ISORA Race 8 - Lighthouse Race in Dublin Bay
by Mark Thompson on 11 Jul
6-9 July 2017
ISORA Race 8 - Lighthouse Race in Dublin Bay (main course) © YB Tracking
Race 8 is the "Lighthouse Race" a coastal race that takes the fleet close to many of the lighthouses in Dublin Bay, such as Kish, Rockabill and Baily. This year the race also formed part of the Volvo Dun Laoghaire regatta (offshore class) and the Jack Ryan Whisky sponsored Royal Dee "coastal series" This ensured a large entry of 32 boats, the biggest fleet at VDLR, and included the 2015 VDLR top boat George Sisk's "Wow" and ISORA leading contender Peter Dunlop and Vicky Cox J109 "Mojito".
The forecast for Saturday was for a very light gradient wind, and with a later start scheduled due to the Lions Rugby match, many skippers were nervous about a long course after the experience of shifty light winds over the previous two days. However this delay allowed the sea breeze to develop, and a shorter than the normal 35 miles was planned, with the course set at 21 miles around South Burford, North Burford North Kish and back around South Burford and North Burford, perhaps the race will be renamed the cardinal buoy race? It was a great course though to challenge the crews if the wind developed as forecast.
The VDLR Regatta offshore fleet experienced many wind holes over the four days, generally caused by the competition between the forecast NW gradient wind and the SE sea breeze! This has minimal effects inshore but a couple of miles out was where the big effects were!
Luckily with a lighter gradient wind the sea breeze won and with clear skies provided the fleet with a consistent 6-10 kt wind for the whole race, incorporating the much talked about harbour finish! a procedure incorporating a few inshore marks and leading to a finish line deep inside Dun Laoghaire Harbour! A great spectacle for the shoreside supporters, but slightly tense on board the yachts racing to the finish to this line shared by many other fleets including classic yachts.
The start was slightly delayed under AP and was moved from the normal area in Scotsman bay to allow for a windward first leg, which on the whole was generally well behaved with a bias at the committee boat end. We elected to go down the line and look for a clearer lane, knowing we would need to tack a couple of times on the first leg with the higher performance boats being able to lay the first mark on one tack. Next leg was a pleasant spinnaker run to North Burford, Upwind to North Kish and finally close to a lighthouse!
Round the two Burford cardinals again (with "aquaplane" getting a closer than desired view of the "Jonathon Swift" fast ferry heading east at 34kts! as we rounded North Burford leeward Mark) and then a fetch down to the Volvo V40 Mark to allow for the infamous harbour finish, mostly under spinnaker, threading between many other fleets racing close to Dun Laoghaire Harbour. With the wind being consistent all day, the race winner completed the course in just under 3 hours.
ISORA Race 8 - Lighthouse Race in Dublin Bay (harbour finish) - photo © YB Tracking
Congratulations to Chris Pattane Smith J122 "Aurelia" for overall and Class 0 win, Kenneth Rumball J109 "Jedi" first in Class 1 and Paddy Gregory First 34.7 "Flashback" first in class 2.
The Royal Dee offshore series was a great success and by won Paddy Gregory in "Flashback" who also won Class 2. Class 0 was won by "Aurelia" and class 1 "Jedi"
YB tracking was used for the offshore fleet as in all ISORA races, which again provided a great tool for race management and enable the shore-based supporters at Dun Laoghaire and elsewhere to follow the action.
The next race is the rescheduled ISORA race 7 "Lyver race" a 100 mile offshore race starting in Holyhead on July 21st.