The weekend of 24th - 25th May saw the Inaugural Ruffian 23 Ulster Championships hosted by Carrickfergus Sailing Club. Saturday morning started an overcast day with the wind 15 kts gusting into the late teens/early twenties.
Race Officer David Hill, got the racing under way at 11.00am, with a Windward /Leeward course set in the stiffening breeze. All boats got off to a clean start with Hot Orange leading the way to the windward mark closely followed by Icicle, Carrageen then Druid. Downwind saw the positions remain the same with the rear boats catching the leaders.
Hot Orange had extended their lead by several boat lengths and the rest of the fleet remined tightly packed, jostling for position. The race ended with a finishing order of Hot Orange, Icicle, Carageen, Druid, Rascal, Daisy, Coyote and Mjollnir.
Race two was quickly under way and with a well-behaved fleet it was another clear start. The order at the top mark was again Hot Orange followed by Carrageen, Icicle, Druid, Mjollnir, Rascal, Daisy then Coyote. Positions more or less remained steady. A mis-timed spinnaker drop onboard Carrageen allowed Icicle and Druid to slip through at the penultimate mark.
Race three was another good start and the front of the fleet stayed true to form with Hot Orange out in front and the rest of the fleet fighting for positions as in the previous races.
Unfortunately, on the Sunday morning due to poor weather conditions and a forecast of building breeze, an early call was made and racing cancelled. With typical Carrickfergus Sailing Club hospitality, tea and coffee was quickly at hand for all the competitors with prize-giving set for 15:30 that afternoon.
Hot Orange were the clear winners of the Gold Fleet with three solid firsts. Racing was tight further back with only a point separating 2nd,3rdand 4th positions respectively. The Silver Fleet was won by Rascal.
Many thanks to the Race Committee and all the competitors. We hope to see everyone back next year!
Overall Results:
Pos Boat Sail No Helm Crew Club R1 R2 R3 Pts
1st Hot Orange 346 Stephen Penney CSC 1 1 1 3
2nd Icicle 979C John Lewis Sheela Lewis CAYC/ CSC 2 2 4 8
3rd Carageen 8511 Paul Robinson Adam Robinson CSC 3 4 2 9
4th Druid 141 Jim Shields Peter Crossley CSC 4 3 3 10
5th Rascal 888 Geraldine Duggan CSC 5 7 5 17
6th Daisy 33 Wendy Grant CSC 6 6 6 18
7th Mjollnir 7036 Billly Spence CSC 8 5 7 20
8th Coyote 185 Gillian McAdam CSC 7 8 RET 27
9th Ruffined 102 Tony Grady CSC DNC DNC 8 32
10th Riki Tiki Tavi 549 Eileen Donaldson CSC DNC DNC DNC 36
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