#sb20 – Five SB20s lined up for the weekly Thursday sail around the cans with southerly breeze of 13 knts gusting 16 and a rolling sea, Some of the usual contenders were presumably opting to use the evening to get ready for the trip up north this weekend. A 20 degree shift at the start made for a bias at the boat end where we duly lined up in a tight bunch which resulted in some excitement and the flying of a protest flag. Venuesworld and Sacrebleu got off the line first followed by Should be and Manamana. A decent length beat to the top mark resulted in four boats rounding within a few boat lengths of each other. The angle was just marginally too tight for some of the gusts so the fleet played it safe until Venuesworld decided to put up their kite. Enthused by their bravery Should be went for it and aimed to leeward of the fleet while SacreBleu and Venuesworld got involved in a luffing battle to windward with Manamana waiting to see what happened the kite hoisters. Should be saw the battle between SacreBleu and Venuesworld and caught a few strong gusts to lead the pack to the next mark where they lead to the finish.

The next leg was too tight to fly the kites but Manamana put in a brave effort to keep theirs up after the gybe but couldn't get the required height, still they worried the fleet for a while with their pace, the remainder of the fleet two sailed it back inshore with lovely rollers underneath, Venuesworld showed their skills in 2 sail reaching from the Enterprise days and rapidly closed the gap between themselves and Should be using the waves to great effect. Should be tacked inshore and took advantage of a right shift to increase their lead to the next mark.

A great tussle between SacreBleu and Manamana ended with SacreBleu getting to the right side of a flock of Glens to end in a photo finish which resulted in SacreBleu getting a well deserved 3rd.

Overall a great evenings yachting with everyone putting the kites up for a sleigh ride home, with Venuesworld sailing enthusiastically past the harbour never wanting it to end!

Many thanks to Barry O'Neill and the crew of Freebird for a great evening racing.

Best of luck to all those travelling north!

Final results
1. Should be
2. Venuesworld.com
3. Sacrebleu
4. Manamana
5. Smoke on the Water

#flyingfifteen – On a beautiful sunny summers evening with a s/se force 4-5 breeze it was perfect sailing conditions for the 17–Flying Fifteens. PRO Jack Roy and his team set a great course and there was some exciting sailing especially downwind.

With the tide ebbing those who went towards the shore had less wind than those who elected to stay out. Doorly/Quinn were first at the weather marked followed by Murphy/Ratto, Mulvin/Beirne and Dumpleton/Mulligan. Dumpleton sailed a great reach to take the lead and at the next mark he was followed by Mulvin and Doorly. These three stayed ahead. On the last reach Dumpleton sailed too low allowing Mulvin to get the lead. Dumpleton clawed back on the last beat to the finish but Mulvin held on by a whisker to record his first win in his new boat IRL 4028. Dumpleton was second followed closely by Doorly in third, Leonard fourth and guest helm Jon O'Rourke in fifth.

Once again it was great racing and fantastic to see such a large turnout and once ashore and packed the fleet had a very enjoyable bbq in the NYC.

#dbsc – BENETEAU 31.7 - 1. Levana (Jean Mitton), 2. Prospect (Chris Johnston), 3. Avalon (R.Conan/J.Fox)

CRUISERS 0 Echo- 1. Loose Change (P Redden & M Mitton), 2. Lively Lady (Derek Martin)

CRUISERS 0 - 1. Loose Change (P Redden & M Mitton), 2. Lively Lady (Derek Martin)

CRUISERS 1 Echo - 1. Bon Exemple (C Byrne), 2. Just Jay (Oliver Sheehy), 3. Jigamaree (R Harris)

CRUISERS 1 - 1. Bon Exemple (C Byrne), 2. Just Jay (Oliver Sheehy), 3. Jigamaree (R Harris)

CRUISERS 2 Echo - 1. Antix (D Ryan), 2. Black Sheep (E Healy), 3. Bendemeer (L Casey & D Power)

CRUISERS 2 - 1. Black Sheep (E Healy), 2. Graduate (D O'Keeffe), 3. Antix (D Ryan)

CRUISERS 3 A - 1. Quest (B Cunningham/J Skerritt), 2. Solidarity (Whelan/McCabe/Cary/Cramer), 3. Hamilton Bear (S Hyde)

CRUISERS 3 A Echo - 1. Solidarity (Whelan/McCabe/Cary/Cramer), 2. Supernova (McStay/Timbs/Monaghan/Costello), 3. Papytoo (M.Walsh/F.Guilfoyle)

CRUISERS 3 B - 1. Cacciatore (M Ni Cheallachain), 2. Maranda (Myles Kelly)

CRUISERS 3 B Echo - 1. Small Wonder (H Kelly), 2. Wynward (W McCormack), 3. Cacciatore (M Ni Cheallachain)

DRAGON - 1. Diva (R.Johnson/R.Goodbody), 2. Zu (M Minch/C Grimley/T Pearson), 3. Zinzan (Daniel O'Connor et al)

FLYING FIFTEEN - 1. TBA (David Mulvey), 2. Kooigjug (K Dumpleton), 3. Frequent Flyer (C Doorley/A Green)

GLEN - 1. Glencoe (Rose Mary Craig et al), 2. Glendun (B.Denham et al), 3. Glenmiller (P Cusack)

RUFFIAN 23 - 1. Bandit (Kirwan/Cullen/Brown), 2. Ruffles (Michael Cutliffe), 3. Diane ll (A Claffey/C Helme)

SB20 - 1. Should be... (Michael O'Connor), 2. Venuesworld.com (Ger Dempsey), 3. Sacrebleu (B Fusco/R Hayes)

SHIPMAN - 1. Invader (Gerard Glynn), 2. Jo Slim (J.Clarke et al), 3. Malindi (B.Smith/A.Gray)

SIGMA 33 - 1. White Mischief (Timothy Goodbody), 2. Rupert (R & P Lovegrove), 3. Gwili Two (D.Clarke/P.Maguire)

SQUIB - 1. Perfection (Jill Fleming), 2. Chillax (Colin Galavan), 3. Buzz Lite (G.O'Connor)

WHITE SAIL CRUISERS Echo - 1. Sweet Martini (Bruce Carswell), 2. Aurora (Ray Conway), 3. Vespucci (S & K O'Regan)

WHITE SAIL CRUISERS - 1. Vespucci (S & K O'Regan), 2. Xerxes (Dan O'Neill), 3. Menapia (J Sweeney)

#fireball – The Irish Fireball fleet had a "soggy session" on the water last night, Tuesday 3rd June, with rain dominating the pre-race period and early part of the race and a fading breeze the feature of the race itself.
Despite the grey skies, there was a healthy presence of Fireballs on the start line – 7 boats. Again the weather data was at odds with what was on the water with a forecast of SW, a record of SSE from the harbour weather website and an actual wind on the water that started at 255˚ and then swung westwards.
A four lap windward leeward was set for the Fireballs who had first start. Initially the weather mark also had a spreader mark but that had gone AWOL by the second rounding. With an ebb tide that was nearly three hours old at the race start the question of which way to avoid the foul tide en route to the weather mark, tucked under the lee of the east pier, was the uppermost thought in the seven boats.
Six of the seven boats decided to go inshore initially, the exceptions being Louise McKenna & Joe O'Reilly (14691) who tacked at the committee boat end of the line and sailed westwards initially on port tack. The rest of the fleet were distributed along the line and headed inshore on starboard tack. Frank Miller & Grattan Donnelly (14713) were at the pin which turned out to be the place not to be, Noel Butler & Stephen Oram (15061) were at the committee boat end, which was the place to be and they led the fleet around the first weather mark. Neil Colin & Margaret Casey (14775) were the next boat down the line from Butler and they too looked in good shape as they rounded the weather mark in second place. Louis Smyth & Cormac Bradley (15007) looked to be in a bit of trouble but benefitted when Cariosa Power & Marie Barry (14854) had to "duck" McKenna on starboard tack. This caused them to drop to leeward of Smyth. McKenna's decision to go right paid off as she rounded the weather mark third followed closely by Smyth. Miller and Mary Chambers & Brenda McGuire (14865) rounded behind Power.
A shift in the wind direction and better breeze meant that those who were on the left hand side of the run were in a better position to gain from the switch. Having said that, Colin & Casey who had gone low were still in good shape at the rounding of the leeward mark! With the limit mark of the starting line still in position, the embargo on crossing the start/finish line during the race meant that this was now an obstacle on the course. Those who went high and left were able to power reach down to the committee boat and bear off towards the leeward mark. Butler, McKenna, Smyth, Power, Miller and Chambers took this route – Colin was the exception going to the opposite end of the start/finish line obstruction.
On the second beat the start line was still "at large" and (at least) one boat passed between committee boat and pin. Butler and McKenna tacked to avoid it and Smyth went outside the pin. Having rounded behind McKenna at the leeward mark, Smyth overtook her en route to the 2nd weather mark to slot into 3rd place behind Butler and Colin. These three boats retained their positions down the 2nd off-wind leg, but at the leeward mark Colin tacked immediately while both Butler and Smyth took a hitch to the west (or RHS) of the beat. At this stage the wind was starting to ease and swing slightly further westwards – not enough to make it a fetch to the weather mark but enough to allow a modest easing of sheets which had the added benefit of allowing progress to be maintained over what was a slightly lumpy sea. Colin's immediate tack didn't pay off and Smyth was able to sail over the top of him, albeit from a position of probably sixty metres upwind. Smyth also closed significantly on Butler, but on the third rounding of the weather mark – sans spreader mark – Butler & Oram got distance again. Colin lost further places to McKenna & O'Reilly and Power & Barry and found himself in the company of Miller & Donnelly at the weather mark. Going down the off-wind leg, Butler and Smyth were "comfortable" but Power and McKenna were keeping very close quarters in the overall context of the race.
A shortened course was signalled at the 3rd leeward mark and again Smyth seemed to close the gap on the water to Butler but it must have been an optical illusion because Butler's winning margin time-wise was over 1½ minutes.
McKenna rounded the leeward mark ahead of Power and appeared to be applying the appropriate cover to her close rival, but as the pair approached the finish line, it became increasingly apparent that Power had sailed out from "underneath" McKenna in the quest to get to the finish line next. And so it proved for although she appeared to be to leeward of McKenna, Power had enough speed (and it appears distance) to tack below her rival, cross her and claim third place on the night.
DBSC Tuesday Nights: Series 1, Tuesday 3rd June.
1 Noel Butler & Stephen Oram 15061 NYC
2 Louis Smyth & Cormac Bradley 15007 Coal Harb.
3 Cariosa Power & Marie Barry 14854 NYC

Due to the fading breeze and a tide that was still ebbing, most of the Fireball fleet were towed home. Noel & Stephen's reward for winning by such a comfortable margin is that they got to sail most of the way home – at least to the harbour mouth!
In overall terms Noel Butler and Stephen Oram (5pts) are very comfortably ahead of the chasing pack, but only 3 points cover the next three boats – Cariosa Power and Marie Barry (13pts), Neil Colin and Margaret Casey (15pts) and Louis Smyth and Cormac Bradley (16pts).
In 10 days' time the Fireball fleet will convene in Clontarf for the Open Championships and Classic Fireball Regatta, 14/15th June with a six race programme. Fireballers resident in Ireland who read this report are encouraged to make a serious effort to get to this event which has been planned to coincide with other festivities in Clontarf over that weekend – the 1,000th anniversary of the Battle of Clontarf. Of course readers from further afield are also most welcome!

#dbsc – CRUISERS 3 Tuesday - 1. Maranda (M Kelly), 2. Solidarity (Whelan/McCabe/Cary/Cramer), 3. Papytoo (M Walsh/F Guilfoyle)

Ensign - 1. NYC1 (A Dooley), 2. INSC2 (A Rumball), 3. RIYC 1 (Tim Goodbody)

FIREBALL - 1. No Name (S Oram), 2. Licence to Thrill (Louis Smyth), 3. Incubus (C Power/M Barry)

GLEN - 1. Glendun (B.Denham et al), 2. Glenshane (P Hogan)

IDRA 14 FOOT - 1. Dart (Pierre Long), 2. Slipstream (Julie Ascoop), 3. Dunmoanin (Frank Hamilton)

PY CLASS - 1. Colin Galavan (Laser), 2. R Kenneally (Laser), 3. Tom Murphy (K1)

RUFFIAN 23 - 1. Alias (D.Meeke/M.McCarthy), 2. Cresendo (L Balfe), 3. Blue Moon (C Collins & B McCormack)

#dbsc – BENETEAU 31.7 - 1. Bluefin Two (M & B Bryson), 2. Magic (D.O'Sullivan/D.Espey), 3. Attitude (T Milner J Sugars M Branigan)

BENETEAU 31.7 ECHO - 1. Levante (M.Leahy/J.Power), 2. Fiddly Bits (Timmins/Quigley/Murray/Breen)

CRUISERS 0 ECHO - 1. Lively Lady (Derek Martin), 2. Tsunami (Vincent Farrell), 3. Wow (George Sisk)

CRUISERS 0 - 1. Wow (George Sisk), 2. Lively Lady (Derek Martin), 3. Tsunami (Vincent Farrell)

CRUISERS 1 ECHO - 1. Bon Exemple (C Byrne), 2. Boomerang (Paul Kirwan), 3. Powder Monkey (C Moore)

CRUISERS 1 - 1. Bon Exemple (C Byrne), 2. Gringo (Tony Fox), 3. Boomerang (Paul Kirwan)

CRUISERS 2 ECHO - 1. Antix (D Ryan), 2. Bendemeer (L Casey & D Power), 3. Red Rhum (J Nicholson & C Nicholson)

CRUISERS 2 - 1. Red Rhum (J Nicholson & C Nicholson), 2. Bendemeer (L Casey & D Power), 3. Utopia (J Healy)

CRUISERS 3 - 1. Cartoon (McCormack/Brady/Lawless), 2. Quest (J Skerritt), 3. Asterix (Boushel/Meredith/Counihan)

CRUISERS 3 ECHO - 1. Papytoo (M Walsh/F Guilfoyle), 2. Pamafe (M Costello), 3. Asterix (Boushel/Meredith/Counihan)

FIREBALL RACE 2 - 1. Licence to Thrill (Louis Smyth), 2. Blind Squirrel (Frank Miller)

FLYING FIFTEEN RACE 1 - 1. The Gruffalo (K Poole/I Mathews), 2. Fflogger (Alan Dooley), 3. Kooigjug (K Dumpleton)

FLYING FIFTEEN RACE 2 - 1. The Gruffalo (K Poole/I Mathews), 2. Fflogger (Alan Dooley), 3. A Mere Triffle (P Sherry)

GLEN - 1. Glenluce (D & R O'Connor), 2. Glendun (B.Denham et al), 3. Pterodactyl (R & D McCaffrey)

MERMAID RACE 1 - 1. Aideen (B.Martin/D.Brennan), 2. Jill (P.Smith/P.Mangan), 3. Tijuana (David Stedmond)

MERMAID RACE 2 - 1. Jill (P.Smith/P.Mangan), 2. Aideen (B.Martin/D.Brennan)

RUFFIAN 23 - 1. Bandit (Kirwan/Cullen/Brown), 2. Ruff Nuff (D & C Mitchell), 3. Ruffles (Michael Cutliffe)

SHIPMAN - 1. Curraglas (John Masterson), 2. Gusto (C Heath/G Miles), 3. Malindi (B.Smith/A.Gray)

SIGMA 33 - 1. White Mischief (Timothy Goodbody), 2. Gwili Two (D.Clarke/P.Maguire), 3. Popje (Ted McCourt)

SQUIB RACE 1 - 1. Anemos (Pete & Ann Evans), 2. Tears in Heaven (M Halpenny & G Ferguson), 3. Femme Fatale (V Delaney)

SQUIB RACE 2 - 1. Tears in Heaven (M Halpenny & G Ferguson), 2. Anemos (Pete & Ann Evans), 3. Femme Fatale (V Delaney)

WHITE SAIL CRUISERS ECHO - 1. Sweet Martini (Bruce Carswell), 2. Vespucci (S & K O'Regan), 3. Fortitudine (D & A Clarke)

WHITE SAIL CRUISERS - 1. Vespucci (S & K O'Regan), 2. Persistence (C. Broadhead et al), 3. Calypso (Howard Knott)

#flyingfifteen – On a cool evening with a NE force 3 breeze a great turnout of 18 Flying Fifteens took part in Thursdays DBSC series. There was great excitement as David Mulvin and Ronan Beirne launched a brand new boat IRL 4028. 

The first mark was Zebra, Tom Galvin and Alan Dooley came in from opposite sides to lead from guest helm Prof Maurice O'Connell sailing with Mary Jane Mulligan in IRL 3606 in third place and David Mulvin in fourth. Prof was fouled at the mark by Doorly/Green but soon got going downwind to keep in touch with the leaders. This group stayed ahead as those behind kept bringing each other up high downwind and downtide!

On the last downwind leg Prof and MaryJane stayed low and with the incoming tide were able to take advantage coming into the leeward mark and take the lead and the race. Galvin was second with Dooley a very close third, Mulvin fourth, Doorly fifth and Murphy sixth.

Once again it was great racing and fantastic to see such a large turnout and once ashore and packed the fleet had a very enjoyable meal together in the NYC.

Full results here

#sb20 – A gentle force 2 North Easterly tested the nerves of the SB20 fleet on Dublin Bay this evening in an increasingly treacherous flooding tide. 9 boats made it out to the start line this evening making it a new season record and it is very encouraging to see the numbers continue to build as we head into June writes Michael O'Connor.

A fairly square line was set (based on the fact that half the fleet maintain it was a committee boat bias and the other half of the fleet claim it was a pin end bias, we are just going to sit on the fence and say it was square!) and the boats were clean away at the first time of asking. A short beat to the centre of the bay with neither side of the beat proving heavily favoured meant that things were going to be fairly lively at the weather mark and it certainly didnt disappoint with Alert Packaging (Justin, Darren et al) coming in from the left and squeezing in ahead of Manamana (Doug, Ronan and Catriona) coming in from the right followed by a tightly packed bunch including SacreBleu (Richard, Ben and Matt), Bad (Jimmy Downling et al), Rubadubdub (Nick et al), Should Be... (Michael, Dave and Gavan), Probably (Ian, Mark and Caroline) and Smoke on the Water (Bob, John et al).

A broad reach to mark 2 with the tide pushing the fleet above the mark meant that the boats were walking a tightrope between going low enough to avoid a gybe back against the tide and high enough to protect their air. At the second mark, Alert held onto their lead from Manamana followed by SacreBleu. A tight reach (bleeuugh!) to mark 3 ensued (in fairness our first this year I think) so we will just fast forward beyond mark 3 because nothing ever happens in an SB on a tight reach! The beat from mark 3 was a tricky affair with patchy wind covering Dublin Bay meaning finding the puffs was essential with big gains and losses to be made on the beat. Probably made a storming surge up the beat getting herself into 4th place at mark 4, comfortably overtaking both Should Be... and Rubadubdub. Meanwhile, the first three boats were having a great tussle and Manamana refused to let Alert Packaging sail off into the sunset and SacreBleu clinging on to Manamana to set up a grandstand finish.

Another broad reach ensured that these boats compacted even further and some tense moments up the last beat followed. In the end, Alert Packaging held their nerve and grabbed the win by approximately 20 seconds from Manamana with SacreBleu a similar distance behind in third. Probably unfortunately couldn't get back in touch with the top three but took 4th comfortably from Should Be... with Rubadubdub 6th, Smoke on the water 7th, Bad 8th and Venuesworld (Rory et al) who had started late, closing worryingly close to the earlier starters in 9th.

After sailing, 19 sailors and friends gathered for the first SB social of the year in the NYC. A few pints were followed by a very pleasant sailing supper in the dining room of the NYC. Great value at €20 for starter, maincourse and tea/coffee. Although most didn't seem quite ready to let loose in typical SB20 style before the bank holiday weekend, there was plenty of banter and it was great to see such a good turnout. Thanks go to James Gorman for organising the event in the NYC. There will be an SB-Social dinner after sailing on the last Thursday of each month rotating around the clubs. Next up is the RStGYC on the last Thursday in June. Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Finally, a special mention is due for both Billy Riordan and Lorcan Burke who manned the line on Tuesday night, fulfilling our DBSC requirement for the year. 

Full results DBSC results here

#dbsc – BENETEAU 31.7 Echo- 1. Kernach (Eoin O'Driscoll), 2. Fiddly Bits (Timmins/Quigley/Murray/Breen), 3. Prima Nocte (Patrick Burke et al)

BENETEAU 31.7 - 1. Levana (Jean Mitton), 2. Prospect (Chris Johnston), 3. Prima Nocte (Patrick Burke et al)

CRUISERS 0 Echo - 1. Wow (George Sisk), 2. Loose Change (P Redden & M Mitton), 3. Lively Lady (Derek Martin)

CRUISERS 1 Echo - 1. Bon Exemple (C Byrne), 2. Jedi (A Sarratt), 3. Boomerang (Paul Kirwan)

CRUISERS 1 - 1. Bon Exemple (C Byrne), 2. Joker 11 (John Maybury), 3. Jedi (A Sarratt)

CRUISERS 2 Echo - 1. Antix (D Ryan), 2. Red Rhum (J Nicholson & C Nicholson), 3. Jester (Declan Curtin)

CRUISERS 2 - 1. Red Rhum (J Nicholson & C Nicholson), 2. Jester (Declan Curtin), 3. Bendemeer (L Casey & D Power)

CRUISERS 3 A - 1. Quest (B Cunningham/J Skerritt), 2. Cartoon (McCormack/Brady/Lawless), 3. Supernova (McStay/Timbs/Monaghan/Costello)

CRUISERS 3 A Echo - 1. Supernova (McStay/Timbs/Monaghan/Costello), 2. Huggy Bear (Doyle & Byrne), 3. Grasshopper 2 (K & J Glynn)

CRUISERS 3 B Echo - 1. Cacciatore (M Ni Cheallachain), 2. Wynward (W McCormack), 3. Gung Ho (G & S O'Shea)

CRUISERS 3 B - 1. Gung Ho (G & S O'Shea), 2. Asterix (Counihan/Meredith/Bushell), 3. Cacciatore (M Ni Cheallachain)

DRAGON - 1. Zinzan (Daniel O'Connor et al), 2. Phantom (D.Williams)

FLYING FIFTEEN - 1. Mellifluence (T Leonard & B Mulligan), 2. Thingamabob (T Galvin), 3. Fflogger (Alan Dooley)

GLEN - 1. Glendun (B.Denham et al), 2. Glencoe (Rose Mary Craig et al), 3. Glenmiller (P Cusack)

RUFFIAN 23 - 1. Diane ll (A Claffey/C Helme), 2. Shannagh (S.Gill/P.MacDiarmada), 3. Cresendo (L Balfe)

SB20 - 1. Alert Packaging (J Burke D Burke), 2. Manamana (Smith\Downing\O'Reilly), 3. Sacrebleu (B Fusco/R Hayes)

SHIPMAN - 1. Whiterock (Henry Robinson), 2. Gusto (C Heath/G Miles), 3. The Den (A. Costello/G.Millar)

SIGMA 33 - 1. White Mischief (Timothy Goodbody), 2. Popje (Ted McCourt), 3. Moonshine (R.Moloney)

SQUIB - 1. Perfection (Jill Fleming), 2. Chillax (Colin Galavan), 3. Anemos (Pete & Ann Evans)

WHITE SAIL CRUISERS Echo - 1. Nauti-Gal (J & J Crawford), 2. Fortitudine (D & A Clarke), 3. Warrior (D Shanahan)

WHITE SAIL CRUISERS - 1. Persistence (C. Broadhead et al), 2. White Lotus (Paul Tully), 3. Vespucci (S & K O'Regan)

#beneteau21 – The Beneteau 21 (B21) class association, which caters for owners of Beneteau 210, 211 and 21.7 boats is hosting an open day in Dun Laoghaire on June 7th. The new 'Dublin Bay 21' class featured in Winkie Nixon's sailing blog on Afloat.ie last season.

The B21 is emerging as a strong one design class where the racing is friendly and the ownership costs are low. The boast are versatile, being a good compromise between racing and weekend cruising.

The objectives of the open day are twofold. The first is to give people with a little sailing experience a chance to race on the Beneteau 21 and they might then become regular crew on one of the boats. The second is to give prospective owners and owners who don't currently race the opportunity to try out racing in a low pressure environment.

The format for the day is:

Meet 09:45 at the Dun Laoghaire Marina.
10:00 Briefing
10:30 Introductory sail on a Beneteau 21.
12:00 Raft up for lunch in the Royal St George Yacht Club
13:00 Leave to compete in the afternoon DBSC race (weather permitting)
17:00 Debriefing and a pint!

There is no charge for the day, however we are asking people to register by texting your name and email address to 087 1228665.