SAILING:A FORMER Olympic class dinghy gets a new lease of life at the Royal St George Yacht Club tomorrow when the Firefly, designed in 1938, is boat of choice for a four-race All-Ireland Junior Sailing Championships.
Eighteen of Ireland’s top juniors will compete for the title that was originally scheduled for late October but postponed because of bad weather.
One month on, proceedings might fall victim again to gales, with 40 mph winds – too much for dinghy racing – forecast for Saturday on Dublin Bay.
The decision to use the Royal St George 12-footers this weekend will be a game changer for the Irish Sailing Association event because very few competitors are familiar with the double-handed dinghy.
There’s no doubt the Uffa Fox design, a favourite with team-racers, opens up the running but defending champion, Wexford’s Philip Doran, the reigning Laser Radial Champion, who finished 10th at the ISAF Youth World Championships in July, must remain a favourite, especially in a breeze.
In offshore news, Isora will use virtual marks next season on the Irish sea. Commodore Peter Ryan believes it will revolutionise the offshore racing scene and produce better and more exciting racing between Dublin and Wales.
Straw polls show a J109 as a favourite for tomorrow’s Irish Cruiser Racer (Icra) Boat of the year Award announcement. There’s no doubting the performance of Pat Kelly’s Storm from Howth Yacht Club but Icra judges say the decision is still wide open.
The award will be made tomorrow afternoon at the association’s conference at the Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire.
Ninety trophies as well as 509 pieces of glassware were awarded last Friday at Dublin Bay Sailing Club’s prize-giving, the 118th such prize giving of the country’s biggest yacht racing club.
The winner of one of the top awards, the Waterhouse Shield, was the X-34 Xtravagance skippered by Colin Byrne.
Byrne won the overall IRC handicap racing on Saturdays and Thursdays this season as well as the overall Thursday Echo (although the Royal Irish entry failed by two points to make a clean sweep in the Saturday Echo).
The work of sailing journalists Bob and Claire Bateman was recognised by Cobh Sailing club last weekend when the couple were awarded the Foley Rose Bowl trophy for their role in the promotion of sailing in Cork Harbour.
EIGHTEEN SEEK TITLE
JUNIOR ALL-IRELAND INVITEES Kerri-Ann Boylan, Skerries Sailing Club (Mirror); Sophie Browne, Tralee Bay Sailing Club (Optimist); Patrick Crosbie, Royal Cork Yacht Club (ISA); Fiona Daly, Tralee Bay Sailing Club (ISA); Tiarnan Dickson, Lough Ree Sailing Club (Mirror); Sean Donnelly, National Yacht Club (Optimist); Philip Doran, Courtown Sailing Club (ISA); Gregory Fay, Dungarvan Harbour Sailing Club (Topaz); Emma Geary, Royal Cork Yacht Club (ISA); Robbie Gilmore, Strangford Lough Yacht Club, (Laser Radial); Laura Gilmore, Strangford Lough Yacht Club (Topper); Seafra Guilfoyle, Royal Cork Yacht Club (Laser 4.7 Male); Eoin Keller, Lough Derg Yacht Club (Laser Radial); Peter McCann, Royal Cork Yacht Club (ISA); Sophie Murphy, Royal St George Yacht Club (ISA); Lisa Smith, Greystones Sailing Club, (RS Feva); David Whittaker, Royal Cork Yacht Club (RS Feva); Adam Hyland, Royal St George Yacht Club (Optimist).
