After missing out on racing the previous week due to a piercing easterly gale, the race officers of the HYC Dinghy Frostbites – which has attracted entries from clubs near and far - decided that three races would be run on 11th December, instead of the usual two writes Conor Murphy, This effort to catch up on races was welcomed by the sailors across the fleets, as all eyed up an opportunity to climb another place or two in the series results, which remain tight across the board.
The eagerness of the sailors was muted somewhat by a stiff northerly breeze, stronger than expected. More than one sailor who had over-indulged in the Christmas buildup on the previous evening - after looking at a light and pleasant forecast - was left contemplating the outcome of those choices made in the merriment of the night before. The northerly breeze imposed order on the launching process, but once sailors made it to the race course, they arrived to a laid Olympic course; shorter than usual, to allow the three races to be completed before any frostbite set in. All fleets started together each time, and were well behaved to get away cleanly.
Daragh Kelleher of Skerries staving off the challenge of Dan O’Connell of Cove in the Howth racing. Photo: HYC
In the ILCA 7s, the same four -- Ronan Wallace of Wexford, Rory Lynch of Baltimore, Daragh Kelleher of Skerries and Dan O’Connell of Cove - battled it out around the racecourse each time, swapping places at each corner and fighting until the finish line. Conor Murphy trailed the leading pack each time, never quite breaking into it, finishing 5th in each race. Dave Kirwan of Malahide and Stephen Quinn of Howth battled it out for 6th and 7th in each race, swapping positions more than once. Ronan Wallace leads the series by 7 points, and only 2 points separate Daragh and Rory in 2nd and 3rd, so it’ll be close-racing to close out the series.
Munster v Leinster….Rory Lynch (Baltimore SC) leading Ronan Wallace (Wexford HB&TC) and Dan O'Connell (Cove SC) to the leeward mark
In the ILCA 6s, Marco Sorgassi (Royal St George YC) demonstrated why he’s leading the series with a solid three bullets, beating many of the ILCA 7s around the course at the same time. Hugh Delap, Fiachra Farrelly and Una Connell filled out the rest of the fleet. While Marco has a 10-point gap to Hugh in 2nd, only 3 points separate Hugh and Fiachra in 3rd, so it’s all to play for on the 18th December.
In the ILCA 4s, Aisling Kelly had a stormer and clinched three 1sts, leaving Riaghan Boardman (Rush), Maebh Butterly and Charlie Power fighting it out over the remaining spots. Riaghan leads the overall series, but with only 2.5 points between him and Aisling; if Aisling keeps her form, then it’ll come down to the wire next week.
The PY Fleet saw Daragh Sheridan (Howth) continue his dominance with another 3 wins in his RS Aero 7, while Abby Kinsella (RS Aero 6) and Howth’s Hugo Micks (Fireball) fought it out for 2nd and 3rd places. Hugo leads the series overall, but Daragh and Abby are close on his heels.
Having a ball……Hugo Micks (HYC) with his classic Fireball leads the PY Division despite being up against much more modern designs. Photo: HYC
While the pre-Christmas series wraps up this coming weekend on the 18th of December if a possible predicted gale doesn’t materialise, there’s plenty more Frostbite sailing yet to come:
- The New Year's Day race will go ahead as usual, with a slightly later start time. All entrants from the pre-Christmas series are entered automatically, and it's a surefire way to blow away the cobwebs!
- The Spring HYC Frostbite series kicks off on Sunday, 8th January, 2023, and will run each Sunday until 5th March.
- The famous Round the Island Race takes place on Saturday, 11th March, where everyone and every dinghy is invited to race around Ireland's Eye, finding the quickest route in either direction.
Overall results can be found below
