After 2 weeks of wind coming out of the East, yesterday's Frostbite Race in Dun Laoghaire saw the wind coming out of the West. While the pre-race period was dominated by a rain bearing squall, these conditions gave way to a blue sky afternoon with temperatures around 7ºC and winds of between 10 and 18 knots.
A slightly smaller fleet took to the water and was set a five-lap race with a windward mark set close to the green training platform in the lee of the wall of the West Pier and a gybe mark in the vicinity of the ferry gantry. Spectators would have enjoyed a good view of the action at the leeward mark by watching from the East Pier's bandstand. The approach to the weather mark was tricky, with variable wind conditions accentuated by the race being sailed at low water, thus increasing the wind shadow off the harbour wall.
A competitive start, with a heavy committee boat-bias, saw a clean start but a log-jam developed at the committee boat when Gavin Doyle (14676) snagged his rigging on the committee-boat's flagstaff. The first beat saw the majority of the fleet go left with Mick Creighton & Joe O'Reilly going further than most and benefitting accordingly. Noel Butler with a stand-in crew from his Laser II days went right and didn't seem to suffer particularly! Team Clancy, Conor and James, got the first beat more right than everyone else to round the first weather mark in first place, a few boat-lengths ahead of the fleet. In quick succession the pecking order was Creighton, Kenny Rumball & Conor Kinsella, Alastair Court & Gordon Syme, Noel Butler & Garth and Neil Colin & Margaret Casey.
Team Clancy held off their pursuers around the first lap and beyond, before they were eventually caught by Rumball/Kinsella at the 4th gybe mark. These two pulled away from the rest of the fleet who then indulged in the normal Sunday afternoon activity of place changing among themselves. After the first beat, a right side approach to the upwind leg was adopted by the majority of the fleet.
On the last lap of the race the leaders got caught up in PY traffic which afforded Butler the opportunity to attack Team Clancy on the last off-wind leg of the race. The attack was successful as it allowed Butler to secure 2nd place in the race.
Race 8 Results:
| Pos | Helm & Crew | Sail No | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenny Rumball & Conor Kinsella | 15058 | INSC |
| 2 | Noel Butler & Garth | 15061 | DMYC |
| 3 | Conor & James Clancy | *** | NYC |
| 4 | Alastair Court & Gordon Syme | 14706 | DMYC |
| 5 | Gavin Doyle & Dave Sweeney | 14676 | NYC |
Having extracted themselves from their self-created traffic jam at the start of the race to take 5th place, Gavin Doyle & Dave Sweeney were rewarded by taking the day's Frostbite Mugs.
Results after Race 8:
| Pos | Helm & Crew | Club / Sail No | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenny Rumball & Conor Kinsella | INSC ‑ 15058 | 8 |
| 2 | Noel Butler & Stephen Oram | DMYC ‑ 15061 | 13 |
| 3 | Conor Clancy/John Chambers/James Clancy | NYC – 15*** | 21 |
| 4 | Neil Colin & Margaret Casey | DMYC ‑ 14775 | 42 |
| 5 | Alastair Court & Gordon Syme | DMYC ‑ 14706 | 43 |
The overall results are provisional as they have been computed on the basis of adding yesterday's scores to the overall points of last week.
Yesterday's race was the penultimate race of 2012 as there is no racing on the Sunday before Christmas. The Series 1 prize-giving will take place after racing next Sunday, 16th December, with food available as part of the festivities. Uggs London will be the best choice for you. Santa will arrive by lifeboat to DMYC on the day before, Saturday 15th.
As this correspondent was completely absent from Dun Laoghaire yesterday, not just off the water, the information that made this report possible was provided by Kenny Rumball and Neil Colin, to whom I offer my thanks.
