SUITABLY christened Awesome, Gerry Donleavy and Margaret Conway's new Flying Fifteen keelboat, launched for the first time on the morning of the Carlsberg National Yacht Club regatta, showed instant pace to take the lead after the first triangle to win in the 18 boat one design fleet that included a guest appearance from former champion Roger Bannon.
Ken Dumpleton and Alan Greene, who narrowly missed the Heineken Flying Fifteen West Coast championship title a week earlier, had to be content again with the runners up slot. They squeezed early race leaders Ian Richardson and Peter Miller into third overall.
Light fickle winds across Dublin bay produced some surprise results for the total fleet of 232 yachts that contested the annual regatta on Saturday. There were over 100 cruiser entries, 75 dinghies and dayboats and 56 one design keelboats.
Three sportsboats raced under the National's burgee for the first time and Barry O'Neill's Pinball Wizard opened her Dublin Bay account with a win from Howth's Unplugged (Roger Cagney).
Over on the Cruiser course winds held sufficient strength to provide the 12 boat class zero fleet with tight racing over a long course, but although Surfin Shoes (Colm Barrington's Bashford Howison 41 footer) took a lead of six minutes and 30 seconds at North mark it was not enough. Cormac Twomey's Sarah J, from the Royal St George Yacht Club, romped home to another win this season on three hours 43 minutes and .04 seconds on corrected time under CHS.
Barrington finished on four hours 27 minutes and 51 seconds, and though he salvaged a win on ECHO, Twomey's overall lead of the Carlsberg Superleague has been extended.
On the water, Richard Burrow's Prospector appeared to have the race in the bag, taking a commanding three minute lead of the four IMX 38s by North mark. But after handicaps were applied he was reduced to third overall with a CHS corrected time of four hours 30 minutes and 59 seconds.
The Cruiser One CHS division was won by Peter Beamish sailing Aztec.
