Seven Irish dinghy sailors embark on the 2016 Olympic qualification road next week at the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) World Cup series on the Bay of Palma in Mallorca.
The important Spanish test for the mix of London 2012 sailors and two new campaigns comes after an initial disappointing winter foray for Annalise Murphy in Miami two months ago, where the European champion finished in 32nd place from a fleet of 50 in the first round of the ISAF Cup.
Murphy, who will compete in a Laser Radial fleet twice the size of January's American turnout, is joined in Mallorca by 49er duo Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern and Laser sailor James Espey. New skiff combination Andrea Brewster and Saskia Tidey are in the 49erfx and an Irish Finn campaign has been launched by Ross Hamilton.
Intensive
Palma marks the beginning of an intensive six months of competition culminating in the first Rio 2016 Olympic qualifier, also in Spain, at Santander this September.
In Cork harbour, 16 international teams are expected to compete in June's ISAF World Match Racing Championship for Women launched on Wednesday by Royal Cork Yacht Club.
The event from June 3rd to 8th has already received entries from New Zealand, United States, Denmark, France and the Netherlands and is the first stage of the Women’s International match racing tour.
Earlier this month, a two-boat team representing the Royal Cork, skippered by Fred Cudmore and George Kingston, finished fourth at this month's Monaco 2K Team Racing Invitational.
The Munster crews were competing against seven other two-boat teams in this comparatively new discipline of team racing. 2K (2 Keelboats) racing features two boats sailing against an opposing set over a short course. The Mediterranean fixture was sailed in J24s and drew interest from America’s Cup sailors too.
In dinghy news, brothers Kenneth and Alexander Rumball with alternate crew David Moran of the Irish National Sailing School (INSS) were the overall winners of the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC) Fireball frostbite series in Dun Laoghaire. The finale to the 42nd series saw one of the largest turnouts of Fireballs when 13 boats took to the water. In the Laser division, David Cahill took overall honours with a single-point margin over Richard Harding.
Successful events
Thirty two boats competed in last weekend's Royal Cork handicap dinghy event, the PY 500. Representatives came from National 18s, 505's, RS 400, RS 200, a lone Finn, Fevas, Fireflies, Lasers of all rig types, a Rankin and a 29er. The winner was Monkstown Bay's Alex Barry in an RS400.
Following successful events together last year the RS Feva is now joining the RS200 and RS400 classes under the Irish RS Class umbrella. This establishes the three classes as an important double-hander pathway much as the Laser is for single-handers. The Irish season kicks off with the Easterns at Greystones on April 12th.
Royal Cork Yacht Club reports entries for Volvo Cork Week are rolling in for its big cruiser-racer event. With the regatta taking place just two weeks before August’s Commodores’ Cup, international teams are eyeing up the south coast biennial as an ideal work-up for August’s intercountry competition on the Solent.
Round-the-world yachtsman Pat Murphy will give a talk next Monday on what's perhaps the most famous yacht in Irish history, the Asgard. All are welcome at 6.30pm at Donaghmede Library in north Dublin.
