Building on the success of the Christmas Cracker last year, Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC) is proposing to repeat the race for 2022 at 1pm on Tuesday 27 December.

Afloat.ie understands that permission has been granted to run the event inside the harbour, while organisers are liaising with the other Dun Laoghaire waterfront clubs for members’ access to their dinghies during the usual Christmas shutdown period.

It’s hoped that an official announcement with Notice of Race will be made shortly.

Last year’s inaugural Christmas Cracker was won by Howth Yacht Club’s Eve McMahon, who’s on the shortlist for RTÉ Sport’s Young Sportsperson of the Year gong for 2022.

The strong easterly winds that cancelled Sunday morning's AIB DBSC Turkey Shoot Series have also led to the cancellation of this afternoon's in-harbour racing of the Viking Marine DMYC Frostbite Series at Dun Laoghaire.

 The strong winds produced a big sea state (as seen on the 3 x Afloat webcams) that led to the scrubbing of the 150-boat mixed dinghy fixture.

Racing continues next Sunday. 

After a single race Sunday two weeks ago and no races a week ago, there was some pressure, possibly self-inflicted, to get racing this past Sunday in the Viking Marine, DMYC hosted Frostbites. As usual, the assessment of what might be possible started early in the week, Wednesday night, with a check on the 7-Day forecast from XCWeather and a further check on the Windy App. Both were giving something similar, 13 – 15 knots with gusts in the low twenties, from a direction slightly west of south, in temperatures of 9 - 10°. As the week worked itself out, there was little change in this forecast and by Friday evening at the Fireball prize-giving, Race Director, Neil Colin, and Race Officer, Cormac Bradley, were agreed that racing was ON!

Conor Clancy (213048), leads Sean Craig (218154), Shirley Gilmore (216238) and Darren Griffin (219867) around the spreader mark in Race 1 Photo: Ian Cutlffe

Sunday was an even better day than the forecast with a blue sky and favourable wind in the racing area of the harbour. Winds at the start of the afternoon’s proceedings were of the order of 13 knots, and by the second race, this had dropped to single figures, getting as low as 8 knots at the end of the afternoon.

Still, competitor temperature is always a factor in frostbite races and the recommended recipe of the day was a quick first race followed by a shorter second one. With the wind at 150 - 160° for most of the afternoon, coming off the East Pier, a short distance inside the bandstand, though we did have a big right-hand shift when the DL Library was the marker, a weather mark was laid between the bandstand and the end of the Carlisle Pier, giving a beat that extended the maximum distance available in the harbour. A leeward gate was set up between INSC’s green platform and the West Pier and a 3-lap Windward-Leeward was set for Race 1.

Sarah Dwyer leads this group around the spreader mark in Race 1 – Stephen Oram (Aero 3288), Neil Colin & Margaret Casey (FB 14775), Andrew Irvin & Aisling O’Grady (RS 400 1044), Glen Fisher & Michael Keegan (FB 14676) and Pierre & Remy Long (IDRA 161). Photo: Ian Cutliffe

Twenty-seven PY entries, the biggest fleet of the day, started the proceeding with a very healthy turnout of 11 Fireballs making up the bulk of the fleet – all bar one of the Fireballs entered in the Frostbites – with a good turnout of Aeros, Pierre Long’s IDRA, an RS 400, a Wayfarer, a Quest, a Vago and Patrick Hackett’s 2.4. Despite a slightly short line due to the committee boat’s position relative to the West Pier, the fleet got away cleanly at the first time of asking and for the first beat seemed to favour an initial left-hand side approach to the quest to get to the weather mark. However, in a short time the fleet was spread across the full width of the harbour. For subsequent beats, the right-hand side seemed to enjoy more favour, but Neil Colin & Margaret Casey (14775) persisted with a left-hand approach for the second beat and got back into the mix at the head of the fleet as a consequence. Despite excellent spinnaker conditions, the Fireballs though well ahead on the water, couldn’t save their time and Noel Butler led home an Aero 1-2-3 on handicap. Frank Miller & Neil Cramer (14915) led the Fireballs home in 4th place on the water. The IDRA of Pierre & Remy Long finished 8th on time.

Gavan Murphy (212521), ahead of Roy McKay (177845), Sean Bowden (193654) and Robbie Walker (210644). Photo: Ian Cutliffe

The 5-boat ILCA 7s saw some new names at the head of their fleet with Gavan Murphy, a regular podium occupier leading home Niall Cowman and Sean Bowden, the latter a new ILCA name to this correspondent. They enjoyed some good racing on the course.

Two ILCA 4s joined the 7s with Sergei Vasilev taking the honours from Zita Tempany.

Twenty ILCA 6s also had a good thrash in Race 1 with a two-boat on-the-water seminar on starting getting underway in the final countdown to their start and continuing after the race was completed. I think the seminar was extended to “Room at the Mark” after the race! It raised the temperature a little on a brisk November afternoon though it didn’t get out of hand! Sean Craig led the fleet home followed by Pascal Boret and Conor Clancy.

For Race 2 a three-lap Olympic was set with a gybe mark positioned to try and ensure the spinnaker classes were able to fly on both reaches. Again, all three starts were clean, and again, the Fireballs did well on the water. Down the second reach of the first triangle an oversized blanket would have wrapped up four Fireballs as a luffing match developed on the latter stages of the leg. The front group in the Fireballs enjoyed some nip and tuck racing before they were led home by Alastair Court & Gordon Syme (15167). However, yet again, the good work on the water came to naught after the computation of results, Roy Van Mannen leading home five Aeros on handicap before Court & Syme took sixth place.

In the ILCA 7s, the same three boats took the podium paces, with Sean Bowden taking the win and Gavan Murphy slotting between him and Niall Cowman.

In the 4s, Zeta Tempany reversed the result of the previous race.

In the ILCA 6s, Darren Griffin took the gun with Pascal Boret, Peter Williams, Sean Craig and Conor Clancy rowing in behind him. Best of the ladies in the ILCA 6s was Shirley Gilmore who scored an 8th and a 6th in the two races.

Racing concluded just before the sun dipped behind the hills at which point the temperature was more keenly felt. Still, after losing three races over the previous two Sundays, getting two good length races in must have been a bonus.

With four Sundays down, it is time for a reminder to the fleet; when the blue flag is flying to indicate the committee boat is on station for a finish, boat may NOT sail through the finish line. The RO automatically shortens the start line in order to remove as much of the line as possible as an obstacle to racing, but boats are still sailing through. In order to avoid potential DSQs, please remember this rule.

And……..if you are due a Frostbite Mug for a race win, you must be on the premises to collect.

From mid-week, the prospects for the Viking Marine-sponsored DMYC Frostbite racing this past Sunday were a source of discussion between Regatta Director Neil Colin and Race Officer Cormac Bradley as XCWeather was suggesting winds in the high teens with gusts in the low thirties from a direction just east of south. On arrival at DMYC, having driven the long way around through Dun Laoghaire to check conditions in the main part of the harbour, it looked more favourable than the forecast had suggested and Neil advised that a walk to the end of the West Pier earlier in the morning had convinced him that racing should proceed. However, the recommended recipe for the day was to have one long race and get the fleet home.

On setting up the committee boat, “Goose”, in the race area, it became apparent that a weather mark would be required about 60m inshore from the bandstand, with a gybe mark set in line with the red lighthouse of the East Pier but 100m inshore from the harbour entrance and a leeward mark in the proximity of the green INSC raft off the western inner breakwater. The advantage of this set-up is that it gives the longest beat available in the harbour.

The wind conditions were brisk in the time period before the starts, with a base wind strength of 18/19 knots and gusts in the low twenties. A reduced fleet took to the water, with the ILCA 6s taking the biggest class honour with ten boats, followed by the PY Class with 9, the ILCA 7s with six and the ILCA 4s with six, a big jump from the previous Sunday when only one ILCA 4 started.

Prompted by the discussion ashore, the RO set the fleet a five-lap Olympic course, the premise being to get the race in and the fleet back ashore in case more inclement weather came in. It appears, post-race, that this may have been a popular decision.

All three starts were clean, with the RO learning the lesson from last week by having a generous start line in place. The preferred option was to take a long starboard hike off the start line before working rightwards towards the RHS of the course. For the PYs, the first to show at the weather mark was the Fireball of Frank Miller & Ed Butler (14915) and theirs was the first spinnaker to show as well. This pair scorched around the course and took the win by a margin of 5:01 from the Aero 6 of Noel Butler who was closely followed until the last gybe mark by the Aero 7 of Stephen Oram. A swim at this gybe mark allowed Butler to get away from Oram. Despite this sizeable gap in time on the water, the handicaps would convert Butler’s 5:01 deficit to a 1:22 advantage and the PY win. Oram finished 5:58 behind Miller & Butler but lost out by only 47 seconds on time to Miller to take third on handicap.

Viking Marine DMYC PY mug winners Frank Miller (left) and Ed Butler (centre) with DMYC Commodore Ian Cutliffe

Of the four Fireballs racing, only two flew spinnaker, Miller/Butler and the new combination of Glen Fisher & Michael Keegan (14676). Frank Cassidy (14934) sailed with his son for the second time in a Frostbites and given the conditions, they did very well, especially as Frank broke a tiller extension during the race. Miller & Butler’s big margin was down to two factors – flying the spinnaker on the reaches……...and staying upright.

Among the ILCAs there was some “tight cluster” racing on the water in the 6s, with Sean Craig leading home from Conor Clancy and Darren Griffin, while the six-boat fleet of 7s saw Gavan Murphy occupy the top step of the podium ahead of Gary O’Hare and Niall Cowman.

Laser Radial mug winner Conor Clancy (left) with DMYC Commodore Ian Cutliffe

And, after a “one-boat, no race” scenario last week in the ILCA 4s, they mustered a six-boat fleet to make sure they had a race this Sunday. Kate Flood led home Sam Legge and Matilda Murray.

Viking Marine Frostbites – hosted by DMYC Round 2 – 13.11.22

Viking Marine Frostbites – hosted by DMYC Round 2 – 13.11.22

In the individual class fleets in PY, Miller & Butler lead the Fireballs with 7pts, a single point ahead of Louise McKenna, who sailed with Hermine O’Keeffe (15016) in Round 2 and Alastair Court & Gordon Syme (15167) (10pts) who were absent. Miller & Butler are sixth overall in PY with 27 points.

A quintet of Aeros led by Butler (4), with Van Mannen (10), Oram (12), Paul Phelan (Aero 7) (14pts) in 2nd to fourth and Sarah O’Dwyer in her Aero 5 (23) occupy the first five places in PY.

Chris Power Smith's well-proven J122, Aurelia, took the overall win in Sunday's fine turnout for the Leinster Boats sponsored annual Kish Race at the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club. 

The Royal St.George offshore exponent ended up with a three-minute winning margin over Pete Smyth's Sunfast 3600 Searcher, who finished with a corrected time of 2:41:23.

In a spread of different designs, the 56-boat fleet included ocean-going Hallberg Rasseys, plenty of popular one-design classes right-down to the 21-foot First 211s, as well as a good showing from the ISORA brigade.

(Above and below) Winner Chris Power Smith's J122 Aurelia (sail number 35950) executed a fast running start with second overall Pete Smyth's Sunfast 3600 Searcher (2729) also quick out of the traps at the pin end of the DMYC Kish Race Photo: Afloat

Winds were westerly up to ten knots with stronger gusts offshore, giving the fleet a downwind start for the 28 km race.

The view from the West Pier of the fine turnout of 56 boats for the end of season DMYC Kish race

Operating from the DBSC Starters hut on Dun Laoghaire's West Pier, Race Officer Cormac Bradley got the fleet away punctually at 11 am.

Rounding the famous lighthouse to port, the fleet had an upwind leg home to Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

Third, in the fine combined keelboat turnout, was Barry Cunningham's Cape 31 Blast from the Royal Irish Yacht Club. 

Barry Cunningham's Cape 31 Blast from the Royal Irish Yacht Club competing in the DMYC Kish Race Photo: Afloat

As Afloat reported earlier, the event encompassed a stage of the Cruiser 3 Championship.

Kevin Byrne's Hunter Formula 28 Starlet was a front runner in the Cruiser 3 Championships that incorporated the annual Kish Race at the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club on Dublin Bay Photo: Afloat

Michael Cutliffe's Ruffian 23 Ruffles topped a strong Ruffian 23 turnout in eighth overall. Likewise, the top performer from a strong Shipman 28 class representation was Colm Duggan's Viking.

Ruff Rider was one of six Ruffian 23s (two retired) competing in the annual Kish Race at the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club on Dublin Bay Photo: Afloat 

In a strong turnout from Greystones Harbour Sailing Club in County Wicklow, three boats finished in the top ten overall.

Frank Whelan's new Archambault 3, A-Plus from Greystones was seventh in the annual Kish Race at the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club on Dublin Bay Photo: Afloat

Daragh Cafferky's Archambault 35 Another Adventure was fifth. Club mate Frank Whelan's new Archambault 31A-Plus was seventh and Steve Hayes's Magic e Beneteau, a  First 34.7, was tenth.

The Kish Race organiser was DMYC Rear Commodore Ben Mulligan  Photo: Afloat

Myles Kelly's Senator Maranda passes the visiting cruiser liner Seven Seas Splendour on the outbound leg to the Kish light Photo: Afloat

Alan McMahon's Hallberg Rassy 352 Esperanza competing in the annual Kish Race at the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club on Dublin Bay Photo: Afloat

 The Beneteau First 34.7 Magic e skipped by Steve Hayes from Greystones Sailing Club finished tenth in the annual Kish Race at the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club on Dublin Bay Photo: Afloat

Double-handed Grzegorz Kalinecki's First 310 More Mischief, who competed in June's Round Ireland Race, was also a competitor in the annual Kish Race at the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club on Dublin Bay Photo: Afloat

Pete Evans's Beneteau 211 Anemos II was a competitor  in the annual Kish Race at the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club on Dublin Bay Photo: Afloat

The Ronan Haughey Beneteau 31.7 After You Too from the Royal St. George Yacht Club at the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club on Dublin Bay Photo: Afloat

Vincent Duke's Trintella III Black Robin competing in the annual Kish Race at the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club on Dublin Bay Photo: Afloat

See results below

Barry Cunningham's new fast Cape 31 'Blast' from the Royal Irish Yacht Club will no doubt cut a dash in Sunday's Leinster Boats sponsored DMYC Kish Race on Dublin Bay. 

With entries approaching 45 boats, organisers are hoping for good weather conditions to facilitate the annual trip to the famous lighthouse.

It remains to be seen if any of the 13 Dublin J109s (who are not now racing for national honours) will race instead on the 28 km course.

As Afloat reported earlier, the event encompasses a stage of the Cruiser 3 Championship.

There is also a strong number of Ruffian 23 and Shipman Class entries.  Also of note are three classic DBSC 21 entries.

The starting time is 11.00 am this Sunday (25th) from the DBSC Hut on the West Pier. Entries are still available on www.dmyc.ie

The Race Officer has asked competitors are asked to check the Club Website (www.dmyc.ie) for some amendments to the Sailing Instructions.

This year's DMYC Kish Race on Dublin Bay will incorporate the Cruiser 3 Championships. 

Starting in the vicinity of Dun Laoghaire Harbour and racing to the Kish lighthouse and back, it is a distance of approximately 28 km.

It is hoped that weather conditions will allow for the fleet to race around the Kish Light and back to the finish at the West Pier, DMYC Sailing Secretary Ben Mulligan told Afloat.

The race takes place on Sunday, 25th September, starting from the DBSC Starting Hut at 11 am.

The prizegiving will take place in the DMYC after the completion of the racing.

Along with overall winners, there will also be prizes for first place in the Shipman 28 and Ruffian 23 Classes and a special award for the leading 2-person crew.

Entry Forms and Sailing Instructions are available on: www.dmyc.ie

Well known Dun Laoghaire Harbour sailor Liam Owens of Sandycove in County Dublin has died.

A former Commodore of the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, Owens also served as the Convenor of the Dun Laoghaire Combined Yacht Clubs. 

Owens led a successful campaign in 2016 against the threat of supersized cruise ships coming into the Harbour.

In 2016, An Bord Pleanala limited any proposed cruise liner development to accommodate a maximum size of cruise ship to 250m.

Owens said the decision 'secured the future of the harbour and its premier location for the benefit of all Dun Laoghaire residents, watersports users, walkers and all those visitors and locals who value this historic amenity'.

He was enjoying sailing his own boat on Dublin Bay this season and continued to be actively involved in harbour affairs. 

Our heartfelt condolences are with his family and his many friends at home and throughout Ireland and the world.

Funeral details are here

The West Pier based Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club is advertising marina berths as part of its membership package in the West Bight area of Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

The club caters for all types of craft and sailors, from serious sailors to those who just enjoy being out on Dublin Bay.

"With an already strong presence on the West Bight harbour, this additional service provides an exciting opportunity for our club to expand its membership base", DMYC Commodore Ian Cutliffe told Afloat.

"The club would like to extend an invitation to potential new members, including boat owners, to join, so if you are interested in joining the club, please get in touch with us on 01 2801371 or e-mail [email protected], Cutliffe says.

The penultimate Sunday of the 2021/22 Viking Marine sponsored Frostbites, hosted by Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club started off with some discussion in the race management group as to whether sailing would take place.

Despite a forecast on Friday, published as part of the Snakes’ Alive report on Afloat, of 12-15 knots, the wind on the day was a few knots higher than this and some of the squalls were generating whistling in the rigging at the DMYC. And yet, when the squalls dissipated, the wind was fine. Given that it was the penultimate Sunday, the sun was shining and we had lost so many Sundays since the New Year, the RO decided we should at least go out and have a look. The forecast was for the wind to drop, so a postponement on the water might be used to get racing underway in more benign conditions.

The PY start Photo: Noel Butler

And given that a fleet of Optimists were having a coaching session on the water, it seemed that the wind in the corner of the harbour occupied by the DMYC was much more squally due to its direction and maybe a wider view of the race area would be beneficial.

Yes, on going out to the middle of the harbour, the breeze was around the 15 – 18 mark and there were stronger gusts but the gusts were in the high teens very low twenties and a decision was taken to sail windward-leeward for the first race and review the situation on completion.

With the wind from an almost identical direction to Friday’s Snakes’ Alive racing, 140°, the weather mark was laid on the offshore side of the bandstand on the East Pier, about a third of the way between the bandstand and the obelisk on the upper wall. The Leeward gate was laid in the elbow of the western breakwater and the West Pier. A similar fleet size to Friday was on the water, thirty-three boats, split as follows, PY (14), ILCA 7s (4), ICLA 6s (13) and ILCA 4s (2). All three starts got away at the first time of asking with most boats favouring a starboard tack start and a left-hand side of the beat approach for the opening beat. Later there was more progression to the right-hand side of the beat.

In the PY Fleet, Frank Miller & Ed Butler (FB 14713) dominated proceedings on the water and won with 3:12 in hand over the first Aero 7 of Brendan Foley and 5:29 on the Aero 5 of Sarah Dwyer. Yet they lost out on handicap to both these Aeros and the Finn of Des Fortune by 1:43 to Dwyer, 1:17 to Foley and 0:07 to Fortune. Still the smiles on the faces of all these finishers was testament to the racing that had been enjoyed. Dwyer in particular loved the stronger breeze.

In the ILCA 7s, Conor O’Leary stole a march on the regulars of Gavan Murphy and Chris Arrowsmith to take the gun while Zoe Hall put in another sterling performance in the breeze to take the ILCA 4s.
In the ILCA 6s, Marco Sorgassi came home with a tight chasing pack a short distance off his transom as he finished in first place. Behind him the pecking order was Conor Galligan, Conor Clancy, Sean Flanagan and Brendan Hughes.

ILCA racing at the Viking Marine DMYC Frostbites Photo: Noel Butler

The wind had moderated during the course of the race, though there were still squalls coming through but without the same viciousness as the morning. And given that the sun was out and the first race had been a fast one – four laps of a Windward-Leeward had generated a race time of 38:29 for Miller/Butler, a four-lap Olympic was signalled for the second race.

Photo: Noel Butler

There wasn’t an obvious peep from the high-profile character who had been vexed at the RO’s decision on the second race format and length the previous Sunday and during the week he had confirmed to the RO by WhatsApp that he had relented on his initial reaction to the decision. And in the second race said individual had another great result!

While the wind had eased somewhat for the second race, it seemed that some discretion was being displayed by the spinnaker classes on the top reach of the triangle, even though the gybe mark position, inside the red lighthouse, was in a genteel position.

Miller/Butler again dominated the proceedings on the water, free to go wherever they wanted on the course and the margin of victory was 3:47 to Foley in the Aero 7. Yet again, however, it was not enough to save time and Foley took the win, on paper, by 0:56. Des Fortune compounded a good first race (3rd) with another 3rd in the Finn and David Mulvin and Ronan Beirne (GP14 14069) took fourth, with Dwyer in fifth.

RS Aero upwind Photo: Noel Butler

Conor O’Leary did the double in the ILCA 7s, with Arrowsmith and Murphy swopping places from the first race, Arrowsmith second to Murphy’s third. Zoe Hall also did the double, but in the ILCA 6s, there was very tight racing at the front before Sorgassi came through with his double in the latter stages of the race.

The second race took just forty minutes which meant everyone was ashore in a reasonable time.

Viking Marine sponsored Frostbites, Sunday 20th March

Race 1

PY Fleet (14 boats)
1. Sarah Dwyer (Aero 5)
2. Brendan Foley (Aero 7)
3. Des Fortune (Finn)
4. Frank Miller & Ed Butler (Fireball)
5. Stephen Oram (Aero 7)

ILCA 7s (4 boats)
1. Conor O’Leary
2. Gavan Murphy
3. Chris Arrowsmith

ILCA 6s (13 boats)
1. Marco Sorgassi
2. Conor Galligan
3. Conor Clancy
4. Sean Flanagan
5. Brendan Hughes
ILCA 4s
1. Zoe Hall
2. Dylan de Vreeze

Race 2

PY Fleet
1. Brendan Foley
2. Frank Miller & Ed Butler
3. Des Fortune
4. David Mulvin & Ronan Beirne (GP14 14069)
5. Sarah Dwyer

ILCA 7s
1. Conor O’Leary
2. Chris Arrowsmith
3. Gavan Murphy

ILCA 6s
1. Marco Sorgassi
2. Conor Galligan
3. Conor Clancy
4. Brendan Hughes
5. Sean Flanagan

ILCA 4s
1. Zoe Hall
2. Dylan de Vreeze

With this being the penultimate day of racing, it is pertinent to publish the current overall results: