Starting Advice

While reviewing the blog and the backup files, we came across some old coaching material from a seminar many people attended this time, two years ago. Prepared and presented at that time by one of Dun Laoghaire's best sailing coaches, now sadly missed.

Rather than filing it away, its usefulness calls for it to be re-used and appreciated.

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Dublin Bay Lasers go for One Night Stand in a Busy 2015

As 40 Lasers enter the last few weeks of typically close racing in the perennial DMYC Frostbite series, we look forward to the warmer months, especially after some subtle but significant changes by Dublin Bay Sailing Club (see attached for details).  DBSC has been engaged in lengthy discussions with all dinghy classes and there are a few key format tweaks, including two new classes in the shape of the Laser (previously in PY) and the RS 200/400.  

The idea for Lasers is to focus everybody on Tuesday evenings for club racing, thereby freeing up weekends for other sailing (eg, Laser regattas or other DBSC classes) or indeed for family obligations.  Some other DBSC dinghy classes, however, stick with the tried and trusted Saturday plus Tuesday format.  Horses for courses and Hats Off to DBSC for a flexible approach.

But one thing’s for sure; the simple Laser formula is as popular as ever. A perfectly competitive boat is just €2k and the associated costs are very low. The healthy exercise from hiking and working a Laser is catching the Fitness wave too and makes the single-hander a popular lifestyle choice for sailors who also cycle, run or whatever.  In anything over 5 knots it’s the ultimate full body workout! In the last 18 months we’re also seeing young graduates from the vibrant DL scene for the smaller 4.7 and Radial rigs. How great it is to see them transition into the local racing scene. Many of these younger sailors - like us older types (!) - are inspired by the international exploits of the Waterfront’s own Annalise Murphy and Finn Lynch, who can be seen out training on the Bay, using exactly the same equipment as the rest of us.  

Pic Courtesy of Gareth Craig and fotosail

So....Get that Laser out of the garden, or don't put it away after the Frostbites !   Join us on Dublin Bay for glorious Tuesday night racing and other events highlighted in the attachment.  We want to see all ages and ability levels.  We'll even lay on some coaching and we’ll definitely meet up for a drink after racing each Tuesday.

See the poster here.  

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Frostbites cancelled - a good call

Faced with a forecast of 40+ knots and with 30+ already seen on the water, the DMYC Frostbites committee cancelled everything at about 10am on Sunday.

It was a good call. But if you'd been in Dun Laoghaire at about 1245 and seen Shane MacCarthy's Solo and the cream OK Dinghy out becalmed in the harbor, you'd have had doubts.  Suffice it to say that the committee may even have had 2nd thoughts at that stage but their decision was spot on, correct, and absolutely the right one.

The wind came back with a vengeance, accompanied by powerful gusts and BIG shifts as the wild westerly started to supersede the swooning southerly.  By start time there was Force 8 in the harbor. And  more to come.

taken from http://www.dlhweather.com/24hr-wind-graph/

DLHweather.com's charts show the tempting dip in the windstrength and then the full and total validation of the committee's decision to cancel. Good call guys!

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Video from Rumball and Brazel in an RS400!

A great video from the lads in RSs.  How do you say more than one RS?  But great video!

Alexander Rumball and Kevin Brazel Racing in the 2015 DMYC frostbite.

Fireballs away!

Fireball report online here.

http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/181330/Dun-Laoghaire-Fireball-Frostbites-round-2-day-7

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Big PY fleet on a chilly day.

The PY fleet turned out in good numbers despite the weather on Sunday and had a great day's racing after all. Cold water temperatures and winds gusting from 10 knots to 28 knots led to some conservative sailing, but the racing was still pretty full on.

At the end the result continued the recent strong run by the Finns, with Richard Tate leading the way home from Long and Hamilton in the IDRA14s.

Tate started with the main group down at the pin while Des Fortune's Finn timed a gust right and got a big right shift off the boat end right at the gun. Fortune's boat was clearly ahead at the first mark with Tate and Long  chasing hard back in from the left.  It was PUFFY under the weather mark.

Careful sailing was the order of business down the run with booms not let too far out and some spinnakers not-flying. Tate and Fortune's Finns started to pull clear on the 2nd beat before Fortune's boat retired leaving Tate to sail out to victory. Not by a big margin, with Long only 20 seconds behind on corrected time. And although Hamilton was a full two minutes further back he only had ten seconds over Tom Murphy in the K1.

The most notable result was the one second difference between Devaney and Lordan in 5th and 6th. Tight times!  Full results here - as usual.

PY and Laser fleets each had 13 boats on the water, with the RS and Fireball fleets disappointed to see only 5 boats in each class. But it was a good day. Not too many photos/videos so far. One video taken off the OK Dinghy class site at http://iokda.wordpress.com and taken from Fortune's Finn shows the puffiness pretty well - and the big shifts!

A good day!  And a good day to have a good wetsuit too!

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Frostbite videos

Here are the videos from Sunday's sailing.

A nice tight edit from Sean Clery in his 200.

And

As the video description says of itself, this one is still a bit long.  8 minutes in an OK Dinghy. Gary O'Hare will like the view of the deck.

Shane MacCarthy takes video in his Solo too....let's see it!

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Sunday 9th Feb

A glorious day on the water and reports from a variety of places.

• The Fireball report is usually first out, appearing on Afloat and YachtsandYachting with regularity and promptness.
• The RS dinghy report is starting to emulate the Fireball report, and has video!
• Although not actually racing, the OK Dinghy was out practicing and spent some time with the Finns in PY
• No report from the Lasers, but there were 21 of them on the water so some report ought to be forthcoming...
• And as usual, some great photos from the DMYC Frostbite people!

Post by DMYC Frostbite.

A wonderful day on the water. 

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