So the winter has been hideously cold, and the recession is biting hard, and one could be forgiven for expecting a lacklustre season opener for any sailing class given the current climate. But not for the Laser SB3 Class in Ireland!

Out of the sheds and gardens they came in their droves, with great cheer and enthusiasm, and a 43 boat fleet set out for the first ding dong of the 2010 season. Clearly whatever is happening out there, it isn’t dampening the enthusiasm of Ireland’s youngest and most vibrant collection of oldies.

All the usual protagonists where there, the match racing Kiwi, Flipper Flannigan, Sean Craig, Pete Kennedy, Theo Lyttle, Colin Galavan, Killian Collins (having traded in his brother for Audrey for the weekend), Homer and Marge and Baby Brother O’Connell – plus a fair pack of talent well capable of posting a few good results on the day snapping at their rudders.

Clearly however, it was to be service resumed with Ben Duncan’s Sharkbait and Flannigan’s Gill Race Team grasping the nettle in what was a stingy breeze for most. With the breeze flicking viciously on the right shoreline, big gains were possible, with race one turning inside out and providing glory for some, and a plughole for many. Not even the Sharkbait crew could have imagined the lead they would take to the finish as they sailed around the fleet following an smart early gybe into breeze on the left. Sean Craig was one who really came a cropper in this one, and plenty were already posting their discard (or hoped they were) before the event had barely begun.

Saturday was a day for some big blasting and broaching, as the breeze topped 25 knots on occasion and left a battle weary but delighted fleet heading for a delightful buffet dinner in the George for the evening. Sunday, true to form, Dublin Bay managed to throw up some massive ladders for those getting themselves in the right spot, with Trevor Darcy in Bullet making the most spectacular intervention from wide left field on Sunday morning, extending their lead to the finish.

Top boat of day two was Aidan O’Connell with a remarkable 3,4,1, contrasting with the usually consistent Duncan’s 2,19 and 18. Flannigan, as so often in the past, was either able to sniff out where the gain was coming from next, or were able to dig themselves out of midfield to keep themselves in the top 5 throughout. Consistency was always going to be the key, with the breeze going from a patchy SW with gusts, to nothing, until it was replaced with a bizarre breeze from the East for race 6. The trophy was pretty much a race off between Gill race Team and Sharkbait by then, and despite Duncan’s team getting the upper hand in the first start, the deal was pretty much done 50% of the way up the beat on the restart. Confusion reigned, as those standing on from the start hooked into a 20 degree lefty, to cross by a mile those who had tacked off to cover any right side bias that seemed likely to evolve. None more so than the Sharkbait boys, who found themselves languishing on the outside of a truly weird hole that ran down the middle of the right side of the course, which they kept falling into as they tried to get back into the centre of the course. They rounded the top mark pretty much DFL and despite a great effort to get back through the traffic, it was game set and opening match to the Boys from Ballyholme.

Royal St George Yacht Club excelled themselves again, setting an exceptional standard under the direction of Sean Craig, and most importantly showed how friendly and welcoming a club they are. Things are certainly alive and well in the SB3 fleet in Ireland, and all eyes will be on the Baily bowl in May, and the Northern Areas at Royal North in June.

A fleet of 43 boats from 13 clubs competed in the event, watched over by PRO Harry Gallagher.

Complete results here

Event photos by Gareth Craig

A number of International Class Rule changes have become effective on 16 April 2010.  Among the changes:
–we can now carry and use a hand held GPS unit and mobile telephones
–if you don’t have an outboard engine (and of course you therefore have 21 kg of lead correctors) you no longer need to carry a fire extinguisher, but you must have pair of paddles
–weedsticks and a toolkit are now optional items that may be carried on board

Full details of 2010 INTERNATIONAL Class Rules and changes are on this page.

Additionally, two changes have been made to Safety Rules for Irish (32 County) events:  No longer a requirement to carry a horseshoe buoy or a set of flares.

Our Ireland Class Measurer Roger Bannon reports:

The Committee of the Laser SB3 Class Association of Ireland, at its April meeting, passed the following bylaw which will apply for the 2010 season for all racing at Local, Club, Regional and National events unless amended otherwise by the NORs or SIs to cater for local requirements.

C.5.1 is amended to remove the requirement under C.5.1 (1) and C.5.1 (9) to carry a horseshoe buoy and distress flares. In Northern Ireland it is a requirement that the crew must at all times wear a PFD to the minimum standard ISO 12402-5 (CE 50 Newton’s), or USCG Type III. This requirement already exists under statutory regulation in The Republic of Ireland.
This bylaw shall be construed as part of the rules and regulations governing the Laser SB3 Class in Ireland.

• The revised rules for 2010 are published here as noted above. They contain a small number of changes, the most notable being the revised requirements regarding boats which elect not sail with an engine. It is important to note that the 21Kgs (previously 22Kgs) of lead correctors must now be securely located on the engine shelf and 2 paddles must also be carried on board.

• The use of a handheld GPS is now permitted unless its use is prohibited in the NOR’s or SI’s.

• For those of you travelling to events outside Ireland it will be important to establish the specified mandatory and optional equipment that will be carried on the boat as it is likely it will vary between different locations because of the impact of diverse localised regulations. Under the revised 2010 rules, variations to specified equipment are now permitted if they are notified in the Notice of Race and or the Sailing Instructions. So don’t throw away your lifebuoy and flares, you may need them.

Roger Bannon
Laser SB3 Class Measurer Ireland. 16th April 2010

The Royal Alfred’s NIOBE Trophy Regatta will be held at Howth Yacht Club on Saturday 1 May and we are invited!

Two races, first gun at 10.25 and we will be accompanied by the Etchells and Puppeteer fleets, each with their own start.

NOR and Entry Details here.

The Royal Alfred Yacht club is much more than a quaint old Dublin institution. For generations it has been an umbrella organisation, linking yacht racers from the rival harbours of Dun Laoghaire and Howth. It provides an attractive programme of regattas, complementing more local and national events.

The “Royal” in the title tells us that the club is long established. But without the focus of a clubhouse, even some non-racing Dublin based sailors might find it hard to recognise where it fits in.

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