#optimist – Impressed with the sailing success of 14-year-old Sophie Browne in New Zealand this week? Could you be the next to represent Ireland on the world stage? The Irish Optimist class is making every effort to bring on as many 'Oppy' sailors as possible with an Invitation to all Optimist sailors to its 2012 Spring Training Week in Baltimore from 13-17 February 2011, the school half-term.

IODAI, the International Optimist Dinghy Association of Ireland, organises a Spring training week every year which is open to all Optimist sailors in Ireland.

Baltimore in West Cork sits near the very southern tip of Ireland on the beautiful southwest coast roughly mid-way between the busy tourist destination of Dingle and Kinsale. Slightly off the tourist trail, Baltimore has restrained a village atmosphere, but it still has plenty of top class accommodation and a great place to eat and drink.

The village of Baltimore will be taken over by approximately 150 sailors and their families for the week of February mid-term. Coaches have not yet been announced, but typically are a mix of the top Irish and international coaches; in 2011, the Irish coaches were joined by coaches from Denmark, Spain and Italy.

Training will be provided daily for sailors of all competencies, from those who have never sailed before – pre-Regatta fleet level - to those who are competing internationally.

The class particularly would like to encourage sailors who have not attended an event outside their own club in the past, to consider coming to Baltimore, which is a non-competitive, fun week intended to build enthusiasm for sailing and to allow sailors from around the country to get to know each other.

The Baltimore event is considered to be one of the top International clinics in Europe.

It is very much a family-oriented event, with a programme of activities for children too young to sail, and events also organised for adults, such as the 'How to Rig an Oppi' class for novice parents!

The event is organised by IODAI which is comprised of volunteers, mainly parents of sailors, who organise the Optimist events calendar. Because everyone is a volunteer, Baltimore is an 'all hands on deck' week, with parents encouraged to lend a hand with the work that goes into making it such a special event. Helping out with making sailors lunches, doing slip duty, rescue on the water, or safety checking of boats, means that parents will get to know each other just as well as the sailors do.

Evening activities are also on offer, including the ever-popular 'Pizza night with the Coaches', tours of the Baltimore castle and RNLI station, and cinema night. And of course the cake competition on the last day of sailing.

An IODAI forum takes place during the Baltimore week where all parents are invited to express their views or seek information on the running of the Optimist class.

Entry is open to all interested sailors and entry can be made through the online Sailracer system, or directly by contacting the organiser Aidan Staunton at [email protected].

Baltimore has accommodation to suit our Sailors with a wide selection of Holiday homes, Apartments, Bed & Breakfast and Casey Hotel. Families can choose somewhere near the harbour or centre of the town. Accommodation can be booked on www.baltimore.ie where you will find a comprehensive list of accommodation.

#ISA – The Irish Sailing Association (ISA) is convening an extraordinary general meeting to propose a revised membership fee structure next month.

The introduction of the 'joint membership scheme' in 1993 fundamentally changed the representative base of the Association and now the ISA say that because clubs have changed over the past 20 years there is 'a need to introduce a single fee formula that is proportionate to a club's membership subscription income'.

The brainchild of former president Roger Bannon, the original scheme underpinned the financial viability of the ISA by making every member of a sailing club also a member of the ISA.

The current ISA subscription rate is 10% of a member's club subscription subject to a minimum of €24 and maximum of €36. For most of the bigger clubs such as Dun Laoghaire's waterfront clubs, the Royal Cork, Kinsale and Howth the rate is €36.

The ISA takes subscriptions from 73 sailing and powerboat clubs in the country ranging in size from the smallest clubs with only a dozen members to the largest in Dun Laoghaire, the Royal St. George Yacht Club with 1,858 members according to the ISA CEO Harry Hermon.

The total number of club members affiliated to the ISA is estimated at over 21,000.

In 2010 income from club member subscriptions generated €320,843 for the ISA but in 2011 this had dropped to 286,087.

The EGM is scheduled for February 11th at the Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire.

#FIREBALL – Another two races, 5 & 6, were sailed in the Fireball Worlds in Mandurah today, with the end result that the order of the top five changed. The report on the Yachts and Yachting website describes the wind as being very shifty 10 – 15 knots, ESE which locals claim would result in big shifts………and this proved to be the case. With a sixth race completed, the first discard kicks in and the consequence of a good day on the water, plus the discard, sees GBR’s Tom Gillard and Sam Brearey take a 2pt lead into the lay-day. They scored a 1-2 on the water today while their closest opposition, Robin Inns and Joel Coultas scored a 8-1.

These two will continue the challenge for overall honours into the final day of sailing while behind them the next three teams are locked on 24pts each. John Heywood & Brett Littledike, Greg Allison & Richard Watson and Dave wade & Tim Saxton will have everything to fight for on the last day.

Thus the ratio of the top five stays as was, 3:2 in favour of the Aussies, but Gillard and Brearey are leading the way.

Other well known names, to the Irish fleet are Martyn Lewis & Richard Byne (GBR 15056) who won the fourth race, in sixth overall. These are the guys who were using the North 3DL main in Sligo. Chips Howarth & Vyv Towend, World Champs in 2009 & 10 (LaRochelle & Barbados) are in 7^th overall. Derian & Andy Scott (GBR 14941) are in 11^th with Ben Schulz & Phillip Bowley (AUS 15062) in 12^th. Ex-Commodore of Fireball International, Russell Thorne, crewing for Steve Goacher is in 13^th, while ne Commodore of FI, Joe Jospe, sailing with Tom Egli is in 17^th, winning today’s handicap prize with two 12ths on the water.

The next best performance of the day, after Gillard and Brearey, were the Czech combination of Martin Korbovy & Pavel Winkler who scored two 3rds.

The 64-boat fleet now has a lay-day before two final races to conclude the event.

#VOLVOOCEANRACE – The Discover Ireland backed Team Sany entry in the Volvo Ocean Race has been busy discovering Madagascar over the past few weeks as they awaited new rigging for their stricken yacht that pulled into the port of Talanero for emergency repairs before Christmas. Now it looks like they're getting ready to leave. Fingers crossed. See below photos attached from TEAM SANYA action today in Madagascar. SEE PHOTOS BELOW.

'The day we thought would never come has arrived', said Nick Bice, Team Sanya shore team manager. 'Today after nearly 3 weeks, the rig is going back in. Some of the sailing team arrived today and immediately got to work in preparing the boat to leave once the sea trials are done. The tentative plan is to step the rig today with sea trials planned all day tomorrow and on the Friday if needed. Mast going in now...'

#GALWAY HOOKER – The near century old Galway Hooker boat Nora Bheag, was finally taken out of her container in perfect condition in Abu Dhabi yesterday with plenty of water and sponges deployed to to keep her wooden hull moist in the hot climate.

She arrived safely in the Arab port after an historic voyage that set out from Galway over eight weeks ago.

First sail for Little Nora in Abu Dhabi

Little Nora, which also means "Little Light" in Arabic, is in Abu Dhabi as part of a cultural exchange programme between Abu Dhabi and Galway, both hosts of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011- 2012. This is a joint initiative involving the Irish Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Emirates Heritage Club, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority and Tourism Ireland.

Her owner, Cóilín Hernon along with his family, crew Mike and Sue Fahy and Galway Hooker Association founder Padraic de Bhaldraithe carefully unloaded Nora Bheag from the container with the assistance of the Emirates Heritage Club and Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority.

She was launched from the slipway in the Volvo Ocean Race team base area into the Arabian Gulf. Once successfully rigged she made her way under sail towards the Emirates Heritage Club, her new home club while in Abu Dhabi. This short trip was the first time a Galway Hooker has sailed these waters.

She'll also be moored in the Volvo Ocean Race village where preparations are under way for the Irish Day festivities on the 6th of January in the Abu Dhabi race village. Guests will be welcomed out on board to experience sailing on her.

The return exchange will see six Abu Dhabi Dhow's travel to Galway to race against a fleet of Galway Hookers. The exhibition challenge will take place in Galway Bay during the finale celebrations of the Volvo Ocean Race and Global Village 2012 in July this year.

With both cities hosting a stopover for the grueling 39,000 mile round the world "Everest of Sailing' in 2012, the initiative celebrates common ties between the two. It is hoped that this type of promotion will generate a significant number of new tourist visitors and attract businesses from the Middle East to Ireland.

Enda O'Coineen, Chairman of Let's Do It Global – the not for profit foundation responsible for bringing the Volvo Ocean Race back to Ireland said he was delighted at how the cultural exchange was unfolding, "The working Arab Dhow is very symbolic of Arab culture and their history through trade is highly respected. Mixed in with the very modern aspects of Abu Dhabi the Dhow is sacred as a link with the past", said Enda, "Likewise the Galway Hooker was the workboat of the West of Ireland and has similar attributes. We are really looking forward to hosting the Dhows in Galway in July."

#optiworldsnz – After three days of individual racing the focus changed at the OptiWorlds today with the first day of team racing seeing 40 national teams sail in warm sun and light airs but for Ireland's Sophie Browne, the sole Irish competitor in Napier, it is time for a break from racing, she is next back on the water on Saturday for race seven.

"Each team has four sailors so some countries were excluded from today's racing" according to Pete Dawson Chairman of OptiWorldsNZ.

Team racing allows sailors to enjoy the short tactical duels, each team sails at least two races. Then the losing team is knocked out of the competition. When not racing, the sailors are rafted up and eating with their team mates, often from other countries.

There was also a strong contingent of shore based supporters including their national flags as the sailing took place within 100 meters of the beach with commentaries provided and ice creams close at hand.

At the end of the first days' racing a heat between China and Spain remains to be sailed with the following teams progressing through to the second days racing: USA, Peru, Malaysia, Sweden, Norway, Brazil, Croatia, Singapore, Thailand, the Netherlands, Portugal, Denmark, Argentina and Poland. Tomorrow's racing will see 16 teams contest the competition, with New Zealand knocked out of the competition by Spain today.

"Team racing is all about tactics with the aim to ensure that your whole team (4 boats) incurring the lowest number of points" says Mr Dawson.  "Each race is a knock out duel with the losing team being eliminated from the competition".

As a consequence it makes an ideal spectacle for the public to enjoy as the races are of a short duration and the results are immediate.  There is even a race score board on the beach for the public to see who is winning and with cool drinks and ice creams close at hand, who can resist?

Racing conditions for tomorrow are predicting another warm day with northwest breezes.  Racing starts at 10.00am. Friday is a Lay Day and the individual racing continues with race 7 on Saturday.

The provisional leader board (for the individual racing) shows: 1 Ryan Lo (SIN) 14 points, 2 Bart Lambriex (NED) 23 points, 3 Javier Arribas (PER) 25 points, 4 Wade Waddell (USA) 32 points, 5 Leonard Takahashi-Fry (NZL) 33 points, 6 Peter Lin Janezic (SLO) 40 points, 7 Philip Meijer (NED) 41 points, 8 Ahmad Syukri Abdul Aziz (MAS) 41, 9 William Marshall (USA) 44 points, 10 Miel Verstraete (BEL) 44 points.

#FIREBALL – As was to be expected, the challenge for the 2012 Fireball Worlds title has become a showdown between the Aussies and the Brits. There is no Irish representation at the Western Australia event, just six months on from Sligo's staging of the same event in 2011.

After two days of racing, in what seem to be ideal conditions, the top five places are split 3:2 in favour of the host nation with their boats in 1st, 3rd and 4th. As this scribe expected the leading British boat is Tom Gillard and Sam Brearey (GBR15041) who are sitting in second place, two points behind the South Australians, Robin Inns & Joel Coultas (AUS 15025).

Perennial attendee at these international regattas, David Wade, sailing with Tim Saxton this time, is in 5th overall, with Aussies John Heywood & Brett Littledike (AUS 14786) and Greg Allison & Richard Watson (AUS 15032) in third and forth overall respectively.

Reports from Mandurah suggest that the conditions have been exhilarating with some competitors are saying they have never travelled quite so fast in a Fireball.

Another British combination who seem to be enjoying the conditions are Martin Lewis and Richard Byrne who scored a race win on Day 2. They rounded the first mark of the race in 2nd place behind Derian and Andy Scott but powered away from them on the reaches. Past Champions Chips Howarth and Vyv Townend finished this race in 3rd, behind the regatta leaders Inns/Coultas.

2012 Fireball Worlds, Mandurah, Western Australia.

1 AUS 15025 Robin Inns & Joel Coultas 5 3 1 2 11pts

2 GBR 15041 Tom Gillard & Sam Brearey 1 4 2 6 13pts

3 AUS 14786 John Heywood & Brett Littledike 7 1 3 7 18pts

4 AUS 15032 Greg Allison & Richard Watson 8 2 4 4 18pts

5 GBR 15045 David Wade & Tim Saxton 3 6 11 5 25pts

#SYDNEYHOBART – Dublin Sailor Gordon Maguire won the Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race, a high point in his career as a leading international professional sailor based in Australia writes W M Nixon in the Irish Independent.

Twenty years ago, the young Howth helmsman was one of the key players in the Irish team which won the Southern Cross Trophy, the international offshore series which culminated in the Hobart Race.

For someone with Maguire's remarkable talents, Australia offered the perfect arena and base, and he increasingly focused on the active scene down under. But he also continues to sail worldwide, his most recent high profile appearance in Ireland being three years ago when he was lead helm on Mike Slade's 100ft Leopard establishing the course record in the Round Ireland Race.

The winning Loki crew included Howth's Gordon Maguire. Photo: Daniel Forster/Rolex

Since then, his career path has been as sailing master with Stephen Ainsworth's Australian team. Ainsworth acquired some note in Europe back in 2007 when his mini-maxi Loki, powering along in the stormiest Middle Sea Race yet experienced, broke the rudder and became a total loss on the northwest coast of Sicily. That iron shore would rank high on any world listing of least desirable places to be shipwrecked, and some advanced yacht racing equipment subsequently turned up in unlikely mountain sales.

But at least no-one was hurt. And a new Loki, a 63ft Reichel Pugh design, was already on the drawing board. To get the best from the new boat, Ainsworth and his ace navigator Michael Bellingham signed Gordon Maguire (48) onto what became a dream team. Since 2008, Loki has won just about everything of significance in the Australian eastern seaboard offshore racing scene except the annual thrash to Hobart, which Ainsworth has been trying to win for more than a dozen years.

The winning mini-Maxi Loki. Photo: Daniel Forster/Rolex

The 628-mile classic – staged annually since 1945 – can be a tricky one. You go like the hammers of hell on rough ocean for upwards of 550 miles, and then the final approach to Hobart up the narrowing 60-mile ria of the Derwent River sees the winds all over the place, and often non-existent at night.

The new Loki (named for the Norse god of mischief and trickery) invariably finished among the leaders, but then saw her corrected time win for the Tattersall's Cup – Australia's premier offshore trophy – being snatched away by some smaller boat which came creaming up the Derwent on the afternoon breeze.

But Ainsworth and Maguire have been very close to the cup for the last two years, and this year they struck gold. It was the turn of the smaller boats to be becalmed in the small hours. After hours of the clock ticking painfully slow, Loki was declared winner of the Tattersall's Cup. The biggest box of all had been firmly ticked in gold.

#BOATSFORSALE – A very low usage and exceptionally well maintained family cruiser that 'wants for nothing' is for sale on the Afloat Boats for Sale site. The 1999 Beneteau Oceanis 311 Clipper has an inmast furling main and furling headsail. Below decks the forecabin has double berth and an Eberspacher warm air heating vented to main cabin and aft double (new 2009). The boat has been wintered ashore Dun Laoghaire every winter according to the seller. A substantial cradle is available as an extra. More details on the boat here. 

#optiworldsnz –Sailing for Ireland, Sophie Browne of Tralee Bay Sailing Club has dropped from 7th to 16th overall after six races sailed at the Optimist World Championships, according to provisional results from organisers this morning. Browne scored a 16th in race six of the 210–boat fleet to place 16th overall. Significantly though the top Irish sallor is on equal points with 14th place and only seven points off the top ten, still very much in contention. Only 10 points separate 11 of the top 16 boats in the fleet with a further discard in hand and everything to play for. It is the first time Ireland has contested the World championships in four years, Irish efforts have been previously concentrated on the European championships.

Sophie on day three of the Oppy worlds in Napier. Photo: Matias Cappizzano

Today, the third day of racing at the Optimist World Championships, the breeze was light and variable and when the race officer got proceedings underway it was 5 to 7 knots of wind. Although the conditions did not suit Sophie very much, she has still managed to maintain a consistent performance on a very challenging day for her.

The usual local wind pattern has not materialised in the past few days and the temperature has been lower than usual with rain and cloud cover. The land has not heated up enough to generate sufficient convection to establish a sea breeze.

The wind shifted and dropped making conditions very difficult at times. Sophie had been in 7th place overall on the leader board overnight after 2 days of the event, but despite a difficult start she managed to claw her way back to 12th place at the winward mark and held on to her place to the wing mark, she then improved and gained a few more places on the last beat to the finish line when the wind dropped off further before shifting and favouring the opposite side of the track.

Sophie finished 16th in the only race today and now lies 16th overall for the championship after one discard.

She continues to sail with consistency which may assist her in the overall standings at the end of the regatta. She has placed in the top 20, out of 210 boats competing, in every one of her 6 races so far in this event.

The next two days are for team racing only followed by a lay day and Sophie's next race will be on Saturday when the last 3 days of fleet racing starts.

More results as we have them. Day two vid below where Sophie gets vertiable mention for her strong wind technique.