On 17th July the wind was in an unusual direction for the Water Wag Race in Dun Laoghaire Harbour, blowing from the south-south-east at about 6 knots with occasional stronger gusts. Henry Leonard the RO set the start line for the twenty-eight Water Wags with the pin in the Harbour Mouth and the committee boat located off the pierhead of the west pier. Everything went well until the start gun at which point the wind swung ten degrees toward the south. The RO put up the general recall flag, but despite that many of the fleet ‘sailed off into the sunset’.
A second start was arranged, this time with a longer start line parallel to the harbour mouth. All went well until one minute before the start, the wind backed by thirty degrees- creating a situation where the Water Wags could neither cross the line on starboard tack or sail parallel to the line. Despite this, Good Hope and Gavotte sailed by Rachel and Stuart were at the pin mark and were able to tack away to start. Others found themselves ten boat-lengths or more back from the start line and having to dip the sterns of the starboard tackers. With several more radical wind shifts and holes during the beat to the marina breakwater, Tortoise followed by Pansy were first the reach the windward mark.
The spinnakers went up, but it was evident that spinnakers should have been on the port side. Tortoise flew her spinnaker on the port side and increased her lead and towards the end of the run Pansy was forced to put in a gybe. They both took the starboard gate mark. What a mistake! On the second beat Mariposa started to climb up over Pansy who was doing the same to Tortoise. If they had looked over their shoulders they would have seen the Wags who rounded the port gate mark: Mollie, Ethna, Scallywag and Gavotte taking full advantage of the change in wind direction as they were lifted up to the windward mark, and they rounded in that order.
On the second beat, there were more snakes and ladders. The RO decided to shorten the race at the windward mark, and places were changing all the way to the line.
The final results:
1st Mollie Claudine Murphy & Sonya Boyce winner div.1A Sri Lanka Tankard, 2nd Ethna David Somerville & Pauline McNamara winner div.1B Sri Lanka Mug, 3rd. Scallywag, 4th Pansy, 5th Gavotte, 6th Tortoise, 7th Barbara, 8th Patricia, 10th Good Hope, 11th Swallow, 12th Freddie, 14th Skee, 16th Polly, 17th Phyllis Fraser Mitchell & Laura Barker winner div.2 Meldon Cup, 18th Mary Kate 19th Peggy, 20th Sara, 21st Sprite, 22nd. Penelope, 23rd. Chloe, 24th Coquette, 25th Dipper, Mariposa, Mademoiselle and Moosmie were OCS.
