Irish Tuesday Night Racing is on Again

30 April 2014

Short session starts summer season sailing!

The first Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) Tuesday night race of the 2014 summer season was held last night in Scotsman's Bay and six Fireballs answered the call.

Class Chairwoman, Marie Barry, helmed by Cariosa Power (IRL 14854) was first over the finish line as a consequence of sailing a very good second beat in the two lap Windward-Leeward course.  There was a very strong tide across the course with a modest breeze that came from ESE (125˚) which allowed upwind trapezing. The consensus of opinion was to get inshore out of the tide and that's what most boats did, including Noel Butler sailing IRL 15061 single-handed. For Louis Smyth & Cormac Bradley (IRL 15007) staying out of the "dirties" of Messrs Miller & Donnelly (IRL 13713) and Colin & Casey (IRL 14775) was proving to be too much of a challenge so they took a hitch out to sea. On this first beat it didn't appear to have done them any harm as they rounded in second place just ahead of Frank Miller & Grattan Donnelly but only a boat length down on Neil Colin & Margaret Casey.

Down the leeward leg everyone stayed out in the tide, Miller & Donnelly gybed earlier than Smyth & Bradley in the final approach to the leeward mark to take second place behind the leading boat - Colin & Casey. At this stage Power and Barry were in fourth, but only a few boats lengths off Smyth. First, second and fourth went inshore, with Power & Barry going further than the other two who were shadowing each other on the starboard layline. Smyth took a hitch to sea and was then forced to take another hitch to sea to avoid going through the start/finish line which is a no-go area in 2014 unless you are starting or finishing.

On the opposite side of the course, first, second and now third were enjoying a significant lift on the right hand side of the course, with the apparent third boat, Power & Barry closest inshore……………except when it came to rounding the weather mark for the second time, what I perceived to be the third boat, was in fact the first boat, the girls in 14854. Their quest for an opening race win was further enhanced when their immediate pursuers, Miller & Colin who had misjudged the tide from my vantage point, behind them, struggled to get round the mark and avoid each other, resulting in each of them taking a 720 penalty turn. This seemed to open the door for Smyth, but a fluffed tack for the weather mark, slammed the door shut almost as soon as it has been opened.

The girls were comfortably ahead at the leeward mark with only the hitch to the finish left. Miller went to sea for the short hitch while Colin went inshore. Smyth also went inshore and closed to within two boat-lengths of Miller at the finish line.

After the race it was reported than Noel Butler had capsized under spinnaker but had righted the boat himself to finish.  Testimony to his fitness and perseverance when some of us sailing two handed find that a challenge!