English (UK) 2009 LYVER TROPHY RACE
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Friday 03 July 2009
What a difference a couple of years make!!
The previous 2 Lyver Trophy Races had enjoyed their share of difficulties with either no wind and virtually no finishers or too much wind that the start had to be delayed by 12 hours which then postponed the prize-giving by 4 days. So this year we reckoned it was about time all the balls fell into place – and how right we were!!
The decision to move the start from Liverpool to Holyhead was not initially, with everyone, very well received. It was not a decision taken lightly but was one the organising committee thought would improve the entries from North Wales and Ireland. The race was to take place the Friday after Royal Dee’s Spring Regatta and would once again be a feeder race to the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta which was starting on the following Thursday.
Entries from both North Wales and Ireland have been pretty thin in recent years but with the resurrection of ISORA by Peter Ryan, the Commodore of the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire, we were hopeful of attracting some new boats to the start line.
As appears usual in yachting the entries were slow in arriving, to say the least, but by the time ‘race day’ arrived we had amassed 27 racing entries and 2 ‘cruising’ entries – a record for the Lyver Trophy. Of the 27, 10 of them had travelled across from Ireland and there were 2 from North Wales with the balance representing either Royal Dee or Liverpool Yacht Clubs, the joint organisers. Sadly we lost one before the start, Catch 32, who had damaged her rudder on the passage to Holyhead.
Alan Dickinson and Allan Price had been busy scrutineering all the entrants, which kept them on their toes as some only arrived a couple of hours before the start. 
With a race start time of 2000 hrs and a forecast of 15-20 mph winds from the south the course was selected which took the fleet to the south of Dublin before the run back to the finish in Howth, a distance of about 95 miles.
The fleet assembled for the start that was to take place off the end of the breakwater at Holyhead. The line was from the light on the end of the breakwater to the Lady Meath Wreck Buoy with MV Gullmaren, the LYC trawler, acting as an inner distance mark about 50 metres off the end of the breakwater.
The start was an amazing sight with many boats jostling for position close to Gullmaren to get the best start. Thankfully it was a ‘clean’ start with the 26 racing fleet heading off towards the setting sun and the 2 cruisers taking their place at the rear.
As the fleet headed off the race team retired to Holyhead Sailing Club for an excellent meal before taking the 0230 ferry to Dublin. Being a conscientious lot we – that is Mary Dickinson, Derek Sparks, Jim Connolly and myself were on the finish line at Howth at 0630 awaiting the first boats home.
Just before 0930 hrs the first two, Another Nods & Mighty Max 2, crossed the line 5 seconds apart closely followed by Ulula. After these first three home the rest of the fleet arrived over a period of about 7 hours with the last boat home by 1645 hrs. We had 2 retirements, one of which motored in to Howth. Some of the Dun Laoghaire boats turned around on the line and headed back to their own marinas.
I think, without exception everyone had enjoyed the race. There were plenty of very complimentary and positive comments flying around the bar in Howth, though they may have been brought on by the quality and quantity of the Guinness!!
We had a presentation at 2100 hrs in the yacht club bar and the results for ISORA, the 3 Lyver Trophy Classes and the Lyver Trophy overall were announced. The results were:
ISORA Overall ISORA Class 1 ISORA Class 2
1st Tsunami Tsunami Just Enough
2nd Orna Orna First of September
3rd Just Enough Galileo Yahtzee
Lyver Trophy Class 1 Lyver Trophy Class 2 Lyver Trophy Class 3
1st Another Nods Panda Nova ll Flash ll
2nd Mighty Max 2 Just Enough Di-Rich
3rd Ulula Daydream Believer Tango
Lyver Trophy
1st Another Nods
2nd Mighty Max 2
3rd Ulula
4th Tsunami
5th Relentless
6th Orna
Endeavour Award
Presented to Sarnia
Finally I have some people to thank.
Firstly the entrants, because without you the organisers would have nobody to moan about! Secondly the Joint Organising Committee from RDYC and LYC and particularly the Commodores, John Ireland and Mary Dickinson respectively for their support. Alan Dickinson, Allan Price and Alex Farrell for all their help at Holyhead and for bringing Gullmaren to the start. Nick Ledingham and his ‘Rib’. Everyone involved at Holyhead Sailing Club, especially Geraint Pritchard the Commodore and Colin ‘Cogger’ Jones who all went out of their way to make us welcome. Everyone at Howth Yacht Club who welcome us so openly each time we race there. Finally a very special thanks to Derek Sparks and Jim Connolly who have been the ‘constant’ of the race team for the past 7 Lyver Trophy Races.
Peter Summerfield 07.07.09
