Twenty-seven Water Wags turned out for Wednesday evening’s AIB Dublin Bay Sailing Club race, which doubled as the Captain’s Prize for all three divisions of the historic one-design class.
A westerly breeze of 10 to 14 knots greeted the fleet and, following a brief postponement, Race Officer Tadgh Donnelly got the three-lap race underway.
Puffin Leads From First Mark
Seán and Heather Craig’s Puffin No. 52 were first to the weather mark, followed by David and Jill Sommerville’s Swallow No. 40 and Judy and Frank O’Beirne’s Jenny Wren No. 55.
A wind shift on the first downwind leg forced the leaders to drop their spinnakers and reach towards the leeward gate.
The change also turned the following leg into a reach to the weather mark, where the leading three rounded in the same order.
On the third lap, the breeze returned to its original westerly direction, bringing the spinnakers back into play for the run to the leeward gate and restoring a true beat to the weather mark.
The leading trio continued to hold a strong advantage over the remainder of the fleet.
Gusty Finish on Dublin Bay
As the rest of the fleet approached the weather mark, the breeze strengthened to a gusty and shifty 17-plus knots, producing some close-quarter situations.
By the final lap, the leading six boats were lapping the back of the fleet.
Puffin emerged as a clear winner, with Swallow second and Jenny Wren third. Cathy McAleavey’s Mariposa finished fourth.
The top three overall were:
- Puffin No. 52 — Seán & Heather Craig
- Swallow No. 40 — David & Jill Sommerville
- Jenny Wren No. 55 — Judy & Frank O’Beirne
Captain’s Prize Supper
Winning Wags — Captain’s Prize winners Seán and Heather Craig receive artwork by Rebekah Pearson from Water Wag Class Captain Tim Pearson and Gillian Pearson at the Royal St George Yacht Club. Photo: Brendan Briscoe
After racing, the Water Wag crews retired to the Royal St George Yacht Club for the Captain’s Prize supper, where Class Captain Tim Pearson presented the prizes.
The divisional winners were Puffin, sailed by Seán and Heather Craig, in Division 1A; Jacqueline No. 21, sailed by Hugh Delap and his son, in Division 1B; and Penelope No. 16, sailed by Catherine and Betty Hilliard, in Division 2.
The overall Captain’s Prize was an artwork by Rebekah Pearson, presented by Class Captain Tim Pearson and Gillian Pearson to Seán and Heather Craig.
