Winning debut for Voodoo

SailingEvery season has its stars, some expected and some decidedly surprising. At the end of a long and arduous 121st Dublin Bay season, extending from April to September and encompassing all sorts of difficult racing conditions, the silverware to be presented tonight has been scattered in some surprising directions.

One of the most predictable awards, however, was Tim Goodbody's triumph in White Mischief to take the George Arthur Newsom Cup - as reported in last week's column - for the best one-design boat in DBSC racing in 2003.

Goodbody, international sailor, race administrator and DBSC course-designer, must in his time have won every trophy going. This year he also won the first and second midweek series in the Sigma 33 class, the second Saturday series and the Fireseal Trophy for midweek racing overall.

More unexpected, among the cruisers, was the award of the Waterhouse Shield to Ross Doyle's Two Step (best handicap boat). Doyle, who over the past few seasons has been quietly building up formidable racing skills, came to the fore this season with a range of convincing wins.

His achievement was all the greater in that the fleet in which he competes, Cruisers 3, has now become the biggest of DBSC's 18 classes. The Cruiser 3 entries this year rose to 38, as the Ruffians, hitherto the largest class, slipped back to 34 entries.

Two Step dominated racing in IRC, winning the first Saturday series as well as the first and second midweek series. For Saturday's IRC overall, she won the Jack Kennedy Memorial Cup and, for Thursday's IRC overall, the Smalldridge Cup.

For good measure, Doyle also won the Viking Clock Trophy for Saturday Echo overall.

Another winner of a DBSC premier prize was the new Jason Kerr-designed Voodoo Chile. Its owner, Eamon Crosbie, opted to race away from Dublin Bay for the earlier part of the season, but she came back to win both the Thursday and Saturday IRC series. Voodoo Chile received the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Trophy for the best new boat racing in Dublin Bay.

Every year, DBSC honours the memory of its late, ever-lamented Hon Secretary with the Brendan Ebrill Cup. It is awarded to the most successful boat which most frequently participated in its races without having won a major trophy. This year it went to a Ruffian, Ruff N'Ready, which, with a very competitive Ann Kirwan at the helm, gave a run for its money to the eventual winner of the two Ruffian trophies, Ruff Nuff (Derek and Carol Mitchell).

Earlier this year, Ruff N'Ready had the heartbreaking experience of seeing the Ruffian championship slip from its firm grasp when a foresail blew out at a critical stage.

Among the winners of DBSC silverware for performance over the season (74 pieces, at the last count), there were a number of new or newish boats. Chris Power-Smith's J29 Jostle carried off the JB Hyland Cup for the best Tuesday boat in Cruisers 1, and Seán O'Regan's Dahler 31 Vespucci won the Silver Foam Trophy for the most improved boat in Cruisers 2.

There were also some boats which, while their owners may not be new to the Dublin Bay scene, had not featured before in the silverware list: the Ruffian Papillon (P and R Guilfoyle, D Meghan) won the John Donnelly Perpetual Cup for the best Tuesday boat and, in Dragons, Snapper (Gerry Owens, Barry Dunlea and Chris Fleming) won the RIYC Cup and the Old Tyme Cup.

The weather being what it was, some dinghy fleets may not have had a great year of it in 2003, as far as turn-outs are concerned. The IDRA 14s, now one of DBSC's oldest dinghy classes, have accumulated some splendid prizes over the years to reward boats that actively support club racing. Dunmoanin' (Frank Hamilton) won the Kennedy Cup for Saturday races overall as well as the Bay Cup for midweek overall.

The Melampus Trophy was won by Sapphire (Lorcan O'Sullivan), and the Half-Way Trophy went to Squalls (Stephen Harrison). The Crews Challenge Cup was won by Jennifer Byrne.

The Fireballs, the most active as well as the most numerous of the dinghy classes, have two overall prizes.

Francis Rowan's Splash and Dash won the Saturday Cup and Noel and Hugh Butler's Butler's Ball won the Nuit St George Trophy.

A full list of 2003 prize winners, class by class, is below.