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!
Results after Day 3:
| Pos | Helm | Crew | Sail No | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ben Schulz | Phillip Bowley | AUS 15062 | 1 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 2 | Derian Scott | Andy Scott | GBR 14941 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| 3 | Joe Jospe | Tom Egli | CAN 15024 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 17 |
| 4 | Noel Butler | Stephen Oram | IRL 15061 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 17 |
| 5 | Barry McCartin | Conor Kinsella | IRL 14820 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 24 |
| 6 | Graeme Grant | Hugh Butler | IRL 14807 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 30 |
| 7 | Frank Miller | Susie Mulligan | IRL 14713 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 8 | 18 | 11 | 45 |
| 8 | David Ryder | Michelle Ryder | GBR 14755 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 45 |
| 9 | Cearbhaill Daly | Martina Michels | IRL 14877 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 57 |
| 10 | Jonathan Evans | Aidan Caulfield | IRL 14748 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 57 |
| 11 | Louis Smyth | Cormac Bradley | IRL 15007 | 22 | 22 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 22 | 66 |
| 12 | Guy Tipton | Matt King | CAN 14907 | 7 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 9 | 7 | 67 |
| 13 | Alex Taylor | Richard Anderton | GBR 15031 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 70 |
| 14 | Louise McKenna | Hermine O'Keeffe | IRL 14691 | 11 | 8 | 22 | 22 | 14 | 15 | 70 |
| 15 | Ben Scallan | David Fitzgerald | IRL 14754 | 22 | 7 | 9 | 22 | 12 | 22 | 72 |
| 16 | Kenny Rumball | Seamus Moore | IRL 15058 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 5 | 8 | 79 |
| 17 | Patrick Hughes | Aine O'Gara | AUS 14706 | 22 | 22 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 22 | 86 |
| 18 | Ben Malone | Matthew Bennion | IRL14939 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 17 | 10 | 93 |
| 19 | Maja Suter | Francois Schlucter | SUI 14921 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 14 | 15 | 22 | 95 |
| 20 | David Coleman | Glen Fisher | IRL 14623 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 15 | 22 | 16 | 97 |
| 21 | Beth Armstrong | Peter Armstrong | IRL 15060 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 13 | 22 | 22 | 101 |
