George Sisk's XP44 WOW took an emphatic win in the first ISORA race of the 2020 season yesterday when racing got off to a decidedly tricky start in the first of four Viking Marine Coastal Series races on Dublin Bay.
Provisional results on ISORA's tracker (scroll down for tracker) handed the line honours, IRC and Class Zero victories to the Royal Irish's WOW with Welsh J109 Mojito skippered by Anthony Doyle from Skerries and sailed by an Irish crew second. Sisk's clubmate Paul O'Higgins in the JPK10.80 was third in IRC overall.
Top five on IRC overall in the first Viking Marine ISORA Coastal Race sailed yesterday on Dublin Bay
(Above and below) On your marks: ISORA Boats make a clean start to the 2020 season. Front runners J109 Mojito (GBR 9047R) to leeward with Rockabill VI, pink striped spinnaker (IRL10800) and Aurelia (yellow spinnaker) and Lively Lady (blue spinnaker) to weather and in a good gust that would send the Beneteau 44.7 to the front of the fleet as the 19-boats passed the harbour mouth at Dun Laoghaire shortly after the start Photo: Afloat
A great turnout of 19 boats made for a great spectacle under a colourful reaching start at the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Outfall buoy, where a fleet that included both current and former ISORA champions, plotted a course around Dublin Bay that included the use of ISORA's virtual marks.
National Yacht Club Race Officer Larry Power sends the fleet on its way around a 34-mile course across Dublin Bay to Killiney via some virtual marks and the Kish Light. Photo: Afloat
The fleet started at 0955 under National Yacht Club Race Officer Larry Power and headed for a Dublin Bay Virtual Mark to port. But as soon as the fleet sailed the short distance across the Harbour Mouth and into Scotsman's Bay, the wind died away on the first of many occasions in the 34-miler over seven hours.
The Royal St. George J122 Aurelia (Chris and Patanne Smith) narrowly leads overall winner George Sisk's XP44 Wow (orange spinnaker) Photo: Afloat
Rockabill VI (IRL10800) is chased hard by Brendan Coghlan's Sunfast3600 and J109 Mojito (GBR 9047R) shortly after the start Photo: Afloat
The fleet then negotiated a series of sail changes before heading for Bennett and then the Killiney Outfall buoy. From there the boats rounded the Muglins to Port and finished between Dun Laoghaire's Pier Heads, many returning home around 6 pm. Review the race on the Tracker below.
Quite a few of the offshore boats were using the Dun Laoghaire Harbour opener as a shakedown for the season including August's Round Ireland Race.
The 19-boat fleet was a mix of some potent offshore designs including A31s, J109s, a J99, a JPK10.80 and two Sunfast300s Photo: Afloat
Rockabill VI gets into her stride under symmetric spinnaker shortly after the start Photo: Afloat
(Above and below) Doublehanders: Andrew Algeo and Mark McGibney from the Royal Irish Yacht Club sailing the J99 Juggerknot II in double-handed mode and chasing Rockabill VI at the start of the ISORA 34-miler Photo: Afloat
Sunfast: Brendan Coghlan's Royal St. George entry YoYo was one of two Jeanneau Sunfast 3600 in the race Photo: Afloat
In the forecasted IRC 2 battle between the J97 Windjammer, the ISORA A31debutante APlus and Leslie Parnell's First 34.7 Black Velvet, it was Denis Power and Lindsey Casey's J97 from the Royal St. George Yacht Club that came out on top and RIYC's Parnell second, according to provisional tracker results.
Royal St George Yacht Club ISORA Class 2 winner, the J97 Windjammer (Lindsey J Casey & Denis Power) Photo: Afloat
New arrival: The National Yacht Club Archambault A31 A-Plus made her ISORA debut Photo: Afloat
Light and shifty: Looking to escape the north going tide Howth J109 Indian, Sigma 38 Wardance, Tsunami First 40.7 and the XC45 Samaton head for the Scotsman's Bay shoreline. Photo: Afloat
Becalmed: As the boats headed out of the bay, the wind died Photo: Afloat
