#isora – The reigning ISORA champion Ruth skippered by Liam Shanahan was the winner of today's first race coastal race of the 2015 season. The National Yacht Club J–109 took a six minute win on corrected time from the Irish National Sailing Club Reflex 38 Lynx skippered by Kenneth Rumball. Third in a buoyant 16–boat fleet was the Arklow Sailing Club J122, Aquelina (James Tyrrell). Results are downloadable below as a jpeg file.
Additional report from the Irish National Sailing School's Kenneth Rumball:
With much anticipation the Irish National Sailing School's new yacht Lynx, headed out for her first race on Saturday morning. The primary purpose of the purchase of the yacht Lynx for the Irish National Sailing School was to enable the growing centre to be able to deliver Royal Yachting Association and Irish Sailing Association cruising courses including Competent Crew, Dayskipper and Yachtmaster Courses to which the centre has gained recognition for the upcoming season. However with manager, Kenneth Rumball's varied racing background, the yacht purchased also needed to be able to deliver on a racecourse, hence the purchase of Lynx, a Reflex 38 originally successfully campaigned by Martin Breen.
Saturday's race was the first Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association race of 2015, originally planned as trip down to North Arklow, with a varied forecast for the Saturday, a decision on Friday was made to change the course to a trip south as far as Breaches Shoal, then north to East Kish before passing the Kish light and finishing at the pier heads. The crew on board Lynx included the INSS's Kenneth Rumball as skipper with experienced offshore sailors Keith Kiernan and James Ryan, Luke Malcom as bowman and INSS instructors, Calum Paterson, Andrew Abbott, Gareth Boyle and Robin Jones.
The previous night's study of grib files showed a strong westerly to start with the wind going northerly and dying throughout the day... Actual conditions were a little different, a strong Northerly of 25kts saw the fleet off from a start line just off the East Pier. The J109 Ruth made the best start followed tightly by Bam the Sunfast 3600 and then Lynx racing. Along the first fetch to the Muglins, Lee Overlay Partners (Cookson 50) stormed ahead followed by Bam and Lynx having rolled Ruth on the fetch. At the Muglins, Ruth made a swift hoist and shot ahead of her competition, a delayed hoist on Lynx saw them follow in pursuit. It then became a drag race between Ruth and Lynx to Breachers Shoal with both boat revelling in the windy downwind conditions.
By Breachers Shoal, Lynx had reeled in Ruth and was only a few boat lengths behind her. A tough long upwind to the Kish allowed Lynx to pass Ruth and hold off the ever approaching Aquelina, a J122. Rounding the Kish, Lynx hoisted their A5 to head home to the harbour. Lynx managed to hold off Aquelina to take second across the line to the Cookson 50 Lee Overlay Partners. On corrected time the J109 Ruth took the first race, six minutes ahead of Lynx.
A great first race for Lynx and very much enjoyed by her crew, the boats only second time sailing since having been purchased by the INSS over the winter. We are very much looking forward to many days teaching both racing and winning races.
