A light fluctuating wind to start, an ebbing tide and a series of significant wind changes gave the Flying Fifteens and their race officer Brian Mathews a busy and challenging night (17 June) in the second Thursday of points racing in DBSC.
Our wind readings before the start showed a variance from 136° to 185° with the last check in the 150s just before the start. A true windward-leeward course was set with Pier the weather mark and an inflatable acting as Zebra for the leeward mark. Four laps were set.
A cluster of boats tried to start at the pin end: Alan Green and daughter (4026), David Mulvin & Ronan Beirne (4068), Shane McCarthy & Chris Doorly (4085), Niall Coleman & daughter (4008) and Ben Mulligan & Cormac Bradley (4081).
At the gun Green were obviously OCS as they immediately set about re-rounding the pin end. I was later advised that Mulvin & Beirne also made a similar manoeuvre, though I didn’t see it on the water.
All the others at this end sailed on and approximately 150m off the start line, Mulligan & Bradley were also called as OCS. I hadn’t heard an earlier call identifying us as a miscreant, but then again there is no obligation for the RO to make a call at all!
The net effect of the contra-tide return to the start line was that Mulligan & Bradley had it all to do to get back into the race.
At Pier for the first time, Niall Coleman & daughter led the fleet and in the chasing pack was Peter Murphy & Ciara Mulvey (3774), Tom Galvin & crew (3757), Green², potentially John O’Sullivan & Cas Kiersey (3762) and Mulvin & Beirne.
As Mulligan rounded the mark in last place (of 16), the downwind fleet had been split in two between an inshore group and an offshore group. However, with the possible exception of the Colemans who had a lead, the two packs were reasonably close together.
Initially taking a slightly more offshore route to the leeward mark, Mulligan & Bradley stayed in the light wind to close on the fleet ahead of them. Halfway down the leg, they gybed onto port to head inshore and found themselves in a better position than those further in. They closed on Neil Colin & Mick McCambridge (4028), ghosting past them and soon had Mulvin & Beirne for company.
Tom Murphy & Karl (4057) were next to be approached, but just as they gained “close quarters”, Murphy picked up wind coming out of the west to get away again. With the better breeze coming out of the west, but with an ebbing tide, Murphy found that his tack onto port to close in on Zebra left him off the layline. Mulligan held on but in so doing lost some distance to boats he thought he had passed.
Coleman got to Zebra first and seemed to establish a good lead for themselves going middle and left on what was now a spinnaker run to Pier. Murphy & Mulvey went further seaward, Murphy & Karl were middle and right and I think Green, Mulvin & Beirne and Galvin were also slightly inshore. Adrian & crew (3198) had also made ground, leaving Mulligan 8th on the water.
On the beat back to Zebra, Murphy & Mulvey and Coleman² were the furthest inshore, with Murphy & Karl and Galvin splitting the distance to Mulligan who was sailing middle and left. Initially, they looked to be too far too leeward but when they tacked to come offshore it was clear that they had played it right, Coleman giving way to a starboard hail from Mulligan but Murphy/Mulvey crossing ahead. Galvin was also loitering with intent.
Mathews at this stage was advising his fleets that the intention was to shorten to Zebra for the finish, having already located Freebird at this end of the course.
Murphy/Mulvey claimed the win, followed by Coleman with Galvin pinching third from Mulligan/Bradley and Adrian Cooper/J McNamara and John O’Sullivan/Cas Kiersey taking fifth and sixth respectively.
Flying Fifteens
Thursday 17 June 2021
- Peter Murphy & Ciara Mulvey, Hera, 3774
- Niall Coleman & daughter, Flyer, 4008
- Tom Galvin & crew, Thingamabob, 3757
- Ben Mulligan & Cormac Bradley, Enfant de Marie, 4081
- Adrian Cooper & J McNamara, Slipstream, 3198
- John O’Sullivan & Cas Kiersey, 3762
