Dawn broke, and the club web camera showed a sea as smooth as glass. Dublin Bay Buoy reported 1 knot, gusting 2. Would the forecast come true? Windy.com was reporting a possibility of as high as 9 knots, easterly. Race officers, RIB crews, timekeepers, shore support – all volunteers – started rolling in to the club at 9 am; there was a promise of breakfast to get everyone into the clubhouse for a pre-regatta briefing. As the first gun time approached, the wind started to lift, and various weather stations agreed that the wind was matching what was forecast – somewhere in the east, and touching up around 8 knots. Racing would proceed on schedule, under blue skies and bright sunshine, with an ebbing tide.
In Class A, first place went to Andrew Algeo’s “Juggerknot” (J/109), storming home – as much as one can storm in 9 knots of wind – with a corrected time of 2:20:41. Richard Goodbody’s “White Mischief” (J/109) came second, 12 minutes behind Juggerknot, and Frank Whelan in “Eleuthra” (Grand Soleil 44 race) placed 3rd on corrected time.
In Class B, Daly Melvin’s “Ceol Na Mara” (Hunter Sonata) placed first, followed by David Meeke’s “Alias” (Ruffian 23) in second, and Fergus Mason’s “Viking” (Shipman) in third.
In Class C, Justin Burke’s “alertpackaging.com” (SB20) took first place, Declan Curtin in “Jester” (J/80) placed second, and David William’s “Phantom” (Dragon) was third.
For the dinghy pursuit race, Simon Revill in “Dubious” (IDRA14) was first, Frank Hamilton was second in “Dunmoanin” (IDRA14), and Alan Carr placed third in “Starfish” (IDRA14). In the second race, “Dubious” was first, “Starfish” was second, and John Fitzgerald in “Doody” (IDRA14) placed third.
The race committee chose Juggerknot as the King of the Bay. An on-the-day entrant, they attributed their win to having a Code Zero on board, and having the perfect conditions to fly it for several miles of the race.
Full results are available.
The DMYC would like to thank all of our volunteers and staff who made the day possible, our caterers (Spitting Pig), the Dublin Bay Sailing Club for the use of the hut on the West Pier, and of course all of you who came out to race with us. It was a fantastic day to be on the water, and we hope to see you all again in 2020.