#youthworlds – Here's a wrap up highlight video from the ISAF Youth Worlds Laser Radial Boys and Girls fleets. Joel Rodriguez and Martina Reino made it a double Spanish victory in the Laser Radial fleets but it was a week in which Ireland's Seafra Guilfoyle topped the leaderboard taking silver in the last race. 

The 2014 ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship has set new grounds for the regatta with Tavira, Portugal playing host to a record number of nations and sailors as the curtain was drawn on the event at the closing ceremony.

Tavira's Town Hall square played host to the closing ceremony on 18 July and saw the achievements of all 367 sailors from 67 nations celebrated.

Spain lifted the Nations Trophy for the first time in their history as they celebrated four medals from the eight classes racing in the Algarve.

Five days of intense competition saw 86 races completed with the finest youth sailors on the planet taking the honours.

The ISAF Bengt Julin Trophy was awarded to South Africa's Brandon Wijtenburg and Todd Fisher who had demonstrated good sportsmanship, respect, graciousness, helpfulness and friendliness to their fellow competitors.

First awarded in 1990, the ISAF Bengt Julin Trophy is a unique trophy which is awarded to a competitor or a National Team that has done the most to foster understanding and displaying attributes that are encouraged at the ISAF Youth Worlds.

Wijtenburg and Fisher were nominated by their peers and received the award from ISAF Vice President Nazli Imre.

Alongside the medal presentations special thanks was given to event sponsors, volunteers and boat suppliers who made the 44th edition of the ISAF Youth Worlds possible.

ISAF Vice-President Nazli Imre closed the event and handed the ISAF flag over to Langkawi, Malaysia, host venue of the 2015 ISAF Youth Worlds.

#irishsailing – After five years of economic contraction, there are signs of recovery, and the 2014 Irish sailing season has also got off to a flying start. W M Nixon looks at various signs of new energy and initiatives, and sees how they might be affecting stories which have been run on this blog and in the Afloat.ie website during the past year. But he concedes that further cost reductions will be necessary for the good of the sport.

A year ago, any talk of green shoots in Ireland was almost entirely metaphorical. And it was in the economic sphere, though even there they were still few and far between, with many soon stunted. But out in the farmers' fields themselves, out where the grass should have been growing, there was scarcely a sign of life as we were still trapped in the coldest and most miserable Spring in living memory, and all forms of growth and recovery were blighted by it.

Sailing and boating, of all sports, are the most affected by Ireland's climatic conditions. Not only is the mood among participants strongly influenced by weather which sometimes can get anyone down, but without reasonable breezes, sailing events are seriously impaired. "We got a result!" may well be the PRO's final desperate claim after pulling some sort of a points table and leaderboard out of a series bedevilled either by too much or too little wind. But it's so much better to have a series bathed in sunshine and blessed by fine breezes, with enough races sailed for the crews to go home tired but happy without needing recourse to any of those weasel words which show you're only trying to justify a weekend of frustration.

Things could not be more different this year. The Spring of 2014 has been perfection, boats are going afloat on time and in reasonable weather conditions, and the first little crop of events and results are very encouraging indeed - so encouraging, in fact, that "little crop" doesn't do them justice.

That said, two of the nearer events which gave special cause for Irish celebration did not have perfect weather throughout. The Youth Sailing Nationals at Howth may have ended on a high with a great breeze in an early taste of summer sunshine, but one day out of the four was lost to bad weather. But the sting of that was lessened by the decision for "no racing all day" being taken at 1100hrs, which allows other leisure options to kick in.

The IRC Easter Championship in the Solent concluded through Easter Monday literally with "Darkness at Noon" – the heavy clouds and torrential rain on an almost windless day saw the final races being sailed with nav lights on. But there had been excellent racing on earlier days, and a very excellent result with Anthony O'Leary's Ker 39 Antix from Cork the clear supreme champion.

Doing the business. Anthony O'Leary's Ker 39 Antix settling into the groove on the way to the top place in the Easter IRC Championship. Photo: Rick Tomlinson

That in turn augured well for Ireland's Commodore's Cup chances, which then received a further boost last weekend when the crew of another Irish team wannabe, Quokka with Michael Boyd and Niall Dowling, had a winning weekend in the Warsash series with their temporary mount Tarka in anticipation of Quokka's return from the Caribbean at the end of May.

The Colours Match team racing between UCD and Trinity served up top sport in the Liffey, with Trinity winning. Photo: W M Nixon

Meanwhile the universities racing has been brought to life, for although UCD had a convincing win in the racing with the SailFleet J/80s to become the Irish team for the Student Yachting Worlds in France in the Autumn, before April was out the Colours Match in the Liffey under the burgee of the Royal Alfed YC, team-raced in Fireflies, saw Trinity take the honours in convincing style.

But if we're looking for something which really did set things freshly alight, it was out in Hyeres where the ISAF Championship saw the northern duo of Ryan Seaton & Matt McGovern take silver in the 49er, almost immediately moving them up the global rankings from 33 to 11, a quantum leap and no mistake.

The potential for serious success by these two has been fairly obvious for some time, but anyone who sails boats will know only too well how many factors have to come into alignment to get you up among the magic metals at the end of the day.

Stars of the silver sea – the Seaton/McGovern team took a silver medal for Ireland at Hyeres.

That their new global status was almost immediately acknowledged by this rankings improvement will in turn add heft to everything they do and say. Thus when, some time ago, the Ryan/Seaton equipe suggested that the 2016 Olympics sailing waters in Brazil are so off the standard as to be a health hazard, it attracted polite attention. But now that they're Number 11, and still counting down, much more notice is taken. And the fact that the Vice President of the International Olympic Committee has suggested, with something approaching despair, that the facilities in Brazil just aren't going to be ready for 2016 at any standard, all gives added legs to the statement from Ireland's 49er crew.

This in turn makes us wonder where world sailing might go in 2016 if the Brazilian setup is still Work in Progress. With tongue only slightly in cheek, we suggest they need look no further than West Cork, where Baltimore Sailing Club has been expanding its facilities to meet increased demand as a club which last year introduced something like 700 people to sailing. That BSC and current Mitsubishi Motors "Club of the Year" Kinsale YC further east along the West Cork coast have both been putting in premises up-grade during the past year, while other clubs have been having it tough, and just about hanging in there in some cases, surely gives pause for thought.

Olympic venue? The extended and up-graded Baltimore Sailing Club is ready and raring to go.

The economic shakeout of the past five years has caused a massive write-down in the value of almost all property and other assets. And in the case of yacht and sailing clubs, there has been a detailed examination of the continuing validity, or otherwise, of established yacht clubs and their traditional business model of quite high subscriptions under-writing other facilities which in turn combine to provide the complete package of an orthodox yacht club.

Inevitably, most clubs are run by officers and committee members who have been involved with the club for many years. Thus, like people who have been running a quality hotel for decades, they may have an inflated notion of what their organisation and its premises are actually worth. Admittedly there's only limited usefulness in comparing a yacht club with a hotel, but lessons can surely be learned. The fact is that hotels today are worth maybe only a third or even less of what they were reckoned to be worth six years ago. And equally, while yachts clubs certainly have a unique package to offer, is it unusual enough and special enough to charge high subscriptions when there are alternative facilities and services available?

The dilemma arises to some extent in all sailing centres. Last week we were discussing the story of the development of Howth YC. Today it is in the seemingly happy situation of having its own marina, thus it theoretically can offer an attractive all-in-one package to any potential member. But the very fact that Howth YC has done so much to help make Howth a colourful and vibrant sailing/fishing port is partly to its own disadvantage. The place has developed as a remarkable focus for top seafood restaurants. This means that the extensive club catering facilities – expected by traditional members - are constantly battling for business with a whole slew of award-winning eateries and characterful pubs nearby.

The problem is more acute in Dun Laoghaire in that the only club within the marina area is the Royal Irish YC. Thus while people may have been loyal members of the National, the Royal St George and the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, they find that after going out in the boat, it's very easy to round out the evening aboard in the marina, chatting among themselves or with other crews on boats nearby, and then head straight for home without making their number in their home clubs at all.

This situation is less in evidence at weekends and during special events. But nevertheless it was causing such a lessening in mid-week club vitality that various steps have been taken, and the Royal St George's move to take over berths in a block booking in the outer marina, and service them by a frequent ferry direct from the clubhouse, is a visionary step.

The Royal St George YC has introduced a direct ferry service from the clubhouse to its group of berths in the outer marina in Dun Laoghaire. Photo: David O'Brien

To overcome a lack of direct access to the Dun Laoghaire Marina, the Royal St George YC is running a ferry service from its clubhouse (to right of Stena Ferry, foreground) to the berths in the Outer Marina (upper left) Photo Kevin Dwyer/courtesy ICC.

Nevertheless, in all club administrations there are those who are of the opinion that, whatever the Honorary Treasurers may believe, there has to be a radical re-think of the primary subscription levels. In essence, they're suggesting that the book value of the club has to be written down such that subscriptions are halved. Personally, I haven't much of a notion of how to read a balance sheet, but the dogs in the street know that in the hospitality industry – which, in the broadest sense, is the area in which yacht and sailing clubs operate – values have been savagely slashed, and while charges may still seem high, at least the places are surviving as going concerns.

With continuing reduction in expenses across the board, one area in which there seems to be much work afoot is in the Irish Sailing Association, which in latter days had begun to seem like some hidden corner of the civil service, existing more for the benefit of staff than for the provision of services for sailors. It's amazing to learn that the ISA has sixteen fulltime staff, and a basic annual wages bill of something like €600,000. When you add in the expected benefits, it musty come in total to a very tidy yearly sum.

What on earth do they all do? While you'll invariably find the ISA logo in prominence at some top events, it has to be said that you're entirely unaware of the organisation's existence in any form at more everyday happenings, and it doesn't seem to be because they believe in doing good work by stealth. But with special study groups resulting from the major changes introduced in the ISA setup at the AGM in March, we can only hope that in time the Association will reflect the cost-cutting which has had to be introduced in the clubs, which provide the main part of the ISA's income.

While the administrative structures are rightfully being pared back in many areas of our sport, the coastal infrastructure, on which all forms of seagoing ultimately depend, continues to need maintenance and development. In this area, one very promising green shoot is the news that there are signs of movement in Dunmore East. A dredging programme is getting under way, and just this Tuesday, Minister for Marine Simon Coveney TD convened a meeting in the port to inaugurate a community approach to harbour development which, it is hoped, will help to invigorate the many places around Waterford Estuary, for which Dunmore East has the potential to be the true gateway harbour.

Dunmore East – can it fulfil its potential as the gateway leisure port for the Waterford Estuary? Photo Kevin Dwyer, courtesy ICC

In a more extreme marine environment, it has been confirmed that €6 million will be spent on improving the pier at Doolin in northwest Clare, the nearest mainland quay to the Aran Islands, which also caters for the tour boats cruising along the Cliffs of Moher. While the locals seem well pleased, I wouldn't get too excited about it. This is one very rugged part of the coast, and when you remember that it took €31 million to extend the pier at Kilronan in Inismor, the main Aran island, and another €14 million to build the little harbour at the north end of Inis Meain, the middle Aran island, then we can only hope that €6 million is going to achieve something more than a few boulders being shifted about in the roaring ocean at Doolin.

The pier at Doolin is decidedly minimalist, but it provides the shortest sea passage to the Aran Islands. Photo: W M Nixon

But then, in the west all things are possible, and along the ocean seaboard we're told that four thousand signs are being erected to guide people along the Wild Atlantic Way, the new tourism initiative using many smaller coastal roads. Quite so. Frankly, with signage at this level, it will be the Tame Atlantic Way by the time half of them are in place. I have to admit to being a complete curmudgeon in this. In many years of transitting Ireland's west coast by sea and land, one of our favourite areas while driving along the west coast has long been the coast south of Kilkee down to Loop Head, where the cliffs comfortably rival anything the vulgar Cliffs of Moher have to offer, and it is magnificently uncrowded. But not any more, if the Wild Atlantic Way movement has its way.

While I appreciate that visitor numbers have to be kept up and increased whenever and however, it has to be done in a way which appreciates that's what brings people to Ireland (rather than just to Dublin, which is a special case) is an unspoilt landscape. So, four thousand signs just for the one Atlantic Way? Ogden Nash had something to say about this:

"I think that I shall never see,
A billboard lovely as a tree.
But then, until the billboards fall,
I'll never see a tree at all".

Be that as it may, the final sign that suggests things are on the move again is a notice I spotted recently posted at a nearby club, though language pedants might wonder how a notice which manages to mangle so utterly the plural of "dinghy", even to adding a completely superfluous greengrocer's apostrophe, could be seen as encouraging in any way whatsoever.

Well, once you've overcome your opinions about the errors, the underlying message must be good news. More youngsters are evidently coming to sailing this year. And as for the spelling mistake, even that's an improvement. A year ago, the same notice board opened by referring to something called "a dingy", but this time round we have to get to the second line before finding that. And it all comes right for dinghies in the end.

Sign of the times? Whatever about the spelling, this current notice at an Irish sailing club has an underlying message of good news. Photo: W M Nixon

#youthsailing – Séafra Guilfoyle from Cork has beaten off stiff competition to win the Laser Radial division of the Irish Youth Sailing Championships at Howth Yacht Club today. A reported 250 sailors were competing across five classes since Thursday, with Saturday blown out and the regatta sailed in mainly in light to medium conditions.

Up for grabs at the annual youth event which was entirely single–hander based (except for a fleet of 13 double–handed 420s) were places on squads and teams for international events.

Overall results for each class (Laser radial, 4.7, Topper, 420 and Optimist) are downloadable below as jpeg files. 

Only one point separated Séafra Guilfoyle and fellow Royal Cork Yacht Club member Cian Byrne after the first race today. Both sailors were again neck and neck for the second race which left them tied on points and all to play for in the ninth and final race of the championship.

When it came down to the last race this afternoon Guilfoyle and Byrne were tied on points so the pressure was really on for both of them to perform. The final turned in to a match race between the pair who both finished mid-fleet. But discarding those points, it was Séafra who came out on top with 24 points. Cian finished on 25 points to take the silver while another Corkonian; Ross O'Sullivan from Kinsale scooped the bronze. Sarah Eames from Ballyholme Yacht Club finished seventh overall and takes the prize for first girl.

Guilfoyle, a past Irish Optimist champion, took to Twitter to pass on the news of his latest success:

Youth national champion! Qualified for the youth worlds in July absolutely delighted!

— Séafra Guilfoyle (@SeafraGuilfoyle) April 27, 2014

In the 420 double-handed class local Howth sailors Robert Dickson & Sean Waddilove won the regatta with a race to spare. The 2013 champions are currently in transition year and have spent their academic year studying in France where they have also been able to put in a lot of training and competition time on the water. And their hard work certainly paid off. They put in a solid performance over the three days which shows in their results of 1, 1, 2, 2, 4, 2, 2, 2, 2. Finishing in second place overall were Peter McCann & Arran Walsh from Royal Cork and in third as well as first girls were the McDowell cousins Lizzie and Cara from Malahide.

In the Laser 4.7 class overnight leader Nicole Hemeryck took the first race win of the day to extend her lead by seven points. Johnny Durcan from Cork was 2nd which moved him up to 2nd overall. His win in race five, along with the discard coming in to play, then narrowed the gap to five points. But even a win in the final race for Johnny wasn't enough to catch Nicole who is the new 2014 ISA Laser 4.7 Champion. An impressive feat for the Dun Laoghaire girl who only recently graduated from the junior Topper class to the Laser. Settling for silver was Johnny Durcan followed by Conor Sherriff in third.

In the Topper class Hugh Perrette knocked Geoff Power off the top spot after the first race of the day and held on to that position for the rest of the championship. Of the six races, the National Yacht Club sailor won four which along with a 3rd and discarded 8th was enough for him to claim the gold. Geoff Power from Waterford was 2nd overall while Heather Spain from the National Yacht Club earned both third place overall and first girl.

 

#coastalrowing – Coastal Rowing is an extremely exciting and rewarding sport and on Saturday 26th April between 10am & 2pm, St. Michael's Rowing Club, Dun Laoghaire will be holding open rowing sessions for U12s, U14s, U16s, U18s Boys & Girls.

The event is FREE and the format of the taster session will be on a drop in basis and will commence 10am sharp at the Coal Harbour. There will be a warm welcome to all and a session packed with lots of fun. All equipment will be provided. It is advised that anybody wishing to tryout should wear normal sports type clothes and runners.

Registration forms etc will be to hand on the day and must be filled in prior to stepping into the boats.

For any more information about the youth section of the club, please contact:

Gareth Whittington, Youth Officer, St. Michael's Rowing Club

Phone: +353-86-0447241

E-mail: [email protected]

#sailing on Saturday – How many of the hundreds of contestants in the Four Star Pizza Youth Worlds getting under way in Dun Laoghaire this weekend will go on to achieve adult fulfillment as international sailing stars?

As with other sports, sailing sometimes has a problem in translating junior success into longterm adult achievement. Suddenly, the sheer pressure of expectation and achievement results in a complete turnoff in the enthusiasm of rising stars. They may even rebel by taking up golf or gardening.

Yet when we consider just some of the names of sailing greats who first came to prominence through the Youth Worlds, it would be obtuse not to be swept along in the wave of enthusiasm which this massive championship is engendering.

People like Russell Coutts, Ben Ainslie, Chis Dickson and Robert Scheidt have emerged as stars of the future from the Youth Worlds. Irish sailing also has its host of Youth Worlds graduates, the best-known being Olympic Silver Medallist David Wilkins, and this year's Olympic participants Peter O'Leary, David Burrows, and Annalise Murphy.

In addition to trophies for individual sailors and crews, the all-squad Nations Trophy provides a significant extra dimension, with France the defending title-holders. Their entry Groupama having clinched her win of the Volvo Ocean Race in Galway last weekend, the French team are under extra pressure to keep the title. But – hear this – they're up against 350 young sailors from 63 different nations.

The Youth Worlds is just that – totally worldwide, utterly global. The Irish squad are Sophie Murphy (Laser Radial, Strangford Lough), Finn Lynch (Laser Radial, Dun Laoghaire), Patrick Crosbie & Grattan Roberts (420, Cork), Alexander Rumball & Rory McStay (SL16 Catamaran, Dun Laoghaire), and Sean and Tadhg Donnelly (29er, Dun Laoghaire).

Necessity being the mother of invention, the current financial restraints on campaigning cruiser-racers in far-flung events has been giving the spin doctors a merry time. It doesn't do the job to describe a regatta with a significantly lowered entry list as being small but perfectly formed. But boutique will do very nicely, thank you.

So we'd a boutique series for the Scottish championship back in June, as scarcely any Irish boats could afford to go, and they're usually 30% of the entry. Now in Crosshaven they've coined the handy phrase "Boutique Week" for this year's Cork Week. But though numbers may be down, the sport is quite something, and heavy hitters such as Piet Vroon's Ker 46 Tonnere de Breskens from the Netherlands, Mike Bartolomew's Summit 40 Tokoloshe from South Africa, and Jamie McWilliam's sister-ship Peninsula Signal 8 from Hong Kong have been having mighty racing.

Meanwhile the seasoned campaigners of the International Dragon Class have been quietly building a head of steam towards their main event, the Gold Cup in Kinsale in September. The 2012 programme's focus on Ireland has got off to a useful start with a good turnout for the Edinburgh Cup on Belfast Lough, and an excellent result for the home squad, the title going to Simon Brien who finished tops with defending champion Martin Byrne of Dun Laoghaire in the runner-up slot.

Foncia skippered by former Figaro star Michel Desjoyeaux took third in this week's Krys MOD 70 Transatlantic Race at an average speed of 24.96 knots.

And on this Bastille Day morning, Vive la France! They're defending champions in Dublin Bay for the next week, they topped the Volvo Race leaderboard in Galway a week ago, and in recent days while we've all been grumbling about the weather, the first four of the new French-inspired MOD 70s have been scorching across the Atlantic from New York to Brest at speeds well in excess of 30 knots, with the leaders averaging better than 25 knots all the way cross the pond.

An MOD 70 is a state-of-the-art trimaran, 70ft in length and so light the all-up weight of one of them is less than the 8.7 tons of a Volvo 70s keel. Developed during the past three years, they've anticipated the proposed future setup of the Volvo boats by being one design. But as with any mighty leap, resources have been stretched, and though nine boats have been started to build in France, to date just five have been commissioned.

Coming to a bay near you....the fantastic new MOD 70 class will be in Dublin Bay in September. They've just completed their first Transatlantic Race with the winner and runner-up crossing in less than five days from New York to Brest, averaging better than 25 knots.

However, for their first big international event, this week's Transatlantic dash, they secured the sponsorship of Krys. Solid backing, this – they're the French equivalent of Spec-Savers just in case your google persists in steering you towards a Cayman Islands-based global insolvency consultancy, or various pop stars.

Anyway, with Krys to clarify the vision, they got four of the boats to the US where they made a formidable impression in Newport before racing down to New York, with Steve Ravussin and his team on Race for Water taking the honours on that initial sprint. It was from Manhattan on Sunday that they zoomed away into the Atlantic, but the early leader (it was Ravussin again) impacted with what is believed to have been a container, so he'd to slow back and didn't get to Brest until last night, in fourth place.

That a damaged boat could still cross the Atlantic in less than six days gives some hint of what was happening among the three which were still in the hunt. They were screaming along. First to finish on Thursday in 4 days 21 hours and 8 minutes was Yann Guichard's Spindrift Racing, an average of 25.3 knots. Groupe Edmond de Rothschild, skippered by Sebastien Josse, also was above 25 knots, while third placed Foncia (Michel Desjoyeaux), was just under, clocking an average of 24.96 knots.

So it's a beautiful Bastille Day in Brest this Saturday morning. And the MOD 70 show will be coming to Dublin Bay in September – hang onto your hats.

W M Nixon's sailing column is in the Irish Independent on Saturdays

youthsailing – Schools from Ynys Môn (Isle of Anglesey) and Gwynedd have won praise from Welsh Government member Ieuan Wyn Jones for spearheading a revolutionary approach to education, which makes the marine environment a key part of learning.

At the Ysgol y Môr (School of the Sea) Race Day 2012, at the Plas Menai National Watersports Centre near Caernarfon, more than 200 children from 13 local schools demonstrated how they have developed their knowledge of subjects ranging from renewable energy technology to marine biology, as well as watersport skills, by taking part in the first initiative of its kind in the UK, being piloted over three years.

Mr Wyn Jones said: "I am very impressed with this pilot project. The schools have clearly got a great deal out of it and I want to work with the Ysgol y Môr team to see how we can develop it further."

Sponsored by nuclear power technology specialists EnergySolutions, who own Magnox Ltd, the day featured an inter-schools regatta of sailing, kayaking and windsurfing races: a marine renewables regatta, run by Engineering Your Future, showcasing pupils' work on solar powered boats, wind and water turbines, and fuel cell technology, culminating in a solar boat race; and a Classe de Mer (Classroom of the Sea) display, showcasing pupils' work on marine wildlife, conservation, maritime culture, history and landmarks on the Menai Strait, ocean sciences, coastal living and dune formation, art and literature.

The event also hosted an Ysgol y Môr Conference for 100 delegates, with Ieuan Wyn Jones AM as keynote speaker, a video about Nautisme en Finistere (Brittany's equivalent of Ysgol y Môr), and presentations by the region's head teachers and an independent assessor on the value of the programme.

Dave Callen, EnergySolutions' Engineering Manager at Magnox Wylfa Power Station, said: "Education is one of the keys to North West Wales' economic and cultural sustainability – and so are the region's marine resources, including energy. We are delighted to sponsor this inspiring event."

Hundreds of youngsters are learning subjects including renewable energy technologies and watersports.

Jon Philips, Director of Stakeholder Relations for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), one of the principal funders of the project, said: "The NDA is delighted to have supported this programme, which we hope will inspire future generations to consider the exciting employment and business opportunities associated with the coastal environment – creating an even more vibrant and exciting place to live and work."

Ysgol y Môr is the first initiative in the UK to use the marine environment as part of mainstream education.

It is modelled on a 30+ year educational programme in Brittany, which has been the driving force behind the growth of the region's highly successful marine industry. It has created major economic development and sustainable jobs, which have helped safeguard the Breton language and culture.

Ysgol y Môr is being piloted in the counties of Gwynedd and Ynys Môn. In the first phase, spanning three years, 1440 pupils from 16 schools are learning watersports skills. 1170 pupils are being taught a range of existing curriculum subjects in classes de mer ('classrooms of the sea'), across both counties.

The launch of Ysgol y Môr followed more than three years of development by North Wales Watersports and its partners. This included a fact finding mission for North Wales educationalists and local authority representatives in 2007 to Brittany, which has 20 dedicated 'classrooms of the sea' centres that have trained thousands of pupils.

The Ysgol y Môr programme is designed as a template for a new national approach to education, based on involving pupils more closely with their local environments, including mountains, forests and urban areas.

#ISAYOUTHNATS – Dun Laoghaire sailors have filled three of the four slots on the Irish squad for July's ISAF Youth World Championship 2012 in 89 days time.  The selection was announced tonight after an intensive four day battle at the Mitsubishi Youth National championships on Dublin Bay. The 2012 Irish youth team is as follows:

Irish Team Four Star Pizza ISAF Youth World Championship 2012:

Laser Radial Boy: Finn Lynch (National YC)

Laser Radial Girl: Sophie Murphy (Royal St George YC)

420 Boys: Patrick Crosbie & Grattan Roberts (Royal Cork YC)

29er: Sean & Tadhg Donnelly (National YC)

#ISAYOUTHNATS – Four intense days of racing at the ISA Mitsubishi Youth National Championships on Dublin Bay out of Dun Laoghaire, involving 380 sailors across seven classes with 10 nations including GBR and Ireland, concluded today with world class racing.

This morning's racing started with all to play for in each class with some of the most exciting racing in the Laser Radial boys' class. All three top boats were within one point of each other going into the last race. ISA Academy Sailors Finn Lynch (IRL/ NYC) and Robbie Gilmore (IRL/ Strangford YC) punched the line well in the last race. Finn pulled in front and controlled the fleet well to win the last race and overall event ahead of Tomasgaard (NOR/ RNor YC) and Robbie Gilmore.

In the Laser Radial girls class, Sophie Murphy (IRL/ RStGYC) leapfrogged Georgina Povall (GBR/Hickling Broad SC) and Ellie Cumpsty (GBR/Chew Valley Lake SC) to take 'first girl' and secure her place on the Irish team for the Four Star Pizza ISAF Youth Worlds this July.

In the 420 class, the French continued their dominance winning by 15 points and overall there was a tremendous international showing in this class. Patrick Crosbie and Grattan Roberts (IRL/ RCYC) were the first Irish boat coming in at 8th place with 84 points and taking the Irish 420 slot for the Four Star Pizza ISAF Youth Worlds this July.

In the Topper class where the sailors battled changeable conditions, Liam Glynn (IRL/ Ballyholme YC) takes the Topper title with a large 12 point lead ahead of William Thomas (GBR/ Teifi YC). Dougie Power (IRL/ WHYC) placed 3rd just two points off the GBR boat.

In the Laser 4.7 class, Erica Ruigrok (IRL/ Rush YC) was the top Irish with a 3rd overall and first girl overall.

In the Optimist Championship class after the final two races, Peter Fagan from the NYC took 1st and Michael O'Suilleabhain from Kinsale YC took 2nd.

Sailing: ISA Mitsubishi Youth National Championship 2012

OVERALL WINNERS

Laser Radial Class, after 11 races, inc 1 discard:

1 F Lynch (IRL/National YC) 43pts. 2 H Tomasgaard (NOR/ RNYC) 54 pts 3 R Gilmore (IRL/Strangford Lough YC) 50pts. Other top 10 Irish: 6 S Guilefoyle (IRL/Royal Cork YC) 109pts.

420 Class, after 11 races, inc 1 discard:

1 G Pirouelle/V Sipan (FRA/SNPH) 25pts, 2 J Poret/L Chevet

(FRA/SNPH) 40pts, 3 A Vose/ K Urwin (GBR/RLYC) 40pts. Leading Irish: 8 P Crosbie/G Roberts (IRL/Royal Cork YC) 84pts, 9 A Hyland/ B Staunton (IRL/ RStGYC) 87pts 12 R Dickson/S Waddilove (IRL/Howth YC) 105pts

RS Feva Class, after 8 races inc 1 discard:

1 C Totterdell/C Maguire (IRL/Royal St George) 10pts, 2 D Johnston/L Flynn-Byrne (IRL/Howth YC) 20pts, 3 J Tingle/C Guilfoyle (IRL/Royal Cork YC) 23pts

29er Class after 11 races inc 1 discard:

1 J Hawkins/C Thomas (GBR/Restronguet SC) 15pts, 2 T Rippey/A Munro (NZL/Tauranga YC) 18pts, 3 O Bowerman/M Peach (GBR/Hayling Island SC) 24pts

Topper Class after 8 races inc 1 discard:

1 L Glynn (IRL/Ballyholme YC) 17pts, 2 W Thomas (GBR/Teifi BC) 29pts, 3 D Power (IRL/WHSC) 31pts

Laser 4.7 Class after 8 races inc 1 discard:

1 M Whitfield (GBR/Penarth YC/CBYC) 15pts, 2 R Auger (FRA/CN Claouey) 20pts, 3 E Ruigrok (IRL/Rush SC) 63pts

Optimist Championship Class: after 8 races:

1 P Fagan (IRL/National YC) 7pts, 2 M O'Suillebhain (IRL/Kinsale YC) 9pts, 3 C Gorman (IRL/ NYC) 15pts

#ISAF YOUTH WORLDS – An Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Cllr. John Bailey hosted a reception in Dun Laoghaire's County Hall last night to officially launch the Four Star Pizza ISAF Youth Worlds which will be hosted in Dun Laoghaire in July of this year writes Cormac Bradley. In welcoming the great and the good from the political and sailing communities to the reception, represented by sitting TD Mary Mitchell O'Connor, County Manager Owen Keegan, County Councillors and Commodores and officials from the host clubs respectively, Councillor Bailey spoke of the Council's delight that an event of this magnitude would be coming to Dun Laoghaire and stressed the importance of this and similar events which generate visitors to the area. The ISAF regatta in particular provided an opportunity to showcase Dun Laoghaire and Ireland to overseas visitors from an expected 65 countries.

Irish Sports Council Chairman, Ciaran Mulvey, alluded to the special relationship between his organization and the ISA, the host authority for the Youth Worlds. He advised the gathering that the ISA was highly regarded by the Sports Council and this had enabled more funding to be directed to their coffers. However, with improved funding came a heightened expectation of performance and the launch of this event was indicative of the type of delivery that satisfied this expectation.

ISA President Niamh McCutcheon thanked Cllr. Bailey for hosting the evening's proceedings and reminded the meeting that the Youth Worlds was one of three ISAF events to be hosted in Ireland this year, the other two being an ISAF Training Conference in March in Howth, and the Annual ISAF Conference in November. She thanked the Sports Council and the main event sponsor, Four Star Pizza for their support in making the Youth Worlds a reality and reminded her audience that without significant sponsorship events like this simply couldn't happen.

Representing Four Star Pizza, Damien O'Malley spoke enthusiastically about the tie up between his company and the regatta. Highlighting his corporate aspirations for marketing their brand of pizzas he said that he believed that the sponsorship of the regatta would assist in the future marketing drive of Four Star Pizzas.........and to prove the point, at the conclusion of the speeches, pizza was served to the invited guests.

Regatta Chairman, Brian Craig closed the proceedings by making a special presentation to Frank Keane of Mitsubishi Motors in support of the company's sustained sponsorship of the Irish Youth Nationals which had attracted a record entry this year. The 2012 event is a precursor to the Youth Worlds and its significance is heightened by the presence of international teams at this weekend's regatta from Great Britain, New Zealand, France, Estonia and Canada.

#ISAYOUTHNATS – Although there is a Portuguese leader of the Irish Laser Radial class championships, Dun Laoghaire's Finn Lynch is only three points adrift of Pedro Roque after the first two races in light airs of the Mitsubishi Irish Youth National Championships off Dun Laoghaire today.

The event, attended by ten countries, is a test event for July's ISAF Four Star Pizza Youth World Championships to be staged in Dun Laoghaire. Seven classes of boat and 380 youth sailors are competing in a combined fleet of nearly 300 boats.

Strangford Lough's Robbie Gilmore is one behind Lynch in third on nine points and Kinsale's Colm O'Regan is fifth in the 67-boat fleet.

Hotly tipped for the Irish team at the youth worlds in the Laser radial class Sophie Murphy finished the day 12th and first girl five places clear of selection rival Sian Kneafsey of the National Yacht Club.

French female teams top the 420 leader board in first and second places but Ireland's Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove from Howth are third after two races in the 26-boat fleet.

So far there are no results available this evening for the Toppers, Laser 4.7s and Fevas or Optimist fleets.

Day one results

Laser Radial

1st - Pedro Roque (Clube Naval de Portimo; POR) 2nd - Finn Lynch (National YC; IRL) 3rd- Robbie Gilmore (Strangford Lough YC; GBR)

420s

1st – Jennifer Poret/Louise Chevet (SNPH; FRA) 2nd - Guillaume Pirouellel/Valentine Sipan (SNPH; FRA) 3rd - Robert Dickson/Sean Waddilove (HYC; IRL)

29ers

1st - Jack Hawkins/ Christopher Thomas (Restronguet SC; GBR) 2nd – Owen Bowerman/ Morgan Peach (Hayling Yacht Club; GBR) 3rd – Trent Rippey/ Alex Munroe (Tauranga YC; NZL)

Results here.

Additional reporting from organisers:

(Thursday 12th April 2011 @ 1900 hrs) Light and changeable winds got the tenth, four-day ISA Mitsubishi National Youth Championship 2012 off to a mixed start on Dublin Bay today with a fleet of 100 boats across three classes (Laser Radial, 420 and 29s). 283 boats across the full seven classes competing, will be out in the Bay from tomorrow representing the very best in Irish youth sailing. The 'Nationals' is primarily a Test Event for the Four Star Pizza ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship scheduled to take place also in Dublin Bay in July 2012 and the Irish team for the Championship will be announced on the closing day of the Nationals (Sunday 15th April.)

The Laser Radial, the chosen class used for the single handed boys and girls, follows a one-design concept where all boats are identical and where sailors skills are scrutinised above all else. In the boys, amongst those vying for a place on the Irish team at the Four Star Pizza ISAF Youth Worlds are ISA Academy members Robbie Gilmore, Finn Lynch and Seafra Guilfoyle and in the girls, Sophie Murphy and Sian Kneafsey are fighting for the single spot. Today Finn Lynch from the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire took second place and Robbie Gilmore from Strangford Yacht Club, Down, took third.

The 420s is the double handed boat for all the boys and girls teams and teamwork and communications are of prime importance in this class. Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove will fight it out against Patrick Crosbie and Grattan Roberts for the Four Star Pizza ISAF Youth Worlds place, which history tells us has been an indicator of future Olympic success. Today Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove from Howth YC took third place in this highly competitive class.

The 29er is a lightweight high performance skiff designed for two people which provides the stepping stone for the high octane 49er Olympic class and where the crew can be mixed. At this year's Youth Nationals we have representation from Great Britain and New Zealand in the small fleet where quality is high. Amongst the three 29er's competing today, Jack Hawkins and Christopher Thomas representing GBR from Restronguet SC in Falmouth took line honours with Owen Bowerman and Morgan Peach from Hayling Island SC coming in second.