Fireball Frostbite Series at Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club - Day 1

(l-r) Cormac Bradley, Noel Butler & Frank Miller, Frostbite Mug winners on day 1 of the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club Frostbit Series © Marie Barry

"Seasons of fruits and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom friend of the maturing sun,
Conspiring with him how to load and bless with fruit
The vines that round the thatched eaves run."

From: Ode to Autumn by John Keats

Sunny start

Keats would have struggled to recognise Sunday 1st November as an autumnal day with the possible exception of the fact that the northern half of Dublin Bay, viewed from Dun Laoghaire, was shrouded in mist/fog.

On arrival at the club, the waters inside the harbour were mirror flat and a peak over the harbour wall revealed the same condition. The sun shone strongly with the car thermometer recording 16˚ under blue skies. Initially the discussion was whether any sailing would be possible so minimal was the evidence of wind. Even the flags within the harbour complex couldn't muster a faint flutter.

However, the Race Officer, Stuart Kinnear, and his team went out into the main body of the harbour with a promise to those onshore that an update would be brought back by one of the ribs. Boats were rigged at a relaxed pace while small groups speculated on the chances of getting the latest edition of the Frostbites, a complete misnomer for the day, up and running. Soon word came back that a light breeze was filling in.

Boats that were already launched pumped and rocked their way to the outer harbour. Others were more fortunate to catch a tow with the ribs that had been sent back in to bring boats out. Some boats barely made the start.

The light breeze that ruffled the water was from a westerly direction and a trapezoid course was set with a weather mark inside the end of the west pier. Almost as soon as the weather mark went in, there was a shift in the wind to the right of the mark. By the time the Fireballs started, it was very obvious that the only place to start was on the committee boat and so four boats pirouetted around the bow of the committee boat and each other trying to secure the windward slot for the first upwind leg. Frank Miller & Cormac Bradley (14713) secured the slot and while Noel Butler & Luke Malcolm (15061) were able to work their way into a more windward position on Miller's starboard quarter, they weren't able to break through on what was effectively a two sail fetch rather than a beat to the first mark.

Miller maintained the lead until different approaches to Mark 3, with Butler gybing early after Mark 2 and gybing back again to round Mark 3, allowed him to get inside Miller and gain the lead. He built on this for the remainder of the race to win by a comfortable margin at the finish. Miller was never under pressure for 2nd place but positions on the course started to get confusing when latecomers to the start were lapped by the leading two boats. Alistair Court (14706) with a new crew in Peter Doherty finished third.

The wind then tracked even further eastwards as the race concluded for the slower boats in the other classes so that the RO was obliged to "up-anchor" and relocate. Another trapezoid of three laps was set and a more "robust" course was set.

All the Fireballs were on the start line for the second race and Miller and Bradley broke ranks by going hard right with a port tack hitch towards the east pier. The balance of the fleet went left, with Butler/Malcolm leading the charge but the "stacked" position of the boats going left meant that initially they couldn't have gone right even if they had wanted to. As the boats behind him pealed right, so Butler was able to go right as well. Miller & Bradley were consequently left undisturbed on the right and led by a modest distance at the first weather mark. Butler/Malcolm rounded second with Class Chairman Marie Barry, crewing for Cariosa Power (14854) following in third ahead of Neil Colin & Margaret Casey (14775) and Court & Doherty. Dara McDonagh & Neil Duke (14330) were also well placed in this bunch.

Miller & Bradley went right on beats 2 and 3 while the others used a bit of the left hand side of the course before going right. For the second beat, this left the status quo intact, but on the third beat Butler & Malcolm closed right up on the leaders. Approaching the weather mark on port Butler was able to tack inside and to leeward of Miller & Bradley. Miller's slightly better speed and momentum allowed him to go over the top of the leeward boat and a quick spinnaker hoist and set allowed the former leaders to regain their position. For the balance of this lap, Miller was able to stay ahead, helped in part because Butler & Malcolm were now potentially distracted by Power & Barry who closed on the second boat from Mark 1 to Mark 2 and got closer again from Mark 2 to Mark 3. By Mark 4 the ladies had edged ahead of the gentlemen and in the short hitch to the finish, they managed to stay ahead though their pursuers pushed them very hard at the finish.

Thus, on a far from autumnal day, two races were successfully concluded when few of us thought that anything would be possible. Kudos to Stuart Kinnear and his team!

Day 1 Results: