ICRA Ratings officer Denis Kiely from Cork will chair an open floor Q&A session on the topics of cruiser racer sailing in Ireland at the ICRA Conference on March 4. The aim of the session, according to Commodore Simon mcGibney, is that by sharing of information from the people on the ground will help us all find ways to encourage cruiser racing within the Irish club system.
Recent changes to the 2017 sailing programme of Dublin Bay Sailing Club, as described in this morning's Irish Times Sailing Column here, should therefore be food for thought at the Limerick-based conference.
The Dublin Bay Sailing Club season is to be enhanced by new races. Coastal contests are at the centre of the revamp of competitions held out of Dún Laoghaire but the country's biggest club has also cancelled its annual cruiser challenge because of an overcrowded calendar.
The capital’s racing fleet will also race to the Burford Bank and south to Shanganagh buoy in Killiney Bay as well as using DBSC’s own buoys as turning marks.
DBSC is an umbrella organisation representing all four Dún Laoghaire waterfront clubs and co-ordinates bay racing for a fleet of nearly 300 boats in 22 classes from 50-foot offshore yachts to 13-foot inshore dinghies.
The 2017 courses are a response by reforming Commodore Chris Moore to demand from sailors seeking variations to so-called “round-the-cans” races. Three coastal races are scheduled for May 27th, June 17th and August 5th. Read more in the Irish Times here.
ICRA conference agenda
TIME (APPROX.) ITEM
10:30 Registration & Welcome – Simon McGibney (ICRA Commodore)
10:35 Introductions – Simon McGibney
10:45 National Crew Training Project – Norbert Reilly
11:00 Review of Cruiser Racing – Denis Kiely
– Participation Level Trends
– Round Table Discussion
13:00 Training Grant Scheme – Colin Morehead / Denis Kiely
13:20 Crew Point – Simon McGibney
13:30 Lunch
14:30 Guest Presentation: Wining a World Championship – ‘Prof.’ O’Connell
15:10 Guest Presentation: IRC – Mike Urwin (Technical Consultant RORC Rating)
15:50 ICRA National Cruiser Championships 2017 – Paul Tingle (RCYC)
16:05 ICRA Association Update – Simon McGibney
16:15 ICRA Boat of the Year Presentation – Simon McGibney
16:30 Finish
