tighter, faster angle and got water on the lead boats to take the lead which he kept to the end. Meanwhile the Meagher's and Jonathan slowed each other down on rounding and those behind closed the gap, Gorman went right and was followed by Niall Colman& Mick Quinn who had now moved into second. Things stayed much the same for the last lap but on the final beat the wind was getting lighter and shifty, Colman kept his second place but Mathews snuck into third followed O'Rourke, the Meagher's and Frank Burgess.
Overall then it was David & Chris in first place with two hard fought wins, Ian and Keith in second and the Meagher's in third one point ahead of Niall Colman & Mick Quinn with the Galvin brothers in sixth place. Well done to all who participated and to Larry and his team, it was a great days racing.
Once ashore the usual regatta festivities were in full swing, the club had a great bbq and music and a large group from the class kept going till the early hours at the regatta dinner. So all in all a great day on and off the water. Next week is the DMYC Regatta

#flyingfifteen – As the Flying Fitteen's get close to the longest day of the year, the DBSC PRO certainly made sure they had the longest race of the year in light N/NE winds with an extremely strong ebbing tide. After the excitement of going to the FF Northerns at Cushendall last weekend it was back to bread and butter racing on the Bay. This first series was won by Tom Galvin, with Alan Dooley second aided by guest driver Jonathan ORourke finishing one point ahead of Doorly/Green, Tom Leonard finished fourth.

Back to last night's race, the pin end was favoured, there appeared to be more wind uptide out on the left and the two boats that stayed left came in to the first mark first and second. Green missed the mark allowing Jonathan & Carol in to take the lead. Downwind Green went right and got through to lead but it was to be short lived as Jonathan regained it on the next beat.

The wind was light and it looked like we wouldn't finish within the time but we all kept going. On the last beat out to East mark, Jonathan covered Green all the way up the beat on the right side allowing Tom & Geraldine to hit the left side, where there was consistently more wind, Tom came in at the mark into second place and this was how it stayed, Jonathan first, Leonard second and Green third with series winner Tom Galvin fourth. Well done Tom!

This Saturday the NYC regatta takes place and we are expecting a large turnout.

#flyingfifteen – National Flying Fifteen champions Ian Mathews and Keith Poole of Dun Laoghaire could not match Roger Chamberlain and Charley Horder for Northern Championship honours at Cushendall Sailing Club today. The Strangford Lough pair moved up a gear from the last meet at Carlingford a month ago to win the 20–boat championships by four points. Results sheet available to download below.

While other east coast sailing events were becalmed the Fifteens enjoyed a good sailing breeze off the Antrim coast at Red Bay even if Saturday's winds were shifty.

Three windward leeward courses were sailed on Saturday in the lighter winds but today saw triangle courses in up to 20 knots of breeze. 

Third overall in the keelboat class was another Northern Ireland based Flying fifteen, Stifflers Mom, sailed by Brian McKee and John Gibson of Portaferry.

There was applause for the excellent race management at Cushendall and also for the shoreside marshalling and local hospitality.

Full class report below: 

What a weekend that was in Cushendall at the foot of the amazing Glens of Antrim. With wind and sunshine you would be forgiven for thinking we were on the continent. Twenty boats took part in The Flying Fifteen Northern Championships in the picturesque village of Cushendall at the weekend hosted by Cushendall Sailing Club. The welcome and hospitality were great and very appreciated by those who traveled. Roger Chamberlain & Charlie Horder (SLSC) won the event comfortably on the score board withr some very consistent results and could even afford to retire from the last race. Ian Mathews & Keith Poole (NYC) were second with McKee & Gibson (SLSC) third.
Saturday morning there was a light breeze, more than enough for racing but it was to be shifty in a challenging tide.
Race1: the fleet got away at first time of asking, on the beat the fleet split tacks but those on the left came in to the weather mark first, Niall & Nikki Meagher sailing Ffantastically Mr Fox(NYC) lead the way followed closely by Green/Mulligan in Frequent Flyer. Downwind they increased their lead, on the second beat the Meaghers stayed out as Green went left closer to the shore. As they tacked for the weather mark there was a drop in pressure and a major shift, the two lead boats had their spinaker's up before the mark, unfortuently for the Meaghers Green got inside as did many others who went in towards the shore. On the final run with the course shortened as the wind dropped the whole fleet bunched up but Green held on to take the gun beating over the line followed very closely by Chamberlain, McCleery, Marcus Creighton and Mulvin who all drifted towards the line faster.
Race 2: the fleet set off in shifty conditions. Midway through the race the breeze was battling with a sea breeze, the tide was strong running south towards Belfast but it was supposed to be going out! Chamberlain was going well with McCleary and Mathews going wel, also having another good race was Marcus Creighton (SSC)and Joe Coughlin (NYC) The PRO again shortened the course and the top positions didn't change, even on the last beat place were lost and gained with the shifts.
Race 3: we thought the wind had settled to a sea breeze but there were a couple of shifts shortly after the start, there was also a strong tide especially out on the right. On the beat most boats headed towards the shore, after a few short tack Gorman/Doorly (NYC) got to the weather mark first just ahead of Mulvin and Chamberlain with Mathews and McCleary close behind. The wind remained steady, on lap two Chamberlain got inside Mulvin to take second place, Mulvin sailing extremely well kept the pressure on Chamberlain but remained in third place at the finish. All three laps were completed, the first full race of the day!
Once ashore the club put on great entertainment and food, after the refreshments some crews headed up to Giants Causeway for a bit of culture others into JJ's pub also for a bit of culture. Sunday morning greeted us with beautiful sunshine and a nice breeze from the NW, perfect conditions for racing. The tide was coming in most of the morning but even though it is open sea the tide does turn well before the high water. 

Race 4: the fleet got going at the second time of asking, the pin end was favoured and the majority of boats headed inshore, some including McKee went right. McKee arrived at the weather mark first just ahead of Gorman and Mathews. Today we had a triangle and the reaches were exciting. McKee held on to take the gun with Mathews second and Chamberlain third crossing the line with Gorman. Chamberlain was now in pole position to win the event.

Race 5: again the pin was favoured and most boats headed for the shore, there was an individual recall and McCleary and Chamberlain had to go back. McKee again went right. It clearly paid as he came to the weather mark followed very closely by Mathews, Gorman and Murphy. Downwind Malcom Crighton and Tom Murphy went left and went into second and third place. The next beat was again shifty with different wind strengths up the course Murphy was sailing really well and moved into second place. On the reaches some places changed but Mc Kee held on to win with Murphy second and Mathews third

The silver, bronze and classic fleet were close affairs and all the results can be seen on website www.flyingfifteen.ie. For our second regional championships, the competition in the fleet was as keen as ever with very close racing. Even though Roger and Charlie won with a race to spare the racing was incredibly close with boats crossing the line together on the water.

Roger Chamberlain thanked the club Commodore for an enjoyable event, the sponsors, the PRO and his team, his fellow competitors and even his crew Charlie who then went on to thank everybody again! A special word of thanks from from Roger in his capacity of FFAI President was for those who prepared the fantastic food and for the shore team that helped get us on and off the water. Those who didn't travel missed an enjoyable event in a fantastic setting. The next event is the Championships of Ireland which will be held in Portaferry in August.

#ff – Visiting former world champion Charles Apthorp showed the Dublin Bay fleet a clean pair of heels winning the two DBSC races in Frequent Flyer with Alan Green as crew.

There were about ten boats training with Apthorp in light winds on a short course inside the harbour prior to the DBSC racing. Following the training everyone was keen to get going in the races and practice their new or improved skills. The wind had begun to build up from the se/south as forecast a the tide was flooding. Seventeen boats started the first race, in close racing the Meaghers who were sailing fantastically fast lead at the first mark followed by Apthorp/Green, Mulvin, Colman and Gorman. Apthorp gybed to the left of the course and took the lead but the Meaghers were tucked in behind them.

On the next beat the wind shifted to the south, Gorman got up to second and Colman third, it became a soldiers race for the remaining two laps but as Gorman got stuck in traffic with other boats Colman was quick to pounce and take second place with Gorman third, the Meaghers fourth and Dumpleton/McNeilly fifth

The second race started after the PRO changed the course, by now the wind was force 4/5 and we were given 4 laps- it was going to be a long afternoon! The fleet split going up the beat and Athorpe came to the weather mark first from the right side with Gorman second from the left side. Downwind the fleet bunched up but on the beats it was generally favoured to go right towards the shore and the shallower waters for less tide. Not a lot changed in the race, crews were busy hanging in there in the by now windy conditions. Athorpe won the race comfortably with Gorman second, Dumpleton third and Colman fourth. Club Rear Commodore and fireball sailor Frank Cassidy was helming in 3773 with Joe Hickey crewing and finished sixth.

Once again it was great racing and fantastic to see such a large turnout. Special thanks to Charles Apthorp for coming over and coaching and racing with us. A lot was learnt and hopefully it can be put in practice when the fleet travel to Cushendall for the Northern Championships this weekend. Once ashore and packed the fleet had a very enjoyable bbq in the NYC organised by our class captain Nikki and her committee.

#flyingfifteen – On a beautiful sunny summers evening with a s/se force 4-5 breeze it was perfect sailing conditions for the 17–Flying Fifteens. PRO Jack Roy and his team set a great course and there was some exciting sailing especially downwind.

With the tide ebbing those who went towards the shore had less wind than those who elected to stay out. Doorly/Quinn were first at the weather marked followed by Murphy/Ratto, Mulvin/Beirne and Dumpleton/Mulligan. Dumpleton sailed a great reach to take the lead and at the next mark he was followed by Mulvin and Doorly. These three stayed ahead. On the last reach Dumpleton sailed too low allowing Mulvin to get the lead. Dumpleton clawed back on the last beat to the finish but Mulvin held on by a whisker to record his first win in his new boat IRL 4028. Dumpleton was second followed closely by Doorly in third, Leonard fourth and guest helm Jon O'Rourke in fifth.

Once again it was great racing and fantastic to see such a large turnout and once ashore and packed the fleet had a very enjoyable bbq in the NYC.

#flyingfifteen – British Flying fifteen ace Charles Apthorp will lead a training day for one of Dublin's biggest one design keelboat fleets on Saturday, June 7th. 

The former World and British champion from Hayling Island Sailing Club will focus initially on the critical area of mast set-up in the 20–foot keelboat. 

The training will start at 10am at the National Yacht Club before on the water tuition that will lead into DBSC racing where the class has been achieving turnouts of up to 18 boats for Bay competition.

#flyingfifteen – On a cool evening with a NE force 3 breeze a great turnout of 18 Flying Fifteens took part in Thursdays DBSC series. There was great excitement as David Mulvin and Ronan Beirne launched a brand new boat IRL 4028. 

The first mark was Zebra, Tom Galvin and Alan Dooley came in from opposite sides to lead from guest helm Prof Maurice O'Connell sailing with Mary Jane Mulligan in IRL 3606 in third place and David Mulvin in fourth. Prof was fouled at the mark by Doorly/Green but soon got going downwind to keep in touch with the leaders. This group stayed ahead as those behind kept bringing each other up high downwind and downtide!

On the last downwind leg Prof and MaryJane stayed low and with the incoming tide were able to take advantage coming into the leeward mark and take the lead and the race. Galvin was second with Dooley a very close third, Mulvin fourth, Doorly fifth and Murphy sixth.

Once again it was great racing and fantastic to see such a large turnout and once ashore and packed the fleet had a very enjoyable meal together in the NYC.

Full results here