Source: Afloat
Finishing shortly after 3am, a County Kerry entry, Amazing Grace, won the 2013 Dun Laoghaire to Dingle race, the first Kerry yacht to win in the 20–year history of the race. The Tralee Bay Sailing Clubentry, one of the slowest, oldest and heaviest boats in the race was sailed impressively by a Fenit crew and skippered by Brian O’Sullivan to beat some of Ireland’s top offshore racers.
While a few boats in the 22–boat fleet have yet to finish this morning, only two of them have lower ratings and are now too far behind to affect Amazing Grace. Official confirmation of the result is expected by the race organisers later this morning.
Second overall looks likely to go to Spindrift, a Hallberg Rassy 34 under the command of David Kelly of Waterford Harbour Sailing Club, which should correct to about an hour behind Amazing Grace, while Lulla Belle, Liam Coyne and Brian Flahive’s First 36.7 from the National Yacht Club, will be about an hour further back in third place.
Lulla Belle is also the winner of the double-handed division.
This was a race that favoured lower rating boats as the light winds experienced for all but the latter stages didn’t allow the higher handicappers to generate the necessary distance to save their time. Additionally, the wind continued to build after the first finishers, allowing the smaller boats to cover the last 60 to 70 miles at speeds equalling or exceeding that of their faster competitors.
