If the crews in the eight classes competing in this year's Key Capital Private-sponsored Spring Warmer Series were looking to the early season event blow away the proverbial cobwebs, they probably got more than they bargained for last Saturday morning.

Fresh north-easterlies of over 22 knots greeted the fleets for the opening two back-to-back races and the conditions saw a number of boats retiring with gear damage and in the case of one J/24, a damaged crew member.

With the exception of SB3s, J/24s and Puppeteers with 9, 7 and 5 entries respectively, the entries were disappointing for the first weekend, with the Etchells, Squibs and Class 2 effectively enjoying two match-racing encounters.

Equinox and Storm each had a win and a second place in Class 1 while Maximus did the double over Sunburn in Class 2, as did Kerfuffle over Too Dee in the Squibs, while Starlet notched two wins in Class 3.

In the Etchells, Kootamundra and Fetching shared the spoils and Trick or Treat had two comfortable wins in the Puppeteers, firstly ahead of Harlequins and then Eclipse.

Lough Erne visitor Jamais Encore scored two second places in the J/24, firstly behind Hard on Port and then behind local boat Crazyhorse. The biggest fleet of nine SB3s saw Dinghy Supplies with an emphatic 3-min gap over Ruby Blue in race 1 and then just 9 seconds to spare over TBC in the second race.

The Key Capital Private Spring Warmer continues next Saturday with another two-race schedule.

#MISSING SAILORS - The US Coast Guard last night suspended its search for four yacht crew members - including two Irish sailors - who went missing after what's being described as San Francisco's worst ever sailing accident, Fox News reports.

Petty Officer Caleb Critchfield told the Associated Press: "There's a window of survivability and we searched well beyond that window."

Boats and aircraft had combed over 5,000 square miles of ocean in a marathon 30-hour operation before the search was halted at sunset last night. It is not expected to resume.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the missing include Irish yachtsmen Alan Cahill, originally from Blarney in Co Cork, and his friend Elmer Morrissey, who had moved to the US for work only last year, according to friends and colleagues on Facebook.

The two men, along with fellow crew Jordan Fromm, Alexis Busch and Marc Kasanin, were thrown into the frigid water after their 38-foot yacht Low Speed Chase ran aground at the Farallon Islands, some 25 miles off the coast of San Francisco in northern California.

Three other crewmembers, including the boat's owner and skipper James Bradford, were rescued from the rocks shortly after the incident. The body of Kasanin, 45, was recovered from the water hours later.

The boat had been competing in the Full Crew Farallones Race with 40 other yachts between San Francisco and the islands when the tragedy occurred.

Known for its rough conditions with 14-foot swells and winds of up to 20 knots, the near-century old tradition has "never been for the faint of heart".

#MISSING SAILORS – A second Irish sailor is reported among the crew missing from a yacht capsized onto rocks in San Francisco's worst sailing accident in recent times on Saturday.

The acccient has left one dead and four missing.

Cork professional sailor Alan Cahill who was based in the United States for over 15 years but who learned to sail at Royal CorkYacht Club has been named by the San Franciso Yacht Club as one of the missing crew here.

"It's a tragedy of unbelievable proportions," said yacht club director Ed Lynch. "It doesn't affect just this club, it affects sailors all over the world. It's going to hit us hard for a long, long time. "We're all deeply saddened."

Local media are reporting this morning that another Irish sailor Elmer Morrissey is the fourth missing crew man but organisers, the San Francisco Yacht Club, say the final missing crewman's name will not be revealed until his family have been informed.

The Irish Independent reports that Morrissey is from Cork and was on board the 38-ft Low Speed Chase was competing in the race from San Francisco Bay around the Farallon Islands, some 27 miles off the US west coast.

RTE News is reporting that Alan Cahill is a married father of two young children, is originally from Cork, but lived in Tiburon, San Francisco. Cahil's friend Elmer Morrissey was on his second day visiting from Ireland.

A Mayday call reporting the accident went out at about 3 p.m on Saturday.

Forty-nine boats competed in this year's race, which started Saturday, taking the fleet out the Golden Gate Bridge and around the Southeast Farallones Island.

#ISAYOUTHNATS – Dun Laoghaire sailors have filled three of the four slots on the Irish squad for July's ISAF Youth World Championship 2012 in 89 days time.  The selection was announced tonight after an intensive four day battle at the Mitsubishi Youth National championships on Dublin Bay. The 2012 Irish youth team is as follows:

Irish Team Four Star Pizza ISAF Youth World Championship 2012:

Laser Radial Boy: Finn Lynch (National YC)

Laser Radial Girl: Sophie Murphy (Royal St George YC)

420 Boys: Patrick Crosbie & Grattan Roberts (Royal Cork YC)

29er: Sean & Tadhg Donnelly (National YC)

#ISAYOUTHNATS – Four intense days of racing at the ISA Mitsubishi Youth National Championships on Dublin Bay out of Dun Laoghaire, involving 380 sailors across seven classes with 10 nations including GBR and Ireland, concluded today with world class racing.

This morning's racing started with all to play for in each class with some of the most exciting racing in the Laser Radial boys' class. All three top boats were within one point of each other going into the last race. ISA Academy Sailors Finn Lynch (IRL/ NYC) and Robbie Gilmore (IRL/ Strangford YC) punched the line well in the last race. Finn pulled in front and controlled the fleet well to win the last race and overall event ahead of Tomasgaard (NOR/ RNor YC) and Robbie Gilmore.

In the Laser Radial girls class, Sophie Murphy (IRL/ RStGYC) leapfrogged Georgina Povall (GBR/Hickling Broad SC) and Ellie Cumpsty (GBR/Chew Valley Lake SC) to take 'first girl' and secure her place on the Irish team for the Four Star Pizza ISAF Youth Worlds this July.

In the 420 class, the French continued their dominance winning by 15 points and overall there was a tremendous international showing in this class. Patrick Crosbie and Grattan Roberts (IRL/ RCYC) were the first Irish boat coming in at 8th place with 84 points and taking the Irish 420 slot for the Four Star Pizza ISAF Youth Worlds this July.

In the Topper class where the sailors battled changeable conditions, Liam Glynn (IRL/ Ballyholme YC) takes the Topper title with a large 12 point lead ahead of William Thomas (GBR/ Teifi YC). Dougie Power (IRL/ WHYC) placed 3rd just two points off the GBR boat.

In the Laser 4.7 class, Erica Ruigrok (IRL/ Rush YC) was the top Irish with a 3rd overall and first girl overall.

In the Optimist Championship class after the final two races, Peter Fagan from the NYC took 1st and Michael O'Suilleabhain from Kinsale YC took 2nd.

Sailing: ISA Mitsubishi Youth National Championship 2012

OVERALL WINNERS

Laser Radial Class, after 11 races, inc 1 discard:

1 F Lynch (IRL/National YC) 43pts. 2 H Tomasgaard (NOR/ RNYC) 54 pts 3 R Gilmore (IRL/Strangford Lough YC) 50pts. Other top 10 Irish: 6 S Guilefoyle (IRL/Royal Cork YC) 109pts.

420 Class, after 11 races, inc 1 discard:

1 G Pirouelle/V Sipan (FRA/SNPH) 25pts, 2 J Poret/L Chevet

(FRA/SNPH) 40pts, 3 A Vose/ K Urwin (GBR/RLYC) 40pts. Leading Irish: 8 P Crosbie/G Roberts (IRL/Royal Cork YC) 84pts, 9 A Hyland/ B Staunton (IRL/ RStGYC) 87pts 12 R Dickson/S Waddilove (IRL/Howth YC) 105pts

RS Feva Class, after 8 races inc 1 discard:

1 C Totterdell/C Maguire (IRL/Royal St George) 10pts, 2 D Johnston/L Flynn-Byrne (IRL/Howth YC) 20pts, 3 J Tingle/C Guilfoyle (IRL/Royal Cork YC) 23pts

29er Class after 11 races inc 1 discard:

1 J Hawkins/C Thomas (GBR/Restronguet SC) 15pts, 2 T Rippey/A Munro (NZL/Tauranga YC) 18pts, 3 O Bowerman/M Peach (GBR/Hayling Island SC) 24pts

Topper Class after 8 races inc 1 discard:

1 L Glynn (IRL/Ballyholme YC) 17pts, 2 W Thomas (GBR/Teifi BC) 29pts, 3 D Power (IRL/WHSC) 31pts

Laser 4.7 Class after 8 races inc 1 discard:

1 M Whitfield (GBR/Penarth YC/CBYC) 15pts, 2 R Auger (FRA/CN Claouey) 20pts, 3 E Ruigrok (IRL/Rush SC) 63pts

Optimist Championship Class: after 8 races:

1 P Fagan (IRL/National YC) 7pts, 2 M O'Suillebhain (IRL/Kinsale YC) 9pts, 3 C Gorman (IRL/ NYC) 15pts

#ISAYOUTHNATS – A hard won victory in the third of today's three races just tips the balance in favour of Strangford Lough's Robbie Gilmore in a very hotly contested 68 boat Laser Radial fleet at the ISA Mitsubishi Youth Nationals Sailing Championship.

Racing on Dublin Bay out of Dun Laoghaire, the stakes for Gilmore extend higher than just vying for the Radials National title.

Selection for Ireland's Radial spot in July's Four Star Pizza ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships to be raced on these same race areas, amounts to a first-past the-post-battle at these four day championships and Gilmore arrived ashore this afternoon feeling that his fifth, second and win today may prove conclusive in what still looks to be a duel with long time rival and fellow ISA Academy sailor Finn Lynch.

The National YC's Lynch, championship leader this morning, could not match Gilmore as the conditions turned breezier. He returned 3,7,3 for the day to drop to third overall.

After two days of fickle sub-8 knots winds, the five classes which raced today enjoyed brisk, chilly NE'ly breezes of over 20kts accompanied by choppy seas.

Gilmore's slight speed edge, which he attributed to good fitness and concentrated training in today's weight of breeze, proved key as he stepped two points clear of Lynch.

He ties New Zealand's Andrew McKenzie at the top of the international fleet.

" It was pretty breezy, up to 20kts, but really nice sailing." Recalled Gilmore, " The first race I did not have a great one but got a fifth. The second race I was leading most of the way around but on the last leg the Norwegian sailor caught me. But the last race I won and so it really was a good day."

"I am feeling pretty good now. It was nice to feel like I had a little bit of a speed edge today, which is probably down to good fitness and training in that breeze, so it puts me in a good position for tomorrow when hopefully I will be able to finish things off. I was not particularly watching out for anyone today, just trying to keep on it in that breeze."

A competitor capsizes after racing yesterday in the choppy conditions

Lynch was less pleased with his three races:

" Nothing really went wrong or happened but I just did not sail as well as I could have. I sailed well, but I could have sailed better. My speed was really good but my tactics could have been a bit better, especially in the second race. But I will be back tomorrow, it is still very, very close."

The French duo of Guillaume Pirouelle and Valentin Sipan, from Le Havre, are primarly here on a training mission in advance of their trials series which will select for their Four Star Pizza ISAF Youth Worlds team, but they are proving to be the class act in the 26 boat international fleet. They lead the class comfortably after winning all three races today, but crew Sipan cautioned that their regatta is far from won yet.

"We have not won the regatta yet, we still need another good day, but today really set us up." He said, adding: " It is not decided yet whether we will be here in July, there are two weeks of trials. But we are the only French boys team who are here, along with the girls."

In the battle for Worlds selection among the Irish 420 crews, the odds moved in favour of Cork's reigning ISA Optimist Youth National Champion, Patrick Crosbie with crew Grattan Roberts. They improved race by race, scoring 7,6,5, to move up to sixth overall in the international fleet but crucially gaining themselves a 17pts cushion on their nearest selection rivals Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove of Howth YC.

"We were just concentrating on keeping clear air and following the gusts as much as possible. We are certainly better in the stronger breeze but so we are also grand in the light stuff. We only started sailing together in August last year and would love to do the Worlds here in the summer. I don't want to say how confident we are, not wanting to jinx anything. We have a friendly rivalry between us all, but for sure there is more pressure this year with the Worlds here, but I like to think we are rising to it." Said helm Crosbie.

After two more races in the 15 boat RS Feva class, the local duo Conor Totterdell and Conor Maguire effectively maintain their perfect scoreline by virtue of discarding their one second place, leading overall by four points.

Topper class leader Liam Glynn from Ballyholme YC has a virtually unbeatable lead after a first and second today, lying 16 points clear at the top of the 40 boat class, whilst Welsh helm Matt Whitfield from Penarth also took a first and second, leading overall by seven points.

In the 29er Class GBR's Jack Hawkins and Christopher Thomas have now won three back to back races in a small fleet which is primarily here to train for the worlds, both the British duo and New Zealand's Trent Rippey and Alex Munro already know that their worlds selection is secured:

Sailing: ISA Mitsubishi Youth Nationals 2012, standings after Day 3 of 4:

Laser Radial Class, after 8 races, inc 1 discard:

1 A McKenzie (NZL/Tamkai YC) 30pts, 2 R Gilmore (IRL/Strangford Lough YC) 30pts, 3 F Lynch (IRL/National YC) 30pts. Other top 10 Irish: 6 S Guilefoyle (IRL/Royal Cork YC) 68pts.

420 Class, after 8 races, inc 1 discard:

1 G Pirouelle/V Sipan (FRA/SNPH) 13pts, 2 N Horwitz/F Fuentes

(CHI/CNP) 20pts, 3 J Poret/L Chevet (FRA/SNPH) 28pts. Leading Irish: 6 P Crosbie/G Roberts (IRL/Royal Cork YC) 50pts, 10 R Dickson/S Waddilove (IRL/Howth YC) 67pts, 11 A Hyland/B Staunton (IRL/Royal St

George) 68pts.

RS Feva Class, after 5 races inc 1 discard:

1 C Totterdell/C Maguire (IRL/Royal St George) 4pts, 2 D Johnston/L Flynn-Byrne (IRL/Howth YC) 8pts, 3 J Tingle/C Guilfoyle (IRL/Royal Cork YC) 14pts

29er Class after 7 races inc 1 discard:

1 J Hawkins/C Thomas (GBR/Restronguet SC) 9pts, 2 T Rippey/A Munro (NZL/Tauranga YC) 10pts, 3 O Bowerman/M Peach (GBR/Hayling Island SC) 14pts,

Topper Class after 5 races inc 1 discard:

1 L Glynn (IRL/Ballyholme YC) 5pts, 2 N Hemeryck (IRL/National YC) 17pts, 3 W Thomas (GBR/Teifi BC) 17pts,

Laser 4.7 Class after 5 races inc 1 discard:

1 M Whitfield (GBR/Penarth YC/CBYC) 6pts, 2 R Auger (FRA/CN Claouey) 13pts, 3 M Hassett (IRL/Baltimore SC) 19pts

Optimist classes did not race today, standings as per yesterday

#TORNADO – A mini-twister, a  tornado or waterspout made a spectacular appearance off Bray Head, County Wickow this morning and was captured on tape and posted on youtube by user oifeno1 at the same time as a lightning, thunder and hail storm hit Dublin Bay.

The UK Met Office warned earlier this week that a combination of warm ground temperatures and cold wind passing from the north west could create the perfect conditions for funnel clouds but little did we relaise it would turn up on the East coast of Ireland and only a short distance from where over 200 youths are competing in the Irish Youth Sailing Championships on Dublin Bay.

The YouTube clip above was captured by user 'aoifeno1' (East Coast Kayaks) and uploaded this morning under the summary: "Just about to take a photo of sunrise when I spotted this twister!"

Another clip was caught on tape at 6:40 after a sudden storm passed right overhead, the poster said 'hail came pummeling down and this waterspout went right past the beach and broke up when it hit land on Bray Head'.

#ISAF YOUTH WORLDS – An Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Cllr. John Bailey hosted a reception in Dun Laoghaire's County Hall last night to officially launch the Four Star Pizza ISAF Youth Worlds which will be hosted in Dun Laoghaire in July of this year writes Cormac Bradley. In welcoming the great and the good from the political and sailing communities to the reception, represented by sitting TD Mary Mitchell O'Connor, County Manager Owen Keegan, County Councillors and Commodores and officials from the host clubs respectively, Councillor Bailey spoke of the Council's delight that an event of this magnitude would be coming to Dun Laoghaire and stressed the importance of this and similar events which generate visitors to the area. The ISAF regatta in particular provided an opportunity to showcase Dun Laoghaire and Ireland to overseas visitors from an expected 65 countries.

Irish Sports Council Chairman, Ciaran Mulvey, alluded to the special relationship between his organization and the ISA, the host authority for the Youth Worlds. He advised the gathering that the ISA was highly regarded by the Sports Council and this had enabled more funding to be directed to their coffers. However, with improved funding came a heightened expectation of performance and the launch of this event was indicative of the type of delivery that satisfied this expectation.

ISA President Niamh McCutcheon thanked Cllr. Bailey for hosting the evening's proceedings and reminded the meeting that the Youth Worlds was one of three ISAF events to be hosted in Ireland this year, the other two being an ISAF Training Conference in March in Howth, and the Annual ISAF Conference in November. She thanked the Sports Council and the main event sponsor, Four Star Pizza for their support in making the Youth Worlds a reality and reminded her audience that without significant sponsorship events like this simply couldn't happen.

Representing Four Star Pizza, Damien O'Malley spoke enthusiastically about the tie up between his company and the regatta. Highlighting his corporate aspirations for marketing their brand of pizzas he said that he believed that the sponsorship of the regatta would assist in the future marketing drive of Four Star Pizzas.........and to prove the point, at the conclusion of the speeches, pizza was served to the invited guests.

Regatta Chairman, Brian Craig closed the proceedings by making a special presentation to Frank Keane of Mitsubishi Motors in support of the company's sustained sponsorship of the Irish Youth Nationals which had attracted a record entry this year. The 2012 event is a precursor to the Youth Worlds and its significance is heightened by the presence of international teams at this weekend's regatta from Great Britain, New Zealand, France, Estonia and Canada.

#ISAYOUTHNATS – Dublin Bay is the national sailing focus this weekend, with more than 400 junior sailors hitting the water for the ISA Mitsubishi Youth Nationals. On the threshold of the season, it's always an event alive with anticipation. And with the Youth Worlds scheduled for the same venue in July, the pressure is already way off the top of the scale.

Leading Optimist dinghy sailor Sophie Browne (14) of Tralee, youngest ever helm to take the coveted "Sailor of the Month" title after her Silver Medal in the Opty Worlds in New Zealand in December, has already launched her 2012 season with considerable success in Denmark, where she won the recent International Consul's Cup series with a strong performance which moved the official reporter to suggest that the Kerry sailor had moved up a gear relative to all the other sailors.

As for other contenders on the bay this weekend, east coast sailor Megan Parker (13) of Skerries made the trek to the Lake Garda International Optimist Regatta on Easter weekend, and finished 19th. You might think that is scarcely an exceptional achievement. But the legendary Garda event attracted 806 entrants, which is simply beyond most folk's imagination. Merely to find the finish line through a plague of boats like that is surely deserving of some sort of award from the Royal Institute of Navigation. And to get into the top 20 merits the ringing of church bells back home - as sixth girl with nine top twenty placings and four top tens, Megan Parker did very well indeed.

With the multi-class Spring Warmer Series getting under way at Howth, Irish Cruiser Racing Association Commodore Barry Rose reminds all would-be competitors at the ICRA Nationals at the same venue in late May that discounts on entry fees cease after this weekend. With the organising committee chaired by Nobby Reilly, the Nationals from May 25th to 27th are shaping up to provide top level racing which positions everyone very neatly both geographically and tune-wise for the Scottish Series four days later, time-honoured as a happy hunting ground for Irish boats.

Meanwhile the RORC's Easter Challenge in the Solent last weekend was quite a silverfest for Wicklow designer Mark Mills. Boats from his drawing board were outright winners in two of the five classes, and he had a major input into the re-design of a third class winner.

The well-seasoned Summit 40 Tokoloshe (Mike Bartholomew, South Africa) topped IRC 1, 9 points clear of Anthony O'Leary's second-placed Ker 39 Antix, with round Ireland winner Tonnere de Breskens back in fifth. A new Mills production boat, the MAT 1010 Matilda (Louise Morton, Cowes) won IRC 3, and the veteran MG 30 Checkmate XV (Nigel Biggs, North Wales & Dublin Bay) won IRC 4 with more than a little help from a new Mills-designed keel and rudder. The Mills office has also scored success in the 600-mile China Sea Race from Hong Kong to the Philippines, winning IRC 1 with the 40ft one-off Mandrake (Fred Kinmonth & Nick Burns).

Looking to the coming season, that second place for Antix was encouraging for defending Commodore's Cup skipper Anthony O'Leary, but inevitably simply finding a team of three boats for Ireland for the biennial Commodores Cup in these straitened times poses problems for ICRA. However, 17 boats have already nominated for the British trials, and even with two or three Brit teams in prospect, there'll be good boats going spare, plus we hear of one or two interesting rustlings in the undergrowth.

NON-BREAKING NEWS

Argentine designer Juan Kouyoumdjian, who's based in Alicante, has fired off a broadside at those who suggest the damage-scarred current generation of Volvo 70s need their specifications and building standards up-graded.

For those who were away on Easter Retreat, the news is that the three leaders of the Auckland-Brazil stage (Leg 5 of the race) have now reached port, with Kenny Read's Puma just staving off an extraordinary challenge by overall leader Telefonica (Iker Martinez). After a 17-hour pit-stop at Cape Horn for "non-essential but sensible repairs", Martinez and his team sailed north with a new wind pattern and reduced the Puma lead of hundreds of miles to less than one mile before slipping back a little at the finish, but still taking a very close second.

Groupama (Franck Cammas) had been dicing with Puma all the way up the Atlantic, but her rig came down within 700 miles of the leg finish. With a jury rig, they still managed to finish and take third. Only Camper is still racing, battling up the south Atlantic after a prolonged stop for repairs in Chile. But all three other boats are out of Leg 5, and are now being shipped to an Atlantic port with various levels of hull structural damage. Thus critics have been saying that the hulls of Volvo boats aren't built strong enough, but Juan K is having none of this, and on Thursday he let fly:

"With our three boats safely in Brazil.....I believe we are presented with an intentional manipulation of the truth".

"There is a common, spread notion that ALL the participants in this VOR have structural problems, that the situation is unacceptable and that something needs to be done for the future. A fundamental distinction needs to be done between the mast breakages and the rest, and whilst I think it is very important to understand what caused so many mast failures, it is a travesty of the truth to put ALL designs in the same basket when it comes down to "other" structural issues......"

"Puma won Leg 5 without a major structural problem....Telefonica finished second with a hull delamination in port mid bow which did not prevent her from racing....(her) pit stop in Cape Horn was not a necessity but rather a very clever strategical decision based on having 3rd place assured....Groupama has sailed on her own means to Brazil without structural problems..."

Spitting fire by now, he concludes: "....avoid putting in the same basket the good work and brilliance of some engineers with that of others which are clearly not the same".

Them's his sentiments, and Juan K gives it from the heart. But there's only one Juan Kouyoumdjian, and he can't design and engineer ALL the boats in the Volvo Ocean Race, even if there is another edition of the VOR in its present form.

Because the news that a blue chip supporter like Groupama is pulling out of all sailing sponsorship after this race is over (and all football sponsorship too, after current contracts are completed), makes any future VOR scenario even more of a guessing game. Maybe we'll end up with something involving only the burgeoning BRIC economies (Brazil, Russia, India and China) - perhaps a Pacific Rim circuit with a quick jaunt round Cape Horn to Brazil? What would Paddy Power give odds on?

W M Nixon's sailing column is in the Irish Independent on Saturdays

#OLYMPIC SAILING – Ireland is on course for an Olympic sailing medal in London according to yesterday's Irish Sailing Association Olympic briefing.  The sailing team will be 'on the podium' this summer according to the 'vision' unveiled by team manager James O'Callaghan. All three qualified crew for the Weymouth regatta in 100 days time were at the event held in Jury's hotel, Dublin. O'Callaghan says that the there are nine events left before the Olympics and to be on target for a medal the team,  Annalise Murphy, Peter O'Leary and David Burrows and Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern will need to take six medal race finishes and two medals from these warm up events to stay on target. The ISA also expect at least one more boat to qualify for the Games  (from a possible three still campaigning) at next month's final qualification events. Irish Times Sailing Columnist David O'Brien has more on the story this morning here.