The HYC Dinghy Frostbites kicked off their 2026/27 season on Sunday 1st November, with sailors greeted by glorious sunshine and blue skies for the opening day of the Winter Series. A northerly breeze and flood tide provided the backdrop for two races, with a strong and diverse fleet taking to the water off Howth. While the calendar might say November, the weather certainly didn't seem to have got the message!

The Frostbites have come a long way from their origins as a Laser-only series, and this year's fleet looks to be one of the most diverse yet. The growing PY fleet has attracted an impressive variety of boats, from single-handers such as the RS Aero and Finn, to high-performance skiffs including the 49er, B14 and RS600, alongside the more traditional Enterprise and IDRA 14. The Melges 15s have graduated to become their own class in the series due to the strength of numbers of the growing fleet, while the ILCA classes continue to provide close one-design racing in all 3 fleets. 

One particularly welcome development this year is the resurgence of the Finn class, with three boats competing. Much of the credit goes to Richard Tate, whose enthusiasm and recruitment efforts have helped bring more of these distinctive single-handers onto the water. Richard has been a regular Finn representative in previous Frostbites, but now has Andrejs Samoilovs and Alex Deasy to contend with directly, as well as the wider PY fleet. The series has also welcomed back a number of familiar faces who have missed a season or two, and it's great to see them back on the start line.

PY Fleet

The PY fleet saw close battles in the fleets within the fleets - the Finns were within touching distance of each other for most of the racing, similar in the IDRAs and Aeros. A familiar name featured the top of the leaderboard, with Daragh Sheridan continuing where he left off last winter, taking two wins on corrected time in his RS Aero 6. Fellow Aero sailor John Phelan took 2nd in both races, while Abby Kinsella completed an Aero clean sweep of the podium, taking two 3rd places in her RS Aero 5.

The Finns made a strong showing on their first outing as a three-boat fleet, with Alex Deasy taking 4th in race 1, while Andrejs Samoilovs took 5th in both races to lead the Finn contingent overall. Richard Tate took 7th and 6th, leaving all three Finns sitting together in 4th, 5th and 6th overall after day one. The 49er of Fiachra Farrelly showed its potential with a 4th in race 2, a strong result on handicap for such a fast boat. 

Melges 15 Fleet

The Melges 15s had some close racing, with Cormac Farrelly and Justin Cullen taking the first win of the series, followed by Stephen Quinn in 2nd and Sarah Robertson and Lynne Henderson in 3rd. Race 2 saw Robertson and Henderson turn the tables to take the win, with Michael Evans and crew in 2nd and Farrelly and Cullen in 3rd. The results leave Robertson and Henderson tied on points with Farrelly and Cullen at the top of the leaderboard, with the race 2 win giving the former the lead on countback.

Michael Evans and crew sit in 3rd overall, tied on points with Stephen Quinn, making for a tight leaderboard after the first two races. With the Melges fleet continuing to grow in Howth, there's sure to be plenty of close racing over the coming weeks.

ILCA 7 Fleet

The ILCA 7s saw a strong turnout of 11 boats, with Daragh Kelleher showing no signs of rust after his hiatus, taking two wins ahead of Conor Murphy in 2nd and Tom Fox in 3rd. Remarkably, the podium positions remained unchanged across both races, with Kelleher showing early form to take a clean lead in the series.

Behind the podium, Dave Kirwan and Colm Cunningham traded 4th and 5th places, leaving them tied on points after the first day. Davie Carr took two consistent 6th places, while Viktor Sentiscev-Samoilov followed with two 7ths. With plenty of familiar names returning to the fleet, and some strong competition from visiting clubs, the ILCA 7s look set for another competitive winter.

ILCA 6 Fleet

In the ILCA 6s, Marco Sorgassi made a strong return to the series, taking two wins ahead of Peter Hassett, who claimed 2nd in both races. Dylan Cassidy followed with two 3rd places, leaving the podium positions identical across the day's racing. Hassett and Cassidy were regular contenders at the front of the fleet last winter, but Sorgassi has laid down an early marker for the new season, even beating all but 1 ILCA 7 to the windward mark in race 2!

ILCA 4 Fleet

The ILCA 4s saw Liam Kingston take two wins to lead the series after day one. Sarah McLoughlin took 2nd in race 1 but retired from race 2, while Zara de Neve took 3rd for the day. It's great to see the younger sailors taking part in the winter racing, gaining valuable experience alongside the more established fleets.

With the first two races completed, the Frostbites are off to a great start. The Winter Series continues every Sunday until 20th December, with the Spring Series following in January and February, before the traditional Round the Island Race brings the season to a close.

Entries remain open throughout the series, and newcomers and returning sailors alike are very welcome. With such a broad mix of boats and sailors on the water, it promises to be another great winter of dinghy racing in Howth!

Full results: https://hyc.ie/results

Thanks to Harry Gallagher for the photographs.