Light north-easterly winds and flat seas delivered another excellent evening of AIB Dublin Bay Sailing Club racing on Thursday, with competitive finishes across both the cruiser handicap fleets and the one-design classes. Bobby Kerr's Riders on the Storm claimed the closest finish of the night, winning Cruiser 1 IRC by a single second, while other class winners included ValenTina, Windjammer, Papytoo, Playtime, Gung-Ho, Ted, Prospect, Ripples and Red Cloud.
Cruiser 0 IRC: ValenTina Holds Off Aurelia
Helm's View – The crew aboard ValenTina trim sails as John Treanor's J/112E goes on to win Cruiser 0 IRC during Thursday evening's AIB Dublin Bay Sailing Club racing in light north-easterly winds. Photo: Maurice O'Connell
John Treanor's ValenTina claimed Cruiser 0 IRC honours by six minutes 12 seconds on corrected time from Chris Power Smith's Aurelia. Paul O'Higgins' Rockabill VI completed the podium, a further two minutes six seconds adrift.
Cruiser 1 IRC: Riders on the Storm Wins by One Second
The closest finish of the evening came in Cruiser 1, where Bobby Kerr's Riders on the Storm edged Brian Hall's Something Else by just one second on corrected time. The Shanahan family's Ruth secured third, 17 seconds behind the runner-up.
Cruiser 2 IRC: Windjammer Extends Winning Run
Lindsay J. Casey's Windjammer continued its impressive form, finishing two minutes 40 seconds ahead of Brendan Foley's Allig8R on corrected time. Jim McCann's Peridot was only 42 seconds further back in third.
Cruiser 3 ECHO: Papytoo Returns to the Top
Frank Guilfoyle's Papytoo won Cruiser 3 ECHO by three minutes 17 seconds from Kevin Glynn's Grasshopper 2. Wyn McCormack's Wynward completed the podium, one minute 57 seconds behind second place.
Cruiser 5A ECHO: Playtime Makes the Difference
Johnnie Phillips' Playtime took Cruiser 5A ECHO by one minute 22 seconds over Bill Quigley's Misfits. Colin O'Brien's Spirit finished third, one minute 43 seconds behind the runner-up.
Cruiser 5B ECHO: Gung-Ho Wins Tight Contest
Gráinne O'Shea's Gung-Ho secured Cruiser 5B honours by 42 seconds from Paul Conway's Cevantes. Eoin Farrell's Thinksys was just four seconds further back in third, making it one of the evening's closest podium battles.
ORC results publication was delayed but expected here
One-Design Fleets Deliver Close Racing
Cruise Control – The Norwegian Cruise Line ship Norwegian Sky provides a dramatic backdrop as the SB20 fleet races on Dublin Bay during Thursday evening's AIB Dublin Bay Sailing Club programme in light north-easterly winds. Photo: Afloat
In the southern racing area, the one-design fleets produced another evening of close competition, with victories shared across the J/80s, SB20s, Flying Fifteens, Dragons, Beneteau 31.7s, Beneteau 211s, Ruffian 23s, Shipmans and Glens.
Beneteau 31.7: Prospect Holds Off Levante
Chris Johnston's Prospect claimed Beneteau 31.7 honours after one of the closest finishes of the evening. John Power's Levante finished just 37 seconds behind, while Michael Bryson's Bluefin Two was only 13 seconds further adrift in third, with 50 seconds separating the top three.
Beneteau 211: Yikes Tops Thursday Fleet
Yikes, sailed by Team Yikes, claimed victory ahead of Patrick Shannon's Beeswing, while Team Capilano's Capilano completed the podium.
Dragon: Sir Ossis of the River Wins
Only two Dragons completed the race, with Denis Bergin's Sir Ossis of the River taking victory ahead of Declan Gordon's Zinzan after the remainder of the fleet retired or failed to finish.
Flying Fifteens: Farfalla Leads the Fleet
Sean Craig's Farfalla won the Flying Fifteen class ahead of Alan Green's Mavh FFive, while Alastair Court's ffinisterre secured third.
Glens: Glenluce Prevails
Ailbe Millerick's Glenluce led the Glens home ahead of John Bligh's Glencree, with Myles Fleeton's Glencoe taking third.
J/80s: Red Cloud Takes Thursday Honours
Owen Laverty's Red Cloud claimed J/80 honours ahead of Declan Curtin's Jester, while Ian Simington's George V completed the podium.
Ruffian 23: Ripples Gets the Verdict
Frank Bradley's Ripples won the Ruffian 23 fleet ahead of Brendan Duffy's Scéal Eile, with Ann Kirwan's Bandit finishing third.
SB20s: Ted Returns to the Top
Michael O'Connor steered Ted to victory ahead of Colin Galavan's Carpe Diem, while Ger Dempsey's venuesworld.com completed the top three.
Shipmans: Twocan Wins by One Second
The Shipman class produced another nail-biting finish as David Freeman's Twocan edged Fergus Mason's Viking by just one second on corrected time. Alain Deladiennee's Poppy finished third.
Sportsboats: Red Cloud Completes a Double
Owen Laverty's Red Cloud completed a successful evening by also taking the Sportsboat handicap honours, finishing three minutes 48 seconds ahead of Declan Curtin's Jester. Ian Simington's George V completed the podium, 33 seconds behind Jester.
