Please select your home edition
Edition
Savvy Navvy 2024

2019/2020 Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club Frostbite Series 2 - Day 1

by Cormac Bradley 7 Jan 2020 06:35 GMT 5 January 2020

The second half of the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club's Frostbite Series gut under way yesterday in what were almost balmy conditions for the 5th of January.

From the middle of the week, this author's favourite weather website XCWeather was suggesting that winds would be of the order of 12/13 knots with gusts of 26/27 knots from just west of south, but the flags within the harbour complex didn't support that theory. Additionally, the readings from the Dublin Bay buoy for the two hours before my arrival at the club suggested that the base wind was correct but the gusts were only one or two knots more.

Temperature-wise it was mild, around the 10º mark and sunny, and though there were ominous black clouds building as the committee boat left the DMYC pontoon, it remained dry.

Fifty-one boats embraced the start of the Series with a 21-boat PY fleet, 5 Standard Lasers, 5 Laser 4.7s and 21 Laser Radials. Within the PY Fleet, the breakdown in boats was Fireball (8), RS400 (2), RS200 (2), RS Aero (2), Wayfarer (2), Solo (1) and Laser Vago (4). An early mention should be made of Dublin in Sailing's support of the Frostbites - they put out multiple Laser Vagos every Sunday and thus enjoy their own internal competition as much as the fleet racing of the PY starters. Among the Fireballs was a new combination returning to the Class after a number of years away, at the start of a campaign that will culminate in participation in the Fireball Worlds to be hosted by Howth Yacht Club in August. Frank Cassidy and Ciaran Hickey are both long-standing members of the fleet that have been less active in recent years and we look forward to the next few months and the wit and repartee they will bring to the fleet - as well as their sailing prowess!

On getting out to the main body of the harbour, the wind was not quite what the Race Officer, Cormac Bradley, expected and rather than sitting off the end of the East Pier, the committee boat was just inside the end of the West Pier operating off a median wind direction of 210º. From the RO's perspective, the wind direction looked reasonable stable, but competitors suggested otherwise afterwards. This left the weather mark about a third of the distance from the entrance to the marina to the HSS gantry, a gybe mark beyond the gantry and to leeward of it and a leeward mark just inside the entrance to the harbour and in the middle of the entrance. A three-lap Olympic was set for the first race of 2020 and the PY fleet got off to a clean start with the fleet distributed along the line with the majority going left initially. At the first showing of spinnakers, it was the red duster of Noel Butler & Stephen Oram, FB 15061 at the head of the fleet with possibly Frank Miller & Ed Butler FB14990 well up and the RS400 of Phelan & Leddy mixing it with the Fireballs. The Solo of Shane McCarthy was also well placed on the water, within the top ten at the first weather mark. As the race progressed, and is their wont, Butler & Oram pulled further and further away from the fleet.

The two Laser starts were almost clear as well. The first start for the Standards and 4.7s was easy with only ten boats contesting what was a generous length of line. This fleet too went leftwards initially.

In the busier Radial start (of 21 boats), it was a much more contested line and one-high profile individual was OCS. He has championed the Laser participation in the Frostbites for the past two seasons and took his silent reaction to crossing the finish line in good spirit. This fleet also saw a 2nd half debut for Marco Sorgassi.

Due to the wind conditions, the first race had been fast, so the RO decided that in the prevailing conditions of 10 - 16 knots with one gust recorded at twenty, more of the same was the order of the day. However, the course needed to be pushed eastwards to accommodate a leftwards moving wind direction that couldn't be accommodated by keeping things as is!

The five-lap ambition for the second race started to evaporate almost as soon as the countdown to the first start was initiated. The wind started to drop and what had been an almost immaculately behaved fleet for Race 1 became subject to multiple general recalls and ultimately the use of the black flag to get two of the fleets away. The only fleet to get away cleanly at the first time of asking was the Standard Lasers and the 4.7s, the other fleets required two bites at it, despite moving the limit mark twice! Throughout this process the wind continued to drop and at one stage we were down to as low as 4.4knots. While there was enough wind to get the fleet round the course, the leftward twitching wind made the legs something other than was intended and given that the committee boat was at the entrance to the harbour, a decision was made to relocate to the weather mark so that a less ambiguous shortened course signal could be flown.

For the PY Fleet, the lighter wind seemed to favour the Fireballs who took the first three places on handicap; Butler/Oram taking the win by 27 seconds from Josh Porter & Michael Ennis, 14695, both of whom had travelled down from N. Ireland to race. In third place by only 3 seconds were the "seasoned campaigners" Cassidy & Hickey 14713. Brian O'Hare and crew in the RS400 were fourth, followed by Monica Schaeffer & Miriam McCarthy in their Wayfarer, squaring up the day series in the Class as David Mulvin & Ronan Beirne had won the first race between them. The RS Aeros of Brendan Foley and Mark Gavin were separated by 18 seconds in 7th and 8th respectively. The Solo fell afoul of the start procedure, with one other, so wasn't in a position to challenge the top pecking order.

In the Standard Lasers, the finishing order was Alan Hodgins, Marc Coakley and Chris Arrowsmith, while in the 4.7s the ever consistent Rian Geraghty-McDonnell took first followed by Hugh Turvey and Archie Daly.

In the Laser Radials, Conor Gorman stepped up a gear to win, from his second in race 1, followed by Judy O'Beirne, Adam Leddy, Sean Craig and Adam Walsh.

A special commendation is given to the Thompsons, Harry, Daniel and father Colin who arrived as the club with the Fireball on the tow-hitch at 13:00, just as the committee boat left for the race course. With assistance from Oliver Proveur & Cariosa Power, both Frostbite stalwarts, they managed get fully rigged, changed and launched to make the first start on time.

The Race Management would like to thank all the competitors for the start practice they provided yesterday. The (generous) view, expressed in the DMYC afterwards was that the flooding tide and a very twitchy wind on the line may have been contributory factors in the need for multiple starts.

Frostbite Series 2 Day 1 Results:

PY Fleet; Race 1
Noel Butler & Stephen Oram (Fireball 15061), Shane McCarthy (Solo), Paul Phelan & Alan Leddy (RS 400), Frank Miller & Ed Butler (Fireball 14990), Daniel & Harry Thompson (Fireball 15156).

PY Fleet; Race 2
Noel Butler & Stephen Oram, Michael Ennis & Josh Porter (Fireball 14695), Frank Cassidy & Ciaran Hickey (Fireball 14713), Brian O'Hare & Crew (RS400), Monica Schaeffer & Miriam McCarthy (Wayfarer).

Standard Lasers; Race 1
Chris Arrowsmith, Gavan Murphy, Conor O'Leary.

Standard Lasers; Race 2
Alan Hodgins, Marc Coakley, Chris Arrowsmith.

Laser 4.7s; Race 1
Rian Geraghty-McDonnell, Christian Ennis, Archie Daly.

Laser 4.7s; Race 2
Rian Geraghty-McDonnell, Hugh Turvey, Archie Daly.

Laser Radials; Race 1
Adam Walsh, Conor Gorman, Judy O'Beirne, David Dwyer, Marco Sorgassi.

Laser Radials; Race2
Conor Gorman, Judy O'Beirne, Adam Leddy, Sean Craig, Adam Walsh

Related Articles

Frostbites Series Series 1, R5 at Dun Laoghaire
Mild conditions prevailed for 1st December Having missed the previous Sunday due to Storm Bert, the Viking Marine sponsored Frostbites in Dun Laoghaire Harbour, hosted by the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club returned on Sunday 1st December with continued mild conditions. Posted on 3 Dec
Viking Marine DMYC Frostbites series 2 overall
Final races run in contrasting winds The last Sunday of the Viking Marine sponsored Frostbites arrived with a forecast of contrasting conditions, blustery winds for the morning, followed by winds of between 5 and 7 knots during the projected race time with a 90 degrees swing. Posted on 27 Mar
Viking Marine DMYC Frostbites series 2 day 17
Increasing wind strength reduces St Patrick's Day sailing to a single race The St Patrick's Day Frostbites saw the lowest turnout of boats in Series 2 thus far - maybe just the weather forecast for the day which showed the early part of the afternoon to be manageable, but getting heavier later on. Posted on 21 Mar
Viking Marine DMYC Frostbites series 2 day 16
Another two races in the bag, in Dun Laoghaire Despite a horrible forecast of wind which caused Howth's Round the Island Race to be cancelled (on the Saturday) and huge seas in Dun Laoghaire on Saturday, the dinghy Frostbites, sponsored by Viking Marine took place on Sunday afternoon. Posted on 12 Mar
Viking Marine DMYC Frostbites series 2 day 15
Weather permits three races, at last! After a week that saw snow fall over large parts of Dublin and further afield on Friday, Sunday was, by comparison, a pleasant spring day with sunshine and a gentler breeze that the previous Sunday. Posted on 5 Mar
Viking Marine DMYC Frostbites series 2 day 14
Some experienced competitors found the challenge a bit too robust Yesterday's Frostbites in Dun Laoghaire Harbour were a test for organisers and competitors alike. The forecast suggested a N-Easterly breeze. Wind strength had been predicted in the high teens gusting into the low twenties and that too manifested itself. Posted on 28 Feb
Viking Marine DMYC Frostbites series 2 day 14
Change of Race Officer and a very shifty day Races 13 & 14 of the Viking Marine sponsored Frostbites in Dun Laoghaire Harbour saw a change of Race Officer with DMYC Commodore, Ian Cutliffe, taking over the reins of race management from Cormac Bradley who had the day off. Posted on 21 Feb
Viking Marine DMYC Frostbites series 2 day 13
After a weather enforced hiatus of three Sundays, racing returns to Dun Laoghaire After an adverse weather enforced hiatus of three Sundays without sailing, a reduced Frostbite fleet took to the waters of Dun Laoghaire Harbour to resume activity in the Viking Marine sponsored Frostbites hosted by Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club. Posted on 14 Feb
Viking Marine DMYC Frostbites series 2 week 2
Real Frostbite weather! As this correspondent had the day off from Race Officer duties, ably replaced by Brendan Duffy (Ruffian 23s), this report is based on "word of mouth" accounts garnered from people who were on the water. Posted on 17 Jan
Viking Marine DMYC Frostbites series 2 week 1
The fleet size was modest at 40 boats Series 2 of the Viking Marine sponsored Frostbites, hosted by Dun Laoghaire MYC was sailed under glorious conditions for January - 6-8knots of a breeze that stayed pretty stable and air temperatures that peaked at 10 degrees but dropped rapidly. Posted on 9 Jan