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Lumpy Day Three at Fireball Pre-Worlds

16th June 2011
Lumpy Day Three at Fireball Pre-Worlds
DAILY REPORT: Day 3 saw the race team take the International Week Fireball fleet outside Sligo's famous lighthouse and into the Atlantic proper. The result was lumpy seas that make the upwind legs awkward and hard work for crew and helm alike. The records will show that the wind strength varied during the day from 9 to 14 knots but it felt a lot stronger than that.

The Canadians, Jospe & Egli rounded the first weather mark of the day in first place and seemed to enjoy a growing lead as the race wore on, however, at the end the rampant Aussies stole the show again with another win. It seems that on the third beat the Canadian went right, the Aussies went left and left paid. GBR's Alex Taylor and Richard Anderton (15031) joined the fleet this morning and were rewarded with a third place in this race. Derian and Andy Scott were to sail their discard in this race - a 4th – while behind them, another addition to the fleet Ireland's Kenny Rumball and Seamus Moore took 5th, ahead of McCartin/Kinsella and Butler/Oram, the latter combination having spinnaker problems on the downwind leg of the sausage. Elsewhere in the fleet the rivalry between the Ryders, David & Michelle, and Frank Miller/Susie Mulligan went the way of the British couple who scored a 10th to Miller's 18th.Tipton and King (CAN 14907) also had a better race scoring a 9th.

Fortunately the rain showers that had battered the fleet on the way out to the race area at the start of the day were not repeated and the sun decided to shine a bit of the fleet which now boasted 21 boats.

Team Scott led the fleet round the first weather mark in the company of the Aussies, Taylor & Anderton and team Canada. However, on the second reach of the first triangle, Taylor/Anderton took over the lead and proceeded to build a big distance between themselves and the rest of the fleet. Schulz/Bowley took 2nd place, followed by Derian/Andy, Jospe/Egli, Butler/Oram & McCartin/Kinsella. Miller/Mulligan beat the Ryders by a place to leave the pair tied on 45 points each after discard which kicked in on completion of the second race.

The consensus of the fleet was that it had been a very hard day at the office – hardly surprising as we were taking on the Atlantic proper. Today we had rain out on the course a first for this regatta and as per usual the wind had the final throw of the dice as it came ashore.

Today there was the additional attraction of sailing with dolphins and a member of the international jury delayed his return to shore in order to watch them frolic in the water.

Team P&B have now arrived in Sligo as have others who are racing next week – the dinghy park is growing that bit more crowded!

OverallHelmCrewSail No
1Ben SchulzPhillip BowleyAUS 15062
2Derian ScottAndy ScottGBR 14941
3Joe JospeTom EgliCAN 15024
4Noel ButlerStephen OramIRL 15061
5Barry McCartinConor KinsellaIRL 14820
6Graeme GrantHugh ButlerIRL 14807
7Frank MillerSusie MulliganIRL 14713
8David RyderMichelle RyderGBR 14755
9Cearbhaill DalyMartina MichelsIRL 14877
10Jonathan EvansAidan CaulfieldIRL 14748
11Louis SmythCormac BradleyIRL 15007
12Guy TiptonMatt KingCAN 14907
13Alex TaylorRichard AndertonGBR 15031
14Louise McKennaHermine O'KeeffeIRL 14691
15Ben Scallan David FitzgeraldIRL 14754
16Kenny RumballSeamus MooreIRL 15058
17Patrick HughesAine O'GaraAUS 14706
18Ben MaloneMatthew BennionIRL14939
19Maja SuterFrancois SchlucterSUI 14921
20David ColemanGlen FisherIRL 14623
21Beth ArmstrongPeter ArmstrongIRL 15060
Published in Fireball
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