Leaders have made perfect starts to the AIB sponsored Laser National Championships at Royal Cork Yacht Club recording four straight wins in all three divisions.
99 boats are competing across the three fleets at Crosshaven in Cork Harbour with locals leading two divisions.
Due to the pandemic, no national championship event was sailed in 2020, with the last nationals being sailed in 2019 in Ballyholme in Northern Ireland.
Eleven Races under London Olympic Race Officer Jack Roy are scheduled. Races 4, 5 and 6 today (Friday) and Saturday Races 7, 8 and 9. Two final races are scheduled on Sunday 22.
Southerly winds gusting to 30 knots are due later today (with a two-hour postponement already in place this Friday morning) with winds forecast to moderate for both Saturday and Sunday.
If conditions improve on Friday, the plan is to try and get two races in at White Bay just inside Roches Point.
Walsh leads Standard Rigs
Cork Harbour local Nick Walsh leads a 14-boat standard fleet. Royal St. George's Finn Walker from Dun Laoghaire is second on 13 points with another Cork Harbour sailor, Robert Howe in third place a point behind on 14.
Crosbie on form in Radial
The host club has a grip on the biggest fleet of the championships with RCYC youths filling the top three places in the Radial class. Michael Crosbie leads on four points from Jonathan O'Shaughnessy on 11 points. Third is Harry Pritchard on 16.
Wright at top of 4.7s
After some intense competition at Dun Laoghaire Harbour during last week's 4.7 Youth World Championships on Dublin Bay, a 35-boat fleet is back on the water again and led by Howth Yacht Club's Rocco Wright on 4 points from Royal Cork's Oisin Mac Sweeney on nine. Wright's clubmate Luke Turvey is third on 11.0
Racing continues at Royal Cork today
Overall results are here
RCYC Laser Nationals Day One Photo Gallery by Bob Bateman