Ballyholme YC's Icebreaker Series is just into its final third with racing every Sunday afternoon up to 20th December.  This is Part I of the 1998/99 Series, the real test comes up with Part II starting in early February!  This year the event is being run with two classes, the cats having a separate series from the dinghies as well as a separate start as last year.  This has been brought about by the inability of the PY Handicap system to cope with the performance difference of the cats in varying wind conditions (ok, and by the total domination of last year's windy series by the cats, too!).

The Series is an open event for any visitors, and we have managed to attract John Campbell away from Lough Neagh to join Wic McCready both sailing Dart 16s. As well as the well-known two Hurricanes and a Hawk, we now have a total of twelve Dart 18s in the Club, seven of these being raced regularly.  This gives an average eleven starters in the cat class, sometimes more, though dropping to a hard core of nine when strong northerly winds blow!   So far the winds have been on the fresh to strong side, though we have lost only two of the scheduled fourteen races.  The cats make a fine spectacle blasting round Ballyholme Bay with twenty or thirty dinghies in company.

Series leader at the moment is Mine's-a-Double (Dart 18 - Stephen Polly & June McMinn) with three wins.  They are closely pursued by Brace-yourself-Bridget (Johnny Mullan & Ian Wilson's Hurricane 5.9), very consistent performers never finishing below sixth.  These two have won five of the seven races held so far!  Other race winners have been Tiercel (Pete & Dee McDowell's Hawk) and Two's Company (Dart 18 - Richard Swanston & Bob Espey) who are an easy third overall.  There have been a few changes of ownership among the Dart 18s, Alan McIlroy has bought Mark Valentine's Slack Tart and is tentatively getting used to two hulls! Mark himself has bought Richard Swanston's boat and is continuing where Swanny left off (apart from an over-enthusiastic OCS!).  Other regular performers include The Business (Dart 18 - Rob Armstrong & family) and Supernatural (Allen Bell & Michael Crowe) currently in fourth & fifth respectively, and George Crowe who with Amanda McCullough or Jan Nixey (a future Dart owner??) is one of the few who have started in every race of the series.

So there it is, only five more racing days to Christmas!  The Darts are praying for southerly force five winds, the bigger boats are looking for a bit less, those of us with three bad results are still hoping to get enough races for three discards to apply!  But we're all out there enjoying ourselves, if a little strenuously at times!  The big question is.... can we get seventeen cats out for the (traditionally well attended) last race on the 2Oth ?

(Pete McDowell)

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