Time and Tide

The weather forecast for Sunday 30th June looked suitable for a good shot at the top of the leaderboard so two dinghies lined up at the startline on Sunday morning. Sheehy's OK Dinghy having a first shot at the course and Keane's Laser trying to get below one hour.

Although the wind wasn't quite as strong as forecast the tide waits for no man so the two headed off towards Dalkey. Keane gradually pulled out a 75-100m lead as they approached the island, threading their way through the fishing and diving boats.

All changed at the Island where the tide was already starting to run north, making the Island rounding a real tidal gate. It's not often that dinghies deal with the tactical issues facing offshore racers!   The more experienced Keane navigated the overfalls and eddies far better and popped out into Dalkey Island Sound way ahead.


A 100m lead quickly turned into a 1.5km lead, showing the importance of practice and tides on this unique challenge.

In the end the wind never got to the forecast levels and Keane's time of 1hr 5 mins 15 seconds didn't break previous bests. But a look at his speeds again shows that a time of 45-50 minutes is certainly possible in a Laser...giving the Moths a run for their money. Sheehy finished 11 minutes later with a solid first attempt.