SAILING:CORK'S TOP helmsman Nicholas O'Leary is back on the water next week but this time as coach at the World Team Racing Championships in Perth, Western Australia.
The Cork university helmsman was captain of the winning team at the Student World Cup in France last November, a top achievement for 2008, a year in which he also lifted the All-Ireland sailing title.
Now his mentoring of a three-boat squad is seen as a significant boost to Irish fortunes Down Under.
The team is a combination of last years’ Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) team, which won most events last year, plus University of Limerick sailors Darragh O’Connor (21) and Katie Tingle (18).
A separate discipline within sailing, team racing will be held next week in Pacer dinghies, something of an unknown quantity outside Australia.
It has not stopped the Irish team from practising, however. They found three old Pacers very cheap on eBay in the United Kingdom and have been afloat this winter.
The six sailors qualified for the trip to Perth last April by finishing second in the Team Sailing National Championships.
They are made up of several crews who hail from the traditional Mermaid class. Brian Fenlon (29), Emer McNally (20) and Conor Byrne (25) are all from Skerries and Fenlon was several time National Champion crewing for Derek Joyce. Byrne won the 2006 Laser II European championship.
Marty O’Leary (22) and O’Connor crewed for Nicholas on the winning All-Ireland Championship boat, and crewed Irish representative John Sheehy to fourth in the recent Nations Cup event in Kinsale.
O’Leary is twice Laser II National Champ and IUSA Sailor of the Year.
The Irish Sailing Association (ISA) is behind a push to include as many classes and associations as possible at the forthcoming Allianz boat show at the RDS next February 18th.
There has already been strong interest from the GP14s and Flying Fifteens among others. More information from Margaret Andreucetti of Expo events on 01-2958181.
Online entry is now available for the Irish Cruiser Racing Association from June 11th-13th, 2009, that also takes in the West of Ireland Offshore Racing Association (WIORA) Championships at Tralee Bay Sailing Club, Fenit, Co Kerry.
Entry forms at www.traleebaysailingclub.com
