After a Saturday of torrential rain that made it look as if a boat would be the only viable means of transport on Sunday, the 2019 / 2020 Laser Frostbite Series got underway in idyllic conditions on Howth Sound – 10 knots of breeze from the west and the sun shining on a flat sea.

 

With the 30 boat entry list including a bevy of Class champions, including both the current National Champion Ronan Wallace and the current Masters Champion Dave Quinn, it was no surprise that there was an anxiety to grab the best start of Race 1 and lay down a marker for the series.  However, with a flooding tide carrying the fleet over the start line, it was equally unsurprising when a general recall was signalled.  The use of the U flag for the restart got all but four of the fleet cleanly away and over the lap, sausage, lap course, a battle for first became established between Ronan Wallace, who won the 2018 / 2019 series, and Paul McMahon, who took a break from sailing last winter.  Ronan eventually took the lead and held on to it to take the gun with Dan O’Connell in third.  Peter Kilmartin, who has competed in the full rig Class in recent years, saw his decision to move to the more manageable Radial rig justified when he took first from Dylan McEvoy (top photo).  Both of the 4.7 sailors racing today fell foul of the U flag at the start of Race 1.

 

The wind conditions were similar for Race 2 and who spotted the shifts soonest and was best able to take advantage of them was decisive.  Daragh Kelleher and Conor Murphy got through to first and second places on the second beat and increased their margin on the run as the group behind battled for third place, with Ronan Wallace eventually getting through to secure the position at the finish behind Daragh and Conor.  Dylan McEvoy and Peter Kilmartin again took the top two places in the Radials but in the reverse order from Race 1 while the 4.7s were more restrained at the start of Race 2, and Sophie Kilmartin took first with Scott McNally in second.

 

Racing continues every Sunday until December 15th, first gun at 10.45.