Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Slow, lumbering and short on thrills, the Star is the heavyweight of the Olympic regatta. It has taken 20 years to produce an Irish fleet but each of the three campaigns now running for China deserve support because no other Olympic class more accurately reflects Irish sailing. In fact, 70% of sailing here takes place in keelboats. But these greenhorn teams face a far bigger obstacle than each other if they want to find themselves on the Beijing route in six months time and continue an unbroken run of Irish representation since 1992. Mark Mansfield raced at four Olympic regattas in the class, a boat he made his own, but his best result was at his first games in Barcelona when he finished eleventh. Now that he has hung up his Olympic boots, the next generation is aiming to be the first to make it into the top ten. But at an estimated €250,000 per campaign, it’s proving an expensive, uphill journey. Unlikely as it may seem, a pairing of 22-year-old dinghy rookies who had Weymouth 2012 as a target is now considered to be in the running for 2008. THE CONTENDERS Maurice O’Connell and Ben Cooke- Royal St. George YC and Royal Cork YC - World Ranking: 27 Max Treacy and Anthony Shanks - Royal St. George YC and National YC - World Ranking: 34 Peter O'Leary and Steven Milne - RoyalCork YC and Royal North of Ireland YC - World Ranking: none (World Rankings taken at March 5th 2008) But first Ireland needs to have a place on the Olympic start line. The attempt to secure it was missed at the World championships last September when 75% of the Olympic fleet was picked. Now the focus is on April where up to eight countries, including Ireland, are pinning their hopes on securing one of four remaining places at this year’s World championships in Florida when the 17-boat Olympic fleet will be complete. There are good reasons to think Ireland will get a place because of some fine individual performances, but worryingly enough at this year’s only indicator event so far – January’s Miami Olympic Classes Regatta (MOCR) – Ireland finished at the back of the countries in the hunt. In Miami, on the same waters where the World championships are scheduled, Royal Cork’s Peter O’Leary (22) and Royal North’s Peter Milne (22) were race winners in MOCR, opening eyes with the pace of their progress in just a few short months to finish 17th. They are sailing a hand-me-down hull from British medallist Ian Percy, also their training partner. In early March they placed ninth overall in the Bacardi Cup out of 118 boats. It’s these kind of results that has raised the former Laser sailors to the status of contenders between the two other pairings of Maurice O’Connell and Ben Cooke, and Max Treacy and Anthony Shanks. But if Ireland should get a slot, there will be no trials; instead selectors look set to go with gut instinct. Last year, O’Connell narrowly missed qualifying Ireland but posted 14th at the World Championships with a personal best. It’s a result that brought official funding but little else because the pair were sidelined for MOCR, while O’Connell recovered from a hand injury. Happily this week he has been given the all clear to sail again. Meanwhile, Treacy and Shanks from Dun Laoghaire showed good early season form last year by placing fourth in the Spring European championships, a result that proves their worth. They finished 21st in MOCR. The Star has had an Olympic presence since 1932 and with these contenders, Ireland looks likely to build on Mansfield’s pioneering efforts, but just like a bus route, it needs monitoring to run on time. Of the eight countries looking for the four slots, Switzerland, Norway, Bermuda, Australia, Croatia, Ukraine and Russia all are single entries. Ireland has the advantage of multiple crews competing to boost its chance. But this could also backfire if the world championship descends into an Irish dog fight where nation qualification ends up taking a back seat and all three crews end up with a one-way ticket home next April. STAR PROFILE The Star is one of the most prolific keelboats in the world for a reason: it is an incredible boat to sail, say enthusiasts. Designed in 1911 by Francis Sweisguth, it has proven to be a classic in every sense. It’s the oldest Olympic class, having first been used in competition in 1932, and still at the heart of that competition today. Supported by a worldwide association, the Star as a class is one of the best organised in sailing, with over 7,500 yachts built over its 80-year history, and 2,000-plus actively racing today. The Star has evolved into a craft for all ranges of competition and performance sailing: its equipment and rig is simple enough for the novice, yet versatile enough for those on the forefront of sailing. It’s large, powerful sailplan, combined with a sleek hull and light weight, propel the boat in the faintest of airs, while the flexible spar can be tuned to ‘de-power’ when the breeze kicks up. The large main is adjustable, allowing the sailor to completely control the driving surface of the sail. Starts today are generally constructed of fibreglass, with positive flotation and an integrated keel. The design, sails, and equipment of the Star are governed by stringent class rules, created to improve competition on the basis of skill and control cost . This has also served to help the longevity of the design, keeping older boats competitive through careful evolution. Stars are generally ‘dry-sailed’, that is, stored on their trailers when not in use, and with a total weight around 1,500 lbs, can easily be towed from place to place. Many of the world’s top sailors past and present have been involved in the Star Class. The list of former World Champions reads like Who’s Who of yachting: other top sailors such as Colin Beashel, John Kostecki, Mats Johansson, Hans Vogt, Benny Anderson, Rod Davis and Mark Reynolds are also involved in the Star class. But the class is made up of a variety of sailors of all ages and skill levels. One race on a Star has hooked some sailors for life: they’ll tell you: it’s a thrill. Despite this, except for Olympic triallists, the boat never caught on in Ireland