Howth’s ‘Flashback’ Moves Into Offshore Contention at Dun Laoghaire Regatta – Afloat

A sea breeze brought changes to the leader board in several classes in the penultimate day of Ireland's biggest sailing regatta, the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta on Dublin Bay today.

One contender for tomorrow's (Sunday) top prize of the 'Volvo Boat of the Regatta Trophy' is a Howth Yacht Club yacht that took the lead in the biggest class this afternoon. Paddy Gregory's Flashback now tops the IRC offshore division after three coastal races sailed.

A promising eight to 10 knot southeasterly wind got racing for all 475 boats in 35 classes off to a solid start this morning and it held all day to keep the ambitious programme of more than 290 races on target for tomorrow's final round two rounds in most classes.

The Gregory led 31-boat IRC offshore fleet departed Scotsman's Bay bound for North Burford, the turning mark on the 20mile course.

The north Dublin Beneteau 34.7 is six points clear overall of Chris PowerSmith's much J122 Aurelia in the 31boat fleet even though PowerSmith was the winner of this afternoon's race.

2015 VDLR Champion WOW (George Sisk) heads for the offshore class inharbour finish line

Followed on the water by Chris Power Smith's Aurelia, the IRC rating winner

After a 20mile race, the offshore fleet were tightly bunched as they headed for the finish line in front of the Royal St. George Yacht Club

A single race tomorrow morning will decide the offshore title and also the Jack Ryan Whiskey Royal Dee Irish Sea Offshore Championship that is being sailed as part of the Dun Laoghaire Championships.

Dun Laoghaire Commodores afloat: Regatta vice chairman Don O'Dowd (third from left) with (from left) Commodores Paul Sherry of the Royal Irish Yacht Club, Ronan Beirne of the National Yacht Club and Michael Pomeroy of the Royal St. George Yacht Club carry out a check of all six race courses

On the centre course, Classes Zero, One and Two completed three further races over windwardleeward courses under Race Officer Peter Crowley.

Dark Angel was fast off the line this morning in Class Zero

Jay Colville's Forty Licks from East Down Yacht Club has moved into the overall lead of the fiveboat Class Zero fleet even though she shares the same eight points as onetime leader Dark Angel (Tony Ackland) from Swansea.

Royal Irish Yacht Club yachts top the leaderboard in 29boat Class One with John Maybury's J109 Joker II another contender for yacht of the regatta still leading but on a reduced margin of just three points after Richard Goodbody's J109 White Mischief had a standout performance to count a 1,2 and 3 today. Goodbody now moves up to second overall on 12 points. J109s complete the podium places with Ronan Harris's Jigarmee 21 points off the lead.

A crowded committee boat end in this morning's first race of class two eventually got clean away (below)

In the 17boat Class two, Howth Yacht Club's Dave Cullen sailing the modified Halftonner Checkmate has overtaken visiting Scottish HalfTonner Trastada (skippered by Angus Roddy). Cullen who has six results in the top five and counted two race wins today for an eight point margin over the Clyde vintage yacht that dropped to as low as eighth in this afternoon's race six. In what is looking ery much like a battle of the Half tonners overall, the 2015 Volvo Regatta Class Two Champion Jonny Swan in Harmony is third.

Scotland's Trastada lost the overall class two lead today after three windward-leeward races

There is no change at the top of IRC three where another Howth Yacht, Richard Colwell's Fusion continues to dominate with four race wins from seven starts in the eight boat fleet. Howth Yacht Club boats occupy the top four spots with X302s Dux (Anthony GoreGrimes) and Maximus (Paddy Kyne) second and third respectively.

In IRC four, Jonathan Flood's Modified Formula 28 Flash from Bray Sailing Club leads Cartoon (Ken Lawless) by a point and half after eight races sailed in the 15boat fleet.

Jonathan Flood's Modified Formula 28

Ken Lawless's Cartoon is second overall in class four

2015 Class four VDLR champion Cri Cri (Paul Colton)

In the one design classes, only half a point after eight races separates St Spence's Clyde based Carna and Andrew Bradley's Chinook from the Royal Irish Yacht Club.

27 GP14s are contesting the class Leinster Championships as part of VDLR 2017

The GP14 Leinster Championships are being lead by Fergus Barnham from Nantwich, UK with Sutton Dinghy Club's Alan Blay in second after six races sailed. Greystones Sailing Club's GP14 World Champion Shane MacCarthy lies third in the 27boat fleet.

An immaculate weather spinnaker hoist from Alan Blay

2004 470 Olympians Ross Killian and Ger Owens back together in a GP14 on Dublin Bay

A fine fleet of 20 Sigma 33s are contesting the Irish Class Championships as part of the Regatta

The 1720 Heros and Villans (Gary Rhodes) from Royal Cork Yacht Club is third in the mixed sportsboat class

Results are provisional and subject to protest.

Full results in all 35 classes are available here

The 2017 regatta concludes tomorrow with two final races for most classes.

Flying Fifteen and Mermaid (bottom) fleets are racing on the Salthill course

Originally posted here:

Howth's 'Flashback' Moves Into Offshore Contention at Dun Laoghaire Regatta - Afloat