Decreasing fleet numbers this season is 'the elephant in the room', according to a Dublin yacht racing organiser who wants to raise his concerns before the 2024 season.
Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association (ISORA) Chairman Peter Ryan has asked fleet members for possible solutions to the drop in numbers prior to finalising ISORA's own 2024 fixture list next month.
"At our AGM in November, we must set out our 2024 race schedule. Despite reasonable entry numbers this season, the number of boats racing was disappointing", he told members.
ISORA organises cross-channel racing in Ireland and Wales and also coastal races on each side of the Irish Sea.
ISORA Chairman Peter Ryan
The call comes as the 2024 national calendar is already taking shape, as Afloat reported earlier.
The Round Ireland Race from Wicklow is on Saturday, 22nd June, and then Volvo Cork Week from July 15th to 19th to leave a useful gap to get on further west for Calves Week in Schull, which – if tradition is followed – should be from Tuesday, August 6th to Friday, August 9th.
But there’ll be little relaxation among the organising classes after that, as the ICRA Nationals 2024 are scheduled for the Royal Irish Yacht Club on the weekend of August 30th-September 1st, the Key Yachting J-Cup Ireland 2024 is at the same host club on September 7-8th, and then on 10th to 15th September the IRC Europeans 2024 descend on Dun Laoghaire, an event which has the potential to be very big indeed.
Ryan told Afloat, "In setting the ISORA race schedule for the 2023 season, we were asked to provide more coastal races. This was done, but it seemed to dilute the numbers in other races. More events next season will have the same effect".
"I’m concerned about the decreasing fleet numbers. Nobody is talking about the elephant in the room", Ryan says.
Ryan's comments follow a separate survey by the Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) this month that also asked members pertinent questions on participation.
ICRA is seeking members’ views on cruiser racing and events during the past year.
ICRA says the feedback will help it ensure that the association represents the views of its members, participants and non-participants alike, and makes targeted efforts to improve cruiser racing in Ireland.
For ISORA, Ryan suggested to members the possibility of "reverting to our traditional race schedule of offshores only and encouraging our host clubs to run the coastal races. What is the answer?
An 'open forum', chaired by Ryan, will influence the final race schedule to be voted on at ISORA's November AGM in Dun Laoghaire Harbour.
