SAILING: The presence on the west coast of a large fleet of cruiser-racers for the Galway Bay Championship series once again highlights a recurring issue in Irish sailing, that of the erratic and conflicting state of the national fixtures list.
More than 60 boats have gathered and hail from the south to north coasts for the biennial championships of the West of Ireland and Northern offshore racing associations.
The fleet comprises the usual mix of club level crews plus several notable contenders in both classes.
But the fleet lacks the best competition found when the regular rivals that compete at east and south-coast regattas go head to head.
Just two weeks ago, Galway's John Killeen, on Nimmo, deposed Colm Barrington's Gloves Off as the king of class zero in a thrilling series at the Sovereign's Cup in Kinsale. The DúLaoghaire supremo endured his second defeat of the 2003 season and the prospect of further battles in the class raises its head.
So now in Galway, Nimmo dominates class one unchallenged, without significant competition.
As one crew-member said: "It would be great to see the other big boats here because all we're doing is racing against the clock. But then maybe they're just not up to coming west."
The Galway event offers fine racing grounds and a locale already famed for its hospitality. The opening two days have had plenty of breeze that locals are well used to and present a real challenge to visitors from more sheltered waters.
In truth, the distance is a factor but so too is the timing of this and most other events in the fixtures list. The Dublin regattas in June lost potential entries as Kinsale's Sovereign's Cup clashed at the end of the month.
Last week's Dún Laoghaire to Dingle Race also lost out and yet would have been an ideal feeder race to the south and west coasts for both the Kinsale and Galway events in a more streamlined calendar.
Meanwhile, thousands of club sailors around the coast are obliged to contribute to the upkeep of the sport and for something so easily cured, without spending vast sums, surely they are entitled to better?
The recently announced Irish Cruiser Racing Association as an umbrella body is a positive move in this direction but it must be prepared to challenge the status quo in the wider interest of the sport.
Back to the Galway Bay championships themselves, and, unsurprisingly, John Killeen's Nimmo continued its winning form after two further races in near gale conditions on the bay yesterday with victory in both Olympic courses.
Ger O'Rourke's Chieftain, from the Royal Cork YC, moved into contention as nearest rival with two second places, though it will require a huge turn-around in the Galway boat's fortunes to present a credible threat.
Class two is a closely fought contest, however, with Foynes Tis, skippered by Paul Cusack, and Mayo Sailing Club's John Gordon on Aurora almost level on points.
Racing continues today, followed by a long, inshore race tomorrow. The J24 class also joins the fleet for their Western Championship.
