SAILING / Column: After just three years in existence, the Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) has brought a new lease of life to the largest sub-division of the sport in this country.
After its annual conference in Kilkenny last weekend, a shift in interest from the traditional "cruiser" to racer-cruiser can be detected.
Founding Commodore Fintan Cairns, currently planning his fourth and final year at the helm, says the primary achievement of the group has been to bring a clear national focus to an otherwise scattered fleet at various venues around the coast.
With funding derived from the Irish Sailing Association's recently-acquired administration of the IRC handicapping system and sponsorship confirmed by Saab, ICRA delivers a basic package of support measures, though Cairns points out that more advanced services would require full-time appointments to assist the voluntary organisers.
Three years ago the first initiative to gather as many owners and crews together at a single venue paid off when Kilkenny's central location acted as a draw in itself. Last weekend leading naval architect Mark Mills confirmed IRC is moving to a period of greater stability and world acceptance. Such confidence-building is certain to encourage better participation and more travelling from local crews.
In ICRA's fourth season in 2006, the National Championships will be staged in Dún Laoghaire for the first time. Having decided the Irish winners, as many of the fleet as possible will sail north to compete in the Scottish Series on the Clyde in May.
Returning from this brings the fleet back to the east coast for the Dublin Bay regattas followed by the BMW Round Ireland Race. That event is timed to end ahead of the biennial Cork Week in mid-July. Such a commitment will prove a tough challenge for regular crews relying on work leave, echoing a perennial complaint from cruiser racer owners that finding enough crew to sail in all events is proving impossible.
That leads to an area ICRA will be considering over the coming months. Initiatives here include developing a contact network that doesn't rely on club membership to bring available crew into contact with boats holding vacant crew places. A possibility also exists of staging a coaching-type event based on the successful Solent Red Funnel Regatta.
Of all the progress made by ICRA over the last three years is the possibility of up to four Irish teams of three boats each competing at the Rolex Commodore's Cup at Cowes at the end of June.
At least two teams are assured and ICRA plans to play a background support role only. While downplaying the association's role in the combined Irish squad, such support measures are agreed to have been the deciding factor in Britain's 11th-hour defeat of the Irish squad last year.
Cairns hopes to have a shore-based squad in Cowes providing rules experts, weather analysts as well as providing a forum for "knowledge sharing".
ICRA plans to hold a group meeting in the coming months to maximise planning potential among the final Irish squad line-up.
