A fleet of up to 25 brave DBSC 'Spring Chicken' entrants braved strong westerly winds for the first race of the six-race series on Sunday (February 4).
The blustery 25-knot westerly winds presented quite the challenge for the first race of the 2024 season on Dublin Bay.
The series for mixed cruisers and one designs runs until March 10 (first gun 10:10), using a progressive handicap on a case-by-case basis in the AIB-sponsored event.
Sunday's fleet included a number of championship-winning cruisers, including multiple J109 champion Joker II With sailmakers Maurice O'Connell and Mark Mansfield onboard) from the Royal Irish Yacht Club and Wexford Quarter Tonner Snoopy, the 2021 ICRA Class Three National Champion.
One-designs, cruisers, and other boats that don't often compete in races are all "quite welcome," according to DBSC.
The 2023 Series attracted a fleet of nearly fifty boats, and organisers are expecting a similar fleet as the series progresses.
Race one results are being calculated.