After the first Saturday was blown out due to high winds, DBSC’s subsequent fixtures have been characterised by light and fickle winds. And last night was no exception, with the addition of a strong ebbing tide on the start line causing the “U” flag to be raised for more than one class start.
The Flying Fifteens had eighteen boats on the water of which sixteen finished, one was scored DNF and another was scored DNS. We did well, the Ruffians didn’t register a single finisher in the very light wind of later in the evening.
The Fifteens were the subject of a General Recall for their first start and got away at the second time of asking under a “U” flag. This correspondent was at the pin end trying to execute a port tack start that was just a little too late. There was at least one other boat trying the same thing but being unable to close the gap to the pin in time they let a group of four of five boats head out to sea on starboard.
The course for the night was BULLOCH-ISLAND-PIER-ISLAND-PIER-FINISH. The nature of the evening was such that there was a wide spread of boats across the upwind course before a file of boats went round Bulloch.
The leg from Bulloch to Island was a two-sail fetch, so it was only at Pier that spinnakers were flown and my estimate that Messrs Mulvin & Beirne (Ignus Caput Duo, 4068) were well placed was confirmed when their red spinnaker flew at Pier. Others to be well up were Neil Colin & Margaret Casey (FFuzzy, 4028, yellow spinnaker) and Ian Mathews & Keith Poole (Mike Wazowski 4093, red & black spinnaker). Ahead of us on the leg to Island I could see David Gorman (4099) with ace Fireball crew Stephen Oram on board, Peter Murphy & Ciara Mulvey (Hera, 3774), Alistair Court & Conor “Hola” O’Leary (FFinisterre, 3753) among others.
The leg to Pier saw a narrowing of the width of the run to Pier and the middle section of the fleet consolidated behind the leaders.
Unfortunately, my grasp of who went where on the second beat disappeared but suffice to say that at Pier for the second time, the lead groups was as before – Mulvin, Mathews, Colin – joined by Alan Green (Mach Ffive, 4026) with Jill Fleming on the helm. A better beat saw us get into a single digit position for the final run to Pier and at one stage it looked as though more places might be gained, but that did not materialise. Colin went hard right on the run and did not seem to lose out by doing so. The other three took a more inshore route to Pier.
Mulvin & Beirne secured the win, but I understand it was very close, seconds even, between Colin, Mathews and Fleming, in that order. Gorman/Oram took fifth.
DBSC, Race 2, Thursday Series. (5th May).
- David Mulvin & Ronan Beirne, 4068, Ignus Caput Duo.
- Neil Colin & Margaret Casey, 4028, Ffuzzy.
- Ian Mathews & Keith Poole, 4093, Mike Wazowski.
- David Gorman & Stephen Oram, 4099.
