#fireball – Tonight's Tuesday DBSC dinghy race presented challenges for everyone, the Race Committee had very fickle winds to contend with as did the competitors. The consequence was a very small course (physically) and only two laps of the triangular course - triangle and sausage!

The race was dictated at the start and the short opening beat. A prompt start, which was beyond some of us, was critical. Four of the six-boat Fireball fleet rounded the first weather mark in quick succession with Frank Miller & Grattan Donnelly (14713) leading followed by Stephen Campion & Stephen Oram (15061), Louise McKenna & Hermine O'Keeffe (14691) and Mary Chambers & Brenda McGuire (14856). By the gybe mark the two Stephens had gone into the lead. And by the leeward mark the two all lady crews had also overtaken Miller & Donnelly.
The remainder of the race was a procession. Like Formula 1 racing's attitude to pit stops, 1 or 2, so the approach to the second beat dictated the number of tacks taken - one if you sailed all the way on port to the starboard layline, three if you went out the other side of the beat. Exciting stuff!
No further place changes can be reported though the two all lady crews had an interesting luffing match just before the 2nd leeward mark.

1 Stephen Campion & Stephen Oram 15061 2 Louise McKenna & Hermine O'Keeffe 14691
3 Mary Chambers & Brenda McGuire 14856.
Footnote to last week's report, only 3 Fireballs got a finish, the rest of us were timed out!!

Specialist coaching for The Irish Fireball Class Association is not covered in the Irish Sailing Association's new coaching scheme for non-Olympic classes accoording to the latest Fireball class newsletter. One of the biggest dinghy classes in the country has investigated the new scheme but reports the ISA coaching monies are available only if 'ISA approved coaches are used'.  

The news letter goes on to say:  'They [The ISA] have proposed to make some monies available for coaching in non-Olympic Classes, but on further investigation the coaching would have to be provided by ISA approved and registered coaches. Thus, for example, the coaching that we as a Class provide to our own members would not qualify for financial support under this scheme. Likewise, the Adam Bowers training session would have to be funded from our own resources. 

The new coaching arrangements were put in place after a motion placed before the AGM of the ISA by Bryan Armstrong (Sligo Yacht Club) and Norman Lee (Greystones SC) sought far reaching reforms of the Association. A meeting held after the agm produced 300 proposals for change inlcuding increased coaching for senior dinghy fleets.

Louise McKenna & Hermine O'Keeffe (14691) led last night's Tuesday race (21/05) in the DBSC Series for Fireballs. The best turnout for the series so far, eight boats, contested what started off as a tense race with everyone in close proximity to each other and devolved into a light wind drifter as the wind ultimately disappeared.

Our reading of the wind direction in the racing area gave us SE as the direction and while getting out of the harbour had been a bit of a struggle, once we were in Scotsman's Bay there seemed to be a healthy breeze for the evening's proceeding. Nobody was trapezing but there was wind!

With a flooding tide the sensible thing to do seemed to be "go inshore" and the majority of the fleet did that. What resulted was a procession of boats approaching the first weather mark on the starboard layline. Louise & Hermine were the most offshore of the group and ahead with Frank Miller & Grattan Donnelly (14713) leading the layline procession, followed by Louis Smyth & Cormac Bradley (15007), Noel Butler & Stephen Oram (15061), Conor Clancy & Hugh Butler (150**) and Neil Colin & Margaret Casey (14775).

The first five went marginally out to sea while Colin & Casey gybed immediately onto an inshore track for the downwind leg of the windward/leeward course. McKenna/O'Keeffe were the first to gybe back inshore, while Miller/Donnelly were the last to do so. The other three played more of a middle course. The Colin/Casey gamble paid off as they rounded in close company with Butler/Oram & Clancy/Butler. McKenna/O'Keeffe were gone and Smyth/Bradley managed to round second.

2nd beat, with a modified weather mark position, and the lead group played the inshore card. Miller/Donnelly went to sea initially but then came back. Smyth/Bradley held their 2nd place but Butler/Oram closed the distance and Clancy/Butler weren't far behind them. Still leading McKenna/O'Keeffe held their nerve and played the 2nd downwind leg much the same as the first. Butler, Smyth, Clancy & Colin went down to the second leeward mark in close company. Miller/Donnelly dropped off the pace and lost distance. At the 2nd leeward mark, McKenna/O'Keeffe were still comfortable. Smyth/Bradley got caught in a pincer movement by Butler/Oram outside and Clancy/Butler inside to drop two places instantaneously at the leeward mark. Interpretations of 3 boat-lengths would provide an interesting discussion among these three!!

Now it was time to "hit the shore" which the ladies did. Butler and Clancy kept each other in close company up the third beat. Smyth was obliged to try something different which didn't work – distance lost! Colin/Casey also went to the beach but didn't gain the distance they craved.

At windward 3 the order was McKenna, Butler, Clancy, Smyth, Colin, and Miller. But Miller wasn't finished yet. The dying breeze all but evaporated on the third downwind leg. Boats were pointing in all sorts of directions to try and keep spinnakers filling. There was a sense of almost sailing away from the shortened course finish line, between the leeward mark and the committee boat, just to keep spinnakers full.

Butler/Oram appeared to close the gap on McKenna/O'Keeffe, but the ladies held out to win. Smyth initially closed on Clancy and Colin closed on him. Behind Miller & Donnelly were the first to drop their spinnaker and ghosted past both Smyth and Colin to regain the places they had lost earlier.

DBSC Tuesday Night Series – Fireballs: Round 4.
1 Louise McKenna & Hermine O'Keeffe RStGYC. 14691
2 Noel Butler & Stephen Oram DMYC 15061
3 Conor Clancy & Hugh Butler RStGYC 150**

You might imagine that an event with over forty knots of wind recorded on the racecourse and with only nine Fireballs entered would be a disaster writes Frank Miller. In fact you would be wrong.

The Irish Fireball Open event hosted by Killaloe SC at the UL Activity Centre on Lough Derg was memorable for all the right reasons. From the moment we arrived in the beautiful village of Killaloe a sense of holiday and fun pervaded. Boats were rigged at the activity centre in near calm while a young swan paraded nearby and mallards flew overhead. The venue for activity then switched to Goosers pub where really excellent food was had, washed down by a few pints. Stragglers left by the back door at about 1am, several heading for John Bolger's home where he hosted wayward Fireballers. John, of whom more later, surely went above and beyond the call of duty by evicting wife and child for the weekend to provide more room for waifs and strays.

Saturday saw the dawn of a beautiful but blustery day. From our perch in John's surrendered bedroom we watched as everything in sight flattened in gusts. Undaunted the fleet gathered it's sandwiches and drinks and headed for the venue. The official forecast for the lake gave a force 4-6 with gale gusts but PRO Geoff O'Donoghue cautioned that with the wind direction there would be some funnelling and gusts could be higher. The fleet took to the water, launching between squalls. The squalls were now coming through with monotonous regularity, about ten minutes apart, almost like clockwork. A dragging boat anchor and ground tackle made setting the course difficult and the start was delayed for over an hour as crews screamed around the lake trying to get used to quite odd conditions. If you set up for the squalls you were a bit underpowered in the lulls but there were no settings available for the extremes of the windiest squalls.

Finally the race course was set and a start sequence initiated. About two minutes before the start gun however almost the entire fleet was flattened by a gust. The postponed flag was raised while crews recovered their dignity. A few minutes later and the fleet finally got away cleanly from the line. We reached the windward mark as a bunch, water being given without complaint in the extreme conditions, safety now being as significant a factor as the RRS. Looking over their shoulder at another black squall approaching at least one boat kept sailing on for shore. Those of us who rode the 30 knot plus squall downwind had the ride of our lives, mainly under two sails though at least one boat carried a kite. Regardless of the sail-plan there was absolutely no prospect of gybing, tacking or changing course in any way during this squall. Happily there was plenty of lake and everyone rode the squall downwind well past the gybe mark, towards the village. Only when the pressure dropped for a minute did anyone attempt a tack. Almost everyone capsized. Those who recovered quickly continued to race, others more winded headed for shore.
When the spray finally settled three boats had remained upright long enough to complete the course. Noel Butler and Stephen Oram won the race, having clawed back the lead from Gavin Doyle and Dave Sweeney who were second. Third place went to John Bolger and his crew Serguei Belochapkine, a fantastic result for the local team who normally sail in the silver fleet. With conditions showing signs of increasing rather than abating the PRO called it a day. Thus the one-day Open event came to an end with that one race determining the result. While Noel Butler and Stephen Oram carried away the main prize hero of the day was surely event organiser John Bolger with Serguei winning not just third place overall but the silver fleet and also the classic trophy.
That evening the fleet gathered at the Cherry Tree restaurant, availed of it's great early bird menu, and then repaired to Flanagan's for a glass. When a local band arrived to set up there were groans but we were wrong. The band proved brilliant, especially it's female lead singer, and led by dance queen Marie Barry the fleet took to the floor until well past midnight.

The following day conditions had not changed enough to go ahead with the mixed fleet Killaloe SC Spring Challenge so we packed up exhausted but definitely happy with as good a weekend as you could possibly have with so little sailing. Thanks are due to all at Killaloe SC for their terrific welcome, to race officer Geoff O'Donoghue and his team, augmented by visiting Fireballer Dave Coleman, to KSC's Jim Ryan, Suzie Coote and all the other club volunteers who stretched the resources of their small club to make this event happen against all the odds.

Fógra – the next Irish Fireball event is our Ulster Championships at Killowen (north side of Carlingford Lough) 15th & 16th June. It has always proved a brilliant venue with a great welcome, free camping and use of loos and showers on site so a very affordable weekend with great racing.

Please get the credit card out also and enter the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta July 11-14th. While it doesn't count towards the Fireball Travellers Series it is a great event with four days of solid racing. Be there or be square.

Who would be a forecaster? XC Weather was suggesting that at 19:00 it would be blowing 2 knots from the south, gusting to four knots. We could expect some light rain writes Cormac Bradley

In reality it was blowing quite healthily from the SSE, immediately before the race we had hailstones and heavy rain and still the atmosphere remains cold as does the sea! And this is mid-May!

Tuesday night Fireball order was restored when Noel Butler & Stephen Oram (15061) led from start to finish on a trapezoid course with 3 laps. 7 boats took to the water and six started. Louis Smyth & Cormac Bradley (15007) started early at the pin............too early and got a blue cross on a white background flag for their effort.

All the starters went out to sea initially to benefit from the ebbing tide. Virtually everyone went to the port layline before tacking onto port for thie approach to the weather mark. At Mark 1 the running order was Butler/Oram, Neil Colin & Margaret Casey (14775), with Frank Miller & Grattan Donnelly (14713), Louise McKenna & Hermine O Keeffe (14691) and Smyth/Bradley rounding in close company, followed by Cariosa Power & Marie Barry (14854).
Butler/ Oram were the only boat to fly bag across the top of the course and sailed away as a consequence. Colin/Casey maintained the gap on the next three who indulged in a boat for boat surfing challenge all the way from Mark 2 to Mark 4.

Up the second beat Miller and Smyth were in close company going to sea. McKenna went inshore. But at the 2nd weather mark they were still in the same order. An immediate gybe at the 2nd weather mark gave Smyth an advantage over the other two which allowed him to round Mk 4 the 2nd time ahead.

On the last beat an inshore lift on starboard tack benefitted those who went that way. McKenna dropped behind the other two. But on legs 2, 3 and 4 of the final lap, the three boats closed up again. Smyth held off Miller to the finish but crossed the line in silence.

1st Noel Butler & Stephen Oram 15061
2nd Neil Colin & Margaret Casey 14775
3rd Frank Miller & Grattan Donnelly 14713

Order restored!

The Flying Fifteen fleet provided the Race Committee, high tide was at 16:00 and the XCWeather forecast had got it right with predictions of SSE wind when the Fireball fleet initiated their 2013 DBSC Tuesday Night Dinghy Series.

Defending Tuesday night champions Stephen Oram and Noel Butler were there, as was Class Chairman Neil Colin with regular crew Margaret Casey. A relative newcomer to Tuesday nights was Conor Clancy, sailing with an unidentified crew, as far as this correspondent was concerned. Also making a rare but welcome appearance was Stephen Campion, sailing with Louise McKenna.

Three quarters of the way up the first beat a very premature assessment might have suggested we were sailing on the wrong night as Louis Smyth led the fleet with his rivals split left and right, offshore and inshore. Butler & Oram were back in third with Conor Clancy separating the pair! However, in the final approach to the weather mark, Clancy got through to lead and while he kept a wary eye on his competitors he was never headed thereafter.

Smyth & Bradley held off Butler & Oram across the top reach of the trapezoid course and for a reasonable section of the subsequent leg. However, with both crews working hard to make use of the wind and waves the younger combination got ahead but unusually for them did not streak away from the rest of the fleet. Behind the leading three boats, Colin & Casey and Frank Miller & Grattan Donnelly led the chase.

On the second beat the majority of the fleet had tacked immediately at Mark 4 to head to sea. However, not everyone stuck with that game plan as first Colin & Casey and then Mary Chambers & Brenda McGuire peeled off to the right. Smyth/Bradley closed the gap on the lead two, hailing starboard on Butler/Oram when they headed inshore for the second turning of the weather mark. Clancy & crew were clear ahead but by a shortened margin.

For the run down to Mark 4, the fleet initially went out to sea again on starboard tack. Miller/Donnelly stayed inshore of everyone and at one stage looked very healthy indeed. Colin/Casey went further out to sea and seemed to lose the distance they had gained on the earlier part of the leg. Chambers/McGuire and McKenna/Campion sailed a much more "middle of the road" course and the former combination was rewarded by rounding Mark 4 in 4th place. However, while the lead two were never in trouble, the fleet actually condensed somewhat, creating a much shortened finishing sequence for the class.

DBSC Tuesday Night Series 30th April 2013
1 Conor Clancy & A. N. Other 150**
2 Noel Butler & Stephen Oram 15061
3 Louis Smyth & Cormac Bradley 15007

Why does the Irish Fireball fleet persist in inviting Adam Bowers to a coaching session at the start of every domestic season writes Cormac Bradley?

To answer that question, I will begin at the conclusion of his end of session briefing on the Sunday afternoon and testimonies from people in different constituencies in the Irish Fireball fleet; "I first came across Adam at a training session in the UK and made a point of going across for subsequent training sessions. He is a natural teacher, he could teach you anything, sailing, engineering.......... Now that I can access him here in Ireland, it makes it so much easier. He is excellent at what he does and he has the experience of doing it right at the highest level in regattas."

"I was contemplating giving up on the Fireball, but this weekend has boosted my enthusiasm. I am now looking forward to the rest of the season."

"First time I've seen my own sailing on video – great to have the input to how I can improve.

Looking from outside the boat with expert advice has made a huge difference."

Previous articles on Adam's training of the Irish Fireball fleet may have come across as being a bit gushy – hail fellow, well met type commentary, but as these two statements confirm there is a persona about the man that makes him very easy to listen to! Additionally as a World Championship winning crew in the Fireball, a committed and successful Osprey and J24 sailor and a highly regarded coach to the UK Cadet Class, Olympic aspirants and the RYA, it would be difficult to deny that he has all the credentials to coach at the highest level.

We like him in particular because of his infectious enthusiasm for what he is doing, his attention to our requirements and the tailoring of the classroom and on-the-water sessions to the goals of the weekend. Over and above that he gave specific attention to three boats on the shore in terms of mast and rigging setup.

The combination of whiteboard work to explain the principles of what he is teaching, his own experiences of what he is trying to get across, the on the water exercise and the video footage to conduct the post-mortem afterwards means that everyone in attendance can follow what the weekend is setting out to achieve. An additional bonus this year is the fact that he brought sunshine with him.

From a Fireball Class perspective, the turnout this weekend was small, 6 boats on Saturday and 8 on Sunday! For those who were in attendance, the advantage of the small numbers was that they got more one-on-one attention from Adam.

There was more room to do the exercises on the water.

Objectives for the weekend were;
· Straight line speed (upwind and downwind).
· Starting techniques.
· Tight spinnaker reaching.
· Spinnaker handling.
And the weekend was rounded off with the three race, back to back, no discard, Porsche Cup.
Concepts that were covered over the weekend included;
· PSSSTT – Position, Space, Speed, Slippage, Time, Transits.
· Gorgeousness
· WUMPETA
· Fastest Speed – Shortest Distance.
· Reducing the ability of other boats to RUIN YOUR DAY!
· Stop giving away parcels of time – first reach, gybe mark, leeward mark, 2nd beat!
· Importance of the long tack.
· Importance of layline calls
· Communication – a quiet boat is a slow boat!
· Spinnakers – 50% trimming, 50% communication.
· Spinnaker handling – windward set with windward pole, drops, trimming.
· Spinnaker adjustment – pole height, collapsing leeches – windward & leeward.
· Boats whisper, rudders shout!
· The concepts of Risk and Reward.
· When does strategy start and how do tactics influence the strategy?
· First beat is a race to the bottom of the 9th square!!

Weather conditions inside Dun Laoghaire harbour were ideal for the weekend. On Saturday morning we started in light winds and sunshine with the wind coming from the eastern quarter of the compass. As the morning progressed the wind strength gradually increased and became more blustery.

Some people took a swim in the afternoon. On Sunday the wind had completely changed direction to blow from the south and west, was stiffer and topped off with grey skies. However, as the day progressed, the grey skies gave way
to sunshine and the odd showers. The rain clouds had an interesting influence on the running of the Porsche Cup which was successfully defended by Noel Butler and Stephen Oram.

The weekend was hosted by the Royal St. George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire, to whom we offer our thanks. Adam was hosted and chauffeured by Stephen Oram and Marie Barry and support for the event over the two days, in the form of rib drivers and crew was provided by Neil Colin, Margaret Casey, Alistair Court, Hermine O'Keeffe, Grattan Donnelly, Mick Creighton and Aidan Burke.

Thanks too, to those people who attended the course.

#fireball – The advent of the Irish Fireball sailing season is usually heralded with the arrival on these shores of Adam Bowers to provide us with a coaching weekend for the forth-coming season writes Cormac Bradley. 2013 will see us being visited for at least the fourth time by Adam who not only is a highly regarded coach internationally, but is also a great character. In addition to the technical advice he brings to his coaching sessions, he throws in hands-on experience, commitment, entertainment and expertise in keeping both the classroom and on the water exercises interesting and challenging.

The classroom sessions combine video footage, discussions, sketches and pro-active interaction between coach and students. Adam makes a point of moulding the weekend to the requirements of the group by discussing the theories in the classroom and then applying them on the water.

"WUMPETA" will invariably come up in the classroom session within minutes of the discussion commencing but it can only be applied on the water. "PSSSTT" isn't a description of one's level of sobriety but rather a key aspect of the Bowers school of getting a boat to go fast off the start-line!

While some may suggest that after four years of Adam's start of season coaching us we should all be better Fireballers, there is an aspect of the weekend that says – it is just invigorating to be under his tutelage for a weekend!! Based at the Royal St. George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire over this coming weekend, April 20/21st, the two days will be certain to be full of interesting discussions and action, culminating in the three-race-back-to-back-no-discard-highly contested Porsche Cup.

#fireball – The 42nd Frostbite Series promoted, managed and hosted by Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, came to a disappointing close yesterday when high winds made racing impossible writes Afloat's Fireball Correspondent Cormac Bradley. While we have not had the heavy snow that has cut off parts of N.Ireland and the UK, we have had very strong winds blowing here since the previous Thursday. Nobody in their right mind would have contemplated going out on Thursday past such was the state of the sea and while the wind seemed to have abated slightly on Friday and Saturday, it came back with a vengeance yesterday.

So rather than racing yesterday, the prize-giving for the Series was brought forward to 14:30!

DMYC's Sailing Secretary, Neil Colin, opened up the proceedings by introducing the DMYC Commodore Liam Owens. Liam commended the Frostbite community for their hardiness in sailing throughout the winter months and indicated that the DMYC would continue to support as much sailing as could be accommodated in the context of the proposed harbour development plan. He said it was very encouraging to see so much use being made of the harbour by the Frostbite Series.

Frostbite Organiser, Olivier Proveur expressed his appreciation to all those volunteers who had contributed of their time to make the series possible. He made particular mention of Race Officer Kevin Cullen who had not missed a single race of the 42nd Series. He also thanked the rescue crews who double up as the mark layers and gave special mention to the catering staff of the DMYC who were available every Sunday, including the St. Patrick's Day, this year, to look after the Frostbiters après racing.

Going into the last race of the Series, Noel Butler and Stephen Oram were two points behind Kenny Rumball and David Moran despite the fact that the former combination held an 8pt advantage in the second Series. Thus, leaving the Club the previous Sunday we all had an expectation of a match race between the two boats to determine the winner of the Series overall. Both combinations are well capable of sailing the opposition "down the pan" to try and gain the necessary advantage in this situation but the weather didn't "play ball". Thus the positions as advised in this report last week remained.

42nd Frostbite Series by DMYC – Series 2 (Post Christmas) – Overall.

1 Noel Butler & Stephen Oram 15061 DMYC 9pts
2 Kenny Rumball & David Moran 15058 INSC 17pts
3 Connor & James Clancy 150** RStGYC 19pts
4 Neil Colin & Margaret Casey 14775 DMYC 29pts
5 Louise McKenna & Hermine O'Keeffe 14691 RStGYC 36pts
6 Gavin Doyle & Dave Sweeney 14950 NYC 54pts
7 Luke Malcolm & Shane Divinney 14790 Howth 60pts
8 Mick Creighton & Joe O'Reilly 14937 ISA 64pts
9 Frank Miller & Grattan Donnelly 14713 DMYC 73pts
10 Andy Boyle & Brian Flahive 14934 RIYC 74pts

42nd Frostbite Series by DMYC – Overall (Series 1 & 2: Pre & Post Christmas).

1 Kenny Rumball & David Moran 15058 INSC 17pts
2 Noel Butler & Stephen Oram 15061 DMYC 19pts
3 Connor & James Clancy 150** RStGYC 32pts
4 Neil Colin & Margaret Casey 14775 DMYC 56pts
5 Louise McKenna & Hermine O' Keeffe 14691 RStGYC 75pts
6 Alistair Court & Gordon Syme 14706 DMYC 91pts
7 Gavin Doyle & Dave Sweeney 14950 NYC 91pts
8 Louis Smyth & Cormac Bradley 15007 Coal Harbour 111pts
9 Mick Creighton & Joe O'Reilly 14937 ISA 118pts
10 Luke Malcolm & Shane Divinney 14790 Howth Yacht Club 122pts

For the Fireball Class, there is now a short break before we get into summer (!!!!) mode. Our first event post-Easter is an Adam Bowers training weekend hosted by the DMYC over the weekend of 20/21st April. Thereafter, we have events in May, June, July (2) and a season closing event in September. The Worlds are also scheduled for Slovenia in September.

At the conclusion of the prize-giving a number of dinghy initiatives were announced by Hugh Sheehy (OK Dinghy) to try and entice lapsed sailors back onto the waters of Dublin Bay and the burgee of the Dublin Bay Sailing Club who organise racing during the summer months. Under the umbrella organisation of Dun Laoghaire Dinghies and making use of the Internet, Facebook and Twitter Hugh and a number of DBSC dinghy stalwarts are looking at a variety of racing, coaching and social events to draw more people back into the sport in our locale.

The prize-giving was also advised that one of the stalwarts of the Frostbite and Dun Laoghaire sailing scene, Bob Hobby, suffered a slight stroke on Monday of last week. Bob's partner, Louise McKenna, was able to advise those who attended the prize-giving that Bob has suffered some complications but the medical advice is that they were not as severe as they might have been. The Fireball community, in particular, would like to wish Bob a speedy recovery and offer Bob and Louise all our support and best wishes.

This is the last of the Frostbite reports for the 2012/13 Series. I will endeavour to bring you reports from the regatta season when it gets underway in May.

#fireball – The decision to race the Frostbites on St. Patrick's Day, 17th March, neither attracted a big fleet nor nice weather. The smallest Fireball fleet of the entire series, 9 boats, was greeted by damp grey, flat conditions and no obvious sign of the means to have a race. Getting out of the harbour was an extended exercise in kinetics and some of those who mistimed their departure from shore in the conditions will have been grateful for the postponement enforced on the Race Officer who had nothing to work with at the scheduled start of 14:00.

What little wind that did appear came out of the NE but it was very fickle and at its strongest on the first lap of the initial three lap course. Eight of the nine boats in the fleet worked the middle and left of the course. The exception was Conor Clancy, crewed by James Devlin (150**) who went right off the line. Neil Colin & Margaret Casey (14775) also went right but at a later stage of the first beat. The leaders in the series Noel Butler & Stephen Oram (15061) worked the middle to keep a watching brief on Kenny Rumball who had a guest crew in the form of Shane McCarthy (15058).

Clancy's right side play was rewarded when he rounded first but the second boat was Alistair Court and Gordon Syme (14706) who approached the weather mark on the port layline. Third round were Butler & Oram, followed by Colin & Casey and Rumball/McCarthy. However, at this stage the fleet was in close company and only a few boat lengths separated each of the boats from the one in front of them. The two reaches of the first triangle didn't conjure up any place changes.

On the second beat it was a case of not getting too far removed form your nearest opposition and as a consequence everyone ended up working the middle of the course to varying degrees. At this stage the wind was still reasonable in the context of the day. At the 2nd weather mark the leaders, Clancy/Devlin, Butler/Oram and Court/Syme gybed immediately to head inshore whereas Colin/Casey, Rumball/McCarthy and Louise McKenna and Hermine O'Keeffe (14691) stayed offshore. The second gybe mark was now a tidal challenge as the ebbing tide held the upper hand on the fading wind. It claimed one victim who then retired altogether.

As the leaders approached the leeward mark a shortened course was signalled. Clancy/Devlin and Butler/Oram were having a close quarter battle for the lead and they took slightly different approaches to the finish. Clancy/Devlin took a short hitch before tacking to the finish whereas Butler/Oram did the opposite. This promoted a very tight finish with the winning margin very much less than a boat-length.

The Series 2 points table sees Butler & Oram with a healthy margin over Rumball & Kinsella/Moran who need to be aware of Team Clancy over their shoulders. A quick perusal of the score sheet for Butler & Oram confirms that their worst result in this Series is a 2nd.

The combined Series 1 and Series 2 table was also available yesterday and this promotes the prospect of a last race duel for the outright win as only two points separate 1^st and 2^nd. Rumball/Kinsella/Moran lead by 2pts from Butler/Oram and neither of them has to worry about the third placed combination, Team Clancy who are 13pts further back. Of course what actually happens on the water is a different story and putting boats between themselves and Rumball will be the prime objective of Butler & Oram. Let’s hope there is wind to make the finale a good one!