The Commodore of the Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) Fintan Cairns has convened a follow up meeting as a result of the number of skippers planning to go forward for next year's Commodore's Cup.
Next Wednesday’s (September 14th) meeting at 6pm at the Green Isle hotel, Newlands Cross, Dublin will hear news of how teams are to be composed and how many teams Ireland intends to field.
Ireland's single team in 2004 led the series for most of last year’s regatta only to end up third following a slip in the closing stages. The Irish performance last time has fuelled additional interest in the event.
Although Cairns is urging consensus on any indicator trial series that may emerge from next week's meeting one possible outcome of the meeting is that a trial series may have to be established to select as many as four, three–boat Irish teams.
Likely skippers, including Colm Barrington, Eamonn Conneelly and Mark Mansfield will be attending the meeting that is set to be more focussed than previous affairs given that regatta organisers, London’s Royal Ocean Racing Club, have published handicap break points for next June’s event.
In other cruiser news, having finished third last year in Belgium, Dun Laoghaire’s Terry Madigan, Enda Connellan and Shay Moran looked like they had this years Half Ton Classic Cup in the bag with a big points lead going into the last race of the series in Dinard last week.
The Dun Laoghaire Half-tonner Blue Berret Pi lined up for the final race in pole position but with only minutes before the start her propeller became fouled with weed.
Although attempts were made to free the prop, the sole Irish entry in the 30-boat regatta had to complete the non discardable coastal race with the substantial handicap in tow.
As a result she lost her grip on the title finishing overall as she did in 2004 a creditable third to France’s Ginkgo (Patrick Lobrichon) and Hakuna (Jean-François Mata Nouel) second.
The news, however, that the Half Ton Classic Cup is to come to Dublin in 2007 as part of Dun Laoghaire week means that Blue Berret pi can still make it third time lucky and now on home waters to boot.
In sports boat news, Scotland's Ruairidh Scott now leads the 1720 European Championships on Lake Garda with Robert Eckstein of the host club, Fraglia Vela Riva second and Dun Laoghaire's Maurice O’Connell third.
Howth Yacht Club hosts the Anglo Irish Bank Helmsmans' Championships this
weekend with 24 helms from the major sailing classes invited to attend that is being sailed this year in Etchell's keelbooats. The invitees are as follows: Maurice O'Connell - Star Olympic; Ciara Peelo - Europe Olympic; Gerard Owens - 470 Olympic; Thomas Chaix - Laser Standard; Ross McDonald - Laser Radial; Laurence Hanley - Shannon One Design; Noel Butler - Fireball; Tim Corcoran - GP14; Jimmy Nyhan - Multihulls; Cathal Sheridan - Wafarer; Derek Joyce - Mermaid; Bob Espey - 49er; Bryan Willis - Flying Fifteen; Aidan O'Connell - Squib; Frank Heath - J24; Simon Brien - Dragon; Ann Kirwan - Ruffian; Killian Collins - Etchell; Dave Mulligan - Howth 17; Pat Gilmore - E-Boat; Ronan Grealish - Cruiser 0; David Crosbie - Cruiser 1; Paddy Gregory - Cruiser 2; Ross Kearney - ISA Wild Card
