One of those Days a Wild Day on the Water!

Published 13:59 on 19 Mar 2024

It was St Patrick's Day and .......

..........we had sunshine for a change. Our First Gun was 3.30pm meaning sailors needed to get there for 2.30pm ..right in the middle of the St Patrick's Day Parade, but time and, more importantly, tide waits for no man not even St Patrick!

Getting through the road closures could be tricky and unpredictable by car and so bike parking was at a premium as sailors arrived with gear in backpacks and panniers.

Besides the sunshine there was wind and plenty of it. The wind forecast meant that sailing could be marginal. But the race management team came early and checked the wind and sea conditions. While the winds were strong and gusty they were offshore and the harbour was flat as a tabletop and the sea beyond just as flat. In other sea conditions this wind would have been un-sailable but given it was extremely flat, racing got the go ahead.

Chris Allen provided an extra RIB as Committee boat and the team were off to set up a clear offshore start line and the first of our three-race programme got started on time, with no delay between the races.

The wind peaked in strength around the time of First Gun and so the boats were shooting around like rockets. The boats were going on to a plane almost instantly and the speeds were something to behold .even directly downwind.

For the three races the Flying Fifteens were clipping at each other's heels and changing places countless times within every race. However, it was hats off to the Lasers sailors. It was an awesome sight to see the Lasers handle such strong winds and Seán Lundy, Claire Henley and Finn Lundy showed that it could be done in style.

What a day Another few knots of wind or a slightly different sea condition and we would not have gotten to sail. Instead, we got blue skies, sunshine, jaw-dropping boat speeds, a master class in windy Laser sailing and three great races. We all retuned to the Harbour happy and exhausted. (There was talk of a cycle sprint race to Main Street for the Flying Fifteen sailors on the way home!!)

A massive thank you to the Race Management and Safety teams Peter, Deirdre, Chris, Frank and Ed for making it all happen.

Last updated 10:56 on 22 April 2024