The Shanahan family's J109 Ruth from the National Yacht Club has produced its third offshore race win of the 2024 Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association (ISORA)season, this time in Saturday's Dun Laoghaire to Arklow race, which is weighted at 1.3 in the points series.
A nine-boat fleet with four Welsh competitors came to the line for a dull start at Dun Laoghaire Harbour at 8 a.m. on Saturday.
The fleet included Pwhelli's powerful J125 Jackknife (Andrew Hall) and former ISORA champions, J122 Mojito (Peter Dunlop and Vicky Cox). However, the expected reigning champion, Rockabill VI, from the Royal Irish, was absent from the day's lineup.
Although they left in a rainshower, the nine-boat ISORA race got more wind than forecast for the start of race 12 of their series and cleared the Dun Laoghaire line in a ten-knot southerly breeze enough to see the crew on the rail on the first leg of the 53 miles to the Arklow finish Photo: Afloat
Despite the autumnal feel, the fleet had a ten-knot southerly and fully powered-up rigs for the Dublin Bay departure, leaving the Muglins Rock to starboard.
From the southern tip of Dublin Bay, they raced to the Horseshoe Buoy (S), passing Arklow Outfall (S), but a pre-race warning that the course may be shortened materialised, and the boats passing Wicklow Head were instructed (via Whatsapp) to round Glasgorman No 2 to Starboard and then to the finish due west of the Arklow Outfall buoy.
The IRC One division Ruth took the overall and class win by 13 minutes on corrected time from Class Two Northern Ireland yacht Ryan Wilson's MAT 1010 Elixir. Class Zero yacht Mojito was third.
Northern Ireland Class Two yacht Ryan Wilson's MAT 1010 Elixir was second overall in ISORA's Race 12 from Dun Laoghaire to Arklow Photo: Afloat
It's the third win for Ruth, having scored a victory in May's cross-channel race and more recently lifted the K2Q trophy in Crosshaven after this month's Dublin to Cork Race.
On Sunday, the Arklow Sailing Club 35-mile “Windmill race” around Arklow Bank will start at 11.00 am and is Race 13 of the ISORA offshore series.
The course starts at the Arklow out fall mark; 1st mark is Webb's mark to starboard with a finish at North Arklow and a transit to Wicklow Head lighthouse.
Unfortunately, Alan Hannon's earlier overall leader, the JPK1030 Coquine, will not race after suffering rudder damage on Saturday.
Results below
