Island Trial Record OBLITERATED

The Island Trial has returned with a vengeance. With several foiling moth sailors deciding that the record had to be attempted and with a RIB wisely taken along as support the Island Trial record - previously held by Paul Keane in a Laser - was absolutely obliterated.

Rory Fitzpatrick has set a new record of 25 minutes, with Neil O'Toole in 29 minutes and Stephen Oram still fast but caught by a lull in Dalkey Sound and forced to tack on the run back to the finish. The previous record, reasonably quick in a Laser, was set by Paul Keane in 46 minutes.  That pace wasn't bad for a Laser over the approximately 10.5km course, but it's been flattened.

Rory spent some time off the foils in the sound, and the Moth sailors reckon an additional 4-5 minutes can come off the time.

Through the sound at speed...

....or not. 

Fitz back on the foils and away 

Conditions were good with little in the way of waves at the south end of the island, a place where sea monsters can sometimes dwell. And apart from the lulls in the sound the sailors could concentrate on maintaining top speeds.

Fitzpatrick was touching 40km/h on the run away from the startline and sustained 30km/h for long periods. O'Toole was only a little slower in a straight line but spent more time off the foils in Dalkey sound, with Oram caught for longest by a lull. It only takes a few moments for a foiling moth to be GONE, and that's what Fitzpatrick did, leading by a couple of kilometers at the end. Astonishing stuff!!

There seems little an "normal" dinghy can do against the moths, but on a rough calculation the PY title is still accessible. A Moth needs to go REALLY fast all the way.  A Laser at full plane can sustain 20km/h. It's not out of reach, but the absolute record seems beyond most dinghies now. If the Rumball claim of 30 knots in a Fireball is real then we'll expect to see them having a go.

Meantime can a keelboat do it? A multihull?  A kite is getting set up to have a go and that's likely to have a good shot at the record, but for now it's all hail Rory Fitz. He's the man.

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