#OLYMPICS - Yesterday Ireland's Olympic hopefuls celebrated recognition of their success in the 2012 round of funding.

But cuts to the budget of the Irish Sports Council (ISC) have prompted a "major" review of high performance programmes from 2013 onwards, the Irish Independent reports.

Finbarr Kirwan, director of high performance at the ISC, said: "Changes are coming, things are tight and we will have to make strategic cuts in the next two years."

The result could be fewer grant awards of lesser value for athletes, as Olympic qualification standards are set to get tougher from here on out.

The two tiers below 'podium class' - in which individuals receive awards of €20,000 and €12,000 respectively - are expected to be hardest hit in the review.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, canoeing's Eoin Rheinisch, swimmer Grainne Murphy and sailors Annalise Murphy, Peter O'Leary and David Burrows each received the top level of funding of €40,000 each, which is on a par with last year's support.

The Irish Independent has more on the story HERE.

#DUBLIN BAY SAILING – There were cheers for an Archambault A34 design last Sunday when Another Adventure was declared winner of the first race of the Viking Marine sponsored DBSC Spring Chicken Series. The local yacht beat Indecision, a J109, for race honours under the modified ECHO handicap rule. 38 boats are competing in the annual warm-up series that precedes the main DBSC season starting in April.

The results are downloadable below.

#FIREBALL – Fifteen Fireballs took to the water for last Sunday's Frostbite race but only 14 of them got a finish – Andy Boyle & Barry Hurley (14934, Royal Irish) – were recorded as an OCS! Wind conditions were lively with a WSW Force 4/5 blowing with gusts flashing across the course. The start had a boat-end bias for a change and my various correspondents advise that there were a few capsizes on the day. It also appears that people were doing 720º and 360º for rule infringements and mark-touching.

The first three boats over the finish line, Noel Butler & Stephen Oram, Neil Spain & Hugh Butler and Owen Laverty & Ed Butler effectively sailed their own separate race from the rest of the fleet and they enjoyed a race of nip and tuck with places changing between them.

Neil Colin & Margaret Casey finished fourth but behind them a tight bunch were fighting for places. Included in this group were Messrs Rumball & Moran, Malcolm & Diviney, Court & Syme and Miller/Donnelly before the all-lady teams of McKenna & O'Keefe and Power & Barry.

The ladies were well represented today with three all-female teams out on the water, the third being Mary Chambers and Brenda McGuire, who finished thirteenth. Derval O'Carroll was also a welcome returnee to the Frostbites, sailing with Stephen Campion. And our Sligo friends, Peter Armstrong & Matt mayron were also out sailing the all-wooden 15060.

Class stalwart Louis Smyth, sailing with Joe O'Reilly, had a bad day at the office – an early interaction with another boat required a 720º with a capsize thrown in as a "double-whammy". At the first weather mark there was another revolution taken when they hit the mark. "Enough said!"

Mug winners for the day were the ladies of 14691, Louise McKenna & Hermine O'Keefe of the Royal St. George Yacht Club.

In overall terms, Butler & Oram stretched their lead over Rumball/Moran to 5pts, while the latter pair have a comfortable 8pt margin over third placed Laverty/Butler.

#OLYMPIC – Ireland will be hoping for repeat performances at this year's Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta this June having previously won medals on Olympic waters in both 2010 and 2011.

Entries for the 2012 Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta are now open, with an 'early entry discount' available to those who get their entries in before the 30th April 2012. To enter online or download the Notice of Race visit the event website, which is now live at www.skandiasailforgoldregatta.co.uk

In 2010, Peter O'Leary won Gold in a breathtaking performance (with German stand in crew Frithjof Kleen) when he left a string of world champions and Olympic medallists including Torben Grael, Robert Sheidt and the current Olympic Gold Medallists, Britain's Ian Percy and Andrew Simpson in his wake. Last year Annalise Murphy took Bronze and showed the Laser Radial world her true speed in big breeze at the Weyomuth venue.

Skandia Sail for Gold 2012 takes place between 4th-9th June at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, the host venue for London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic sailing regattas. All 10 Olympic and three Paralympic classes will compete across seven courses in Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour, in what will be the seventh installment of Skandia Sail for Gold.

"Tougher competition than the Olympics" was Ben Ainslie's summary of Skandia Sail for Gold 2011, and we can expect this years competition to be even fiercer, as the worlds best sailors – who by then should know if they have be chosen to represent their countries at the 2012 Games – battle to leave their mark on the Olympic waters for the last time before the Olympic showdown.

Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta 2012 is also the penultimate event of the 2011-12 ISAF World Cup series, meaning sailors will be looking to consolidate their place in the Series standings before the final takes place in Kiel, Germany just one week after Skandia Sail for Gold.

With a limited number of entries for the Laser Radial, only 80 places will be available in contrast to 120 in 2011, and the Women's Match Racing restricted to 18 entries, competitors are advised to register early. Entries received before the 30th April 2012 will qualify for the early entry fee. All other on-line entries must be received no later than 21st May 2012, other than the Women's Match Racing for which all applications must be received by the 30th April. Successful applicants for the Match Racing will be informed by 5th May 2012 and on-line payment must be received no later than 21st May 2012.

Skandia remains onboard as title sponsor for the event. The Southampton-based long term investment company is well known for its support of sailing, having been title sponsor since the event's inception in 2006.

Jo Rimmer, Skandia's Head of Brand Marketing said: "In terms of excitement, this year promises to be a real white knuckle ride. The eyes of the world will be on all the top sailors and the pressure will be on to do well and get on the podium."

Alongside Skandia, UK Sport continues as an official event partner. Skandia Sail for Gold is part of UK Sport's World Class Events Programme, which distributes around £3.5 million of Lottery funding each year to support the bidding and staging costs of major events on home soil, as well as providing specialist support to organisers.

RYA Event Director Tim Hall commented, "I think it is safe to say that this is the most important sailing regatta of 2012 besides the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This is the last opportunity for sailors to experience the sailing waters and conditions in Weymouth and Portland before the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. We are well prepared to give the sailors and their support teams a fantastic experience both on and off the water with World Class race management and event organisation at the Olympic and Paralympic venue."

Esther Nicholls, Head of Major Events at UK Sport, added: "UK Sport is committed to bringing world class sporting events to the UK ahead of London 2012, and this event is part of what we believe to be the most comprehensive pre-Games events programme ever staged by an Olympic and Paralympic host nation.

"Skandia Sail for Gold 2012 will provide an invaluable opportunity for British athletes to experience international competition on home waters, to prepare them for their home Olympic Games, as well as a chance to build on the event staging capabilities of the sport."

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Friday 1st June – Event office opens for registration

Sunday 3rd June – Briefing for coaches and team leaders

Sunday 3rd June – Meeting with umpires – Women's Match Racing

Sunday 3rd June – Opening Ceremony

Monday 4th June – Racing day 1

Tuesday 5th June – Racing day 2

Wednesday 6th June – Racing day 3

Thursday 7th June – Racing day 4

Friday 8th June – Racing day 5 (final day of racing for Paralympic classes)

Saturday 9th June – Medal Races (no warning signal after 1530)

Sixteen crews have so far confirmed their participation at the 420 Class's Mid-term Training Camp at Fastnet Marine and Outdoor Education Centre in Schull, County Cork.

 Coaching will be provided by Irish Olympic Sailor Ross Killian, Tom Mapplebeck, Christian Birrell and double 470 World Champion Nic Asher.

 Further information on the Training Camp, which runs from Monday 13th to Friday 17th February, can be found on http://www.sail420.com/

#CALVES WEEK – Calves week is to be cut down to a four day event this August in response to competitors requests for a shorter and less expensive event writes Claire Bateman. This year, as an alternative to the traditional event spanning a two week period, the Schull based sailing programme will consist of a four day Calves Week Championships, running from Tuesday 7th to Friday 10th of August, with the usual mix of courses taking in the Fastnet Rock and many of Carberys Hundred Isles, together with laid courses in Roaringwater Bay.

Daily prizegiving will take place on Main Street Schull where a nautical festival theme for the village is being organised by local businesses.

The traditional regattas on August Monday in Baltimore and the following Saturday and Sunday in Crookhaven and Schull will continue as stand alone events with their own courses and prizegivings being organised by the local sailing clubs.

The week will once again commence with the overnight Crosshaven/Schull race starting the activities on Friday August 3rd, while on Saturday morning August 4th the White Sail fleet will have an early start from Kinsale. Both of these races will form part of the new Scora Offshore Championships, together with the midweek Fastnet Race out of Schull.

#BEN AINSLIE – As Britain's sailing superstar awaits a hearing with the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) over the incident at the World Championships in Perth last December, the consensus in the electronic media is that he has been hard done by and blame should be attributed to the media boat that caused the wash that was at the centre of the row. While quite a few of the commentators believe that the two race disqualification for gross misconduct that cost Ben Ainslie the World Championship is more than adequate punishment, Water Rat sees some similarities with soccer star Eric Cantona's transgression in 1994 that resulted in 120 hours community service and an 8 month ban from the sport.

To re-cap, Cantona was sent off in a Manchester United v Crystal Palace game for a kick on a Palace defender. As he reached the sideline Cantona launched himself into the stands and kicked a supporter in a kung-fu style following up with a series of punches. Cantona was arrested and convicted for assault, but the original two week sentence was overturned and replaced by 120 hours of community service.  His team, Manchester United, suspended Cantona for the remaining four months of the season and he was fined £20,000. The Football Association increased the ban to eight months and fined him a further £10,000. Football's International body, FIFA confirmed the suspension as worldwide.  Cantona also lost the captaincy of the French team.

The International Jury found as fact that Ainslie had committed an act of physical aggression, that was not only a gross breach of good manners but also brought the sport into disrepute.

The Football Association's statement is worth quoting: 'The members of the FA Commission are satisfied that the actions of Eric Cantona following his sending-off at Crystal Palace in the Manchester United match on January 25 brought the game into disrepute. Eric Cantona has therefore been in breach of FA rules. After taking into consideration the previous misconduct of Eric Cantona, the provocation he suffered, the prompt action taken by Manchester United, Eric Cantona's expression of regret to the Commission, the apologies he conveyed to those affected and the assurances he gave to his future conduct, the members of the Commission decided that Eric Cantona should be suspended forthwith from all football activities up to and including 30th September 1995 and in addition fined £10,000.'

It is worth noting that Ainslie also apologised, but his reaction to the Jury's decision was to criticise their reaction. RYA's Olympic Manager also denied that an assault occurred.

Respected sailor, sailing author, judge and America's Cup umpire  Brad Dellenbaugh commented:  "It's interesting to see the spin, particularly from the RYA. While not condoning Ainslie's actions, it seems they are trying to lay this at the feet of ISAF for inappropriately trialing new television initiatives at the Worlds, then at that feet of the Jury for not letting the Championship be determined by the sailors on the water. The chance to win his sixth Worlds was taken away from him.

What fails to get mentioned is that he WAS winning the Worlds despite getting screwed by the wake. Stay in his boat; win the Worlds. The reason he didn't win the Worlds is because he couldn't control his anger and he boarded another boat. Period! I wonder how Elvstrom would have reacted."

The RYA Tribunal will now consider the incident and the sailing world will be fascinated to see how they deal with Ainslie. RYA's own guidance to Race Officers rates physical or threatened violence as 4-5 on a scale of 1-5.

Despite the apparent overwhelming sympathy it is difficult to see how RYA can avoid further sanction in this case. The question probably is what is an appropriate penalty.  Given the strength in depth of Britain's Finn sailors, a ban of Cantona-like proportions would not cause great damage to GBR's prospects, but many would feel that denying (for the time being anyway) Ainslie's opportunity to become the greatest sailing Olympian would be too harsh.

Ainslie won the British trials comfortably securing the nomination almost a year in advance. Maybe a re-trial would be a just punishment, opening the door a crack for Giles Scott and Ed Wright.  For Ainslie, being asked to prove himself again might not be much more than an inconvenience, but the message sent by the Tribunal would clearly state that no person, however great their stature, is beyond reproach.

#SAILOR OF THE MONTH – Sophie Browne of Tralee Bay and Royal Cork is Afloat.ie/Irish Independent "Sailor of the Month" for January after taking the Silver Medal in the Girls Division in the Optimist Worlds in New Zealand. She added it to the Gold in the Girls, and fourth overall, which she won from an enormous fleet in the last major European regatta of 2011, at Palma, Mallorca in December.

Sophie in action abroad in Palma (top) and at home

It's some going when you're just fourteen. Sophie is back at school now, trying to make up for lost study time. But if she gives it the same total dedication she put into each sailing campaign during recent years, she'll sail into a good leaving cert in due course.

Dedication is the name of the game, and the Browne family in Tralee are a byword for it. Normally, the adjudicators for the Sailor of the Month are very reluctant to make the award to the most junior helms. They grow up so quickly, there's something ephemeral about it all.

But even at only fourteen, there's nothing ephemeral about Sophie's success. Other kids may think too much about the glitzy side of championships, but Sophie Browne is well aware of the sheer hard work and unglamorous dedication which goes into that podium place.

After the big regatta in Palma in December, the European Optimist squad went out to New Zealand with high hopes. But the pre-Worlds and the Worlds were salutary experiences. Thoughtful observers were well aware of the rising talents of southeast Asia, and South America too, as well as New Zealand and Australia, but for most it was a daunting learning experience.

It's Singapore which is most clearly setting the pace. Kimberly Lim from the vibrant city-state was both top girl, and the new world champion. Sophie Browne was second in the girls, but was back in 13th overall. Yet she was still one of the best of the Europeans – the top British sailor, for instance, was back in 21st.

It's the first time a 14–year old helm has taken the monthly sailor title. We've had younger sailors sharing a title as crews on a Mirror dinghy, but this is the first driver. And we're certain sure it won't be the last we'll hear of Sophie Browne of Tralee Bay in international sailing.

#GP14 –  Irish GP14 dinghy sailing gets a boost this season with the support of insurance firm Craftinsure for the class national championships The firm has also been selected to handle the GP14 Association insurance scheme with effect from 1st April 2012 following a review by the Association.

The insurance scheme for the GP14 Class Association is one of the longest established, having been in place for over 50 years, and is strongly supported. For much of it's history, the scheme was very successfully managed by long serving GP14 Association member Graham Knox, who still assists with liaison between the Association Committee and their insurance partners.

The new arrangement maintains the long association with Navigators & General (part of Zurich Insurance plc), as all Craftinsure polices are underwritten by N&G.

As a leading online boat insurer in Ireland and the UK, Craftinsure is able to provide a cost effective and convenient insurance facility for GP14 owners. The fact that claims staff along with other key members of the Craftinsure team, are active dinghy sailors was another important factor in the selection process, as was the level of cover and security provided.

The Association will continue to benefit from contributions for each GP14 insured through the scheme, as well as from other forms of support including sponsorship for the 2012 Irish Nationals and the 2012 World Championships

Rod Daniel, director of Craftinsure comments "we are delighted to have been appointed to handle the GP14 scheme and that this Association can be added to IODAI and others where we have a strong affiliation. We look forward to welcoming new and existing GP14 owners to Craftinsure and to supporting the Association as much as possible".

#CRUISING – The Cruising Club of America (CCA) has awarded its esteemed 2011 Blue Water Medal to Thies Matzen and Kicki Ericson for a commendable 24 years and 135,000 miles of sailing the oceans of the world with a focus in the high latitudes of the Southern Ocean. The first Blue Water Medal was awarded in 1923; and is given to "the most meritous example of seamanship." Its recipient is selected from among amateurs of all the nations." The medal will be presented by Commodore Daniel P. Dyer, III at the annual Awards Dinner on March 2, 2012 at New York Yacht Club in Manhattan.

Matzen was born in Germany in 1956 and grew up to be a wooden boat builder. In 1981,Matzen purchased Wanderer III, a 30 foot wooden sloop, built in 1952 for Eric and Susan Hiscock who made two circumnavigations with it and received the Blue Water Medal in 1955.Matzen sailed Wanderer III to Scandinavia where he cruised extensively, including to the Lofoten Islands (Norway), and then crossed the Atlantic Ocean. In 1989, while sailing in the Caribbean, he met Swedish-born (1964) Ericson, and the two have lived on Wanderer III ever since. After leaving the Caribbean, the duo sailed through the Panama Canal and into the Pacific Ocean where they spent seven years traveling from site to site. After that, Ericson and Matzen sailed to Indonesia, explored the Indian Ocean, and sailed around the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa).

From 1997 to 1999, Matzen and Ericson did two circuits of the South Atlantic, starting in Cape Town (South Africa) and visiting Argentina, The Falkland Islands, and South Georgia before heading back to Cape Town (South Africa) and South America, where they rounded Cape Horn before returning to the Pacific. The couple's last twelve years have been comprised of exploring sites in the Southern Ocean, including Tasmania, The Auckland Islands, Antarctica and the Falkland Islands. Recently the two spent 26 months in South Georgia. Currently, Matzen and Ericson are in Brazil and plan to do some work on Wanderer III, which has been kept in its original condition with no electronics onboard except a VHF radio and handheld GPS (added in 2007). The vessel has a 16 horsepower diesel engine and the hull, rigging and gear have been self-maintained using traditional methods.

In addition to presenting its Blue Water Medal, the CCA will present the following 2011 Awards:

Far Horizons Award awarded to Brian and Mary Alice O'Neill (Bainbridge Island, WA) for an admirable 25-month cruise circumnavigating the Pacific Rim, North Pacific Ocean on their 44-foot Robert Perry Designed sloop Shibui. En route the two delivered school supplies to those in need and toured WWII sites.

Richard S. Nye Trophy awarded to Gary Jobson (Annapolis, Md.) for sharing with the club his meritorious service, racing, and statesmanship in the affairs of international yachting.

Rod Stephens Trophy awarded to Bob Arzbaecher (Milwaukee, Wisc.) and the crew of the Beneteau 40.7 Sociable for their dramatic rescue of the crew of the Kiwi 35 WingNuts during the Chicago Yacht Club's 103rd Race to Mackinac held this past July.