County Tipperary Olympic trialist Aisling Keller, fresh from this month's Sailing World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark, must be a favourite in the 50–boat Radial fleet – especially on her home waters – when the Irish Laser National Championships begin tomorrow at Lough Derg Yacht Club in Dromineer.
A multi–fleet of Standard, Radial and 4.7 fleets will compete for the Irish title at the freshwater venue on the eve of the 300–boat World Master Championships on Dublin Bay in a fortnight.
Keller's chances in the Radial are further boosted due to the absence of Olympic rival Aoife Hopkins of Howth Yacht Club who is not competing due to illness. It's a further disappointment for the HYC sensation who has already had three months out of her boat this season with tonsillitis.
Chris Bateman Photo: Afloat.ie
Also in the Radial division, Chris Bateman of Royal Cork Yacht Club is also expected to be near the top of the fleet after a couple of fine second overalls scored at Regional Championships this year. The Cork Harbour all-rounder had a very good 29er skiff result at the European Championships in Helsinki this month too, the U18 sailor showing good ability in both helming and crewing roles.
This weekend's event, unfortunately, clashes with the Laser Radial Youth Worlds 2018 in Kiel, Germany where there is a strong Irish turnout that competes until the 25th. See Afloat.ie's report here
Mark Lyttle Returns to Home Waters as a Grand Master
The Lough Derg National Championships sees a good Masters category turnout with the World Championships in just two weeks time on Dublin Bay.
15 Masters are competing in each of the Radial and full rig categories.
Ireland's first ever Olympic Rep in the Laser class, from 1996, makes a return to Irish waters for the event. London–based Mark Lyttle, won the UK Laser Masters seemingly very easy in June, with six firsts in eight races!
Radial competitor – Sean Craig of the Royal St. George Yacht Club Photo: Afloat.ie
Lyttle, who hails from the National Yacht Club and who was a race winner at the Atlanta Games, looks like he still in top form for Dromineer and he is also right on an age sweet spot for GrandMaster division in the Worlds in Dun Laoghaire in a fortnight as he’s just turned 55!
Full rig sailor – Nick Walsh of Monkstown Bay Sailing Club Photo: Afloat.ie
A file photo from 1996 of Mark Lyttle on Dublin Bay. Ireland's first Laser Olympic Rep in the then new Olympic class will compete 22 years later in the Grand Master Class at the Laser Master Worlds at the same venue in a fortnight. This weekend Lyttle competes for national honours at Lough Derg Yacht Club Photo: Afloat.ie
UK Laser Visitors
UK visitor Craig Williamson will be tough competition in the standard rig, where he recently finished second at the RS Aero 7 Worlds and took sixth at the Laser Brit Nationals.
Irish Olympic campaigner Liam Glynn is in action after his bronze medal achievement in the U–21 World Championship in Poland in July. Rio rep Finn Lynch, who did not qualify Ireland for the Tokyo Games in Aarhus as expected earlier this month but did have three top ten results, is also in attendance but only in a coaching capacity, Afloat.ie understands.
Liam Glynn of Ballyholme Yacht Club Photo: Afloat.ie
Darragh O'Sullivan of Kinsale Yacht Club Photo: Afloat.ie
Kinsale's Daragh O’Sullivan is expected to be on the pace too in the full rig and well capable of giving Ballyholme's Glynn and Williamson a run for their money. A 25-boat fleet is expected in this division.
It's going to be hard to call a 35 boat 4.7 fleet with so many newcomers coming in from the Oppies and Toppers including Top Optimist girl Emily Riordan of the Royal St. George and Mark Lyttle's son Zach accompanying his father from the UK.
Annalise Murphy To Give After Dinner Talk
Rio Olympic Silver Medalist Annalise Murphy will be in Lough Derg Yacht Club on Saturday night to give a talk on her Volvo Ocean Race exploits when the class hosts its first Championships dinner to boost the social side of the event.
See full Laser entry list here
