After yet another Sunday lost to adverse weather last week, the DMYC Dun Laoghaire Frostbite fleet got another two races in today, Sunday 3rd February writes Cormac Bradley. Initially, the wind looked to be nicely consistent with a bearing of 210⁰ which set up the course with the committee boat inside the end of the West Pier and a weather mark near the entrance to the marina. The gybe mark was off towards the East Pier and the gybe mark was about a third of the way across the mouth of the harbour, but closer to the end of the West Pier.
The PY fleet had a healthy turnout of 20 boats with good Fireball numbers, Shane McCarthy’s Solo, Tom Murphy’s K1, two Kona windsurfers, an RS200, an Enterprise, the IDRA of Frank Hamilton & Jenny, a clatter of Wayfarers and some Laser Vagos. The Laser numbers were good as well though there may not have been as many Full Rigs as has been the case in previous weeks. They did, however, have a high-profile debutant in Kenny Rumball from the neighbouring sailing school.
As start time approached the wind started to get “twitchy”, flicking initially to the right before a big swing left came in. However, it eventually settled again and while the weather mark may not have been perfect it was a good compromise.
The PY fleet got away cleanly with the Fireball of Noel Butler and Stephen Oram (15061) having a very good start along with Shane McCarthy in the Solo. At the weather mark others would be at the front end of the fleet with Neil Colin & Margaret Casey (14775) well up as was Alistair Court & Gordon Syme (14706). While the top reach may have been a bit tighter than intended, it was loose enough to allow spinnaker to be flown. Court & Syme were pushing Butler and Oram around the first lap and they were in close company at the first leeward mark.
Meanwhile back at the start area, the errant Laser & 4.7 fleet were filled with enthusiasm for starting to the extend that the blue and yellow flag had to be broken out with two sound signals – General Recall. It wasn’t even marginal with many the fleet over the line at the starts signal. Their enthusiasm saw them relegated behind the Radials in the starting sequence.
The Radials also got away cleanly and Sean Craig would proceed to dominate proceedings with two race wins. Kenny Rumball took a little while to master the Laser, but he too would enjoy a good day on the water – winning the Frostbite Mug in the first race and taking second place in the second. However, Peter Fagan would have an even better day, winning both races but he and Kenny had a “good ding-dong” in the second race.
Butler & Oram pulled away from the fleet in the first race and by the finish had a 3:11 advantage over who they perceive to be their closest opposition in overall terms, the Solo of McCarthy. By the time the results were calculated the 3:11 advantage turned into a 50-second deficit. The Kona windsurfer of Des Gibney took the third place in the first race. By this stage, the wind had gone right again and piped up to a 20-knot high for the afternoon. It meant that the PY fleet was drifting around in the worst of the wind. A decision to move the weather mark westwards for the second race had to be undone almost immediately when the wind switched back again.
For the second race the Lasers and 4.7s were given a black flag start immediately to make sure there was no temptation to “jump the gun” – it worked. By now the wind was starting to ease and as the race progressed its strength would drop to less than four knots. It also started to swing eastwards making the later beats of the course, a three-lap Olympic, a fetch and the leg to the gybe mark a sort of beat. That opened the door for McCarthy to close in on Butler & Oram en route to the gybe mark and by the leeward mark, McCarthy had gone into the lead on the water to take the race win.
In the 4.7s race wins were shared between Hugh O’Connor and Pepe de Sintas, but the best performance of the day goes to Emily Riordan who scored two seconds. Third places were shared between Adam Walsh and Kitty Flanagan.
Monica Schaeffer and Miriam McCarthy in the Wayfarer took second place overall in the second race and were followed overall by Tom Murphy in the K1. This gave Tom the Frostbite Mug. In the first PY race that honour went to Frank Hamilton and Jenny in the IDRA.
Other Frostbite Mugs went to Kei Walker (4.7s, Race 1), Brendan Hughes (Radials, Race 1), Conor Duffy (Laser, Race 2) and Shirley Gilmore (Laser Radial, Race 2).
Frostbites, Sunday 3rd February 2019.
Race 1; PY Fleet: Shane McCarthy (Solo), Noel Butler & Stephen Oram (Fireball), Des Gibney (Kona)
Race 2; PY Fleet: Shane McCarthy (Solo), Monica Schaeffer & Miriam McCarthy (Wayfarer), Tom Murphy (K1).
Race 1; Laser: Peter Fagan, Brian Hall, Chris Arrowsmith
Race 2; Laser: Peter Fagan, Kenny Rumball, Gary O’Hare
Race 1; 4.7s: Hugh O’Connor, Emily Riordan, Adam Walsh
Race 2; 4.7s: Pepe de Sintas, Emily Riordan, Kitty Flanagan
Race 1; Radials: Sean Craig, Moss Simington, Finn Walker
Race 2; Radials: Sean Craig, Jack Fahy, Jack Hall.
