IRM Class at Cork Week - Day 1
by Andi Robertson 13 Jul 2004 11:33 BST
Rebel wins on Day 1 at Cork Week
The Farr 45 Rebel steered by Dave Lenz took first blood in a high quality IRM Class fleet here on the first day of racing at Cork Week.
Racing on the notorious Harbour Course, the race officers set an ambitious
full course of 36 miles, perhaps keeping the big IRC Class Zero boats
happy, such as the Z86's but for the smaller IRM boats it proved a long and
frustrating day.
With only a light westerly breeze at the start, on the fixed line off
Roche's point it was those who escaped early under spinnaker and threaded
their way through the holes in the breeze which spread from the shore, who
did best in the early stages.
A double circuit across the Ringabella bay did not exactly tax the
tacticians, rather it was down to the trimmers and helms to maximise the
boatspeed on the simple straight line circuit.
The beat up towards Cobh had its lottery moments, and increasingly so the
further up the natural harbour. Not for the first time at Cork Week was the
colourful townscape, with its brightly painted houses and landmark
cathedral, witness to some spectacular holes in the breeze swallowing the
hopes of the race leaders.
While the Farr 52's, Chernikeeff 2 and Bear of Britain, did best to knit
together the zephyrs and use their extensive sail inventories to their
fullest advantage, well up to time was the Farr 45 Babbalaas, with Jeremy
Robinson steering and Ossie Stewart on tactics. But they were snared by a
voracious hole and had to watch as Rebel sailed around them, going on to
win by just 32 seconds from Peter Harrison's Chernikeeff.
Chernikeeff bumped Bear from the race after successfully protesting them
for failing to respond to a luff on the first reach, when Chernikeeff's rig
touched Bear's spinnaker.
Day 1 Results:
Race 1:
1 Farr 45, Rebel (D Duncan & F Morris) 6 hours 2 mins 44 seconds
2 Farr 52, Chernikeeff 2 ( P Harrison) 6:03.16
3 Farr 40, 2XL (D Murrin) 6:06.49
4 Ker 11.3, Minnie the Moocher (A Richards) 6:15.45
5 Too Steamy (N & A Haigh) 6:17.44