#ICRA – Pat Kelly's J109 Storm II from Howth Yacht Club tops the leaderboard of the biggest IRC class after two heavy weather races in the opening day of the 2013 ICRA National Championships.

Three J109 designs are in the top five overall, but both Paul O'Higgin's Corby 33 Rockabill V from the Royal Irish Yacht Club and the new Xp33 design Bon Exemple sailed by O'Higgin's club–mate Colin Byrne break the J109 dominance, and lie second and third respectively tonight.

There was a thumbs–up from the 60–boat fleet moored at Fenit marina tonight for Tralee Bay Sailing Club's handling of the opening day with good race management and great conditions with sunshine and winds gusting to 25 knots.

The club, of course, is well used to giving a warm welcome to sailors, they’ve hosted events on all levels from Club to world championships on this beautiful part of Ireland's coast; the most south–westerly port in Europe.

Kelly's 2011 ICRA Boat of the Year has a one point lead over O'Higgins. In turn O'Higgins, who placed third in IRC one at the 2012 ICRA championships, has a single point over Byrne in a scheduled six race series with a twist – this is a no discard event.

The new Xp33  – with boat speed doctor Jochem Visser onboard – lies third overall in class one. Photo: Bob Bateman

Rockabill V, powering upwind, lies second in class one. Photo: Bob Bateman

There was disappointment for Denis Hewitt's Raptor again in Tralee Bay today. The Dublin Bay boat lost its mast the last time the ICRA Nationals sailed here in 2009 and today rigging issues also forced their withdrawal but with rig still intact the Royal Irish crew are ready for race three tomorrow.

In division 2 IRC, Nigel Bigg's Checkmate XV from the Royal St. George took two wins in the fresh conditions and leads the modified Half tonner King One skippered by Dave Cullen from Howth YC. The vintage half–tonner, that was a runaway winner at last year's Ramsgate week, took two seond places to be three points clear of former WIORA champion Ray McGibney's Dis-A-Ray from Foynes Yacht Club.

This week's Dun Laoghaire–Dingle race winner, Amazing Grace from the host club, is back in action in class two. Photo: Bob Bateman

There was no local advantage for Brian O'Sullivan and Frances Clifford's Amazing Grace in the opening race. Monday's winner of the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle race 'ploughed a neighbour's field' in race one but took fifth in race two.

In division 3 IRC, another Royal Irish Yacht, Barry Cunningham's Quarter tonner Quest, took two race wins from the Cove Sailing Club entry Illes Pitiuses that is counting two seconds. Illes Pitiuses is a modified Quarter tonner brought back from the Mediterranean by owners Jason and Dominic Losty in 2011.

Third in this ten–boat fleet is Tralee Bay's own Jaguar, a J24 design, skippered by Gary Fort.

Somewhat predictably, Antix skippered by Anthony O'Leary, who has just announced his intention to contest New York's Invitational Cup for a third time, got off to perfect start in class zero taking two wins in the five boat fleet. Second is ICRA commodore Nobby Reilly's Crazy Horse with Martin Breen's Reflex 38 lying third. It is perhaps a sign of the times we live in, that just five boats are in this division.

O'Leary's Club mate Jump Juice (Denise Phelan) suffered a man–overboard in the opening race. The crew man was recovered by RIB.

Racing continues tomorrow in day two of three and more strong winds are forecast.

Full results here.

The ICRA fleet has given a thumbs up to TBSC Commodore Pat Daly and his team after day one of the competition. Photo: Bob Bateman

#ICRA – After the first day of racing at the WIORA championships on Tralee bay yesterday the all new XP33 sportsyacht design from X Yachts, Bon Exemple skippered by Colin Byrne from the Royal Irish Yacht Club, has jumped straight into the lead with two wins in class one's ten boat fleet.

Second is another X yacht, Diarmuid & Hilda Good's X 362 Sport Exhale from Royal Cork YC scoring a 2 and 4 in yesterday's medium conditions.

Third is the Dublin Bay Mills 30 Raptor skippered by Denis Hewitt.

In class two Liam Burke's Corby 25 from Galway Bay leads Ray McGibney's Foynes based Dis-a-ray by three points. Third is the Sligo Yacht Club entry Harmony, a half tonner, skippered by Martin Reilly. Lying fourth is last week's Dun Laoghaire to Dingle race winner Amazing Grace skippered by host club and this week's regatta organiser Brian O'Sullivan.

The 61 boat fleet is craned in and berthed at Fenit marina and ready for the first day of the ICRA championships this morning. The fleet will be greeted by a complex weather forecast ahead and some very strong winds. 

Tonight a special sailors forum will be held by ICRA at the TBSC clubhouse. Topics  inlcude the future of the Nationals,
cruiser crew Recruitment and training, selection and composition of Commodores' Cup Teams for 2014 and IRC Issues. Water Rat has already made his contribution online here.

#icra – The future of the ICRA National Championships is on the agenda this week, and the absence of some key clubs at the championships getting under way today in Tralee Bay will no doubt be highlighted.

A Sailors 'Open Forum' will be held tonight in Fenit after day two of racing in the ICRA and WIORA championships. The forum has been initiated by new ICRA Commodore Nobby Reilly, and it's an important opportunity for a constructive discussion on Irish cruiser racing.

'The country's top skippers, crews and owners are here in Tralee, so it's a good chance to talk about the future direction of the sport', says ICRA's Barry Rose.

With the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race just finished with 22 entries, Kinsale's Sovereign's Cup (77 entries) and July's Dun Laoghaire regatta (350 entries), the months of June and July serve as a stock–take of the national fleet.

Participants might be down compared to previous years, but this is to be expected in the current climate.

Our near neighbours on the Clyde hosted the Scottish Series in Tarbert in May, but managed only a little over 30 IRC competitors. There can justifiably be some relief that Irish regattas are faring better than across the water. But it does raise the question about how many regattas Ireland can realistically sustain over a four week period at the height of our sailing season.

Certainly with the VLDR coming up next month, Dublin Bay entries in Fenit – notably those of the RStGYC and the NYC – are thin enough. And Kinsale Yacht Club, the host of the Sovereign's Cup that follows the ICRA Nationals later this month, have yet to enter with any boats for Fenit.

Surely it is incumbent on all constituent clubs to encourage boats to go to the national championships?

Hosts Tralee Bay SC have 11 boats entered, Royal Cork has seven. Mayo Sailing Club has six, Galway Bay five. Foynes YC on the Shannon estuary and the Royal Irish in Dun Laoghaire and Howth YC each have four boats attending, while Sligo YC has two.

Organisers say 61 boats will be racing in Kerry waters tomorrow. It is worth remembering this number outstrips a far bigger UK national fleet that usually attends its own British IRC Nationals. So Tralee Bay is punching well above its weight.

But is the current level of events sustainable?

Why, for instance, are there no crews travelling from Kinsale to Fenit? It may be a delivery trip by sea of 145 miles, but the distance by road is only a mere 60 miles. One would have hoped for a more enthusiastic response from a club which vies with the Royal Cork for the premier position on the south coast.

Equally, we're told that Belfast Lough is keen to host the ICRA nationals. If that is the case, why have so few northern boats attended ICRA championships to date?

Everyone remembers Royal Cork YC staged a fine Cork Week regatta in 2012. But with only a little over a hundred boats attending, the club also struggled to get the numbers to make it pay. Yet some thought that if the ICRA Championships had been run within Cork Week, this might have helped boost numbers.

At the same time, it is important the ICRA championship keeps its own identity. After all, it is a national championships, and that's the formula that proves popular with competitors, so it is important it is not just subsumed by another regatta.

In his first term Reilly has made great strides in promoting cruiser racing affairs – the bedrock of many club's sailing activities – so he and ICRA deserves support.

But if there are too many regattas chasing too few boats, does Irish sailing need to rationalise the 2014 calendar and beyond?

One line of thought is that instead of being a stand-alone event, the ICRA championships be rotated around the existing Irish regatta circuit of, say, five venues, subject to certain certain ICRA criteria being met.

By holding this forum tonight, Commodore Reilly shows ICRA is not afraid to grasp the nettle on these important topics. ICRA should lead any such future co-ordination between clubs. When times are tough, an attitude of mutual support among clubs is surely a worthy aspiration.

#icra – Class bands for tomorrow's 2013 ICRA Nationals and today's WIORA championships has been published in Tralee and are downloadable below as a PDF file.  Scroll down for attachment.

A skippers briefing for the WIORA West Coast Championships took place 11:00 am at the Tralee Bay Sailing Club house.

The Sailing Instructions (SIs) for ICRA Cruiser Nationals 2013 at Tralee Bay SC in just over a weeks time show that the seven race series is to be a no discard event. Three races are required to be completed to constitute the series. A PDF document as a Zip file of the full SIs is downloadable below.

ICRA Feeder races from Dublin bay, Galway bay and the Shannon Estuary, some with early starts to avail of favourable tides are planned for early June all to arrive in good time for the Fenit based National Cruiser Championships.

The Dun Laoghaire to Dingle (D2D) race starting on Friday, June 7th from Dublin Bay has over 20 boats entered so far. Significantly entries are ranging on IRC handicap points difference from .898 to 1.144 and maybe higher, so there will be a well spread fleet going down the east coast of Ireland on June 7th.

A favourite west coast feeder is the O'Sullivans Marine 100–mile race. This annual fixture is planned to leave Galway docks at 20.00 also on Friday, June 7th for an over night race into Fenit marina the following day and is billed as ideal for ICRA boats coming from Sligo, Mayo, Clifden.

Some of the country's biggest yacht clubs have yet to enter ICRA's cruiser national championships due to get underway in less than a month's time (June 13th to 15th).

The country's biggest club Royal St. George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire has a single entry and the neighbouring National Yacht Club fleet has still to enter the ICRA cruiser national championships at Fenit in County Kerry, one of the biggest events on the Irish cruiser–racing calendar. 

60 boats are now entered from around the country and the expectation is that a buoyant entry of up to 70 yachts (see below) will be racing in Kerry waters, a number that outstrips the British fleet that usually attends the UK IRC Nationals.

Currently hosts Tralee Bay SC have 11 boats entered, Royal Cork has seven. Mayo Sailing Club has six, Galway Bay five. Foynes YC on the Shannon estuary and the Royal Irish in Dun Laoghaire and Howth YC each have four boats attending. Sligo YC has two.

KInsale Yacht Club, the host of the Sovereign's Cup that follows the ICRA Nationals later in June, has yet to enter with any boats for Fenit.

ICRA recognise both IRC and ECHO equally awarding Gold Silver and Bronze medals in each category. 'Interestingly the RORC have recently copied the Irish system by introducing a performance handicapping system effectively ECHO to run alongside IRC because they have seen how effectively progressive Echo works for us' says ICRA's Barry Rose.

'This ensures competitive interest through the fleets and achieves a good balanced spread of prizes' he adds.

Dubarry are sponsoring innovative day prizes for crews on the winning boat which will mean all the crew get rewarded. No boat can win two sets of day prizes spreading these prizes further.

This year ICRA Commodore Norbert Reilly has introduced a novel idea of a Club team prize sponsored by WD 40. All boats from each Club will be automatically entered and the top three boats results from each Club will decide the winner.

Dave Cullen has already been appointed Howth Yacht Club Captain and has laid down the challenge to all other Clubs to join in the spirit of the team event involving all boats.

The non–spinnaker boats will compete for the ICRA Corinthian Cup trophies recognising the growth and importance of this sector.

Entries to date as per Tralee Bay SC

"Harbour rots ships and ruins men". So said Horatio Nelson. He not only knew it from his own extensive command experience, but from time to time during long stays in port, he proved it personally with cringe-making results. He should have remembered that other saying of the sea: A busy ship is a happy ship. And at a more basic level, surveyors and boat maintenance experts will tell you the simple truth, that boats and their equipment usually don't get worn out, but they slowly rot through disuse.

With modern materials, it's not rot as they'd have known it in Nelson's day. But whatever you might call it, it makes things non-functional. Yet a boat which is on the move - sailing regularly and extensively - soon has everything working sweetly, for the demands of the sea are such that the attitude of "sure 'twill do" soon provides its own come-uppance.

Out in the west, they've an attractive boat which is making a fair bid to be a perpetual motion machine, with everything functioning smoothly. It's not that long ago that Martin Breen of Galway bought the Reflex 38 Lynx, but since then she has been in the frame in so many major offshore events, and under so many different sponsorship names, that you could be forgiven for thinking he's owned her for more than a decade, and that there are two or three different boats involved.

At the time he bought her, we noted that she seemed to be the ideal size of boat for Irish conditions. The First 40.7, globally the most successful production-built frontline offshore racer of the past twenty years and a super boat with it, is just that little bit too big for Irish conditions in terms of personnel demands and maintenance requirements. But if you go down to some of the hotter 36ft and 34ft machines, you often find you're missing the boat in terms of catching tidal patterns, and the basic realities of seagoing comfort, even though the brilliant J/109 frequently proves otherwise.

Settling in shortly after the start of the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle, 2011

But 38ft LOA - that is just spot on. When Christian Stimson created what is now the Reflex 38 in 1998, he came up with a concept which has withstood the test of time. She can sail up to her rating, and has proven a steady and successful performer in a wide variety of conditions, proving that the comment by Robert Scheidt - that sailing is a consistency sport - applies every bit as much offshore as in the bays.

Successful debut. Dawn comes gently over the boat in winning mode in the Dun Laogaire-Dingle Race 2011

Pre-start manoeuvres off Wicklow at the 2012 Round Ireland Race

The new Breen boat made her Irish debut with the Dun Laoghaire-Dingle Race in 2011, and really stuffed it into the fleets from other Irish coasts, for she raced as Galway Harbour, and had an excellent overall win. Then last year it was active members of NUI Galway SC past and present who took her over under the leadership of Cathal Clarke, and they became the ICRA Boat of the Year with a superb all-round programme which included a class win in a major ISORA race, and the class win – including beating the hottest Reflex 38 from Britain – in the Round Ireland Race.

Not always sunny – determined conditions in the Round Ireland Race 2012

Grey day at sea, Round Ireland Race 2012, with Joan Mulloy from Mayo SC trimming the spinnaker

Between times, the boat didn't rest, as Martin Breen has his own crew for inshore regattas. But this year, the pace is into an even higher gear with Aodhan Fitzgerald (who has been involved since the boat first reached Ireland) in overall charge offshore in a programme which is simply mind-boggling. It was launched yesterday evening in Galway with the boat now in the Discover Ireland livery, and she'll be promoting the Emerald Isle and The Gathering Cruise in a series of campaigns which start today off Rinville at 1000hrs with the 60-mile Clarenbridge Crystal Race in Galway Bay. The crew will be clad from head to toe in new kit provided by Dubarry, with the boat setting a fine new set of threads from Des McWilliam, saling in conditions which look most unlikely to include any calm spots.

Then it's off to Scotland round Ireland's bumpy nor'west corner for the Scottish Series from May 24th to 27th with the boat to be raced by Martin Breen's GBSC team, then south to Dun Laoghaire to be on station for defending the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle title, starting the 266 mile course (which is also a Fastnet qualifier) on June 7th, then on from Dingle it's immediately into the WIORA and ICRA championships just round the corner at Fenit on Tralee Bay, then before June is out, they're challenging for the Sovereign's Cup in Kinsale.

The gang's all here – the 15-strong crew panel's select offshore squad

The total crew panel is 15, ranging in age from 19 to 55, and for the offshore programme the lineup is Aodhan Fitzgerald (skipper/navigator), Johnny Murphy (tactician/trimmer), Neil Spain (driver), Ben Scallan (driver), Martin Breen (driver), Cathal Clarke (bowman), Joan Mulloy (trimmer), Nigel Moss (trimmer), Ruairi de Faoite (mast), and Louis Mulloy (bowman).

While the crew emphasis is on Connacht, in the way of offshore racing this team also includes people from most other parts of Ireland, people that you'd meet in the course of other campaigns, people who seem to fit in with your own boat's way of doing things. If you tried to delineate a clear career path on how to become part of a group like this, you'd find it very difficult. There is no clearcut way. It seems to happen by a mixture of telepathy and osmosis. You are impressed by the way people are sailing another boat, and you make it your business to get them inside your tent.

Because for sure, the business of successfully balancing different temperaments is going to be paramount in a season in which they're only getting going as the Sovereign's Cup draws to a close. The high point of the year is going to be the Rolex Fastnet Race in August. By the time the boat gets to Cowes, she'll have sailed more than a thousand miles in delivery trips.

Stating the obvious? Starting the Rolex Fastnet Race with this message emblazoned on your topsides is going to invite ribald comment from the opposition. But displaying something similar has proven successful in the past.

And there she'll be in the Solent among 350 other Fastnet wannabees, with Discover Ireland boldly displayed along her topsides. They'll be getting some smartass comments about that. After all, what else is the Fastnet Race all about? Back in 1975, when the Golden Jubilee Fastnet Race included a fleet for classics racing for the Iolaire Block presented by Don Street, one splendid old gaff cutter had her crew all kitted out in crisp new T-shirts, each one imprinted with different letters. When they all lined up along the rail, those T-shirts read: "What is the way to the Fastnet Rock, please?" In Irish. And it worked. They won the Iolaire Block, even though Iolaire was herself racing. So let's hope that having discoverireland.ie emblazoned prominently on the topsides is going to be equally successful in the Fastnet Race for the boat formerly known as Lynx.

What with this extraordinary campaign, and the news this week about Galway plunging ahead with its new harbour, it's very clear that in the 21st Century, it's totally superfluous to warble on about the west being awake. For a long time now, it hasn't been asleep.

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A super Class 1 fleet is building for June's ICRA national championships.

In fact, Class 1 is now emerging as a cracking class. Entry includes four J109's, including defending champion Ian Nagle's "Jelly Baby" from RCYC, former Champion Pat Kelly from Rush SC and HYC in "Storm" and from the Royal Irish both Declan Hayes in "Indecision" and John Maybury in "Joker 2".

The hosts have produced a promo vid. We like the J24 wipe out at about 58 seconds on the timeline – Check it out above!

These will be joined by Paul O'Higgin's competitive Corby 33 "Rockabill" RIYC/ NYC, along with Denis Hewitt and gang in "Raptor" RIYC and the likes of Derry Good's X362 sport "Exhale II" from RCYC to name but a few.

The West Coast will be represented by Dan Counihan's First 36.7 "Galileo" from TBSC and Barry Heskin from GBSC in "Now What". The Galway Bay Dubois 33 of Barry Heskin, featuring many of the stalwarts from the Joggernaut days in a now toned down version. Martin Breen, also, from Galway will have something to say when it comes to results, so watch this space and watch the west awake!

Lastly, a very exciting new boat will join the fray – Colin Byrne from Royal Irish will be helming an Xp33, rumoured to be a flyer and yet to be named!

Good news is that the discount entry date has been extended for more than 2 weeks to 15th May, so get your entries and payment in now to take advantage of this very generous offer.

Don't miss the unique opportunity to compete in the magnificent waters of Tralee Bay for the Irish Cruiser Racing Association's national championships in conjunction with WIORA's own championships, both in IRC and ECHO.

With only 6 weeks remaining, it is all systems go for the Irish Cruiser Racing Association's National Championships in Tralee Bay (starting June 13th), held in conjunction with the West of Ireland Offshore Racing Association's own championships, starting on June 12th, 2013.

If you haven't entered yet, do so immediately! Otherwise, you will be missing a brilliant event in the Irish sailing calendar this year! If you have entered already, and have not sorted out your accommodation and berthing requirements, now is the time to do so. Entries are coming in hard and fast, so get on board with what will be a major event in Irish sailing! Each and every fleet is building up nicely, with fierce competition expected across the board. Two classes are expected in "White Sails/Non Spinnaker" and just because spinnakers will not be flying, these classes will be fought tooth and nail!

87 prospective sailors attended last weekend's (April 21) ICRA Try Sailing Day using Howth's J80 fleet.

Laura Dillon, Philip Watson and Peter Bayly were among the instructors afloat with shore sessions run by Des McWilliam, Prof O Connell, Graeme Grant and Noel Davidson.

Sessions included talks on topics such as New to sailing, Bow and Masst, Sail Trim and Helming.

ICRA has already received over 300 requests for further participation and the try sailing programme will be rolled out now in clubs around the country.