Numbers attending the biennial Sovereign's Cup Regatta at Kinsale on June 27th-30th are likely to swell thanks to additional sponsorship from Bord Failte this week. The entry had been closed for the last two months when the cap of 100 boats was reached.

The development is a direct result of the national effort to recover from the precautions taken during the foot-and-mouth situation that had serious implications for the tourism industry. The event was first held in 1995 and targeted specifically at Irish-based club racers with overseas entries welcomed, too. The additional funding will allow Kinsale YC provide further free marina berths for 25 crews as this was the main reason for restricting entries to the original limit. The waiting list for places can now be accommodated.

"When we realised how quickly the places were disappearing early in the New Year we did our best to alert the participants in earlier Sovereign's Cups and regular supporters of our cruiser events but still ended up with a waiting list. Now that we're able to accommodate these boats, all we need to work on is the weather," said the regatta director Tony Kingston.

Meanwhile, an Irish team for the ISAF World Team Racing Championships in the Czech Republic in August has been announced. Training for John Sheehy and Anna Kilkenny, Nick Smyth and Eavan Gannon plus Olympic hopeful Gerbil Owens with Melanie Morris is underway. The three crews have won each of last season's benchmarking event including the winter team racing league. Owens is the current Irish champion while Smyth and Gannon won the National Match Racing Championship last year. Sheedy and Kilkenny recently won a Random pairs event.

The main event will be sailed in 420 dinghies, though the Firefly fleet at the Royal St George YC will be used for intensive training. This venue was host for the last ISAF Worlds in 1999 when a young and unknown New Zealand squad worked steadily up the ranks to steal victory.