The 2011 championship in Howth, North County Dublin, sponsored by SIAC Construction promises to be the largest Irish Squib Championship for many years, with 38 entries from fleets throughout the country, including 2 boats from Kinsale on the south coast, 2 boats from Westport on the west coast, 11 boats from Dun Laoghaire on the east coast, and 7 from The Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club on the north coast.
Recent days have seen high pressure with light winds, but this is no guarantee that the conditions will not have changed by the weekend.
Last year when the UK Nationals were held in Dun Laoghaire there were 24 Irish boats competing, so an event with 38 entries is an excellent turn out. It shows the excellent state of the class in Ireland which now has fleets in Arklow, Wexford, Kinsale, Glandore, Westport, Belfast Lough, Strangford Lough, Howth and Dublin Bay. In any fleet there would normally be a pecking order, but in 2011 there are many northern boats which have never sailed against the southern boats and many eastern boats which have never sailed against the western boats. This shows the logic in holding the Championship in a central location, Howth. If I were a betting man, which I am not, I would put money on any of the following boats to win the event:
Gordon Patterson and Ross Noland in No. 820 'Quickstep III', who won the Irish Championships last year in Hollywood. Aidan O' Connell and Sian Mc.Cleave in No. 35 'Ruby Blue'. Peter Wallace and Kerry Boomer in No. 818 'Toy for the Boys' who won the recent Volvo Dun Laoghaire Week event.
However some of the quickest boats in the country such as 'Aficianado' ( 2nd. Place in Northern Championships), Lola (regular event winner), and Femme Fatale ( Southern Championship winner) are not entered. It is important for the class that the Class Officials select a date and venue which suites as many boats as possible, and which would attract visitors from Wales.
