Day 5 of the Kanoodle Open Frostbite series and this time the forecast is for a nice southerly 12-15 knots. PRO Scorie Walls was again aiming to get 3 races in to make up for Day 2 and Day 3.
The GP14 have been joined by Simon Cully/Richard Street from Blessington. In the IDRA14 Charles Sargent/John Lynch are on the line for the first time in the series. Unfortunately with other sailing commitments there is only one Laser and 4 Mirrors on the water.
With 3 races, the Race Management team job was not helped by problems with rescue boat and radios. However once sorted, Scorie and Terry and the team got racing underway and the 3 races went off without further glitches.
A cracking start in race 1 set the tone for the afternoon in the GP14 with the exceptionally close racing to continue throughout the 3 races. The visitors Cully/Street from Blessington looked good on first beat until a broken toe-strap saw helm Cully end up in the drink. That left Elmes and stand-in crew Katie Dwyer around top mark along with McCarthy/Bracken with Boyle/Lawless and Blay/Johnston in close order. Not much separated these 4 on the second lap either, with McCarthy and Boyle staying right and getting their noses in front at the bottom mark last time round. In the end victory to McCarthy from Boyle but not much on the water between the 4 boats.
In the IDRA14 Carr/McCormack took victory in race 1 but were not having it all their own way with DMYC pairing of Harrison/Johnston keeping in touch till the last downwind leg. In the Mirror the Dickson/McMahon pairing led from start to finish with Twohig/Nolan second.
In GP14 race 2 was led from the start by Elmes/Dwyer but there was never more than a few boat lengths between the 5 boats. Elmes still held a lead at the bottom mark first time around, but a spinnaker pole dropped over the side had to be retrieved letting McCarthy/Bracken to edge in front with Boyle/Lawless and Blay/Johnston close on their transom. A late rally from Boyle almost saw them through on the line but McCarthy/Bracken just held on for victory with Blay/Johnston in 3rd. However no more than 2 mins between 1st and 5th.
Carr/McCormack repeated their victory of race 1 with the DMYC based IDRA14 again in second spot ahead of Sargent/Lynch. In the Mirror McCormack/McCormack took second spot behind Dickson/McMahon after a sick crew had forced Twohig/Nolan retiral.
The 3rd race turned out to be an even closer race then previous 2 in the GP14 fleet. Again Elmes had a great start but for 2 laps the 5 GP14’s were locked together with those who stayed right along the Sutton shore downwind probably getting a slight advantage. It was Elmes/Dwyer making up for the dropped spinnaker pole who deservedly took the gun from McCarthy/Bracken followed by Boyle/Lawless with Cully/Street pipping Blay/Johnston for 4th. This was an even closer finish with all less than a minute between 5th and 1st.
Carr/McCormack made it a clean sweep of victories on the day and with the DMYC pairing of Harrison/Johnston retiring, Sargent/Lynch took second spot. In the Mirror Dickson & McMahon also made it a clean sweep on the day.
It was great to get in another 3 races and claw back some of the lost racing from weeks 2 and 3. In the GP14 McCarthy & Bracken have the upper hand but with such close racing all crews will certainly be looking forward to the last weekend. [whohit]-Kanoodle Frostbite Day 5-[/whohit]