Viking Marine Frostbite Series 2 at Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club - Update
by Cormac Bradley 9 Feb 09:38 PST
8 February 2026
Louise McKenna & Hermine O'Keeffe lead the PY fleet at the top mark - Viking Marine Frostbite Series 2 at Dun Laoghaire © Ian Cutliffe
After a week that saw the east coast battered by huge waves and high winds that left the Dart track under water and open areas adjacent to the high tide mark under inches of water, Sunday 8th February dawned with grey skies but, an elevated temperature that crept into double figures, and dry conditions with a promise of some sunshine.
These collective conditions were in evidence when the Viking Marine Frostbites Race Committee gathered at the DMYC to prepare for the day's racing. Indeed, such were the weather conditions that we contemplated the prospect of three races.
Relocating to the main harbour, the clouds parted and we got some of the promised sunshine with a steady breeze from a wind direction of 140°- 150°blowing at 12 knots initially. That allowed for the setting of a long beat with a weather mark in line with the bandstand, a gybe mark just off the harbour mouth and a leeward mark in the "elbow" of the western breakwater and the West Pier.
The Frostbite fleet seemed to have responded in kind to the better weather with a bumper fleet of 61 boats arriving at the start area. The PY fleet took the honours in terms of size with Aeros, Fireballs, two GP14s, two Toppers, a Finn, a Mirror and an Enterprise making up the numbers. The ILCA 7s had their biggest turnout of 12 boats and with some phone calls made during the week the ILCA 4s returned to the fray with a turnout of 6 boats. The ILCA 6s chipped in with 20 boats.
A three-lap Olympic course was set for all three fleets but the PY Fleet pushed the line with the Fireballs leading the premature charge (Yes, we identified you!) over the line. That triggered the flying of a General Recall that relegated the fleet to the back of the queue. The ILCA 7s and 4s got away first time but the ILCA 6s also fell foul of the start, with another General Recall.
A quick, short Postponement was signalled while the RO reset what he had thought was a pin end-biased line, while lengthening the line at the same time. Both errant fleets were then subjected to a "U-Flag" start to try and generate some wriggle room for the RO. Even then one boat in the PY fleet got it wrong!
The ILCA 6s had to try again and eventually got away under a black flag start with the course length reduced to two laps of the Olympic course.
In the PY Fleet, the Fireball of Frank Miller & Grattan Donnelly (14915) had a commanding lead at the end of the race, finishing 1:02 ahead of the Aero 7 of Thomas Chaix.
However, they had some work to do for they weren't so well positioned at the first weather mark. Fifty-three seconds after the Aero 7 came the second Fireball of Louise McKenna & Hermine O'Keeffe (15016). The Fireball of Colm Breen & Paul ter Horst was next home before Noel Butler led home the Aeros 6s but had Stuart Harris in another Aero 7 just 47 seconds ahead of him with the GP14 of the Leddys, Adam & Alan thirty seconds astern of Butler.
Bearing in mind the input, post racing, over the previous two Sundays, a further effort was made to make sure the top reach was tighter. Ben Chaix in the first of the two Toppers beat his classmate by nearly two minutes and with both Toppers completing two laps but scored for three laps in terms of corrected time, Ben finished 11th on corrected time.
In the ILCA 7s, there was a win for Matteo Valentini but behind him there was close racing with Hugh Delap and Neil Hegarty leading the charge behind the leader. In fact the balance of the ILCA7 fleet enjoyed close racing throughout the first race. So, too in the ILCA 4s where an oversize blanket would have covered the majority of the fleet. Here, the young ladies in the fleet took two of the first three places with Amy Shelley taking the win, John Kenny second and Abigail Murphy third.
The ILCA 6s saw a lady winner in Judy O'Beirne who led the race for a significant period of time, most importantly in the phase of the race to the finish line. While her lead was marginally reduced towards the end of the, she did have the comfort of a few boat-lengths between her and her closest chaser. That honour went to a new name in this series, Jack Ives, before another recognisable campaigner crossed the line, Conor Clancy.
The proximity of the team-racing Fireflys at the weather mark and a wind change at the latter stages of the race prompted a change of course and a re-setting of the weather mark. The RO shortened the beat and moved the weather mark southwards. Another three-lap race was set and while the early beats held true from a wind direction the rain clouds passing to the south of the harbour led to big wind shifts to the right-hand side of the course during the latter stages of the race.
In the PY fleet, the Fireballs again set the pace but this time the race leaders were the "pink ladies - minus one pink hat", Louise McKenna & Hermine O'Keeffe. They romped home in 34:10, with Breen & ter Horst next in 36:12 and Miller & Donnelly at 36:59. Chaix led the Aeros home in 37:17 while Butler came home in 38:42. The two Toppers of Ben Chaix and Michael Hanley were separated by all of 5 seconds on the water. The Mirror of Sam Smith & Freddie Nelson, like the Toppers, sails two laps but their corrected time is for three laps and finished 7th on this latter mechanism.
While Matteo Valentini scored another winner in Race 2, the racing in the ILCA 7s was tighter than Race 1 and in the early stages of the race, he was not at the head of the fleet. At the conclusion of the first lap the comfortable leader was Chris Arrowsmith. By its conclusion, the finishing order was Valentini, Hegarty, Niall Cowman, Hugh Delap and Luke Murphy.
The ILCA 4s were slightly reduced for the second race but the young people in the combined start with the 7s were not being cowed on the start line by their senior peers. They were fighting with the bigger rigs for their breathing spots on the start line!
Abigail Murphy went two steps better than the first race by winning Race 2 with Amy Shelley second and James Crawford third. Again, as a fleet they enjoyed close racing.
In the ILCA 6s, two of the more regular podium finishers in Series 2 were again at the head of the fleet at the finish line. Conor Clancy took the race win from Max O'Hare while third place went to Mary Chambers.
8th February results: (*Indicates a Frostbite Mug winner but not collected)
Race 1 - PY fleet:
1. Thomas Chaix, Aero 7
2. Adam & Alan Leddy, GP14
3. Noel Butler, Aero 6
Mug Winner. Ben Chaix, Topper
Race 1 - ILCA 7 fleet:
1. Matteo Valentini
2. Hugh Delap
3. Neil Hegarty
Mug Winner. Sam Gillivan*
Race 1 - ILCA 6 fleet:
1. Judy O'Beirne
2. Jack Ives
3. Conor Clancy
Mug Winner. Jack Ives*
Race 1 - ILCA 4 fleet:
1. Amy Shelley
2. John Kenny
3. Abigail Murphy
Mug Winner. John Kenny*
Race 2 - PY fleet:
1. Adam & Alan Leddy
2. Thomas Chaix
3. Noel Butler
Mug Winner. Gordon Syme*
Race 2 - ILCA 7 fleet:
1. Matteo Valentini
2. Neil Hegarty
3. Niall Cowman
Race 2 - ILCA 6 fleet:
1. Conor Clancy
2. Max O'Hare
3. Mary Chambers
Mug Winner. Mary Chambers
Race 2 - ILCA 4 fleet:
1. Abigail Murphy
2. Amy Shelley
3. James Crawford
Mug Winner. James Keaney*
1st February results: (*Indicates a Frostbite Mug winner but not collected)
Race 1 - PY fleet:
1. Thomas Chaix, Aero 7
2. Adam & Alan Leddy, GP14
3. Noel Butler, Aero 6
Mug Winner. Ciara Mulvey & Peter Murphy, GP14
Race 1 - ILCA 7 fleet:
1. Matteo Valentini
2. John Marmelstein
3. Hugh Delap
Mug Winner. John Marmelstein*
Race 1 - ILCA 6 fleet:
1. Max O'Hare
2. John O'Driscoll
3. David Williams
Mug Winner. Finn Gregg*
Race 2 - PY fleet:
1. Thomas Chaix
2. Adam & Alan Leddy
3. Noel Butler
Mug Winner. Caoillinn Geraghty-McDonald & Sebastian Wright*
Race 2 - ILCA 7 fleet:
1. John Marmelstein
2. Gary O'Hare
3. Roy McKay
Race 2 - ILCA 6 fleet:
1. Max O'Hare
2. Conor Clancy
3. John O'Driscoll
Mug Winner. Stephen Farrell*