First the Saab Irish Cruiser Racer Association ICRA National championships kicks off on his home waters at Royal Cork and runs from Friday 22nd to Sunday 24th June.
The championships will be run by Royal Cork's Kevin Lane. On the water both Alan Crosbie and Peter Crowley will set courses for the fourth ICRA nationals and the first time it has sailed out of Crosshaven.
A fleet of 90 boats is promised with the bulk of it boosted by east coast travellers who make the trip round the Tuskar for a double helping of south coast regattas.
This week ICRA organisers issued a reminder to members of a discounted entry fee if entries are received before April 30.
O’Leary will not be sailing his championship–winning Corby Antix. He has replaced it with the 10–year–old Dubois 37 design originally named Victric III.
Most cruiser racer fans know the black hulled boat as either Dark Angel or Nimmo previously owned by Simon Coveney et al and before that owned by Galway’s Eamonn Conneelly.
Apart from local racing the new O'Leary boat named Antix Dubh that is sailed with sons Nicholas and Peter will make its debut – after some serious modifications – at the Scottish series in May on the Clyde.
Commodore's Cup boats such as Dave Dwyer's Mariner's Cove and Conor and Denise Phelan's Jump Juice are already in action in Cork harbour's April league with the latter making the running in last weekend's opening round.
A number of new designs to be ready for the 2007 Dublin bay season have yet to hit the water. These include two new Corby 33s and an A35.
It is unlikely, however, that Colm Barrington's new Ker 39 footer (an evolution of his 50 footer Flying Glove) that is under construction in Croatia, will make the championships.
Following four days of action off Roche’s Point attention turns to Kinsale for the Sovereign's Cup that runs the following week from June 27 to 30.
150 boats are expected to take part in the regatta that has been scheduled to tie in with other cruiser fixtures in 2007 such as the Dingle Skellig Hotel Dun Laoghaire to Dingle race that precedes both of these south coast fixtures.
The biennial race on June 10 that was launched by Minister for Sport John O’Donoghue at the National YC. It sails a 180–mile course leaving the Muglins, Tuskar Rock, Coningbeg Light Vessel, Fastnet Rock, Bull Rock and the Skelligs to starboard to the finishing line off Dingle Harbour.
One of the highlights of the race is a prize giving dinner in the Dingle Skellig Hotel on June 13th.
One month later the National Yacht club turns its attention to dinghy sailing when it hosts the European Laser 4.7 championships from 21st to 27th of July that will be the biggest single dinghy event of the year.
Event organiser Cathy McAleavey who has just returned from the Italian championships in Lake Garda said the interest in the Irish event is 'sky high'. "We have 280 places in total and it’s now clear that we will be oversubscribed.”
The largest contingent entered is from the UK – 13 to date - while 11 top Irish youth (under 18) sailors have entered. Large teams have entered from Italy (9) Netherlands (7), Switzerland (7) and Hungary (5).
The Laser 4.7 is the popular, one person, youth version of the Laser with a sail area of 4.7m2. The championships are for those aged 12 or over and under 18 years of age in 2007.
Leading Irish hopefuls entered include David Kenefick (Royal Cork YC) and Ross Vaughan (Royal North Ireland YC) among others.
