A very successful Flying Fifteen National Championship with 24 boats concluded on Sunday 3rd September in Belfast Lough with a win for the cousins Niall & Ronan O’Briain (4092) from Flying Fifteens Chonamara, after they affected a 10-point swing in the overnight points table from Saturday night. They won the penultimate race of the regatta on Sunday morning and then proceeded to make sure that Ian Mathews & Keith Poole (4093) did not upset the applecart in the final race by keeping an initial cover of the National Yacht Club pair in the middle of the fleet before finishing with an 8th to Mathews and Poole’s 15th. After discard, this left the westerners with a 9pt advantage and the title of National Champions.

It was/is a hugely popular win, for these two who joined the fleet two years ago and have contested all the class regattas since. In his acceptance speech, Niall referred to the welcome they had received from the fleet and the applause they enjoyed in accepting the trophy yesterday afternoon was indicative of the popularity of the win. Their enthusiasm for Flying Fifteens is also reflected in the hospitality the class has enjoyed in the first visit we made to Connemara last year and the hosting of a championship regatta earlier this year (May).

CAYC Commodore with runners-up, Ian Mathews (L) and Keith Poole, National Yacht Club

A seven-race series was completed under the excellent race management of Sheela Lewis (NRO) with 10-15 knots on Friday, 10 – 12 on Saturday and of the order of 10 knots maximum on Sunday. The tidal push on Friday caused problems for both RO and the fleet alike and when the fleet came ashore, four boats found that they had “jumped the gun” under a black flag start. In some ways it set the tone of the regatta for those four boats, in that it meant that in Race 1 they had already used their discard. For two of those “black-flagged” there was almost immediate redemption when Andy McCleery & Colin Dougan (4037) won Race 2 by a comfortable margin and Hammy Baker & Peter Chamberlain (3756) scored a fourth place. For the other two, the misery continued, in relative terms, with Shane McCarthy & Alan Green scoring a 13th and Tom Galvin & Cormac Bradley scoring a 14th. On Friday night, that left the overall situation as follows; Trevor D’Arcy & Alan McClemon (3782) [6,2], Peter Kennedy & Stephen Kane (3920) [4,5] and Lee Statham & Andy Paul (4070) [1,9] with the last combination winning the Gerry Donleavy Trophy for the first race win. They had led this race from the start to near the finish when the McCarthy/Green combination caught them and went over the finish line first, but the latter’s black flag gave this first race win trophy to the Dunmore East pair. Two points behind the Dunmore East combo covered a further three boats, Mathews & Poole (4093) [3,8], O’Briain & O’Briain (4092) [9,3] and Niall Meagher & Nicki Matthews (3938) [5,7].

CAYC Commodore with 3rd placed Stephen Kane (L) and Peter Kennedy, Strangford Lough Yacht Club and Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club

Due to the onshore wind and the lumpiness of the sea, the fleet came ashore further west of the clubhouse and a recovery operation was initiated to bring boat trailers to the new recovery station and back again to the club site.
Saturday dawned to a no-wind situation and a shoreside raising of the postponement flag meant that running repairs to boats could be concluded. There had been some unusual combinations bumping off each other in port/starboard situations and there was evidence of plasters being applied to bruised boats.

CAYC Commodore with Lee Statham (L) and Andy Paul, Waterford Harbour Sailing Club, Winners of the Gerry Dunleavy Trophy – 1st race winners

The fleet were allowed to launch in accordance with the shoreside postponement and within a modest period of time we were back in start mode. Three races were completed on Saturday under benign conditions of wind and sunshine and Ian Mathews & Keith Poole went to the “top of the class” for the day with a 1,2,1 scoreline. However, the Connemara cousins were a very tight second for the day with a 2,1,2 scoreline meaning that the National Yacht Club pair only had a one-point advantage by the close of business. Behind these two Statham & Paul (11,3,3) and Kennedy & Kane (5,7,5) kept pace with each other and were eight and eleven points behind second place respectively. D’Arcy & McClemon also hung in there with a 4,12,8 haul to stay in 5th. Roger Chamberlain (3962) had a good Saturday, counting two 4th places and Baker & Chamberlain counted a 3 and a 5 from the day. Others to enjoy top ten finishes were Neil Colin & Margaret Casey (4028) [9,6], McCarthy & Green [7,8,6], McCleery & Dougan [8,10,9].
Overall, after Day 2, Mathews & Poole led the way with 7pts, followed by the Connemara cousins (8), Statham & Paul (16), Kennedy & Kane (19), D’Arcy & McClemon (20), Baker & Chamberlain (26), McCleery & Dougan (28), Colin & Casey (34), McCarthy & Green (34) and Roger Chamberlain (36).

CAYC Commodore with Nicki Matthews (L) and Niall Meagher, Silver Fleet winners, National Yacht Club

The fleet and club members then enjoyed a fantastic Saturday night dinner with a superb live band that saw dancing going on until the band stopped playing.

Sunday morning gave us wind and sunshine and saw a prompt launch from shore. However, Race 6 only got away after a U flag and, subsequently, a black flag start. The Connemara duo led this race from start to finish, winning by a large margin at the finish. Conversely, Mathews & Poole were back in the vanguard and could only finish 11th. Between 1st and 11th, were Statham & Paul (2), Chamberlain (3), McCarthy (4), Kennedy (5), Meagher (6), Colin (7), D’Arcy (8), Peter Lawson & Chris Hannon [3893] (9) and David Mulvin & Ronan Beirne [4068] (10).

CAYC Commodore with Bronze Fleet winners Emma Pierce and Ian Smyth, Strangford Lough Yacht Club

The final race saw the Connemara duo keep a loose cover on Mathews & Poole off the start and first half of the race. That left each of them mid-fleet before the westerners departed the scene to finish 8th in contrast to Mathews’ 15th. Kennedy & Kane finished second to McCarthy & Green but ahead of Mulvin & Beirne (3), Meagher & Matthews (4) and Dermot Flaherty & Joe McDonogh (4083), the new owners of Phoenix, also from Connemara (5).

This strategic approach to the last race saw the title go west which, to my limited knowledge of the fleet is a first. The Flying Fifteen Chonamara fleet are enormously enthusiastic and very, very welcoming when the rest of the Fifteen fleet “comes a calling”. Up until two years ago, their fleet would have been deemed to be a Classic Fleet, but they now have 4092 and 4083 in their midst and this weekend’s success can only take them to new heights. Niall and Ronan’s win in Whitehead was warmly acknowledged by the rest of the fleet and Niall spoke warmly of their Flying Fifteen experience of the past two years.

As ever, County Antrim Yacht Club in Whitehead were exceptional hosts! Commodore Peter Darragh was on-site for the full three days and behind him there was an enormous group of volunteers managed, cajoled and pressed ganged by regatta organiser John Lewis (his own words).

On each morning tea, coffee, biscuits and muffins were available to the fleet. At registration on Friday morning, we booked the evening’s dinners – fish supper or chicken supper – and Commodore Peter collected the orders and brought them back to the club with the assistance of a couple of club members that evening. We had an exceptional dinner on the Saturday night with a choice of three main dishes and accompanying rice, potatoes and salads and all three could be sampled on the same plate if required. That was followed by a pavlova dessert. Soup (three choices each day) and rolls were available after each day’s racing.

At the welcome and race briefing on the Friday morning, the Commodore explained that there had been a catastrophic failure of the boilers meaning that there were no hot showers. At the end of a three-day weekend, I certainly didn’t hear a solitary “groan” at the lack of hot showers such was the hospitality of the club over the weekend. On Saturday night after dinner a three-piece live band played and not a single member of the competing fleet in attendance left early.

Boats were launched and recovered by a group of eight to ten members of the club (men and women) meaning that competitors could get into their boats dry before racing and alight from their boats onto terra firma after racing. Marshalled by a firm and characterful beachmaster, this is a feature of racing Flying Fifteens at County Antrim Yacht Club.

Sheela Lewis and her team ran a good regatta with challenging conditions (tide) on the Friday, more manageable conditions on Saturday and a fluctuating wind on Sunday. She made every effort to get the fleet away under “P” or “U”, before having to break out the black. Her reward was the completion of seven competitive races.

Next month (October) sees the first anniversary of the untimely passing of our dear friend Ben Mulligan. Over the weekend many people mentioned to me how much he would have enjoyed being back at Whitehead with the Flying Fifteens and how much he is missed.

The fleet is reminded that the next event on the calendar is the Easterns, being hosted by the National Yacht Club in two weeks’ time, 16th/17th September. Already there are promises of travel from South, West and North and with nearly thirty Flying Fifteens in Dun Laoghaire alone, there is no reason not to have a bumper fleet in attendance!

Saturday, 2nd September, dawned windless on Belfast Lough for the second day of the Irish Flying Fifteen National Championships at County Antrim Yacht Club. It stayed that way sufficiently long for the Race Officer to fly a postponement flag ashore. It afforded the fleet an opportunity to tweak boats, apply temporary bandages to bruised hulls and engage in the social aspect of the regatta.

The fleet were advised to go afloat after the expiry of the hour signalled by the shoreside flying on the postponement flag. At that stage the water wasn't quite so glassy but there was a semblance of wind. It subsequently filled to allow 3 races to be sailed in winds that probably got up to ten knots.

A well know FF personality is often heard to say after a frustrating day on the water " you can't beat the sailing". Today, he bit back, scoring a 1,2,1 to elevate himself and his crew to the top of the overall standings albeit by a point ahead of the Connemara cousins, Niall and Ronan O'Briain who took the middle race win. The Connemara crew have an eight-point advantage over the Dunmore East combination of Lee Statham & Andy Paul who have 3pts over Peter Kennedy & Stephen Kane with another point separating them and overnight leader Trevor D'Arcy.

More wind is forecast for Sunday, but after a day of genteel winds and sunshine today, we won't get too greedy!

The overall results after five races sailed are below.

Irish Flying Fifteen National Championships results after five races sailed at County Antrim Yacht Club

Two races were sailed on Friday at the Flying Fifteen Nationals, hosted by County Antrim Yacht Club on Belfast Lough.

Wind that varied from 10 - 15 knots from ENE was the order of the day with a lumpy sea.

A number of boats will have come ashore feeling very pleased with their day's work, only to find they had got a letter score rather than a number.

The first race, under RO Sheila Lewis got away at the fourth time of asking, but even then, there were a number of boats who fell foul of the Black Flag start.

The "performance of the race" would be shared by Lee Statham & Andy Paul and Shane McCarthy & Alan Green. The former led on the water for the whole race until just before the end. The latter did turns early in the race and were well back but crossed the line first. However, an OCS gave the race win to Statham & Paul.

Racing at the front of the fleet was tight.

In Race 2, Andy McCleery & Colin Dougan led from start to finish....comfortably. As the results show, being able to count two good results has been critical for Day 1.

Three races are scheduled for Saturday.

Flying Fifteen Nationals, hosted by County Antrim Yacht Club - day one results

Entries are in from the North, South, East and West for this weekend's Irish Flying Fifteen National Championships, but where will the title rest after the sailing is over?

On Wednesday, County Antrim Yacht Club advised that 24 entries have been received for the Nationals in the hospitable Belfast Lough venue.

There are two entries from Dunmore East (4070 & 3883), two from Chonamara (4083 & 4092), eight from Dun Laoghaire (4028, 3753, 3938, 4093, 4068, 4085, 3757 & 3747), seven from Strangford (3920, 3454, 3893, 4037, 3756, 3608, & 3962) and five from Belfast Lough (2278, 4074, 3782, 2265 & 2367). One competitor has flown “home” to contest this regatta.

24 boats will contest the Irish Flying Fifteen National Championships at County Antrim Yacht Club

XCWeather had been suggesting a light wind on Friday, a big breeze on Saturday and light again on Sunday, but reading XCWeather again in preparation for this article, the winds are now predicted to be light all weekend, particularly on Sunday.

So, where will the title be resting after this weekend?

No matter how accurate it is, it might be a tad too easy to say that any Fifteen with Alan Green on board is bound to contest the regatta. But if one were to suggest that Alan will be crewing for Shane McCarthy in 4085, then the chances that they will be looking at a podium finish are considerably enhanced. In Dublin Bay racing, Shane is comfortably leading the Thursday Series Overall, admittedly using a number of crews, but on Saturday past, sailing Alan’s 4026, they scored a 1,4 in the eighteen-boat fleet. He is scoring a plethora of firsts and seconds in DBSC, with very few glitches along the way.

Peter and Juliette Kennedy (3920) are the Flying Fifteen title holders Photo: Michael Chester

Peter Kennedy (3920) is the title holder, with his daughter, from the 2022 Nationals in Dun Laoghaire, sailing a very consistent series. I am sure he won’t relinquish his title without a fight.

The most recent regatta series for the Dun Laoghaire Fifteens was the Volvo Regatta Volvo Regatta (July), where the top five were McCarthy/Green, Phil Lawton/Neil O’Hagan, Lee Statham/Andy Paul, Tom Galvin/Cormac Bradley and Neil Colin & Margaret Casey. Phil Lawton doesn’t appear on yesterday’s entry list from CAYC, but Colin & Casey (4028) will be buoyed by the prospect of a light weather regatta, although they are no slouches when the wind blows. Galvin/Bradley (3757) was a new combination making their debut at the Volvo, but they might prefer more of the stronger stuff.

Ian Mathews and Keith Poole

Ian Mathews will be racing with long-term crew Keith Poole (4093), and Ian keeps his competitive edge sharp with warm weather sailing in the Middle East. Another DL combination who are showing form is Alastair Court & Conor O’Leary from the Royal St George (3753).

Out west, a second boat with a sail number in the 4000s will be joining 4092, Niall and Ronan O’Briain, who made such an impact on our regatta scene last year, and they won’t be travelling to Whitehead to be “also-rans”.

Of the northern contingent, there is no shortage of competitive combinations aside from the aforementioned Peter Kennedy. Hammy Baker & Peter Chamberlain enjoyed success out west in May, and they were in the frame in Dun Laoghaire last year.

Another combination to watch out for is Andy McCleery & Colin Dougan (4037) – just when you think they have fallen off the pace, they come roaring back at you. And with hometown advantage, you can’t discount Bryan Willis & John McPeake (4074)

Andy McCleery and Colin Dougan

So, with 24 boats and a seven-race programme, who will likely be at the top of the pile come Sunday afternoon?

I will suggest that the top of the fleet will be drawn from the following: McCarthy & Green. Kennedy & crew, O’Briain & O’Briain, Mathews & Poole, Baker & Chamberlain, Colin & Casey, McCleery & Dougan, Statham & Paul and from the home club Bryan Willis & John McPeake. ……… though I am not going to offend anyone by suggesting an order of finishing.

The aftermath of Storm Betty on Saturday afternoon led to a reduced racing schedule on Dublin Bay for the AIB DBSC Summer Series racing on August 19th.

The IRC cruiser fleets, Zero and Two were abandoned, with only one boat coming to the line in IRC Three.

The five-boat IRC One fleet, however, was won by Timothy Goodbody's J109 White Mischief in a corrected time of 1 hour 38 minutes and 03 seconds corrected to put the Royal Irish Yacht Club entry three points clear of clubmate Colin Byrne in the XP33 Bon Exemple at the top of the Saturday league with six Saturday races left to sail.

Second, in Saturday's 17th race was John Hall's sistership Something Else in a corrected time of 1:40:28, with another J109 third, Ben Shanahan's Ruth (1:41:26 corr)

In the one designs, Shane MacCarthy's Mr Potato Head from the National Yacht Club won a ten-boat Flying Fifteen fleet. Neil Colin's DMYC-based FFuzzy was second, with West Pier clubmate Alastair Court in FFinisterre third. 

Like many sports, sailing has a number of “Holy Grails” that participants in the sport aspire to achieve. Among the more prominent longstanding ones on the international calendar are the Fastnet Race and the Sydney to Hobart Race, and for the Irish racing community, a Round Ireland Race. Many more recent “classic” races have been added – the Caribbean 600 for example! So, when the opportunity to do a race around the Fastnet opportunity to do a race around the Fastnet arose for the Dun Laoghaire Flying Fifteen fleet, a number of the locals planned to take on the challenge.

The possibility was promoted by current Dun Laoghaire Flying Fifteen Class Captain, Robin Hilliard who advised that Schull were prepared to accommodate such a race subject to strict weather considerations and the discretion of the Race Officer, Alan Crosbie.

Some of the boats travelling were packed up after the DBSC Facet Trophy sailed last Saturday, while others made an earlier departure.

The Flying Fifteen “Round the Calves” Race Post-mortem at a West Cork hostelry

Regrettably, the weather did intervene with fog hiding the iconic lighthouse, so the RO gave the Flying Fifteens a “semi-inshore race” around the Calves (of Calves Week fame). Class Captain Hilliard reported via WhatsApp that a brief glimpse of the base of the Fastnet was as close as they got.

Race winner, Alan Green, with daughter Caroline, sent me a bullet point precis of the race, which I have tried to develop as follows.

The Flying Fifteens depart on their inaugural race around the Calves Photo: Rosemary Roy

The “Round the Calves” Race for the Flying Fifteens was started in a wind of 8 – 12 knots with a start line that had a 10° bias at the pin end. Having sailed away from the pin in the build up for the start, Alan & Caroline (4026) tacked into the front row of the starting grid and started close to the pin. Immediately after the start they got a nice lift, waited for the reverse shift, dipped a gaff rigged cutter and then tacked back for the weather mark. At the weather mark they were the inside boat with Keith Poole & Robin Prentice (4093) in close company.

The Course card for the  Flying Fifteen “Round the Calves” Race is written on a competitor's deck 

From the weather mark they navigated through the “Castle Island Grounds”, rounded Calf Island West and hoisted spinnaker with Clear Island in the background dressed in a lace cloud. At this stage they were sailing in larger swells and lighter winds and after a brief search for Mark 5 of the course, rounded it for the leg back to Schull Harbour through the islands.

Another upwind leg saw them put under pressure by Poole who pushed them one side of a perch before heading the other way themselves. When their paths crossed again Green could not cross so lee-bowed Poole instead, to the tune of much muttering before Poole was obliged to tack away. A series of tacks thereafter, some in close company with Poole gained them enough air to breath and get to a winning position at the finish.

Alan Green and daughter Caroline, Flying Fifteen Round the Calves Race Winners with DBSC Honorary Secretary and Calves Week Race official Rosemary Roy (left)

Race results: Alan Green & Caroline (4026), Keith Poole & Robin Prentice (4093), Robin & Dacha Hilliard (3729), Mick Quinn & Mary-Jane Mulligan (3960) and 3558.

The longstanding commitment of Facet Jewellers to the Flying Fifteen Class in Dun Laoghaire Harbour manifested itself again this past Saturday when the Facet Trophy was raced for by ten Flying Fifteens in a relatively empty Dublin Bay. Indeed, a start of ten boats might have been a high for the day in terms of overall participation.

The forecast for the weekend had been dire from the middle of the week, but as the week wore its way towards Friday, there was a sense that the conditions were set to moderate. However, anyone who was awake very early on the Saturday morning (3 – 4am) would have heard a howling gale outside. By 13:00, the concern wasn’t so much the wind but the sea state! However, a preliminary reconnaissance by the committee boat deemed that racing could proceed.

With the wind set to be slightly west of north, according to XCWeather, we set off for a start area in the vicinity of Merrion with a weather mark that was initially in transit with the leading lights at the mouth of the Liffey.

The wind was pretty much as forecast 16/17 knots with gusts coming through with each pass of grey cloud. However, with the tide still having just over an hour of flooding and the course being inshore, in relative terms, the seas were quite confused and lumpy. The majority of the fleet started on starboard tack for the first race with David Gorman & Cormac Bradley (4099) about halfway down the line in the company of Ian Mathews and Keith Poole (4093), David Mulvin & Ronan Beirne (4068), with Neil Colin & Margaret Casey (4028) also in this group. Unbeknownst to this scribe, three boats went hard right – Ken Dumpleton & Joe Hickey (3955), Joe Coughlan & Andrew Marshall (3913) and Jill Fleming (3747). The consequence of the latter group going hard right was that the former group, having done their best to get away from their colleagues in the middle and left of the course, found themselves playing second fiddle to Dumpleton & Hickey who were never headed after the weather mark and won by a comfortable margin. Behind them, the running order was Gorman & Bradley in very close company with Mulvin & Beirne and Mathews & Poole. Down the first leeward leg, Mathews and Mulvin closed on Gorman with Alastair Court & Conor O’Leary (3753) behind this group. Colin & Casey were also not far away from the chasing three.

As the chasing group gybed and gybed again to get to the leeward mark, Mulvin sneaked in ahead of Gorman while Mathews dropped a little behind. Within the last few boat-lengths to the mark, Gorman came back again, and while he had no room, Mulvin made sure that he wasn’t tempted to squeeze in, by slamming the door shut. At this stage, Mathews and Poole parted company, giving Gorman the chance to chase Mulvin up the next beat unfettered. Court also took advantage to get into fourth place.

There were no changes up the second beat and subsequent run in the lead group, leading to a finishing order of Dumpleton, Mulvin, Gorman, Court, Mathews, Colin, Alan Balfe & son (3995), Coughlan, Mick Quinn & Mary-Jane Mulligan (3960) and Fleming. Back on shore Dumpleton said his decision to go hard right was influenced by the cloud movement and while there wasn’t unanimity about that on the boat, it paid dividends.

For the second race, the RO, Barry O’Neil moved the weather mark quite a bit westward to compensate for the shifting breeze. Once underway the reverse of the first race applied! The bulk of the fleet worked the middle and right of the course after a starboard tacked start. Gorman, peeled off first, taking a modest port tack before coming back into the middle of the course again. Mathews, Court and Mulvin took the port tack later and Gorman found himself leading this bunch as he worked the middle part of the course. But where were Colin & Casey? In contrast to Dumpleton the first time round, they worked the extreme left of the course as Dumpleton had done before on the right and lead the fleet around the weather mark. Behind them came Gorman and Court with a bit of distance before Mathews, Mulvin and Dumpleton rounded.

The run to the leeward mark required only a single gybe and a much later one at that. Colin, Gorman and Court all rounded safely without giving anything away to those who were chasing them. All three set off on the second beat holding a port tack before Court became the first to peel off and go shore-wards. Gorman took the decision to chase Colin and as the beat developed it appeared that was a good decision as some distance had been eked out from Court and Colin’s lead was slightly reduced.

While Gorman had closed on Colin, he had to keep an eye on Court as a slip at this stage might change the whole scene in overall terms. Again, the run to the mark was a single tack sail with a gybe late on to accommodate the short three sail reach to the finish, the wind having swung a bit further westward. Gorman gybed before he reached the leeward mark which allowed him a more relaxed set of the spinnaker and a higher windward slot to the finish. Colin’s later gybe did not go quite so smoothly and Gorman was able to take advantage and the winning gun. Ashore, Colin’s explanation of his first beat tactics was working the shifts on the left hand-side.

Since a recent session on rigging and tuning by John Lavery, there has been a much greater awareness of the need to change rigs in accordance with conditions. Post-race it seems everyone had taken heed of John’s advice as most people made a rigging change between the two races.

The finishing order for the second race was; Gorman, Colin, Court, Mathews, Mulvin, Dumpleton, Coughlan, Balfe, Fleming.

Over the two races the points were as follows; Gorman (4), Court, Mulvin and Dumpleton (7), Mathews (9), Coughlan and Balfe (15), Quinn and Fleming (19), meaning that tie-breaks were needed to resolve the 1-2-3 in both the Silver and Gold Fleet.

Ronan Beirne & David Mulvin (4068) were 2nd Gold Fleet in the Flying Fifteen Facet Trophy race and were presented with the trophy by Pat Shannon of Facet Jewellers (right) Photo: Dasha Hilliard

Ken Dumpleton (left) & Joe Hickey (3955) were 3rd Gold Fleet in the Flying Fifteen Facet Trophy race and were presented with the trophy by Pat Shannon of Facet Jewellers (centre) Photo: Dasha Hilliard

Gold Overall
1. David Gorman & Cormac Bradley 4pts
2. Ken Dumpleton & Joe Hickey 7pts
3. David Mulvin & Ronan Beirne 7pts

Silver Fleet
1. Joe Coughlan & Andrew Marshall 15pts
2. Alan Balfe & son, 15pts
3. Mick Quinn & Mary-Jane Mulligan 19pts.

Alan Balfe & son (3995) – 1st Silver Fleet in the Flying Fifteen Facet Trophy race Photo: Dasha Hilliard

Andrew Marshall & Joe Coughlan – 2nd Silver Fleet in the Flying Fifteen Facet Trophy race Photo: Dasha Hilliard

Mick Quinn (3960) was 3rd Silver Fleet in the Flying Fifteen Facet Trophy race Photo: Dasha Hilliard

Class Captain Robin Hilliard, ably assisted by his daughter Dasha, officiated at the prizegiving at the National Yacht Club with Facet Jewellers’ Pat Shannon in attendance to hand out the prizes. Pat commended the fleet for the day’s racing and referenced the longstanding relationship between Facet Jewellers and the Flying Fifteen Fleet. He also thanked Class Captain Robin Hilliard for his work in putting the event together.

In relative terms, Sunday’s conclusion to the Volvo Dun Laoghaire regatta in the Flying Fifteen class was probably the best day on the water – the wind had abated somewhat, after some initial rain, the sun came out, a single race was scheduled, and we had the best turnout of competitors on the day.

As the regatta leaders from Day 2 onwards, Shane McCarthy & Alan Green (4085) were safe in the knowledge that they couldn’t lose the regatta, and probably Phil Lawton & Neil O’Hagan (3803) were in a similar position with respect to second overall, so the only potential place changes in the pecking order were further down the fleet. Lee Statham & Andy Paul (4070) and Tom Galvin & Cormac Bradley (3757) were tied after three days, so they were in a winner takes all situation, and Neil Colin & Margaret Casey (4028) were also in a position to move up the order with a good final race.

A clean start for the three-lap Windward-Leeward race was achieved by the fleet, and the majority went right to the shore before making their way towards the weather mark on the right-hand side of the course. Leading the charge up the right-hand side was Colin & Casey, who were rewarded by being 1st at the weather mark. Others to feature at this stage were Peter Murphy & Ciara Mulvey (3774) and Alastair Court & Conor O’Leary (3753), and the four boats holding the first three places overall.

At this stage, Galvin had a boat between himself and Statham. The run saw Murphy & Mulvey go wide while others sailed inside them and used a couple of gybes to get to the leeward gate. My recall is that Murphy may have rounded the leeward gate first but with Colin not far behind. The recipe for the subsequent beats was the same as before - go right initially and then fine-tune the approach to the weather mark. Statham was still behind Galvin at the latter stage of the beat, and the overlapping Dragons, who were on the same course, forced him into a couple of extra tacks that I’m sure he could have done without. At the weather mark for the second time, the regatta leaders were at the front of the fleet and Lawton had also moved up. However, Murphy, Court and Colin were still hanging in and Galvin was still ahead of Statham, though there was no boat between them anymore.

On the third beat, the running order had settled and rounding the weather mark for the last time, the order was McCarthy, Lawton, Colin, Murphy, Court. Galvin and Statham. A hiccup on Galvin’s spinnaker hoist allowed Statham to close the distance between the two boats, but importantly for Galvin, he remained ahead. However, about 100m from the leeward gate, Statham got past and went on to finish 6th to Galvin’s 7th, thus taking 3rd overall.

The regatta showed just how competitive the Flying Fifteen class is! In an eight-race series, we had three different race winners – Shane McCarthy & Alan Green (5), Tom Galvin & Cormac Bradley (2) David Gorman & Chris Doorly (1). The top five boats overall came from four different clubs. On Friday, 5 boats started a race in very high wind conditions, and all five finished, albeit with some spectacular spinnaker broaches and capsizes. Phil Lawton & Neil O’Hagan announced their presence on the scene with seconds and thirds in all but two races, and a competitive debut for Galvin & Bradley saw them win two races. And for the mixed-gender crews, there was ample evidence that they can be competitive when the breeze is up.

Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta Flying Fifteen Results - Top Five

Day 3 of the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta saw the Flying Fifteens return to the race management of David Wilkins and the South Bull course, which was pushed further northwards. The sunshine helped with the sense of the breeze which was still up. A 1-hour postponement had been signalled ashore, possibly because in the expectation of a major wind shift or maybe to allow the slightly softer breeze to come in.

The day saw three different race winners, with Lee Statham redeeming his swimming yesterday by taking the first race of the day with crew Andy Paul. Second home were regatta leaders Shane McCarthy and Alan Green, with Phil Lawton & Neil O'Hagan third. Fourth, again were Tom Galvin & Cormac Bradley.

In the second race of the day, an OCS was signalled and while boats went back, not all the transgressors did. Among those on the naughty step were Galvin and Statham. In the actual race the wind started changing about halfway up the second beat, swinging severely south and making the run into a glorious 3-sail reach. On the water the 1-2-3 was McCarthy, Statham and Galvin. However, the actual result saw Lawton elevated to second, with Niall Meagher & Nicki Mathews third.

The RO relocated his committee boat for the last race, which was sailed in a good south-easterly. A clean start saw the fleet off on a long beat. At the top mark the order was McCarthy, Meagher, Galvin, Lawton and Statham and we enjoyed a great run down to the gate.......which McCarthy sailed through en route to a finish, with Meagher and Lawton following. In between, Bradley confirmed to Galvin that the course was 2A, meaning 2 laps, and Statham/Paul shared that view by also dropping spinnaker.

It gave Galvin/Bradley a commanding win on the water, with Statham/Paul second, Lawton/O'Hagan third, Meagher fourth and McCarthy 5th.

McCarthy & Green still lead with Lawton & O'Hagan second and Statham & Paul and Galvin & Bradley tied on points!! All to play for!

The National Yacht Club's Tom Galvin and Cormac Bradley were the winners of Thursday's first Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta race in the Flying Fifteen class.

As southerly winds topped 30 knots, only five starters from a fleet of 22 came to the startline of the Salthill course area in the northwest of Dublin Bay. 

Where nearly every other Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta class was cancelled, five hardy 20-foot Flying Fifteeens battled it out on the Salthill course with Lee Statham and Andrew Paul to windward and race winners Tom Galvin and Cormac Bradley furthest left Photo: Bob Bateman

Over a trapezoid course, shortened by international Race Officer Peter Van Muyden, one of the favourites, Shane McCarthy and Alan Green were second, with Royal St. George's Phil Lawton and Neil O'Hagan finishing third.

Shane McCarthy and Alan Green go downwind in 30 knots of breeze in the first race of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta Photo: Bob Bateman

Lee Statham and Andrew Paul (closest to camera) chase Shane McCarthy and Alan Green downwind Photo: Bob Bateman

A race protest is pending, however, as one skipper says that en route to the race area, he was asked by a race committee RIB to "return to shore as all racing was cancelled".

In a protest against the race committee, Conor Cronin, skipper of the Flying Fifteen 'Fast Idiots' from Waterford Harbour Sailing Club, in his protest description, claims he "confirmed this with a committee boat and another rib vessel, and we're confirmed as n/a [racing cancelled] for all fleets".

RACE REPORT

Perseverance pays off for five Flying Fifteens at VDLR

An “alleged declaration” that the Race Officers would set courses for Day 1 of the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta and allow competitors to make their own decision on racing did nothing to dispel the pessimism ashore that racing would be possible writes Cormac Bradley. The Volvo flags flying at the bandstand on the East Pier were flying “stiff as a board” all morning and the tricolour at the end of East Pier was also advising that there was lots of wind further out as were the numbers from the Dublin Bay Buoy.

Despite all these signs there was a sense that boats wanted to sail, and a collection of boats across all the classes exited the harbour. Included in this expression of enthusiasm for racing were five Flying Fifteens – Shane McCarthy & Alan Green (4085), Tom Galvin & Cormac Bradley (3757), Chris Arrowsmith (he of ILCA 7 pedigree) & Conor O’Leary (3753), Lee Statham & Andy Paul (4070) and Phil Lawton & Neil O’Hagan (3803). Galvin & Bradley flew the spinnaker to the start area but, in the squally conditions, broke the end of the pole at the inboard end. It limited their options for the race, which, it turned out, wasn’t the end of the world.

Phil Lawton and Neil O’Hagan are well in control under spinnaker in the big breeze of the first day of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta Photo: Bob Bateman

The start was not contested between the boats, Galvin had a loose hold on the pin, Arrowsmith was halfway between the pin end and the committee boat and the remaining three boats were closer to the committee boat.

Arrowsmith powered over Galvin but wasn’t sailing with the same height as the latter and when they crossed tacks, Galvin had the starboard rights. At this stage Statham was looking good but McCarthy wasn’t a million miles away and Lawton was showing his pedigree by staying in close company. Conditions inshore were slightly flatter and the three boats that had chosen this side of the course seemed to have gained an advantage. Given the very blustery conditions, it was quite surprising that the fleet was as condensed as it was at the first weather mark, where the order was (I hope) Statham, McCarthy, Galvin, Lawton and Arrowsmith.

Statham and McCarthy flew spinnaker and looked very comfortable doing so until Mother Nature intervened and both crews found themselves in dinghy mode, but rather than standing on a centreboard, they were standing on a keel. Lawton too had spinnaker issues while Arrowsmith gybed early and sailed down the inshore side of the run and appeared to be rewarded for doing so. Galvin sailed the early part of the run goose-winged but when the gybe was called, this configuration no longer worked.

Shane McCarthy and Alan Green going well upwind in 30-knot gusts on the Salthill course Photo: Bob Bateman

At the leeward mark, three boats headed inshore, Statham, Arrowsmith and Galvin. Arrowsmith was first to “bail” and followed by Statham shortly thereafter. Taking the advice of a prominent Flying Fifteener to go to land when the wind is South or South-East, Galvin persisted with a port tack to shore before putting in a starboard tack to get up to the windward mark. At this stage, Lawton and Arrowsmith were closest to Galvin but both were to leeward of him. The other two then came inshore, having pursued a starboard tack-biased beat. Galvin tacked just short of the port lay-line with Lawton and Arrowsmith sailing a parallel course but to leeward. The question then was whether McCarthy & Statham had done enough to get ahead of Galvin? The answer was No! Galvin’s last tack for the weather mark alerted him to the fact that a shortened course signal was flying, and he crossed the line with McCarthy a very short distance behind, followed by Lawton, Statham and Arrowsmith. Simultaneously, the weather mark rib signalled that racing for the day was finished.

Wind strengths were recorded at 34 knots by the windward mark rib and a severe rain-induced squall on the second beat certainly rattled the rigging, which was rattling quite readily already and as the fleet sailed through the harbour on the way home, another severe squall offered a final test of endurance for the returning fleet.

Results are provisional