'Provisional' divisions released today for the 53–boat ICRA National Championships fleet show a spread of ten or 11 boats per class for the Galway Bay event that begins next Thursday, August 16th.
As Afloat.ie reported earlier today, Dublin and Cork boats are already on their way to Galway this weekend, by road and sea, and there will be defending and/or former ICRA and WIORA champions in each of the five divisions.
Scroll down for full divisions list is published below.
In ten-boat class one, long-standing champion Joker II, the J109 sailed by John Maybury of the Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire will be defending his title for the third year in a row. Untypically this season, Maybury lines up against only one other sistership. Glenn Cahill, a former WIORA champion and a runner-up in 2017, will compete in the Galway Bay based J109, Joie de Vie.
The biggest boat in the championships, Conor Doyle's brand new Danish-built XP50 Freya from Kinsale, has already arrived into Galway Docks where the fleet will be moored.
Denis Murphy's Grand Soleil Nieulargo competes in Class One Photo: Bob Bateman
Denis Murphy's Nieulargo, a Grand Soleil 40, that dominated Kinsale's Spring Series, and more recently played a leading role in the Beaufort Cup at Cork Week in July, is a tough class one competitor from the south coast, especially when the breeze is on.
Four other national titles will be decided along with the West of Ireland regionals which kick off what promises to be an exciting few days of racing from Wednesday 15 August.
Half –Tonner Miss Whiplash competes in class two. Photo: Bob Bateman
In a ten-boat class two, the current WIORA west coast champion Tribal, a Farr 31 skippered by Liam Burke, from the host club, will defend her western title after five straight wins on the Aran Islands last year. The ICRA event chairman Martin Breen competes himself in the Dehler 37, Port of Galway while two potent entries are in from Royal Cork. Former ICRA champion and double Commodore's Cup champion Anthony O'Leary is in action in the customised 1720 Antix Beag.
Elan 333 Artful Dodger (Finnbarr O'Regan) competes in Class Two Photo: Bob Bateman
Also, from Crosshaven is the Cork Week Class three winner, John Downing's Half Tonner Miss Whiplash. From Sligo, Ruthless, the Corby 26 is entered by Conor Ronan.
Ray McGibney's Disarray from Foynes Yacht Club Photo: Bob Bateman
In an 11-boat class three division, from Foynes Yacht Club, Ray McGibney's Disarray, a past WIORA champion, that has previously finished second twice in ICRA Division Three is hoping Galway will be third time lucky. Among those travelling from the east coast is past ICRA champion Richard Colwell from Howth in the Corby 25 Fusion.
Johnny Callanan’s Stonehaven Racing competes in Class Three
The Dublin boat is one of four Corby 25s competing that includes the WIORA champion, Johnny Callanan’s Stonehaven Racing.
Good upwind sail trim and boat balance on the Quarter tonner, Quest Photo: Fiona Brown
In class four, Barry Cunningham's Quest is one of two Quarter Tonners racing from the Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire. Cunningham's crew recently finished 25th in the massive 1204–Boat Round the Island Race in the UK in July. Former Dun Laoghaire Regatta Boat of the Week winner and a past J24 Champion, Flor O'Driscoll is competing in 'Hard on Port', one of eight J24s racing that makes up the 11-boat division.
The smallest boat Round Ireland record holder is entered in class five of next week's ICRA national championships Photo: David O'Brien
All of the ten boats in class five are west coast based with half the fleet hailing from Foynes Yacht Club. It's a diverse bunch made up from boats such as Yannick Lemonnier's Transat 6.5 Proto, West sails, Pat Keating's Westerly Fulmar Excalibur and Kieran Ruane's freshwater entry of the Sun Odyssey 32.2 Christina from Garrykennedy Sailing Club on Lough Derg.
Provisional Divisions for ICRA/WIORA 2018
| Sail Number | Boat Name | Owner | Boat Type | Boat Club | Division |
| Division 1 | |||||
| IRL5077 | Freya | Conor Doyle | Xp50 | Kinsale Yacht Club | 1 |
| IRL9292 | Now What | Lauren Heskin/Jim Grealish | DUBOIS 33 | Royal St George Yacht Club | 1 |
| IRL2129 | NIEULARGO | Denis & Annamarie Murphy | Grand Soleil 40 B+C | Royal Cork Yacht Club | 1 |
| GBR9498R | Joie de Vie | Silvie Blazkova / Glenn Cahill | J/109 | Galway Bay Sailing Club | 1 |
| IRL 7234 | Hero | Adrian O'Connell | Humphries 3/4 Tonner | Royal Western Yacht Club Of Ireland | 1 |
| IRL1206 | Joker 2 | John Maybury | J/109 | Royal Irish Yacht Club | 1 |
| IRL673 | Lean Machine | Cormac Mac Donncha | J/35 | Galway Bay Sailing Club | 1 |
| IRL1514 | Zallaq | Emmet & Duncan Kerin | First 36.7 | Royal Western Yacht Club Of Ireland | 1 |
| IRL1754 | Green Monkey (WIORA Only) | Stephen O'Gorman | 1720 | Galway Bay Sailing Club | 1 |
| GBR2750R | Galway Flyer | Erin Killeen | SJ 320 MOD Bermudian Sloop | Galway City Sailing Club | 1 |
| Division 2 | |||||
| FRA21711 | Tribal | Liam Burke | Farr 31 | Galway Bay Sailing Club | 2 |
| IRL7386 | Port of Galway | Martin Breen | Dehler 37 CR | Galway Bay Sailing Club | 2 |
| IRL17200 | Antix Beag | A O Leary | Custom 1720 | Royal Cork Yacht Club | 2 |
| NED7950 | Jaguar | Gary Fort | J/92s | Tralee Bay Sailing Club | 2 |
| IRL1516 | Gambit | Joe Kiernan | Sigma 38 | Foynes Yacht Club | 2 |
| IRL7066 | X-Rated | John Gordon | X-332 | Mayo Sailing Club | 2 |
| IRL3330 | Artful Dodger | Finbarr O Regan | Elan 333 | Kinsale Yacht club | 2 |
| IRL26026 | Ruthless | Conor Ronan | Corby 26 | Sligo Yacht Club | 2 |
| GBR54354R | Miss Whiplash | Ronan & John Downing | Mod Half Tonner Andrieu | Royal Cork Yacht Club | 2 |
| IE8598 | Exlixer | Pat Alyward | X372 | Mayo Sailing Club | 2 |
| Division 3 | |||||
| IRL3864 | Ibaraki | Mike Guilfoyle | Westerley GK 34 Mod | Galway Bay Sailing Club | 3 |
| IRL3062 | CROZZ | Gerry Daly | ELAN 31 | Mayo sailing Club | 3 |
| IRL2552 | Fusion | Colwell & Cobbe | Corby 25 | Howth Yacht Club | 3 |
| GBR6655r | Daffodil - Stonehaven Racing | Callanan & Team | Royal Western Yacht Club Of Ireland/Kinsale Yacht Club | 3 | |
| IRL25007 | Smile | Rob Allen | Corby 25 | RWYCI/GBSC | 3 |
| Irl487 | Disaray | Ray Mc Gibney | Foynes Yacht Club | 3 | |
| IRL1552 | Movita | Conn Lavelle | Beneteau First 310 | Mayo Sailing Club | 3 |
| GBR9656R | Team NUI Galway | Aaron O'Reilly | First Class 8 | NUIG | 3 |
| IRL1398 | Wardance | Sean Hawkshaw | Sigma 33 | Mullaghmore Sailing Club | 3 |
| GBR6566 | RhocStar | Lorraine Scully | Formula 28 | Galway Bay Sailing Club | 3 |
| IRL4206 | Powder Monkey | Liam Lynch | Sigma33 | Tralee Bay Sailing Club | 3 |
| Division 4 | |||||
| GBR7028N | Lady Laura | Edward Enright | Hunter 707 | Foynes Yacht Club | 4 |
| ITA8709 | Cri-Cri | Paul Colton | Jezequel Quarter Tonner | Royal Irish Yacht Club | 4 |
| IRL508 | Quest | B Cunningham & J Skerritt | Humphreys 1/4 ton | Royal Irish Yacht Club | 4 |
| IRL4202 | Gossip | Brian Raftery | J/24 | Sligo Yacht Club | 4 |
| 4188 | Jasper | Michael Lynch | J/24 | Foynes Yacht Club | 4 |
| IRL4212 | Scandal | HYC K25 | J/24 | Howth Yacht Club | 4 |
| IRL874 | Running Tide | David Brennan | J/24 | Galway Bay Sailing Club | 4 |
| IRL4794 | Hard on Port | Flor O'Driscoll | J/24 | Royal Irish Yacht Club | 4 |
| IRL5278 | Gala Racing | Simon McGibney | J/24 | Foynes Yacht Club | 4 |
| IRL4252 | Jibe | Fergus Kelliher | J/24 | Tralee Bay Sailing Club | 4 |
| IRL1558 | Freebird | Duncan Sclare | Achillies 9m | Mayo Sailing Club | 4 |
| Division 5 | |||||
| TBC | SHONAGH | John O Brien | Dufour 365 | Mayo Sailing club | 5 |
| IRL9998 | Christina | Kieran Ruane | Sun Odyssey 32.2 | Garrykennedy Sailing Club | 5 |
| FR278 | Excalibur | P & E Keating | Westerly Fulmar | Foynes Yacht Club | 5 |
| K5552 | Roamer | Frankie Leonard | Contessa 32 | Galway Bay Sailing Club/Galway City Sailing Club | 5 |
| IRL1929 | Lea Ho | Conor Dodd | Yamaha 29 | Galway Bay Sailing Club | 5 |
| IRL723 | Poitin | Bev Lowes | Shipman 28 | Foynes Yacht Club | 5 |
| 37 | Kerry Dream | Tom Murray | Kerry Sloop 27 | Foynes Yacht Club | 5 |
| 3564Y | Scorpio IV | David Bevan | Sadler 32 | Foynes Yacht Club | 5 |
| IRL5147 | Battle | John Paul Buckley | Golden Shamrock | Foynes Yacht Club | 5 |
| 491 | West Sails | Yannick Lemonnier | Mini Transat 6.5 Proto | Galway Bay Sailing Club | 5 |
