#VDLR2013 – An extended game of cat and mouse! The seventh race for the Fireballs in this year's Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta was a very close affair for the first half of the race - an outer loop trapezoid writes Cormac Bradley. The wind had shifted northwards, necessitating a rotating of the course by maybe half a mile towards Howth.
6 of the 8 boats went left and offshore, the exceptions being Colin and Sinnot. But Miller emerged as the early leader from the pack who went left. But the fleet was tightly bunched.
At Mk 1 the order was - Miller, Byrne, Colin, Clancy, Sinnott, Doyle, McKenna & Chambers.. By the gybe mark (2), Doyle ha claimed two places back and on the run from 2 to 3 Byrne took Miller. By the gate at Mk 3 Byrne was comfortable but Miller and Colin were neck and neck at either end of the gate.
The second beat was slowed as the wind eased but at Mk 3 for the second time the order was Byrne, McKenna, Clancy, Colin & Doyle. The final spinnaker legs saw more change to yield a finishing order of; Byrne, McKenna, Colin, Clancy, Miller, Doyle, Sinnott & Chambers.
(Colin &. McKenna very tight on line - overlapped through my binoculars. So result might be other way.)
