Irish disabled sailors reaped the fruit of a winter's hard training when they climbed from 12th to fourth in the world rankings in just eight months following last week's successful performance at the pre-world championships in St Petersburg, Florida.
The team, all members of Kinsale Yacht Club, finished joint fifth with the USA 2 team, who are the current world silver medallists. Fifteen boats took part in the five-day event and the Irish team of John Twomey, Paul McCarthy and Sean McGrath finished in the top five of each round.
This latest success puts them on target to qualify for the Sydney 2000 Paralympics. Access to a Sonar keelboat - the type used in disabled sailing competition - has made a considerable difference to the performance of the Kinsale crew, yet team sponsorship still eludes them. Their next training event will be in more familiar waters, off Kinsale, for the club's Nissan April League.
Strong winds last Sunday cut short the first round of the Optimist ranking trials at Wexford Harbour with club-mates Kier Clark and James McCarter of Strangford Lough SC emerging on top of the 50-boat fleet after three races in shifty breezes on Saturday. Howth's Ian McSweeney is placed third. A full set of results is on the class website at www.iodai.org On Malahide's Broad Meadow the National Yacht club's Oliver Williams became National One metre model yacht champion against a 30-boat fleet which was also battered by heavy winds. In the open division, British entries took the top three places with Williams fifth.
Jon Lasenby's campaign towards Olympic selection in the Laser class got a quick-fix with the announcement of a £1,000 per month sponsorship deal for the single-hander from Knorr this week. The deal, which will run until Sydney, also includes a vehicle for the National Yacht Club sailor's travel on the Eurolymp circuit. The campaign goes on line after Easter and progress from his regatta circuit can be accessed via website: www.knorr.ie Fellow single-hander Damian Foxall continues his run of success in the first event of this year's Figaro circuit in St Gilles Croix de Vie and finished second overall in the event, the Vendee Defi. He is now preparing for next week's Spi West at La Trinite.
At least two clubs are gearing up for the new season with professional staff to cope with the greater demands of a growing sport. Royal Cork Yacht Club have appointed former sailmaker Dick Gibson as chief executive, a role he takes up next week. In Dun Laoghaire, last year's Enterprise World championship organiser Robin Kay takes up the task of sailing administrator at the Royal St George YC.
On the east coast, a membership drive through local newspapers has boosted club subscriptions by 20 per cent with 56 new members availing of the New Year offer of "having fun afloat". Malahide Yacht Club Commodore Roger Greene's initiative was a reaction to falling dinghy numbers in his own club and a response to the Irish Sailing Association's five-year plan that urged clubs to seek additional members.
In Cork over 100 sailing instructors converge on Kinsale today for the first ISA instructor conference to be held in the last five years. Instructors from the disciplines of sailing, windsurfing and powerboating will be briefed by the ISA's training and development officer Tony Wright on the latest developments in teaching techniques, code of ethics and safety boat handling.
In line with the start of the season, the ISA are hosting a series of nationwide yacht safety seminars that aim at coping with emergencies at sea. Topics to be covered over the weekend of April 10th-11th include on-board safety audits, personal clothing and equipment, use of flares and man overboard techniques. For a list of course venues contact the ISA on 01 280 0239.
