Page 4 - ISORA 2019 v4

Race 3 – Dun Laoghaire - Holyhead Offshore Race
The first offshore race of the ISORA Offshore Championship 2019, took place on the 4th May, with a starting time of 08.00. 19 boats from the entry list of 20 came to the start line in Dun Laoghaire.
The course was decided early by the Racing Committee due to the long term forecast of northerly winds. The forecast promised gusty and cold conditions in the Irish Sea. With Races 1 2 blown out due to Storm Hannah the previous week, the fleet needed some comfort racing conditions. It was decided that the race would be from the start, direct to the finish in Holyhead harbour leaving South Burford to Port – approximately 55 miles.
The weather forecast for Race 3 was predicting northerly 15-20 knots however the winds picked up in the afternoon and veered more north-easterly.
The start at 08.00 was provided by NYC’s Barry MacNeaney and Larry Power at the DBSC’s Pier Mark. Difficulty in distributing trackers to boats at the line caused the race to be postponed for 5 minutes.
Technical issues arose with some boats even before leaving Dun Laoghaire harbour. Paul Sutton’s new J109, "Jaydreamer" a replacement for Pipedreamer that was damaged in the Holyhead marina failure, developed a slight rudder problem and he decided to pull out of the race. Peter Dunlop and Vicky Cox’s, Mojito from Pwllheli, the current ISORA Champion, developed a rig issue just at the start and also had to retire. Early in the race John Hughes Rebellion and David Bolger’s Lady Rowena also retired and returned safely to Dun Laoghaire.
Rockabill VI - Photo courtesy of afloat.ie