News
ISORA News Items all in date order.
With an entry list depleted due to regular entrants racing at Cork Week, three boats came to the line for a 25 mile race. The course had proved tricky to set, with changing forecasts and a big wind shift predicted as a weak occluded front passed through, promising a damp evening but prospect for some wind during our period of racing.
With some concerns about light winds to the SE and potential for the wind to build from the North later in the night, a course was set as follow:
Pwllheli Bridge start - PSC1 - Causeway- St Tudwals Islands- Plas Heli Finish Line
Read more: Report - Race 10 - Exposure Lights and Global Dispaly Night Race
Race 9 of the ISORA Offshore Series 2018 took place from Dun Laoghaire on the 13th July 2018. The race was a Night Race with an 20.00 start. The race was sponsored by marine lighting specialist suppliers “Exposure Lights” and was also part of the ISORA “Viking Marine” Irish Coastal Series.
Despite the fact that the recent gruelling Round Ireland race finish was only a week away, many of the stars of that race came to the line to take part in the Night Race – “Aurelia”, “YoYo”, “Rockabill VI”, “Wakey Wakey”, “Windjammer”, “Samatom” and “Red Alert”.
Of the 20 entries, 17 boats came to the start line at DBSC “Pier” mark and were sent on their way by RAYC’s Barry MacNeaney and Grainne Ryan.
Read more: Report on ISORA Race 9 – Exposure Lights Night Race (Dun Laoghaire).
Report on ISORA Race 8 – Mid Sea Race – Douglas to Mid Irish Sea finish gate – Sunday 10th June
(Chris Power-Smith)
Taking place soon after the Midnight Race that finished on Saturday afternoon, the crews of most of the boats had just enough time to take part in the generous hospitality of Douglas Yacht Club’s BBQ and reception before preparing the “Mid Sea Race” starting at 08.45 on Sunday morning.
The start line was set by Commodore of Douglas Yacht Club, Darren Barnes and extended from the Douglas Gead lighthouse eastwards for approximately 0.3 miles. The course was set for 48 miles, due to a very light forecast, direct to a virtual finish gate consisting of two waypoints in the middle of the Irish Sea close to the M2 Buoy. The YB trackers would automatically take the remote finish time of boats as they pass through the virtual gate. A technique pioneered by ISORA in conjunction with YB Tracking. Sixteen boats came to the start and could proceed to their respective home ports after the race finish on both sides of the Irish Sea.
The race started in 5-6 knots. First to break away in the light airs was “YoYo” closely followed by, “Jackknife”, “Jetstream”, “Lively Lady”, “Espresso Martini” and “Ruth”. Just behind were “Platinum Blonde”, “Jedi” and “Mojito”. The three lead boats continued to build a lead but the airs were very fickle. Some boats went further out to sea looking for breeze on the left, whilst “Jackknife” pulled ahead on the right where more breeze was forecast during the morning.
Progress of all boats was slow in the patchy intermittent wind which was only 3 knots by 11.00. By midday there was not much improvement but “Espresso Martini”, on the left side of the fleet, had stretched out a lead over “Jackknife” on the right and “Aurelia” in the middle. “Jetstream”, “YoYo” and “Ruth” were now close behind. The boats behind, that had gybed out right early towards the expected new wind, seemed to lose out and fall behind. By 13.00, the wind had filled in to 10 knots and had shifted into the North with a noticeable drop in temperature as the cold front arrived. “Jackknife” and “Espresso Martini” stretched ahead on opposite sides of the course with “Aurelia”, “Ruth” and “Jetstream” leading the chasing pack in the middle.
Report on 99th Liverpool Yacht Club “Midnight Race” run in conjunction with ISORA.
(Written by Chris Power Smith “Aurelia”)
The Midnight Race from Liverpool to Douglas, Isle of Man, was being run for the 99th time on Friday 8th June. This is an evening race with the start at 19.30 provided by Commodore of Liverpool Yacht Club, Paul Pratt. The race was also Race 7 of the ISORA Offshore Series.
The race was the first part of a weekend qualifying series for boats taking part in the Round Ireland. The qualifying consisted of the delivery to Liverpool, the “Midnight Race” on the Friday evening and the “Mid Sea Race” to take place on the Sunday.
22 boats came to the start line on the Mersey close to Albert Dock. Due to the very light winds the course selected was essentially dome the river to the seas and direct to Douglas. All boats taking part were fitted with YB trackers.
At the start the wind was from SSE 2 to 3 knots and the tide had just started to ebb. All boats hoisted kites and made a spectacular sight on the river Mersey. The right side of the channel was preferred for the stronger tide but there seemed to be more wind on the left. As it turned out, there was no obvious advantage. In just over an hour the boats made nearly 4 miles with the wind between 2 to 5 knots to pass New Brighton to port. Crews were kept busy with very frequent gibes to stay within the narrow channel as all channel marks were marks of the course.
Sgrech J111 approach Tudwals photo by ISORARace 6 was the second race of the Global Displays Welsh Coastal Series, and planned as a race to Porthdinllaen or the fall back course Aberdaron and return, depending on weather conditions. In the build up to the race it was clear there would be very light winds and strong tides to the west, so the race committee selected the fall back option of Aberdaron, with the course set as PSC2(p) - Gwylan Islands(p) - PSC8(s) a distance of 27 miles.
A smaller than usual Fleet came to the line, depleted by boats that had delivered to Liverpool for race 7, and got underway in a steady 5kt south south east breeze. A gentle fetch down to the first mark before tightening up for a beat towards the Tudwals, with the wind slowly veering to the south as forecast. Sgrech J111 and 1720 Mojito Bach, sailed by Peter Dunlop and Vicky Cox, lead the fleet with Jackknife taking a much lower course for speed, looking like a plan to go round the Tudwals. The wind stayed reasonably constant and allowed the fleet to get past the Tudwals inshore, past Ceriad and towards Hells Mouth and then fly code zeros’s taking advantage of a steady 1kt of West going tide.
ISORA Race 4 - Overall Winner - Desert Sta
The 4th race in the ISORA 2018 series was raced on Saturday 26th May from Dun Laoghaire to Pwllheli, the first cross channel race this year.
The 22-boat fleet gathered at the start line in time for the start at 0800hrs and race officers Larry Power and Barry McNeaney set the fleet off, on time, into the last of the north going tide. The course set by the Sailing Committee was a direct line to the finish in Pwllheli, which always provides complex tactical decisions for the navigators and tacticians.
Jackknife led the fleet from the start with Rockabill VI chasing hard on her heel. Aurelia took a line to the south of the rumb line whilst Ruth and Mojito were the most northerly boats of the fleet - enjoying a match race across the Irish Sea.
The northerly wind was too shy for spinnakers but did allow boats to fly their code zero sails, although many changed back to jibs as the wind built and the south going tide kicked in after 1000hrs.
Conditions were set for a fast crossing, but would the fleet get through Bardsey Sound before the tide turned?
Including overall series tables for IRC and ECHO
Race 8 on Sunday 10th June used a virtual finish gate in the middle of the Irish Sea - allowing competitors to proceed to their home ports on either side of the Irish Sea.
54 boats have competed in the 2018 series - so far!!
The top of the overall table (after 8 races) is lead by Mojito and followed closely by Aurelia, Wakey Wakey and Ruth. There are however 14 race in the series so a long way to go!
Race 8 on Sunday 10th June used a virtual finish gate in the middle of the Irish Sea - allowing competitors to proceed to their home ports on either side of the Irish Sea.
Ruth takes first place overall - her first race win in the 2108 race series and Nigel Ingram's new J109 Jetstream from Holyhead came an impressive second place overall.
54 boats have competed in the 2018 series - so far!!
The top of the overall table (after 8 races) is lead by Mojito and followed closely by Aurelia, Wakey Wakey and Ruth. There are however 14 race in the series so a long way to go!
Including overall series tables for IRC and ECHO
Ben of Howth by WakeyWakey J109
Dun Laoghaire to Dun Laoghaire
Champagne Sailing for “Aurelia” – Good results for Pwllheli. 14th May 2018.
The first offshore race of the ISORA Offshore Championship 2018 took place on the 12th May with a starting time of 08.00. 23 boats from the entry list of 27 came to the start line in Dun Laoghaire.
The original starting port for this race was Holyhead. However, due to the disastrous consequences of the recent storm where their marina was destroyed, it was reluctantly agreed that the start should be changed. Being the first offshore, and typically only 50 miles, there were no other options but to start and finish in Dun Laoghaire.
Unfortunately, the position in Holyhead has also affected the next race on the 26th that was scheduled to be from Dun Laoghaire to Holyhead. The finishing port for this race was to have facilitated those boats heading over for the Race 6, Midnight race in Liverpool. It was intended that some boats would remain in Holyhead after the next race and deliver from there to Liverpool.
The weather forecast for Race 3 was predicting no wind forecast until 11.00 and then south-easterly winds increasing to 10-15 knots after that. The winds were then forecast to drop later that evening. This is exactly what the weather did.
Read more: Chairman’s Report on Race 3 – ISORA Offshore Series 2018
Race 3: Overall and Class 0 winner = Aurelia, Silver Class winner = First of September, Class 1 = Mojito, Class 2 = Windjammer
The full results of Race 3 are published here
These also provide the overall results for the 2018 series - so far!
Race 1: Overall and Class 0 winner = Eleuthera. Silver Class winner = Silver Shamrock. Class 1 = Wakey Wakey, Class 2 = Windjammer
Race 2: Overall and Class 0 winner - Jackknife. Class 1 = Mojito
The full results of Race 1 and 2 are published here
These also provide the overall results for the 2018 series - so far.
We are delighted to announce that the two ISORA Night Races are sponsored by - Exposure Lights
'ISORA Chairman, Peter Ryan, or as we affectionally refer to him in ISORA - 'Commodore of Ireland' has been recognised in AFLOAT for his exceptional work in driving forward the Offshore cause and ISORA.
“Peter Ryan of ISORA”. That’s all you have to say to anyone who knows anything of the Byzantine workings of the sailing scene in and around Ireland, and they’ll immediately know not only know exactly who you mean, but will almost as quickly have a vision of how well things can work when the right people are doing both the heavy lifting, and the clear thinking. W M Nixon shoots the breeze with a man who makes good things happen in sailing, and particularly in local offshore racing.
Peter Ryan’s life in sailing - and how he came into our sport in the first place - is instructive for those who would hope to establish an accessible structure with enticing programmes which get worthwhile newcomers engaged, and keep them engaged.
The new Sgrech, J111 test sail on Saturday 14th April 2018 - video by ISORA Sponsor Richard Cook of Global Display..
;
2025 Class bands are anticipated as follows:
Class 0 = 1.070 or greater
Class 1 = 1.010 to 1.069
Class 2 = 1.009 or less
2025 bands will be published before the first Race.
More DetailsPlease Get in Touch to Know More About ISORA
The Association is run by volunteers for the benefit of competitors by working in partnership with boat owners, crew, yacht and sailing clubs, other associations and the governing bodies for boating in Ireland, Wales and the UK.| Home | About | Contact | Declaration | Disclaimer | Results |
Web site Designed by offshore sailors for offshore sailors ISORA.