On the Wednesday evening before the start of the 2022/23 Frostbites, sponsored by Viking Marine and hosted by Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, a cursory check of the forecast for the weekend suggested that the opening Sunday might not happen. The predicted winds were in the high teens with gust in the high twenties, from a direction just west of south. However, as the week progressed the forecast became more favourable and, on the day, we were greeted by sunshine and, at least at the DMYC clubhouse, genteel winds.
"Fifty-five boats answered the call for the opening round"
Bringing the committee boat to the main harbour there was a distinct change in the wind strength from the clubhouse assessment and by the time we anchored in the chosen start area a lesser version of the forecast manifested itself. My wind readings ranged from 10 to 22 knots from a mean direction of 210°. In real terms this mean that the breeze was coming off the Dun Laoghaire waterfront which meant a beat across the shorter dimension of the harbour. That precluded the use of a windward-leeward course in my view, so an opening course of three triangles was set.
Before the first race at the Viking Marine Dinghy Frostbites at the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, a flag tribute was flown in memory of Ben Mulligan, a Race Officer for the Frostbites in recent seasons who had passed away at the end of October. Photo: Cormac Bradley
An early launched Fireball tested the beat for me, thanks Alastair & Gordon, and also flew spinnaker across the top reach with the gybe mark set in the water early. That assessment persuaded me to drop the gybe mark to leeward. The course configuration saw the weather mark set in line with the Royal Irish Yacht Club, the gybe mark set between the bandstand and the obelisk on the upper East Pier and the leeward mark set in the mouth of the harbour.
Royal St. George's Theo Lyttle - ILCA 7 Winner Race 1 (R), with race Officer Cormac Bradley (L) at the Viking Marine Dinghy Frostbites at the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club Photo: Frank Miller
Fifty-five boats answered the call for the opening round, split between PYs (24), ILCA 7s (7), ILCA 6s (23) and a solitary ILCA 4. The PY fleet and the combined fleet of ILCA 7s and the solitary ILCA 4 got away cleanly at the first time of asking. However, the ILCA 6s presented the Race Officer (me) with more of a challenge. On the water my first error was that the start line may have been too short – though a 24-boat PY fleet had got away first time. So, the line was lengthened. It took a black flag – far too early in the season – to get them away at the second time of asking. The price they paid was a reduction of the race length from three to two laps!
The National Yacht Club's Noel Butler – PY Winner Race 2 at the Viking Marine Dinghy Frostbites at the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club Photo: Frank Miller
With the breeze blustery and coming off a shoreline filled with buildings, the top reach was deemed to “kamikaze” for the spinnaker boats to fly their bags and the philosophy seemed to apply for the second reach as well. Still, there was some fast planing available to everyone.
Royal St. George's Gary O’Hare – ILCA 7 Winner Race 2 at the Viking Marine Dinghy Frostbites at the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club Photo: Frank Miller
For the second race, the marks were kept in place but the course type was changed to Triangle-Sausage-Triangle. Again, the PY fleet and first ILCA start got away cleanly and again the ILCA 6s needed two attempts and a third attempt was aborted when the class flag hadn’t been raised. At 30 seconds to go the line is clear and even at fifteen seconds, but by this time milestone there is a “clatter” of boats on the aft quarter of the committee boat. But in the final count-down to the start, the fleet just goes and there is wall-to-wall sail hiding the pin from view. A lengthening of the line and moving the pin end upwind didn’t dilute the concentration of boats at the committee boat end! However, given that it was the last start of the day, the ILCA 6s got the full course.
Royal St. George's Sean Craig – ILCA 6 Winner Race 2 at the Viking Marine Dinghy Frostbites at the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club Photo: Frank Miller
Viking Marine Frostbites – Round 1; 6th November 2022
PY Fleet (24 boats)
Race 1
1. Neil Colin & Margaret Casey, FB 14775*
2. Noel Butler, Aero 6
3. Alastair Court & Gordon Syme, FB 15167
Race 2
1. Noel Butler*
2. Roy van Mannen, Aero 6
3. Stephen Oram, Aero 6
After 2 races.
1. Noel Butler (3)
2. Roy van Mannen (6)
3. Stephen Oram (9)
1st Fireball, Alastair Court & Gordon Syme (12), 5th.
1st Lady, Sarah Dwyer, Aero 5, (17), 9th.
ILCA 7s (8 boats)
Race 1
1. Theo Lyttle*
2. Conor O’Leary
3. Gary O’Hare
Race 2
1. Gary O’Hare*
2. Theo Lyttle
3. Sean Bowden
After 2 races.
1. Theo Lyttle (3)
2. Gary O’Hare (4)
3. Conor O’Leary (8)
ILCA 4s
Only 1 competitor – no race.
ILCA 6s
Race 1
1. Darren Griffin
2. Sean Craig
3. Pascal Boret
Race 2
1. Sean Craig*
2. Darren Griffin
3. Brendan Hughes
After 2 races
1. Sean Craig (3)
2. Darren Griffin (3)
3. John O’ Driscoll (9)
1st Lady, Shirley Gilmore (19), 7th.
*DMYC Frostbite Mug winners on the day – you have to be at the prize-giving to get your Mug.
