Tuesday, March 8, 2011

CLIPPER MARINE 23

Boat: CLIPPER MARINE 23

Builder: Clipper Marine

Designer: William Crealock

More: CLIPPER MARINE 23 Specifications

News:

Fireball Traveller Series at Dalgety Bay Sailing Club


Author: Margaret Ponsonby

Ten Fireballs competed in the second event of the Scottish Travellers series at Dalgety Bay SC on 26/27 May.

With three firsts and a second to Pete Hay/Euan Sellar and three seconds and a first to Donald Smith/Margaret Ponsonby, Dalgety results might suggest a continuation of the match racing seen at the Tay between these two identical Winder boats. It far from that easy for either of them because of the introduction of a new helm in Marc Plummer, sailing with Liam Sullivan in his Northampton Sailboats old but fast enough hull. In testing gusty Northerlies on a tight course, Hay/Sellar broke clear on the first round and held on to win the first race as the other two fought it out for second. Smith/Ponsonby eventually pulled through to second with Plummer/Sullivan third. Paul Howie/Genevieve Leaper held off Ian/Finlay Dundas for fourth. Race two was just as close, with the same end result for places one to three, and reversed for four and five after the Dundas team held on for fourth.

The conditions on Sunday were taxing for the OOD with everyone sent ashore after half an hour of drifting in light North Westerlies. A sea breeze arrived early and racing commenced in sunshine and a cool force 2-3 wind. A slightly bigger course still had the same three boats arriving together at the windward mark, this time it being Smith/Ponsonby who held on to win by a nose from Hay/Sellar. Consistent in third were Plummer/Sullivan, the Dundas pair fourth, and with Howey/Leaper again fifth there was close racing all the way down the fleet. The sea breeze held for the next race, but was dropping all the time as cloud built from the north. After getting clear off the line whilst many were pushed over early by the tide, Hay/Sellar won by a big margin, Smith/Ponsonby rerounded the committee boat and later did a 720, but still managed second. Howie/Leaper claimed third, Dundas fourth. With heavy rain and hail killing off all wind, race five was abandoned. Hay/Sellar had won the weekend by then, with Smith/Ponsonby in second, Plummer/Sullivan third.

More Information:

  • YachtsandYachting.com Fireball Page
  • UK Fireball Class
  • Dalgety Bay Sailing Club

See also: CLIPPER MARINE 21 MH for sale