The Spring Series at Kinsale Yacht Club, sponsored by Masts & Rigging Ireland Limited, took place last Sunday in near perfect sailing conditions. Competitors and Race Management could not have asked for more; with glorious sunshine and a 15 knot south westerly breeze.
This being the penultimate day, competition was stiff as boats jockeyed for position for a place in the top three of their respective classes. One discard was applied following the fifth race of the Series, so boats now have a good idea of what needs to be done to gain places or consolidate their position. Classes 3 & 4 and the White Sail fleet were on a Windward – Leeward course looked after by Alan Crosbie, while Classes 0, 1 & 2 were on a Round the Cans
course marshaled by Jeanot Petch.
Classes 0, 1 & 2 had a Round the Cans race giving the big boats a chance to stretch their legs on a long beat to Black Head. There was a general recall in the first as some were a little too enthusiastic on the start line. Anthony O’Leary’s Antix got off to a flying start and indeed won both races on handicap. This increases the pressure on Dave Dwyer’s Marinerscove.ie as he enters the last day with the overall lead, with a single point separation, followed by Freya in third. In ECHO 0 Conor Doyle’s Freya had a first and second to put him on top of the table jointly with Marinerscove.ie and Antix one point behind.
IRC 1 sees Derry Good’s Exhale move up the leader board into third positionoverall, thanks to a first and second in Sundays racing. Jelly Baby (Nagle & O’Malley) still lead, closely pressurised by David Scott’s Eos in second place.
In ECHO 1 only four points separate the top three boats with Eos leading from Exhale and Jelly Baby in third. This should lead to some exciting racing on the
final day.
Jelly Baby tops IRC Restricted with Freya hot on her heels in second and Eos in third.
In Class 2 IRC the McCarthy brothers on MacMagic II had a good day at the office with a second and first pushing them into contention for a top three finish.
First and second positions look like going to Jerome McCarthy’s Harmony and Denis Coleman’s Corby 25 Thunderbird. They are separated by two points going
into the last day with everything to race for. Class 2 ECHO is being led by the First 32 Y-Knot owned by Pat Barrett and Cathal Conlon. Clem McElligott’s Sea Hawk is in second with Leonard Donnery’s No Gnomes in third position. Again with only five points separating the top three boats, it could be a very close
finish,
In Class 3 Ian Traver’s Bandit was first off the line, but it was Powder Monkey, Liam Lynch’s Sigma 33, who led around the course reveling in the fresher conditions. Bandit managed a first and a second respectively though, leaving him in top spot overall and in an almost unassailable position. Alan Bateman’s Pathfinder lies in second overall with Powder Monkey just behind him in third position. In Class 3 ECHO Bill McConnell’s consistency is keeping Monkey
Business in pole position with Powder Monkey (Liam Lynch) in second and Tony & Alice Kingston’s Away On Business in third.
In Class 4 Mike Sexton’s Granny Knot is still leading overall followed by Sundancer (Alan Mulcahy) and Paul Swanton’s Go-Kart in third. The same three boats are also in contention in ECHO 4 with the top spot going to Go-Kart, Sundancer in second and Granny Knot in third.
The White Sail fleet sailed a triangular course using the Classes 3 & 4 windward-leeward with a gybe mark to complete the triangle and were given four rounds of this course. David O’Sullivan’s Cimarron VI won on handicap followed by John Whelan’s Wheels and Paragon (Dave Akerlind). This leaves Wheels in the lead overall being run hard by Cimarron VI and Spindrift (David Kelly) in third.
The Series concludes this Saturday, 1st May, with a First Gun at 10.55 hours followed by the prize-giving dinner in Kinsale Yacht Club on Saturday evening.
Bob Bateman's Photo Gallery from last Saturday here
