While the reports of other Thursday night DBSC racing suggested that numbers were dramatically down, the Flying Fifteen Fleet managed to buck the trend with at least sixteen boats on the water. The term "at least" is used because at least one boat which did race but did not finish is recorded as a "DNC". As an observation on the scoring, I fail to understand why the system can't distinguish between a DNC, a DNS and a DNF. The points are all the same so why anonymise the efforts of those who raced but couldn't or didn't finish? There is a requirement to advise of a retirement on the water, so shouldn't that warrant a DNF on the score sheet.
RO John McNeilly kept the fleets very informed of his intentions again, declaring that the first two starts would have a Windward – Leeward course while subsequent starts would have a "Round the Cans" course. I appreciate that this may be an attempt to keep certain classes away from each other but for two successive Thursdays it meant that different fleets were approaching at least one common mark from opposite directions. In this case, Molly, the last mark of the course for Flying Fifteens coming from Battery and the Ruffians approaching the mark from the opposite direction. It has led to the advice that one is not just racing one's fellow class members but every other boat on the course.
The Flying Fifteens were given M2 for the evening's entertainment with a wind direction of 245°, making Pier the weather mark after a modest length of beat. Thereafter, the course was Poldy, Battery, Poldy, Battery, Molly – Finish. Watching the SB20s, also going to Pier, we decided that the pin was the end to go to and a smaller proportion of the fleet shared that view – Alan Green & Caroline Herlihy (4026), Brian O'Hare (4043), Neil Colin & Margaret Casey (4028) and Tom Murphy & Carl (4057). Our sense was that there were lifts to be had on the port tack that would accelerate progress towards the mark. Shane McCarthy & Hugh McNally (4116) went the other way with Ken Dumpleton & Joe Hickey (3955), Keith Poole (4093) and Alastair Court & Conor O'Leary (3753). The lifts didn't quite manifest themselves the way we expected so a few tacks had to be put in to get to Pier, by which time McCarthy, Dumpleton, Poole and Court had already rounded. In close company with Galvin & Bradley (3753) were O'Hare, David Mulvin & Ronan Beirne (4068), Tom Murphy and Alan Green.
The leg from Pier to Poldy started off as a three-sail reach but as we got out from the shore it turned broader. On this leg both McCarthy and Dumpleton started to get away from the fleet while the chasing pack fought it out with each other. By Poldy, Gavin had got away from Green and O'Hare and closed to Poole and Murphy. At the rounding of Poldy Galvin got inside both of the boats who were ahead of him as they approached the mark with Murphy immediately to leeward and Poole to leeward of Murphy. McCarthy and Dumpleton had headed inshore so the fleet followed with Galvin getting away from both Murphy and Poole who then tacked off, in turn, to sail westwards. Galvin didn't go in quite as far as the lead pair and started working upwind and towards Battery. Green came back into the picture and O'Hare wasn't far behind him.
At Battery, the first time both McCarthy and Dumpleton were comfortable relative to each other and the fleet. Galvin rounded third but with Green and O'Hare close behind and Murphy not far behind them. Green sailed high relative to Galvin while O'Hare went low. Green gybed twice before he reached Poldy, giving some distance away to Galvin, while O'Hare was also kept at bay.
The second trip to Battery from Poldy opened up the places with a greater variety of approaches to this leg. This meant that Green, who went west early gained on Galvin who had persisted with a similar approach to this same leg the first-time round. O'Hare too, made progress to the extent that Green rounded Battery third, with Galvin on his transom and only two or three boat-lengths ahead of O'Hare. Battery to Molly was a two-sail reach where the playing of the sails was critical. Galvin, Green and O'Hare sailed the leg in very close company with each having turns at nudging ahead only to be reeled in by the other two.
As they approached Molly, it was apparent that not only would they have to look out for each other, but they would need to watch out for the Ruffians who were also rounding Molly (to port) but from a westerly direction. As inside boat at the three boat-lengths, Galvin called Green for water for himself and an inside Ruffian. Green gave way and the three boats rounded in the sequence Ruffian, Galvin and Green, with O'Hare behind presumably! The Ruffian rounding was adversely influenced by a flogging headsail but surprisingly Galvin was able to sail through their lee with Green, in this correspondent's view astern of Galvin and the Ruffian.
"Galvin went overboard with the mainsheet"
After a short distance on port tack, Galvin tacked to head inshore towards the finish. However, having completed the tack, it seems the Ruffian didn't see him and despite hails of Starboard there was contact between the two. The consequence of the impact was that Galvin went overboard with the mainsheet, leaving Bradley with an uncontrollable mainsail and an urgent need to avoid approaching boats after their rounding of Molly. No further collisions occurred but given that a huge gust had arrived at the same time as the preliminary dance around Molly had been initiated, Bradley was downwind of the mark, struggling to tack to get back upwind to find Galvin.
Fortunately, he had been picked up by another Ruffian who returned him to his Flying Fifteen, while the Ruffian in the collision had also dropped sails and under motor came back to check that helm and crew were okay. Galvin and Bradley's night ended with a long tow back to the harbour (thanks, Conall and Ally).
In race terms, the finishing order was McCarthy & McNally, Dumpleton & Hickey, O'Hare, Poole and Green & Herlihy.
Phil Lawton & Neil O'Hagan (22) weren't out so Dumpleton's second place closed the gap to them to ten points. Colin & Galvin are tied on 48 points with Peter Murphy on 49 points and McCarthy on 52 points thanks to successive first places over three Thursdays.
The postmortem of the race suggested that wind strengths of the order of 31 knots were recorded. Certainly, the first half of the race had some very brisk gusts blowing through and the congregating of the two fleets at Molly was also subject to a very substantial gust blowing through. For all that it was a good night's sailing, and everyone seemed to have enjoyed it. Well maybe not quite EVERYONE!!
