The long-running popular Strangford Lough Yacht Club Frostie Series ended last weekend with the 42-boat fleet having enjoyed a complete ten-race programme in varying conditions over five weekends. Competitors came from clubs around the Lough and from Belfast Lough.
The four-entry IRC 1 ended in a tiebreaker between Peter Holden’s J109 Going to Red from the host club and Mike Spence’s A35 Le Basculer from Killyleagh, broken in favour of Going to Red. The Belfast Lough Sigma 33 Squawk (Paul and Emma Prentice) dominated the nine-entry IRC 2 division with Robert and Alan McDowell’s Impala Whistlin Dixie from East Down YC runner-up.
Emma Prentice (Squawk), winner of IRC 2 in the Strangford Lough Yacht Club Frostie Series
NHC saw the consistent Magdalene with Mike Stephens on the helm win four of the ten races in the Nicholson 43 from East Down, with another EDYC competitor, James Regan, second in the Jeanneau 421 Lizante. The Ramsey/Findlay duo in the Albin Express Self-Expression won NHCRS decisively.
Mike Stephens (Magdaleyne), winner of NHC in the Strangford Lough Yacht Club Frostie Series
It was another visitor from Belfast Lough, the RS Elite The Love Bug from Royal North of Ireland YC on Belfast Lough with Mike Browne, Jane Buchanan and Connor Simms on board who topped the six-boat fleet. Love Bug is this year’s RS Elite Champion.
That class had really close racing for the top three slots, with Love Bug finally taking first from Storm (Polly, Gunning and Kelso) from Royal Ulster and Ballyholme and Tom Purdon from the home club in TNT.
The other one-design fleet, the Sonatas, had seven out and the winner, El Gato had the class won before the last race, which they didn’t start.
