SAILING: The instant success of the latest class to launch on the Irish sailing scene has scored highly in the advance-orders stakes ahead of the 2007 season. The Laser SB3 three-person Sportsboat has attracted 40 new boat orders around the country, an almost unprecedented take-up for any class in recent times.
The appeal of the SB3 centres on several key features: ease of transport with its lifting keel, high performance and perhaps most significantly, reliance on just three crew members.
However, the arrival of the boat is certain to spell trouble for the Irish-built 1720 Sportsboat which has struggled to maintain its following in these waters. This five-person design was launched to great acclaim more than a decade ago and attracted a popular following in Ireland.
Events such as the class European championship and other large regattas regularly witnessed many of the best professional sailors join club crews, often to the frustration of all-amateur boats.
Olympic veteran and 1720 Class maestro, with two European championships to his credit, Mark Mansfield is one of the skippers to join the new fleet. The Royal Cork sailor wouldn't be surprised if by next season the fleet will have grown to 60 or 70 and credits the marketing support and commitment that Laser delivers as very significant.
"I'm looking forward to good one-design sailing in my own club with the option of going to the UK and racing in 100-boat fleets. Many good sailors who would have been in the 1720 class in its heyday have switched over. Fleets are also growing all over the world so its going to be a proper international one-design class."
A special deal package from Laser, that ended on Tuesday, delivered a brand-new, fully race-ready SB3 for €25,000.
As for the 1720 Sportsboat, though numbers seem unlikely to rival the success story of the new kid on the block, potential is significant if the existing boats are concentrated in large numbers in single locations.
Meanwhile, hopes for an Irish win at the annual Student Yachting World Cup are high this morning as Trinity College are in the overall lead going into the final race at Lorient, France.
The series is organised by the Ecole Polytechnique under the burgee of the International Sailing Federation. Sailed in Mumm 30-footers, the class used in the Tour de France a la Voile, the timing of the event usually delivers fresh conditions.
With two discards for the event, Ireland has a three-point lead over Portugal and must finish in the top five and within two places of their main challengers to secure the overall title. Of the 11 races sailed to date, Trinity have counted three wins, three second places, two thirds and a fourth, so on this form they must be considered favourites.
