Day 2 of the Brass Monkeys Spring Series

04 February 2026
Day 2 of the Brass Monkeys Spring Series
 
St Brigid was clearly in a foul mood for Sundays second Brass Monkeys race, sponsored by Tadg Riordan Motors, forcing most sailors into full wet gear. She did, however, make amends by delivering a healthy 15-knot breeze — though she remained frustratingly indecisive about exactly where it should come from.
 
Based on an initial wind direction of 280°, the Race Committee set Course 13, though the breeze had other ideas and regularly flicked up towards 320°. Despite the unsettled conditions, the racing stayed lively throughout. The rain eventually eased, even offering a few welcome glimpses of sunshine.
 
Credit Rupert Jeffares
 
Some fine-tuning of the handicaps (AI proving itself a wonderful tool) resulted in a reshuffle of the overall standings. Unfortunately, this wasn’t quite enough to rescue Battling J from the bottom of the leaderboard, thanks in part to an earlier alarm-clock malfunction.
 
Pretty Polly, credit Neil Murphy
 
After two races in Fleet 1, Mistoffelees jumps into the top spot, while Fleet 2 sees Flexit leading the way. Pretty Polly endured a tougher day, falling from the top of the table all the way to the bottom.
 
With plenty of racing still to come and no doubt more tweaking ahead, the series is shaping up to be a fun and unpredictable contest over the coming weeks.
 
 
Race Report by Derek Bothwell