This May Bank Holiday weekend (01-03 May 2010) over 300 boats from seven different classes will race on three separate courses in Dublin Bay. The format for this year’s event is based on that of the ISAF Youth World Championships which will be hosted by Dublin Bay in 2012.
Dublin Bay was selected as a venue for the 2012 ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship (ISAF Youth Worlds 2012) which is the world’s premier event for youth sailing. Since the first event in 1971, the ISAF Youth Worlds has earned itself a unique place in the sailing calendar. It is renowned for providing the sailing world with its first glimpse of future sailing superstars such as Russell Coutts and Ben Ainslie. Fifteen of the sailors who won medals at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games are past medallists at the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship. This first visit to Ireland, within three weeks of the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games, provides the perfect opportunity to showcase Ireland as a sailing and maritime destination.
The Mitsubishi Motors Youth Championships 2010 will be the first step in preparations for 2012 for both sailors and organisers. Organised by both the Royal St George Yacht Club and the National Yacht Club, three separate courses will be organised in the same format as the Youth Worlds. This will offer the clubs the opportunity to test logistics at sea and on shore in preparation for 2012.
The quality of sailing will be at the top end as this year’s Mitsubishi Championship will be the second leg of the selection trials (for International Events) for most of the competing classes, where places are hard fought for on the water.
Many of the junior sailors who will be targeting qualification for the 2012 Youth Worlds will be competing in the Optimist Class at the Mitsubishi Championships as sailors must be under 18 years of age in 2012 in order to qualify. There will be over seventy Optimists competing for this years World, European, and Under 12 squads.
The Laser Radial, Laser 4.7 and 420 Classes will also be fighting it out for Irish team places too with the prestigious 2010 ISAF slots also up for grabs. The 2010 ISAF Youth Worlds will be held in Istanbul in July and Ireland will be represented at this event by the leading sailors in all 3 classes.
The Junior Pathway classes, Topper’s and RS Feva’s will also compete along with the SL 16 catamaran which makes its debut on the bay in preparation for 2012 where it will be a class. The introduction of the SL class two years in advance offers sailors a fresh opportunity to train and qualify in this new class to Ireland.
www.dublinbay2012.com
Hosting an event with over 300 junior sailors provides many challenges for the organising clubs. Over 100 volunteers will man the sailing courses while on shore, 50 volunteers will ensure that the dinghies are launched and stowed in a systematic manner to ease the logistics of launching on each day of the event. Over 1000 dinners and lunches will have to be provided by the clubs for competitors, parents and coaches.
