Italians extend their lead

SAILING:THE HIGH winds that have dominated Irish weather since Sunday delivered a brief respite yesterday but now seem set to freshen once again as autumn takes over as the new summer.

The lull yesterday allowed another three races on Dublin Bay for the Star European Championship that is now back on track and hoping to complete its eight-race programme today before winds freshen towards gale force again.

Italian 2006 European championship Diego Negri with crewman Enrico Voltolini who have dominated since Sunday, extended their overall lead after a first and third place yesterday, while an eighth was discarded.

The standings have also tightened up in the current runner-up places as Poland’s 2008 World champion and Finn class Gold medallist Mateusz Kusznierewicz with Dominik Zycki moved up the standings to second overall.

Ireland’s Peter O’Leary and David Burrows have been displaced from third overall to fifth and have a fight on their hands to regain a podium place, presuming the weather permits the two final races in the schedule either today or on tomorrow’s reserve day.

The original 32-boat fleet has gradually been depleted to 26 crews that no longer includes double Olympic Gold medallist Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson after the helm suffered an ankle injury earlier this week.

The fleet saw widespread mast damage on Tuesday, bringing to four the number of dis-mastings in the gale disrupted series. Returning the fleet to the new temporary marina installed by Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council at the Carlisle Pier next to the Royal St George Yacht Club proved popular with the sailors, even those whose rigs hadn’t been damaged as there was widespread concern for the “tweaky, bendy, breaky” masts on the 100-year keelboat design.

The key decisions whether to race, postpone or abandon during the week by principal race officer David Lovegrove from Howth Yacht Club and his team have also been welcomed by the crews.

However, Lovegrove is a glutton for punishment it seems. Barely a week before the Stars started racing in Dún Laoghaire, he was managing the Optimist National Championship where a combined fleet of almost 200 boats across senior, junior and regatta divisions was as much of a challenge as the smaller fleet comprising Olympic and world championship grade sailors in action across the bay.

Barely pausing to return to Howth with the Free Enterprise flagship, Lovegrove goes into action again on Sunday when the BMW J24 European Championships get underway off Ireland’s Eye for a 10-race series.

And for good measure, early forecasts suggest that 40-boat fleet will have gales to contend with for the beginning of that four-day series.

Leading the Irish challenge will be Flor O’Driscoll and the crew of Hard On Port, who recently retained their national crown at Lough Erne and also won the season’s two regionals at Lough Ree and Malahide.

Nevertheless, the forecast is of some concern. “When it gets to 25 knots, J24’s are right on the limit,” said Robin Eagleson who is the Irish J24 Class president, “But the top guys will race in anything but for the others, discretion is the better part of valour. Fortunately, the Howth area tends to be pretty flat, depending on the wind direction.”