#waterwags – On 10th June there was high pressure, hardly a cloud in the sky but unfortunately there was almost no wind. The Water Wags rowed, sculled and paddled to the race area in Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Despite the conditions twenty Water Wags lined up perfectly for the start. Initially the race was very slow. Then a breeze built up to about 5 knots from the north-east. Cathy MacAleavy in Mollie led the fleet heading towards the west pier lighthouse while Frank Guy in Gavotte led a smaller fleet heading towards the Boyd Memorial. As the fleet reached the windward mark off the east pier lighthouse they realized that there was a strong west-running tide. This caused some boats to underlay the windward mark. The rounding order was Mollie, Nandor, Tortoise. Pansy, The spinnaker run allowed the following boats to steel the wind from the boats ahead, but Mollie was so far ahead that she was untouchable.
By the second round the order was: Mollie, Ethna, Gavotte, Tortoise. Place changes were taking place partly due to the advantage in rounding the port side leeward mark.
On the final beat the wind disappeared again. Some of the leaders began to feel stress. Gavotte closed the gap between Mollie and the rest of the fleet. Tortise recovered the ground she had lost of the earlier rounds. Then a new wind appeared, at first gentle (about 2 knots) from the north and then it swung to the north west, and finally to the south west, allowing most of the fleet to fly spinnakers on the last beat.
Finishing order:
1st. Mollie, No. 41, Cathy MacAleavey & Con Murphy (winner division IA)
2nd. Gavotte, No.25, Frank Guy & Owen McNally.
3rd. Tortoise, No. 42, William & Linda Prentice.
4th. Pansy, No. 3, Vincent Delany & Noelle Breen.
5th. Ethna, No.1, Bill Nolan. (winner division IB)
6th. Alfa, No. 12, Michael Donohoe.
7th. Nandor, No. 26, Brian McBride & Harry Croxon. (winner division 2)
8th. Swift, No.38, Guy & Jacky Kilroy.
9th. Vela, No.4, Brian Bond & Mary Ryder.
10th. Scallywag, No.44, Dan O'Connor & David Williams.
11th. Good Hope, No.18, Hal Sisk & Sue Westrup.
12th. Eros, No. 08, Gail Varian & Gavan Johnson.
13th. Little Tern, No.36, Marcus Pearson.
14th. Barbara, No. 8, Ian & Judith Malcolm.
15th. Eva, No.33, Orla Fitzgerald & Dermot O'Flynn.
16th. Penelope, No.16, Fergus Cullen & Alice Walsh.
17th. Swallow, No.40, David & Anne Clarke.
18th. Maureen, No.23, Killian Skay & Liz Croxon.
19th. Sprite, No. 10, Adrian Masterson.
20th. Chloe, No. 34, Kate O'Leary.
