A fresh north-easterly of 15–20 knots and bright sunshine produced exhilarating conditions for those who ventured onto Dublin Bay on Saturday as the AIB Dublin Bay Sailing Club Summer Series continued.
The brisk breeze kept numbers down in some fleets but rewarded those who raced with lively conditions and several close corrected-time finishes.
Race Officer Con Murphy, officiating on the Corinthian course, said competitors completed courses of between seven and 11 miles in races lasting around two hours.
"The two Cruiser 0s were neck and neck all the way to the finish," Murphy reported. "They really looked to enjoy it. There was close racing too in the other classes."
Murphy also highlighted the sight of experienced campaigners Tim Goodbody and John Hall calling tactics aboard their respective J/109s in the testing breeze and waves.
Cruiser Racing
Too Close To Call: Aurelia (right) and Prima Forte battle towards a dead heat for IRC honours in Cruiser Zero during Saturday's AIB DBSC racing on Dublin Bay. Photo: Afloat
Aurelia and Prima Forte Share IRC Cruiser Zero Honours
Cruiser Zero produced the closest finish of the day. Under IRC, Chris Power Smith's Aurelia and Sean Lemass's Prima Forte could not be separated on corrected time, both recording 1:57:43 to share first place.
ORC scoring tipped the balance in favour of Prima Forte, which corrected to 2:19:15, just 12 seconds ahead of Aurelia in another remarkably close finish.
Something Else Leads J/109 Sweep in Cruiser One
Brian Hall's J/109 Something Else continued its winning form by taking IRC honours in 1:48:40, just 55 seconds ahead of Tim and Ruth Goodbody's White Mischief. Bobby Kerr's Riders on the Storm completed the podium a further 3 minutes 35 seconds back.
The ORC podium was identical. Something Else again prevailed, finishing 54 seconds ahead of White Mischief, with Riders on the Storm retaining third.
Steady As She Goes: Sigma 33 Moonshine was the sole finisher in Cruiser Two as Saturday's fresh north-easterly tested the DBSC fleet on Dublin Bay. Photo: Con Murphy
Moonshine Sole Finisher in Cruiser Two
Fergus O'Sullivan's Moonshine was the only IRC finisher in Cruiser Two, correcting to 1:50:12 after a demanding race in the fresh conditions.
Spirit Wins Cruiser 5A IRC
Colin O'Brien's Spirit claimed IRC honours in Cruiser 5A, correcting to 1:41:29. Tim Costello's Just Jasmin finished 2 minutes 57 seconds behind, while Johnnie Phillips' Playtime was another 44 seconds adrift in third.
ORC scoring reshuffled the podium, with Playtime taking victory in 1:41:01. Just Jasmin finished second, 2 minutes 48 seconds behind.
ORC results are here
One Designs
The stronger offshore breeze had a much greater impact on the one-design fleets. Cormac Bradley reported that only three Flying Fifteens elected to race after several crews launched before deciding to return ashore. Gusts of around 27 knots before the scheduled starts made launching difficult, and Jill Fleming suffered a broken mast while heading to the race area. The SB20 fleet completed its two-race programme, while the Dragons were racing separately in the Irish Dragon National Championship, as reported elsewhere on Afloat.ie.
Hera and Glass Half Full Split Flying Fifteens
Only three Flying Fifteens completed both races. Peter Murphy's Hera won the opener ahead of Frank Miller's Glass Half Full and Alastair Court's ffinisterre. Miller reversed the positions in Race Two, taking victory from ffinisterre, with Hera third.
Bandit Leads Ruffian 23 Fleet
Ann Kirwan's Bandit took Ruffian 23 honours ahead of Frank Bradley's Ripples, while Brendan Duffy's Scéal Eile completed the podium.
Ted Sweeps Both SB20 Races
Michael O'Connor's Ted completed a clean sweep in the SB20 class, winning both races. Ger Dempsey's venuesworld.com finished runner-up on each occasion, while Colin Galavan's Carpe Diem claimed two third places.
StarJay Doubles Up in Sportsboats
Kevin Byrne's StarJay enjoyed a perfect afternoon in the Sportsboats, winning both races. George Misstear's Jambon was second on each occasion, while Stephen Gill's Javelin took third in the first race before retiring from the second.
Yikes Maintains Winning Streak
Yikes completed another unbeaten afternoon in the Beneteau 211 fleet with victories in both races. Beeswing, sailed by Patrick Shannon, finished second in each contest.
Levante Takes Beneteau 31.7 Honours
John Power's Levante claimed the Beneteau 31.7 class, finishing 2 minutes 53 seconds ahead of Chris Johnston's Prospect on corrected time. Michael Bryson's Bluefin Two completed the top three.
