SAILING: AFTER A brief mid-season lull, sailing championships are resuming around Ireland with an Indian summer becoming a real possibility marking 2010 as a vintage year for great racing conditions.
The now-traditional summer lunchtime series in the city-centre continues today with the annual Dublin Port Liffey Challenge that gets under way along the quays.
Originally sailed in 1720 Sportsboats, a fleet of eight popular Laser SB3s will take part in the series that is being sailed under the burgee of the Royal Alfred Yacht Club and starts shortly after the East Link Bridge lifts to allow the fleet onto the race course at 11am.
Seán Craig is defending champion and will be competing today while Peter Lee’s boat-handling is highly-rated and will be essential in the short-tacking confines between the quays.
One-designs will also be to the fore nearby at Howth Yacht Club until the end of the month when Etchells keelboats will be in action.
This weekend’s Euro Car Parks Irish National Championships will serve as a warm-up event for the class’s World Championships that begin a week later.
Star billing in Howth will be America’s Cup legend John Bertrand from Australia, who ended US domination of the contest for the world’s oldest sporting trophy in 1983 when he defeated Denis Conner in Newport, Rhode Island.
Conner is also a name synonymous with the Etchells class as is four-time America’s Cup winner Russell Coutts. Both sailed in the national championships in the early days of the class in Ireland in 2006 and 2004 respectively.
Neither is competing this time in Ireland: Conner has retired from the class and Coutts is busy deciding on the America’s Cup’s future, notably whether to switch from monohulls to multi-hulls and a decision that could have far-reaching effects on the sport.
Nevertheless, both the Irish and the world titles are certain to be close-fought events with the home-challenge crews led by Dan O’Grady on Kootamundra Wattle, Richard and David Burrows on Matatu Dubh, Simon Knowles on Jabberwocky and Laura Dillon on Key Capital.
In addition to Bertrand, former world champion Peter McNeill from Australia will be in action as will leading American challenger Argyle Campbell.
Elsewhere, more than 200 junior sailors, undoubtedly including future Olympians, will be competing at Waterford Harbour Sailing Club next week when the 3 Irish Optimist National Championships begin on Tuesday.
Entries have been received from Finland, India, Bermuda, Spain, England and Scotland as well as Ireland and include 20 sailors from the host club in Dunmore East. The fleet is split into 150 for the senior titles and the remainder into the regatta event for younger sailors.
