10 September 2024 – Kinsale, Ireland – Race three of the Kinsale Dragon Gold Cup 2024 supported by Astra Construction Services Ltd was held in a strong and squally north-westerly that at times pushed both the sailors and their boats to their limits. The fleet was initially held ashore to allow the wind to drop a little, but racing eventually got underway around 16:00.
For the first time in the series a full five leg windward leeward course of 2.5 mile legs was completed in conditions that certainly challenged the fleet, with some dramatic place changes as a result. After a lacklustre start and a mediocre first beat Portugal’s Pedro Rebelo de Andrade, sailing POR89 with Jose Leitmann and Jamie Lea, began picking up places on each leg, but on the final beat to the finish he played a blinder, roaring through from eighth at the last gate to a resounding victory on the line. He was followed home by Lawrie Smith in GBR815, with Michael Zankel’s POR90 third.
Overnight series leader Peter Gilmour, sailing JAP56 with Yasuhiro Yaji and Sam Gilmour, finished the race in fourth place, which means they continues to lead the series by two points from Lawrie Smith, while Michael Zankel moves up into third overall at the halfway point in the championship. Peter Cook’s GBR402 drops from third to fourth, with Pedro Andrade now rounding out the top five, but on equal points with sixth placed Grant Gordon’s GBR833.
After racing Pedro Andrade was still coming to terms with their race win, saying; “It’s still hard to believe that we managed to win this race. Yesterday on the second race we went from fifth to twenty-one and I have to say I was a bit depressed last night. But I was with a fighting spirit today. Off the start we were in the front pack, but we pushed a little bit to the right and we dropped again, and we were twenty-second around the top mark. Somehow, I don’t know how, we just kept fighting. I don’t think I have ever won a race having been so far back at the first mark. And this is what the Gold Cup is about, it’s long races that give us a chance to come back.”
Taking a top ten finish for the first time this week was Xavier Vanneste sailing BEL82, who led the fleet for the first lap of the race, but he got the wrong side of a right shift on the final beat and ended the day in eighth. “We started well, we led at the first mark. We took the wrong side on the last beat when we thought it was going to happen on the left, but it shifted to the right and we lost a couple of places there. They are nice courses with long beats. After a long day of waiting, we were happy to have a nice race.” Explained Vanneste.
In the Corinthian Division the top performer of the day was the Kinsale Yacht Club’s own James Matthews, sailing IRL219 with David Good and Fergal O’Hanlon. They’d rounded the first mark in third place and by the second weather mark were heading the entire fleet. They held the lead down the final run, but on the gruelling last beat they dropped back into fifth place. Second Corinthian finisher was Graham Bailey’s GBR192 with Jono Brown in GBR753 third.
In the overall Corinthian standings James Mattews moves up from fourth into the lead, with Cameron Good’s IRL211 second and Jono Brown now third.
On the dock James Matthews was generally delighted with how his team had performed. “We’d have been very pleased if we thought we’d be fifth before the start of the race. But at the end I suppose we were a bit disappointed because we went from one to five. But we’re still very pleased because we are racing against the best and we’re absolute amateurs, so we’re delighted with ourselves. On the final beat it became very windy and there was a shift to the right, we were on the left, I probably felt we were going a little bit slower and obviously the right being favoured with that little flick didn’t do us any favours. But all in all, what a super day!”
A planned cocktail party hosted by event sponsor Astra Construction at the historic Charles Fort, which guards the entrance to Kinsale Harbour, had to be relocated to the Kinsale Yacht Club because of the late return to the dock, but despite this the free drinks and delicious canapes flowed, and a great evening was enjoyed by all.
Three races remain to be sailed in the six-race, no discard series which continues until Friday 13 September. Tomorrow’s forecast indicates the potential for more strong winds, particularly later in the day, and so the Race Committee has announced its intention to get Race 4 underway at 11:30.
PROVISIONAL OVERALL TOP FIVE AFTER THREE RACES
1st – JPN56 – Yred – Peter Gilmour – 7, 1, 4 = 12
2nd – GBR815 – Alfie – Lawrie Smith – 4, 8, 2 = 14
3rd – POR90 – Easy – Michael Zankel – 13, 3, 3 – 19
4th – GBR402 – Meteor – Peter Cooke – 1, 12, 10 = 23
5th – POR89 – First Things First – Pedro Rebelo de Andrade – 2, 21, 1 – 24
PROVISIONAL CORINTHIAN TOP FIVE AFTER THREE RACES
1st – IRL219 – TBD – James Matthews – 26, 16, 5 = 50
2nd – IRL211 – Little Fella – Cameron Good – 20, 17, 18 = 55
3rd – GBR753 – Fit Chick – Jono Brown – 37, 10, 11 = 58
4th – NED309 – Furie – Guus de Groot – 10, 25, 25 = 60
5th – GBR192 – Bluebottle – Graham Bailey – 21, 37, 9 = 67
For further information about the International Dragon visit internationaldragonsailing.net
@DragonGoldCupKinsale2020
