"If anyone can do this, it's Eddie", ICRA treasurer Fintan Cairns told afloat.ie
It's a reference to Eddie Warden Owen's attempt to breathe new life in to Admiral's Cup, the unofficial world championship of offshore racing.
At one stage it looked like the successful Commodore's Cup was going to be turned in to the Admirals cup but that does not now appear to be the case. It could return as early as 2011, according to a report by Kate Laven in The Telegraph newspaper today. Previously regarded as the unofficial world championship of offshore racing, the Admiral's Cup was a biennial event contested by national teams.
Now Eddie Warden-Owen, the former America's Cup yachtsman who now heads up the Royal Ocean Racing Club, is planning to have it back in the international sailing calendar by 2011.
"There were some bad decisions in terms of choice of boats and format of racing, which is why it went into decline, but the event still has gravitas, history and reputation," he said.
"There is nothing else like it but if you look at the Commodores' Cup, which is also biennial but more of a Corinthian event, it has gone from strength to strength. The Admiral's Cup still rings strongly among professional sailors who do America's Cup and TP52 racing and there are a lot of people that would like to see it return."
As to which boats and what format, a pro-fleet, of Mini Maxis competing on a variety of tough inshore and offshore courses, including the Fastnet Race will form the basis of on-going discussions. said Kate Laven in The Telegraph, www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/
Could Ireland send a team? Comment below or in the forum here?
