DESPITE STRONG interest from clubs around the country and Irish Sea region for this month’s BMW Cruiser Championships in Howth, Ireland is unlikely to field a competitive defence of the Commodores’ Cup in Cowes this July.
For the last six months, it seemed likely the 2010-winning team captain Anthony O’Leary would again be competing with his Ker 39 Antix from the Royal Cork Yacht Club while the Welsh-Irish Corby 36 Roxy was also available.
Former team captain Colm Barrington confirmed yesterday he was set to make a return to the Commodores’ Cup provided a suitable boat could be found.
The Grand Soleil 43 Quokka 8 was being lined-up as the third boat but this has since been secured by the Hong Kong team who placed second in 2010 and are widely tipped as pre-event favourites this year.
With less than three months remaining before the event, pulling together three crews comprising nearly 50 sailors plus shore and team support would be too late. However, the Irish Cruiser Racing Association is still interested in fielding a squad to maintain interest in the event and begin training for the 2014 event.
Suitable boats and crews may well be amongst the expected 100-plus entries that have so far entered the national championships that will be sailed off Ireland’s Eye over three days beginning on Friday, May 25th.
So far, 97 crews have signed-up and at least five more boats are known to be committed. Whether the final turnout matches the record of 120 entries set in 2010 remains to be seen but almost 1,000 competitors are still likely to be afloat for the three-day series.
The IRC handicap break-points for the classes have yet to be set but based on likely divisions, five classes are likely, each with it’s own national champion. O’Leary will be defending his title in Class Zero but will be up against Nobby Reilly’s Crazy Horse from Howth racing on home waters.
Rush Sailing Club’s Storm, owned by Pat Kelly, is also the defending titleholder in Class One but Paul O’Higgins Rockabill V has returned to the ICRA fray after the Dún Laoghaire yacht’s protracted absence for refit.
Anthony Gore-Grimes’ Dux and Vincent Gaffney’s Alliance II will be hoping for home-waters advantage over Kinsale’s Allure, owned by Brian Goggin, the defending Class Two winner.
Flor O’Driscoll on J24 Hard On Port will have another chance to dislodge Neil Kennefick’s Tiger, the quarter-tonner from the Royal Cork defending in Class Three but the pair will also have stiff competition from other former IOR-rule classics going through a revival at present. The Rob Humphreys designed Quest, second-placed in the 1987 Quarter-Ton Cup, is back in action, this time under Barry Cunningham from the Royal Irish YC, and is one of the expected additional entries.
And strong interest amongst the smallest boats means this year’s Class Four is likely to have a good turnout as well.
* The Irish Sailing Association’s Olympic squad received a boost this week in the lead-up to the London Games when Providence Resources PLC was announced as the team’s title sponsor.
Annalise Murphy (Laser Radial) Peter O’Leary and David Burrows (Star keelboat) and Ryan Seaton with Matt McGovern (49er skiff) will be in the Olympic Council of Ireland’s team for Weymouth with three other boats also running for qualification in the next month.
