True to the form of this Belfast Lough series, the forecast and conditions on arrival kept the RS400 Winter Series fleet guessing what kind of day's racing was in store. What initially looked to be a perfect day from the windapps seemed to be lost to a potential drifter on a chilly lough as teams arrived at the boat yard.
Happily, as the boats started to launch and head to the start line, it was clear that the Royal North of Ireland hosted fleet was in for an interesting day of racing, with a teaser of some strong breeze, some lighter pressure and sufficient wind shifts to keep things interesting (both on the start lines and throughout the races!)
The first race got underway sharply at 13.30. The start line was typically busy with everyone jockeying for position. Most boats bunched up at the pin, favouring the left-hand side of the course, leaving a clear track for those who opted to head right. 1522 with Peter Kennedy & Stephen Kane alongside Tom Purdon & Olivia Hayes in 1004 were neck and neck first to the windward mark, with Neil Calvin & Sharon Corkhill in 1264 snapping at their heels in 3rd.
Downwind sailing mixed up the fRS400 Winter fleet for a bit of interest
As per recent weeks, there didn’t seem to be any downwind gains by early Gybes. Although Joycelyn Hill in 741 got a little too close to Kennedy & Kane and did turns.
The second upwind seemed to hold similar positions, whilst the final downwind mixed up the fleet for a bit of interest. Top-end stalwarts Kennedy & Kane held the win, with Purdon & Hayes in a comfortable 2nd, followed by Liam Donnelly and Rick McCaig, who were typically able to prove their experience in working through to a solid 3rd place.
The start of the second race is likely to go down as a never-resolved debate in sailing club bars for years to come.
Following a incident prone and shifty start, the wind filled in as the fleet approached the windward mark. Rounding the mark proved a competitive affair with the usual friendly exchanges and at least a couple of boats getting too close and finding some rope to get stuck on, offering further obstacles for competitors behind.
Leaving the downwind spreader mark Tom Purdon & Olivia Hayes of SLYC (1004) had established a comfortable lead. Liam Donnelly & Richard McCaig (1405) would have been in second without that pesky OCS, and Neil Calvin & Sharon Corkhill of CSC (1264) in hot pursuit. Will and Rachael Browne (1188) of SLYC rounded next, with those who had been caught out on the left side of the first beat all following hungrily behind.
The second lap saw some winners and losers as the fleet began to mix things up. Jocelyn Hill & Rowan Berry in 741 and Kennedy / Kane in 1522 made the most out of this, bringing close competition within the top five places.
In the end Tom Purdon & Olivia Hayes of SLYC (1004) led convincingly from start to finish, with Neil Calvin & Sharon Corkhill (1264) of CSC in 2nd and Will & Rachael Browne (1188) of SLYC in 3rd place.
By Race 3 the breeze had again dropped off and was threatening to disappear entirely and so a start was hastily set to secure the three races for the day. Those who managed to spot the shift and easy fetch to the mark got away early, and straight to the windward mark without too much fuss. Liam Donnelly (1405), Neil Calvin (1264) & Tom Purdon (1004) rounded in the top 3, and due to a hold on that shift the fleet duly proceeded in what largely turned out to be a procession lap to an early finish, with the top three finishers in the above order.
Overall it was another great days racing at Royal North, the breeze filled in, the sun came out and another 3 races were had. The shifty conditions and start line challengers made for great debate in the bar as ever.
Well done to the winners for the day's racing, 1004 Tom Purdon & Olivia Hayes of SLYC, with a 2, 1 & 3. In second place were Peter Kennedy & Stephen Kane of RNIYC with a 1st, 5th 7 6th and in third place with the same points were Neil Calvin & Sharon Corkhill of CSC with and 8th and two 2nd places.
With 18 races now completed and discards kicking in, the overall series leaders are still 1522 Kennedy & Kane on 33 points. In second place is 1004 Purdon & Hayes on 41 points and in third are the Vaughans on 62 points.
With one more Sunday to go before Christmas, the results are narrowing in on the overall trophy!
