A MOOD of change is sweeping through the country's biggest yacht racing club, as changes are to be implemented for the 112th Dublin Bay SC season. Category B racing for a new sports boat class is being provided and electronic race results publishing will be tested.
If the new class comes to fruition the club will have acceded to the request to allow the 1720s to compete in category B with some advertising on hulls and equipment.
Responding to the need to publish race results faster, the club are upgrading their results from a paper to a screen based system. And it is hoped that an integrated waterfront system that connects all four waterfront clubs will provide results before sailors get ashore after racing.
The future of the separate dinghy starting line looks uncertain for what remains of DBSC's once strong dinghy fleets. It is likely that DBSC will revert to traditional `but starts' for the handful of dinghies that are left under the burgee of the club. The club are adamant, however, that they will provide racing for any viable dinghy class. But the provision of an expensive and over manned dinghy racecourse for so few is an unworkable and sad situation.
Meanwhile, Dublin Port Authority are implementing a shipping management system and this has led to the alteration of courses resulting in the repositioning of the Pilot and New Ross racing marks.
Elsewhere 130 entries are expected for the Irish Universities Windsurfing Championships' at Dromineer on Lough Derg from February 23rd to 26th which will be hosted by the University of Limerick Windsurfing Club. The fleets will be divided into A, B and Novice classes under officer of the day Cotman Phelan. Entries are invited from all third level colleges.
Equipment has finally arrived to dredge Malahide inlet and allow access at all stages of the tide to, the east coast's newest marina.
Currently access for a boat with a two metres draft has been restricted to three hours either side of high water but, after the six months dredging work is completed, a channel will provide access at all stages of the tide which will also allow the marina to expand from its current 104 berths, of which 68 are occupied, to its planned 300 berths.
In order to broaden the appeal of Laser sailing and to open it up to a wider range of physiques, the Irish association are incorporating separate starts and prizes for the Laser radial and 4.7 rigs at the provincial and national championships. The class also hope to attract more women into their ranks.
The Junior National Championship which is sailed in a standard rig will now be complemented with the radial and 4.7 championships which will run concurrently.
At Howth last Sunday Peter Phelan headed a fleet of 12 Lasers to win the Laser frostbites in moderate, but very cold, conditions. In second place was Dun Laoghaire's Chris Arrowsmith with Peter Wolfe third. Overall Malahide's Toby Bedell leads the event on 3.25 points after four races with one discard. Second is Arrowsmith on seven points and Wolfe is third on 17 with five races left.
