Sailing:Sailing Column With the inaugural Dún Laoghaire Regatta widely seen as a success, organisers from the four waterfront clubs enter review mode - a questionnaire will go to all entrants - before announcing intentions for 2007.
Two issues stand out for consideration, one at least beyond the organisers' control. The first is wind, or lack thereof. Prolonged windless spells are simply a fact of life on Dublin Bay.
The other contentious issue affected just one of last week's 23 classes and yet threatened the reputation of the new event.
Racing under the one-design grouping, the Beneteau 31.7 class attracted 15 entries, including one UK-based crew. The issue is complex but boils down to the age-old debate of how racing yachts vary in design and how to rate differences to ensure fair competition.
The history of this particular class in Dublin Bay traces its success to a particularly popular production boat from Beneteau. The hull is based on the French Figaro single-handed boat, configured to deliver club-level racing as well as family cruising.
The strong local fleet, about 20 boats, prompted the formation two years ago of an association to provide organisation and racing, the idea being that a fleet of matching boats eliminates the need for handicapping.
The problem is that "one-design" normally refers to an internationally recognised class with strict limits on dimensions, equipment and even crew weight.
But the 31.7 production boats vary considerably in final configuration as owners add optional extras that can affect performance. The association formed on Dublin Bay sought to set down its own rules to minimise these differences and so eliminate "cheque-book sailing".
However, when last week's DúLaoghaire Regatta included a separate start for the Beneteau 31.7, it attracted Nigel Biggs' Checkmate from Budworth SC. With locals Tino Hyland and Andrew Mollard on board, the visitor posed a formidable challenge.
Not only is Checkmate a newer version than the existing Dublin Bay fleet, it sails with a number of other differences such as a Kevlar backstay and battened headsail, normal features on other racing boats and counted in calculating an IRC handicap Checkmate would normally compete under.
As most racing 31.7s would not enjoy class racing as in Dublin Bay, IRC handicapping is the only viable racing option.
When Checkmate arrived in Dún Laoghaire its differences were readily apparent to the local fleet, leading to polite emails to the visitor seeking changes.
Some changes were indeed made, but the process left the visitor feeling isolated. Relations soured further after the second day of racing, when Biggs protested the second-placed yacht for failing to fly a class flag, a move seen by the fleet as petulant, though Checkmate argued it was simply adherence to the rigid rules espoused by the class.
The affair ended with Checkmate roundly defeating the local fleet, a win many agreed was due to talent and not boat features.
The 31.7 class experiment on Dublin Bay has produced highly enjoyable racing, but the system has its flaws, not least the fact the boat simply isn't a one-design. Which is where the age-old row re-emerges. The precursor to true one-designs was the "level-rater", where similar, but not identical boats sailed on a "first home wins" basis.
An alternative might be to require each 31.7 to have an IRC handicap certificate and permit an agreed tolerance of a couple of points. In this way, some hi-tech gear would be counted in the handicap tolerance while still permitting level-rating racing.
In the meantime, it is certain if the Dublin fleet enters other big open events, this problem will again arise.
