#inss – On foot of the Tuesday Night DBSC series designed to get novice racers out racing in Dublin Bay, in which the Irish National Sailing Club and the Royal Irish Yacht Club usually fielded three boats each on most Tuesday nights, the idea came along to have both organisations work together to keep interest up and get people sailing through the winter.

INSC1 & INSC2 were crewed by members of the Royal Irish Yacht Club in a programme conceived by Kenneth Rumball and Patricia Judge of both racing and offering Royal Irish members the chance to compete and learn new skills during the 2012 Turkey Shoot Series.

INSC1's original crew of Kenneth Rumball (skipper), David Boyle, Jeff Greene & Anne Bergin spent the Saturday before the start of the series out training in Dublin Bay in a very strong Westerly, learning how to manage a fractional asymmetrical kite on a 1720 in 25kts of breeze. With a few knock downs and some wet feet, everybody came in tired yet full of enthusiasm ready for race one the following week.

The conditions on race day one greeted us with a big north easterly swell and 30kts of breeze. We launched full of optimism and though sailing well, we had a dismal day, crossing the line as one of the last boats on the water.

The following Sunday, our crew had changed with Steve Finn and Sue Malone joining the boat as Jeff Greene had suffered illness and could not sail with us. Steve and Sue are regular sailors with the Irish National Sailing Club, sailing most Saturdays and on other club events. With this crew we sailed out very much looking to prove ourselves. This we did, we started to sail very well with all crew learning on a very steep curve about how we want to sail and how to perfect the various boat handling manoeuvres.

As a team, everybody kept on learning and improving. The team went from being nervous flying a fractional kite in 15kts of breeze to on the final days being confident enough to hoist, drop, gybe and sail with the masthead 1720 kite in 25kts of breeze, let alone doing this in close proximity to the various J109s and A35s we were racing against.

Sailing a boat with 5 year old Dacron sails and an un-faired hull with anti-fouling more commonly found on a fishing trawler, showed just how much the team could make the boat perform. We had some great highlights including, being just pipped on the line for line honours twice and blasting through the fleet with the big kite up with smiles on everybody's faces.

The final result of second overall for INSC1 was the biggest highlight for all on board. Much murmers and genuine surprise at the prize-giving made it even more worthwhile as the INSC1 crew collected the prize for runners up securing second place overall in the 2012 DBSC Turkey Shoot.

INSC2 had opted not to have a race training day before the main event. With 5 sailors out for what would be for some their first race experience, INSC2 was to take a slightly less intense approach. None the less, INSC2 had some fantastic results and enjoyed mixing it with the best at the top end of the fleet. With some hot shot visitors on the penultimate day of racing, the grins could not be contained as thy had the big kite up in 25kts of breeze, putting INSC1 under pressure and putting them well ahead of other 1720s racing from the RIYC. Fundamentally the sailors on INSC2 learnt a huge amount from their skippers and drop in crews.

The race-training programme will be developing further. With world-class sailors acting as skippers on the boats that have hundreds of offshore miles and having crewed on top boats that race around the cans, we hope to have more boats out providing race training to give everybody the opportunity to race and learn from the best sailors in Ireland. The race training programme will continue into 2013 with plans already afoot to launch the programme into the spring chicken series.

– Kenneth Rumball

#dbsc – Using five year old cut down Dacron sails and using trawler antifouling on its hull, a sailing school 1720 has finished runner-up in DBSC's Successful Turkey Shoot series yesterday.

Full overall results for the 2012 series and yesterday's race results are downloadable below as word files.

The Irish National Sailing School (INSS) sportsboat with Kenneth Rumball and five novices on board cheered as they took second overall at yesterday's prizegiving in the Royal Irish YC to Darragh Cafferkey's A35 Another Adventure after a hard fought six race series.

In a great spread of designs, one of the oldest boats in the 90–boat fleet, Sarnia, a venerable Sparkman and Stephens design took third overall. That afternoon Rumball switched boats to finish as a winner of the Fireball class in the DMYC frostbites.

In the four weeks to date, Dun Laoghaire's DBSC Turkey Shoot sailing series has had nearly 60 different non-sailors taking part. Boats that have taken non-sailors racing have benefitted with a handicap discount, a new DBSC initiative. The start times and handicaps for Sunday morning's race are downloadable below as an excel file.

#dbsc –In a tricky third outing for Dublin Bay Sailing Club's (DBSC) Turkey Shoot series last Sunday the latest results (downloadable below as word file) show the overall lead is held by the A35 yacht Another Adventure with J109 Joker II holding second and the J122  WOW third in the 70–boat fleet. Full results downloadable below. Last week's race was won by the 1720 sportsboat Luna Sea followed by DBSC regular Red Rhum (a vintage DB1) and third Just Jasmin (a Bavaria Match 35). Racing is held under modified ECHO.

#dbsc – In the two weeks of the DBSC Turkey Shoot sponsored by Viking Marine 28 non-sailors have participated as crew on some of the 70 competing boats. The initiative to get new people involved in the sport counts towards bonus scoring points in the series. Handicaps are attached as xcel document for next Sunday's race along with start times below.

#dbsc – After last weekend's baptism of fire in gusty conditions in the first race of the Viking Marine sponsored DBSC Turkey Shoot series new handicaps have been issued by the race organiser for Sunday's second race.

Over 70 boats have entered the series.

Four starts are planned and line ups are downloadable below as an excel sheet.

Meanwhile the prizegiving for DBSC's Summer series takes place on November 16th at the Royal St. George Yacht Club. Over 90 trophies will be presented. Full 2012 DBSC prizewinners are listed here.

BOAT				SAIL NO.		TYPE			11/11/2012
ADRENALIN				1348		A35			1110
AFRICAN CHALLENGE				2649		FAST 42			1105
AFTER U TOO				1310		BENETEAU 31.7			1010
ALBIREO				3435		SWAN 371			950
ANNABELLA				1093		SWEDEN 45			970
ANOTHER ADVENTURE				3511		A35			1125
ASTERIX				8245		HUNTER SONATA			835
AXIOM				3709		X37			1065
BLACK VELVET				3471		BENETEAU 34.7			1135
CALYPSO				5643		OCEANIS 36			935
CEVANTES				932		CONTESSA 32			800
CHOUSKIKOU				1689		FIRST 28			900
COUMEENOLE				3410		HANSE 341			895
CROOKHAVEN				7110		PUPPETEER 330			900
DAMBUSTERS				1		1720			1140
DIAMOND				1959		HUZAR 30			1010
EDEN PARK				1166		SUN ODYSSEY 36i			950
ELANDRA				4536		SIGMA 33			915
FIDDLY BITS				5317		BENETEAU 31.7			1020
FFLOGGER				3773		FLYING FIFTEEN			950
FRUTTI DI MARE				1329		BENETTEAU 211			820
GRADUATE				79		J80			1060
GUILLEMOT				1384		JEANNEAU 39I			855
HARMONY				1404		HARMONY 38			980
HYFLYER				49		HYDRO 28			950
INDECISION				9898		J109			1185
INSS 1				4		1720			920
INSS 2				5		1720			965
JALAPENO				5109		J109			1240
JEDI				8088		J109			1260
JOKER II				1206		J109			1100
JUMP THE GUN				1129		J109			1175
JUST JASMIN				3506		BAVARIA MATCH 35			1005
KAMIKAZE				8223		SUNFAST 32			905
KARUKERA				17195		FIRST 36s7			1050
KERNACH				2970		BENETEAU 31.7			1020
LADY A5				1737		1720			1125
LADY ROWENA				34218		SADLER 34			970
LAZY BONES				1901		SUN ODYSSEY 36i			850
LEGALLY BLONDE				3175		BENETEAU 31.7			1030
LOSSE CHANGE				5718		IMX 40			1250
LUNA SEA				1730		1720			1150
MAGIC				2004		BENEATEAU 31.7			1045
MISS BEHAVIN				4412		SIGMA 33			1065
MORE MISCHIEF				966		FIRST 310			795
MUGLINS				1327		BAVARIA 36			935
NAUTI GAL				721		FIRST 310			820
NIRVANA				3104		OCEANIS 311			875
OBSESSION				4513		SIGMA 33			800
OBSESSION				5795		MUSTANG 30			1010
ORNA				532		GRAND SOLEIL 40			1155
PERIDOT				5507		MUSTANG 30			1010
QUESTIONABLE				2		1720			1065
REBELLION				6001		NICHOLSON 58			985
RED RHUM				7284		DB1			1150
ROARING WATER				1151		MORRIS 36			970
RUTH				1383		J109			1290
SARNIA				2260		S & S 36			785
SEA SAFARI				1082		SUN ODYSSEY 37			935
SEPTEMBER SONG				4597		SIGMA 33			915
SIROCCO				1254		SUNSHINE 36			905
SNOW BIRD				1711		INT.H BOAT			820
SOMEDAY				1011		SUN ODYSSEY 28.1			850
TAISCEALAI				851		CLUB SHAMROCK			870
TEAL				1237		SUN ODYSSEY 35			955
THE GREAT ESCAPE				1217		BAVARIA 33			925
TO INFINITY & BEYOND				5687		DEHLER 37CR			940
WHITE LOTUS				1333		ELAN 333			1010
WHITE MISCHIEF				4633		SIGMA 33			1065
WINDSHIFT				37737		SUNFAST 37			1020
WING TO WING				P10		PEARSON 10M			805
WOW				7111		J111			1130
XERXES				2382		IMX 38			1075

Last Sunday's (Dec 12th 2010) Turkey Shoot results are available for download below.

Results are getting interesting with discards kicking in at Dublin Bay Sailing Club's Turkey Shoot. The large turnouts continue to defy the skeptics with up to 65 boats racing in some great conditions. The final two races are this weekend and next, if racing goes to form any one of the top 10-12 boats can win going in to the last race. The prizegiving is on December 19th. Starts and ECHO handicaps are attached.

Turkey Shoot competitors round the Muglins Rock. Photo: Michael Bowler

With 65 boats on the line last Sunday for the opening race of the Viking Marine Turkey Shoot there's little doubt about the appeal of year round sailing on Dublin Bay. In spite of this week's high winds last Sunday's opening race saw quite a few no finishers due to lack of wind. Handicaps have been adjusted as per the local rules that apply to the series for Sunday's second race. Arwen now goes in the second start and Windshift goes in the fourth start. Race officer Fintan Cairns says "Some boats will be suffering from nose-bleeds this week with the meteoric rise in their handicaps". The series is made possible through the support of Dublin Bay Sailing Club and sponsors Viking Marine, McWilliam One Sails, North Sails & O'Brien Press.

Last weeks results, Race handicaps and start details attached for download below.

Cruisers, cruising boats, one-designs and boats that do not normally race are invited to participate into Dublin Bay Sailing Club's annual Turkey Shoot series of seven races held on Sunday mornings from November 7th. The popular format is under modified ECHO handicap. It has attracted fleet sizes topping 100 boats, rivalling many summer fixtures. After sailing, food will be available to competitors in Royal Irish Y.C.

The entry fee of €70.00 includes temporary membership of Dublin Bay S.C. and Royal Irish Y.C. Entry forms and a notice of race are in the Marina office and in Dun Laoghaire's waterfront clubs and for Afloat.ie readers both are available for easy download below.

Sailing instructions will be available from the Marina Office on Sunday 7th November.