With the final details being sorted for the Dublin Bay-based ICRA National Championships in a fortnight, the entry deadline is today.

The fleet has hit 70 boats according to the latest update from ICRA here

The September 3-5 championships will see racing in all IRC and ECHO classes including White Sails. 

The organisers are trying hard (within COVID regulations) to combine three days of sailing plus socialising onshore at the National Yacht Club at Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

Further details will be sent to all entrants in advance including berthing details, socials and race instructions.

"This is really shaping up to be a fantastic event with big classes so make sure to join in by entering today here", says ICRA's Dave Cullen.

With one day left until registration closes for the ICRA Nationals, over 70 boats are now registered with strong fleets taking shape across all classes writes ICRA's Dave Cullen

The event will take place at the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire Harbour from Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th September, and promises to be one of the highlights of the sailing calendar this year.

In the White Sails division, boats will be challenging for the ICRA Corinthians Cup on both IRC and ECHO giving a great opportunity to all yachts at different levels.

Great racing planned is planned for the fleet and we would encourage any more White Sail yachts to enter the event. The fleet will be well looked after to provide an enjoyable weekend of racing, with a balance of round the cans and windward-leeward racing.

Plans have also been made to provide results separately for boats with furling and non-furling genoas.

"Plans are made to provide results separately for boats with furling and non-furling genoas"

Plans are currently underway to deliver as great a social occasion as possible within Covid guidelines, utilising outside space to ensure that the après sail part of the event is provided for all competitors and crew.

Sailing instructions are currently being finalised, but in the meantime, competitors should take note of the ICRA General Rules which form part of the SIs.

These were previously debated and agreed by members at recent ICRA Conferences. These general rules provide a blueprint for regatta parameters with some of the key ones including:

• Crew limits – agreed and voted by members to be IRC Cert +1 for the prestigious national championships event.
• Cert Dates – need to be at least 5 days before the first scheduled day of racing, and must be endorsed for those racing in ICRA groupings A to H in spinnaker divisions (August 27th in practice)
• Safety equipment - OSR Appendix B shall be complied with

The ICRA General Rules also give guidelines to boats grouping and divisions, which will be used to finalise classes for the event.

The full ICRA General Rules can be found here

We look forward to seeing as many boats as possible what we hope will be a great event.

The Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) and the National Yacht Club are taking steps to minimise the need for close contact during next month's ICRA National Championships.

As Afloat reported earlier, 63 boats have already entered the September 3-5 championships ahead of Friday's deadline.

Taking learnings from June's Sovereigns Cup and Cowes Week, one and two-turn penalties will be replaced with a scoring penalty. By flying a yellow flag at the time of an incident, a boat can take a two-point penalty.

Arbitration will be available, and hearings can be attended by Zoom.

In keeping with the zero-paper approach, requests for hearings will be made via the racingrulesofsailing.org APP or website (event 2363).

ICRA Umpires and Jury Officials will be led by Ailbe Millerick and Bill O’Hara, who will be afloat, witnessing racing as in 2019.

Thursday evening’s ICRA Nationals briefing will be held on Zoom. A Q&A is now available.

Please contact the ICRA technical delegate (Ric Morris, [email protected]) if you have any questions.

There will be no need to register in person at the start of the event. ICRA will work directly with the rating office to confirm IRC ratings for the event, so please ensure they have the correct details on their database. 

ICRA says the 27th will be the final day changes can be processed before the cut-off.

63 boats have already signed up for September's ICRA National Championships ahead of the entry closing date this Friday.

ICRA is expecting more to come by the deadline as some new on-form boats including Mike and Richard Evans J/99 Snapshot and Robert Rendell’s’ Samaton, both successful at June's Sovereign's Cup, are already confirmed. 

As regular Afloat readers know, the event will be hosted by the National Yacht Club on Dublin Bay and the hope is that the final entry will reach 2019 entry levels when the championships were last staged on the Bay.

As Afloat reported earlier, DBSC is supporting the ICRA event by not holding Dublin Bay Cruiser Racing on Saturday, 4th September. 

Race divisions have yet to be finalised subject to final entries but it is great to see each of the classes is featuring a competitive lineup including the Half Tonners, Dux, the sharp J109s together with some top non-spinnaker boats.

Entries close at 5:00 pm on Friday and you can enter here 

Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) is not holding racing for cruiser-racer classes 1 – 5 on Saturday, 4th September in order to accommodate the Irish Cruiser Racer Association (ICRA) National Championships that are being staged on Dublin Bay. 

The annual championships being staged by the National Yacht Club have already received 60 entries and with the collaboration of DBSC, the national cruiser body anticipates an even bigger entry from Dun Laoghaire Harbour's four waterfront clubs. 

DBSC Commodore Ann Kirwan said “DBSC is pleased to support ICRA for this National Championship event next month and in order to encourage our members to participate we will not be holding racing for Cruisers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 on Saturday, September 4th’.

Kirwan also told Afloat ‘there will be racing for B31.7s, Shipmans, Glens, the Green Fleet and DBSC Dinghies that weekend. Only Cruisers 0-5 will not have DBSC racing’. 

ICRA Commodore Richard Colwell commented, “we are delighted that DBSC is supporting and encouraging members to participate in this year’s National Championships”.

Colwell says "we have a good range of yachts across the likely classes, the Championships is gearing up to be a great event and the combined ICRA/National Yacht Club teams are currently working on options for social activities, subject to COVID restrictions with more to follow on this". 

Further details and online entry can be found here

The 2022 IRC European Championship will be held at in Breskens, Netherlands alongside the Breskens Sailing Weekend.

The seventh edition of the IRC European Championship will take place over four days of racing in late August 2022. The championship is expected to attract a record fleet of highly competitive IRC rated boats vying for the overall win and class honours.

Breskens is in many ways the sailing gateway of the Low Countries. The port is strategically located between the Netherlands and Belgium, but is also on the edge of the Scheldt Delta and the North Sea.

The 2022 IRC European Championship will have 70 years of regatta organisation behind it on one of the most challenging sailing waters in Europe. Changing but testing weather conditions and variable currents are always on the menu. The area also offers sheltered water in severe weather situations and undisturbed wind on the open sea. The marina, with an open connection to the sea - the Scheldt estuary - is between the sandbanks and endless sailing areas far from the deep-water shipping lanes and is centrally located.

Breskens Sailing Weekend Foundation offer exemplary race management on inshore and offshore race courses, with an international network of talented race-officers, jury members and race and rescue services. All these elements contribute to the reputation that Breskens has earned as an international sailing competition centre.

The Vlakte van Raan, Walvischstaart, and Rassen are sailing areas where the most intensive sailing competitions have taken place. Even now, this is reserved competition water thanks to the excellent relationship the Foundation has built up with all nautical authorities over the years. Breskens is a relatively short distance for many European countries.

The championship is expected to attract a record fleet of highly competitive IRC rated boats vying for the overall win and class honours © Wacon Images/2019 Breskens Sailing Weekend

Centrally located Breskens has good services and facilities for yachtsmen, plus is known for its good social life. The area also has plenty of tourist attractions, once off the water. These include shopping in the fashionable Knokke, excursions to historic areas such as Bruges, and offers exquisite restaurants in town and in the immediate vicinity, such as the gastronomic epicentre of Zeeuws Vlaanderen.

Breskens is ready and waiting to welcome competitors to the 2022 IRC European Championship. Information will be available in the coming months for the 2022 IRC European Championship and will include Notice of Race, Sailing Instructions and details of the exciting and varied social events programme.

Royal Cork's Grand Soleil 40 Nieulargo (Denis and Annamarie Murphy) has strengthened her position at the top of the Irish Cruiser Racing Association's Boat of the Year rankings thanks to a solid second place in the Coastal Division of Kinsale's Sovereigns Cup at the end of June.

See full points table below

Class wins in June's Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race puts the Sun Odyssey 37 Desert Star (Irish Offshore Sailing) and the J99 Juggerknot II (Andrew Algeo) jointly in second place.

J99 Juggerknot II (Andrew Algeo)

Attention now turns west for August' regattas at Calves Week at Schull and WIORA in Tralee for the next scores in the cruiser-racer annual award.  

ICRA Boat of the Year Points Update

• Nieulargo 9
• Desert Star Irish Offshore Sailing 6
• Juggerknot II 6
• Coracle VI 4.5
• Samatom 4.5
• Shillelagh 4.5
• Slack Alice 4.5
• Snapshot 4.5
• YaGottaWanna 4.5
• Freya 4
• Humdinger 4
• Indian 4
• Rockabill VI 4
• Artful Dodger 3
• Gunsmoke 2 3
• King One 3
• Prince of Tides 3
• Supernova 3
• YOYO 2
• Gambit 2
• Miss Charlie 2
• Valfreya 2
• BonJourno! Part Deux 1.5
• Cortegada 1.5
• Jump Juice 1.5
• Storm 1.5

Points supplied by ICRA - July 9 2021

While for most, the past year and a half will be remembered without much joy. In a number of sailing clubs in all corners of Ireland, enthusiastic U25 squads are preparing their boats for the opportunity to compete against each other and the established keelboat fleets.

ICRA’s U25 Support programme, now in its second year, has committed support to a total of twelve clubs, with offers to support a further number of clubs once their U25 programmes are ready.

ICRA has assisted in the purchase of three new U25 keelboats.

There are capital funds ring-fenced for a further two clubs once they find suitable boats for their programmes. Our trickle funding is assisting seven U25 programmes to fund their annual sailing campaigns, at local, regional, and national level.

The U25 programmes, being supported by ICRA and Irish Sailing currently straddle a number of different keelboats namely J80’s, J24’s and Ruffians. With clubs choosing the platform that best suits the needs of the local fleet.

The Dublin Bay-based Ruffian 23 has been identified as a keelboat type for its U25 programme support Photo: Afloat

With the recent addition of Saoirse Reynolds onto the ICRA Executive, we are looking at additional measures that may offer support and encouragement for clubs to further their keelboat offering. In particular, initiatives that help retain our younger adults sailing and keep them active in our sport.

What is the ICRA U25 support programme?

The ICRA U25 Support Programme is funded by Irish Sailing and will be provided directly to clubs, to assist in developing their ongoing U25 development system.

Mentoring:
ICRA will provide the club with mentoring and advice on how best to structure their U25 programme. This knowledge is drawn from the real experiences of clubs with already established U25 development programmes.

Capital Funding:

The ICRA support programme has Capital Grants available of up to €1,500 available. These grants must be used for the purchase of a club owned keelboat that will be used for a U25 development programme.

Follow On Trickle Funding:

Once a club secures a capital grant or has an existing U25 programme, ICRA can support their programmes by providing “Trickle Grants” for up to three years. These grants are tapered allowing the U25 squad to become more independent over the period to raise or provide their own funds for sailing.

Coaching & Cross Club Communication:

ICRA supported U25 programmes will be offered additional coaching and training opportunities. They will be encouraged to meet and exchange ideas with other U25 programmes so that they can all grow and develop from each other.

This area has been most affected by the current COVID-19 pandemic and the limitations and restrictions we have all been placed under during the past 18 months. However, it is our intention to bring on stream more initiatives in these areas as we are allowed to do so.

Where does the funding come from?

The ICRA / Irish Sailing U25 support programme is funded directly from the IRC and EHCO certification fees paid by keelboat owners to Irish Sailing each year. Reinvesting these fees directly back into the future development and sustainability of Cruiser sailing in Ireland will help to ensure the growth of our sport nationwide.

Clubs Supported:

In the initial round, all of the clubs that already had U25 programmes were invited to join as “existing teams”.

Each of the following clubs already had a club boat or boats, primarily dedicated for a U25 development squad. These clubs were Howth YC, Foynes YC, Sligo YC, Mullaghmore SC, Malahide YC, Rush SC and Royal St George YC.

For the duration of the programme, the U25 squads in each of these clubs now receive a “trickle grant” each spring to kick-start their annual sailing budget.

In addition, during 2019 and 2020 a number of additional clubs have availed of the Capital Grants. Royal Cork YC, Lough Ree YC and Greystones SC have already purchased J24s for their U25 programmes. Royal West of Ireland YC and Mayo SC are currently seeking suitable boats to start their programmes.

All of the above U25 squads are now active within their clubs’ cruiser fleets and many of them are training to attend regional or national regattas throughout the season.

Click here for further details

With several smaller regattas already being held, it looks increasing likely that the ICRA National Championships will be the major event of the 2021 season.

ICRA is encouraging competitors to enter their boats online for the ICRA National Championships hosted by National Yacht Club on 3rd to 5th September, and the association has have extended the early bird rate with an official change to the Notice of Race to allow as many competitors as possible to avail of this.

Entries can be made on-line at cruiserracing.ie/icranats/ before 20 August 2021

The three-day Championships is being held in Dun Laoghaire and Dublin Bay covering offshore, inshore and white sail racing.

The National Yacht Club is the venue for September's ICRA National Championships at Dun Laoghaire
As Afloat previously reported, three fleets will be accommodated at the event covering

• Fleet 0 - Class 0
• Fleet 1 - Class 1 and 2
• Fleet 2 - Class 3 and Corinthians Cup, White Sails classes

The ICRA entry fees are as follows:

The Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) has announced scoring details for its annual Boat of the Year Award.

The overall prize was unable to be awarded last year due to COVID-19's impact on the cruiser-racer season.

For 2021 and onwards, a boat's 'Boat of the Year' score for a given year shall be the sum of the boat's Event Scores from the 'boat of the year events' listed by ICRA in that year. (See 'ICRA BOTY 2. EVENTS' below for 2021)

A boat's Event Score for a given event shall be its best Division Score from that event multiplied by the events Event Weighting.

A boat's Division Score shall be based on its overall series placing in an IRC division at the event:  3 points for 1st, 2 points for 2nd, 1 point for 3rd

ICRA BOTY 2. EVENTS

CATEGORY 1: CHAMPIONSHIP EVENTS; EVENT WEIGHTING X2

• ICRA National Championships
• Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Yacht Race

CATEGORY 2: NATIONAL REGATTA; EVENT WEIGHTING X1.5

• Sovereigns Cup
• Calves Week
• WIORA

CATEGORY 3: REGIONAL EVENTS: EVENT WEIGHTING X1

• HYC Autumn League
• DBSC Thursday Series
• ISORA Irish Coastal Series
• RCYC Autumn League

ICRA BOTY 3. PRIZES

The ICRA Boat of the Year Trophy shall be awarded to the boat qualifying for ICRA membership with the highest Boat of the Year Score for that year. The trophy shall be presented at the ICRA Annual Conference, usually held in March.