The weather gods continue to simile on competitors and organisers alike,on what has been a very calm and on the whole, enjoyable spring sailing series off Kinsale thus far writes Keith O Riordan. The third round of The Kinsale Yacht Club Spring Series, sponsored by The Carlton Hotel Kinsale, got off to a punctual start this Sunday, in an 8-10 knot south-easterly breeze.
Classes 0,1 and 2 were on windward-leeward course, looked after by race officer Alan Crosbie and his team. Race 1,this week consisted of two rounds of the course with a short beat to finish. Gloves Off owned by Twomey & O'Mahony and Conor Doyle's Freya, were the lead boats coming in to the weather mark, having tacked for the shore early and benefitted most from the tide. Neither boat was to relinquish its position in the race. In race 1IRC then,Gloves Off secured first place, followed by Freya with Godkin & O'Donovan's Godot finishing in third position. Race 2 followed the same format except for having three rounds instead of two. Again classes 0 and 1 got off to a clean start, much to the relief of the committee boat. Gloves Off again led around the course, the light airs suiting her much more than the heavier cruiser-racing boats. Freya and Tom Roche's Meridian had a nip and tuck battle for second place all the way around the course, with the former just piping Meridian on the line. The results therefore in the second race were, Gloves Off in first, Freya in second and Meridian in third place. This leaves the overall table, with one discard applied, looking like Gloves Off in first, Freya in second and Godot in third place. In ECHO Meridian leads the overall standings, with a first and a second yesterday, from Godot in second position and Gloves Off in third.
Class 1 IRC is developing into a three way battle at the half way point of the series. David Scott's,X-362,Eos again had a very successful day on the water. Eos however is being chased hard by Rob O'Leary's Antix Beag and Dan Buckley's Justus. Eos managed two firsts on Sunday, which keeps her at the top of the overall standings on just four points. Antix Beag had a third and a second respectively, which is enough to keep her in second place overall, with eight points. Justus is keeping the pressure on in third position overall with a third and a second this week.
The top of the league overall in Class 1Echo is also very tight with only five points separating the first four boats. Eos is leading overall again, having had a second and third on the day. Aidan Heffernan's Indulgence is in second overall with a sixth and a first on Sunday, followed by Justus in third with a first and a sixth. Chancer owned by the Carroll brothers got a third in race one which is enough to keep them in fourth overall, and John Downing's Samba had a second in the second race leaving them in fifth position overall. In Class0&1 Restricted Eos is again the overall leader with two firsts on Sunday, followed by Freya with a second and third, with Justus in third overall.
Class 2 had the same courses as Classes 0&1.In Class 2 IRC, the lighter airs of this spring series have certainly been favouring the Corby 25's. Vincent O'Shea's Yanks & Franks, made it two wins from two on Sunday, followed closely by another Corby 25, Allure, owned by Brian Goggin with two seconds. In race one Shane Statham's Slack Alice took third place, while in race two it was the Desmond-Ivers-Deasy owned Bad Company which took third position. This leaves the leader board with Yanks & Franks in pole position, followed closely by Allure, and Clem McElligot's Sea Hawk hanging on to third place.
In Class2ECHO race one Yanks & Franks took first, with Mark Mendell's Wicked in second and Allure in third. Race two saw Sea Hawk in first place, Bad Company in second and Yanks & Franks in third. The overalls in ECHO at the half way mark in racing are, Sea Hawk, followed by Barrett & Conlon's Y-Knot with Wicked in third position
Classes 3&4 were on the round the cans course this week, under the watchful eye of race officer Jennot Petch and his team. The course for race one was Sovereign Mark-South mark-Centre Point. Class 3 got off to a good beat down to Sovereign Mark, but as they rounded were slowly swallowed up by a bank of low cloud and fog. As a consequence of this, despite having GPS co-ordinates for the mark, could not find South Mark. Thus race one had to be abandoned for Class 3.The fog bank lifted quite quickly, which allowed Class4,which had started five minutes after Class 3,to find South Mark and complete their race.
In Class4 IRC Alan Mulcahy's Sundancer had two firsts on the day ,leaving him in first place overall in IRC, and in the enviable position of being able to discard a first place! ShellyD owned by Mick Murphy got two seconds leaving him second overall, with the Eddie Higgns and Kevin Morrisson owned La Maraquita with two thirds and in third position overall. In Class4 ECHO La Maraquita leads the league, followed by ShellyD, and Sundancer in third. In Class 3 IRC the boats completed the second race of the day. Eammon Rohan's Farr quarter tonner, Anchor Challenge led the boats around the course to a line honours win in IRC. Eddie Rice's Impacunious gained second place while John Twomey's Shillelagh came in third. The race committee decided to run another slightly shorter race for class 3 to make up for the abandoned first race. The course was Sovereign Mark-Centre Pt-Finish, which was a straight windward leeward course. Unfortunately a number of boats were over the line, some returning to restart, whilst others took their chances. Again Anchor Challenge led the field around the course to take line honours, but were then informed they had been OCS and thus disqualified .Consequently Shillelagh took the win, with Impacunious in second place, followed by Bill McConnell's Monkey Business in third place.
The league table in Class 3 IRC sees Shillelagh in the lead, followed closely by Anchor Challenge, with Impacunious in third spot. Class3 ECHO has Impacunious out in front overrall, followed by Shillelagh and Liam Lynch's Powder Monkey in third.
The White Sail Class once again had good racing officiated by Donal Hayes. The Murphy-Hennessy-Dann owned Val Criss was once again well up there, recording a first position on Sunday. In second place was Objection owned by Kevin & Celia Murray, followed in third by Charisma owned by Des Lyons & Aine Dunn. The overall standings in The White Sail Class see Val Criss in pole position, followed by Objection, with Billy Joyce's Windrose in third place.
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