#kyc – Kinsale Yacht Club got the 2014 sailing season off to a dramatic start today for the first two races of its MMD Construction sponsored Spring Series for cruisers. It was John Godkin's Dufour 44 Godot that took advantage of the big seas and gusty south westerly winds to lead in IRC after two races in Class zero from Tom Roche's Salona 45, Meridian in a four–boat fleet writes Claire Bateman.
In a five boat fleet Dan Buckley's J109 Justus has the lead in IRC one from Diarmuid and Hilda Good's Exhale, an X362 Sport .
In Class One Rob McConnell's Fool's Gold leads in ECHO and is on equal points with the Broderick and Gibbons Joker
The 2014 Sailing Club of the Year Award winner has organised racing for four separate classes in the April series with today's racing sponsored by Des McWilliam of UK Sails. Class three has the marginally biggest fleet with six starters. Flyover, the well campaigned Sigma 33 ood skippered by David Marchant from Waterford holds the early lead in class three from Bandit, the modified Bolero of Kieran O'Connell and Graham Marron.
A mild day and a 15 to 20 knot breeze provided the spinnaker fleets with great racing with two races on windward/leeward courses and organised in such a way that classes Zero, One and Two sailed longer courses but were able to finish at approximately the same time as Classes Three and Four thus enabling the second race to get under way promptly. The White Sail fleet which started in off Charlelsfort blew away the cobwebs after the long winter recess. The fleet totalled thirty one boats, ten of which came from the Royal Cork Yacht Club, and three from Waterford Harbour Sailing Club.
Racing will continue next Sunday with FG 11.55a.m. for spinnaker fleets and 12.55 p.m for White Sail.
Full results by class here. More photos below.
