Ireland's windsurfing community is celebrating the news this week that the Professional Windsurfing Association Tour (PWA) will be staging one of its events on the Dingle Penninsula this October. More than 70 of the world's best wave-sailors will compete for a prize-fund of $60,000 in the first of what organisers hope will be a three to five year series here.

A pre-qualification series will be staged by the Irish Windsurfing Association at the venue from the 2nd to the 4th of October while the PWA event begins on the 5th and runs until the 11th. Ten wild-card entries will be decided by the qualifiers with three of these guaranteed for Irish sailors.

The Irish event is the third major sailing event this year to be funded by the Government's Sports Tourism Fund, with £125,000 committed to this event alone. The money will be used towards the prize-purse plus the massive media operation that publicises the tour.

The balance of the $250,000 event has been underwritten by SSM Freesports, the London based management agency that promotes the tour, who will be seeking locally based sponsorship.

The PWA Tour produces 26 half-hour TV programmes that are broadcast in 50 countries, while edited highlights are also shown in 150 territories.

"The Dingle Penninsula has one of the best low-pressure weather areas in Europe," according to Gerry Dawson of SSM Freesports. "This is a vital ingredient in wave sailing and the sailors are really up for this.

"Ireland's graphic coastline has been an attraction for many years and even Robbie Nash, one of windsurfing's legends, is coming out of retirement for this."

The tour arrives in Ireland fresh from a regular venue in Sylt, northern Germany, where the event attracts crowds of between six and eight thousand spectators according to the organisers. The Bantry Bay venue will be something of a movable feast dictated by the prevailing weather.

Ideally, a minimum of half-metre waves with 12-15 knots of wind are needed to allow the sailors to plane, according to tour manager Louie Hubbard.

Obviously more would be preferred, and the October date reflects the fact that Ireland is unsuited to windsurfing during the peak summer months as the wind is rarely strong enough during June, July and August.

This autumnal attraction is one reason why the Bord Failte-administered fund is backing the event as they seek to lengthen the tourist season in Ireland attracting the "significant niche market" that is represented by 20 million wind-surfers world-wide.

This is the first such visit to Ireland by the pro-sailors and the plan is to stimulate the event into a self-financing status to retain its place on the tour.

The format of the event will vary according to the prevailing conditions.

Wave sailing is judged by a panel of six international judges and sailors compete in elimination rounds either one-on-one or in pairs.

Further details at: www.world-windsurfing.com

Meanwhile light airs followed a complete absence of breeze yesterday for the start of the FM104 Optimist National Championship at Howth when a fleet of 106 young single-handers started their four-day series. Silver fleet entry Sean Cotter from the Royal Cork YC took overall honours for the first day ahead of a chasing pack of hopefuls.

With the first race due to start mid-morning, thick fog closed off the race course between Ireland's Eye and Lambay Islands and the fleet was kept ashore. Shortly after mid-day, a small flotilla of rigid inflatables towed the boats to sea and shortly after one o'clock, a faint sea breeze allowed principal race officer David Lovegrove to get the first race away.

In less than five knots of wind, a strong flood tide crossing the course area proved fatal for many unwary boats and taking the right hand side of the first and only beat of race one was the only realistic option. Cotter won the first race and later that afternoon scored a creditable ninth amidst a host of gold fleet contenders.

Racing resumes this morning with a forecast of a break in the weather although whether this brings more wind or simply rain to kill off any sea breeze remains to be seen. Meanwhile, the main fleet of 106 in the championship will be joined tomorrow by a further 70 or so junior boats.