Spindrift Racing on countback

Top three MOD70s finish on equal points in today's final breezy Dublin City Races

After six City Races it took one exciting Speed Match tie-break finale, a short out-and -back reaching sprint, to decide the overall winner of the Dun Laoghaire City Races.

From two days of tight competition in a great mix of breezes Spindrift racing, Groupe Edmond de Rothschild and Foncia finished locked together with the same 63 points aggregate.

But it was Yann Guichard’s team on the black and white hulled MOD70 Spindrift Racing that won the start and broke the finish line first in the showdown, to secure the overall City Race series in Dun Laoghaire.

It was a fitting and very exciting conclusion to a fabulous day of inshore racing for the MOD70 European Tour’s second stage.

After Dublin Bay saw an incredibly close finish to the 1238 miles first offshore leg from Kiel when Foncia, Spindrift Racing and Groupe Edmond de Rothschild finished within 77 seconds after three and half days racing, the inshore series carried on the same level of suspense and tension which is becoming increasingly associated with this exciting MOD70 one design fleet.

Friday’s racing was in light and fickle breezes when Foncia won two races but today the southwesterly winds topped 20 knots at times.

Complemented by perfect September sunshine which helped draw sizeable crowds to the East Pier to watch the racing, the strong breezes placed the greatest premium yet on crew work and manoeuvres round the compact race course and over the piece Guichard’s crew were the better starters and the most fluid around the turning marks.

Spindrift Racing looked to have set themselves up to win the first race of the day when they lead down the first downwind leg but they were passed on the short, fast reaching leg by Groupe Edmond de Rothschild which went on to take first gun. With the mark for the leeward offset mark drifting, race direction had set a RIB with flag M as a mark and alerted the fleet by VHF.

The leading two boats went to the drifting mark while both Groupe Edmond de Rothschild and Musandam-Oman Sail both rounded the substitute mark-boat and gained.

In the second race of the day perfect timing and placement was the key to Spindrift Racing’s flying start with the breeze up at its strongest, 18-21 knots, and Guichard’s team were unstoppable, going on to win.

Foncia made an uncharacteristically slow start and struggled, finishing up fourth, pipped to third by the Sidney Gavignet skippered Musandam-Oman Sail.

Race 6 saw Race for Water profit at the top end of the windward leg to lead Musandam-Oman Sail in second around the course. But with Groupe Edmond de Rothschild rounding third, Foncia fourth and Spindrift fifth the final order meant these three closely matched teams all finished with the same points aggregate.

When it came to the high pressure finale it was Spindrift Racing which, again, won the start, accelerating away to lead round the one turning mark and win the series overall.

Dun Laoghaire City Race, Overall after six races
1- Spindrift Racing EUR (Yann Guichard FRA) 12+11+9+11+12+8 = 63 points
2- Groupe Edmond de Rothschild FRA (Sébastien Josse FRA) 9+10+11+12+11+10 = 63 points
3- Foncia FRA (Michel Desjoyeaux FRA ) 11+12+12+10+9+9 = 63 points
4- Race for Water SUI (Stève Ravussin SUI) 10+9+10+8+8+12 = 57 points
5-Musandam-Oman Sail OMA (Sidney Gavignet FRA) 8+8+8+9+10+11 = 54 points

Speed Match
1- Spindrift Racing (Yann Guichard)
2- Groupe Edmond de Rothschild (Sébastien Josse)
3- Musandam-Oman Sail (Sidney Gavignet)
4- Race for Water (Stève Ravussin)
5- Foncia (Michel Desjoyeaux)

Photos by Mark Lloyd/MOD SA