TWO European champions will compete in tomorrow's national dinghy match racing championship at the Royal St George YC. Laser II European champions Tom Fitzpatrick and David McHugh, defend their ISA title from a field of 16 invited helmsmen drawn from a broad cross section of Irish dinghy sailing.
The national match racing title, now in its fifth year, will be sailed as usual in 12 foot Firefly dinghies on a round robin, swiss league basis inside Dun Laoghaire harbour, with the first gun at 10.0 a.m. tomorrow.
The Irish Sailing Association has confirmed that 23 of Ireland's leading sailors have been invited to compete at the Church & General ISA Helmsman Championship in 10 days time. The event will be hosted by Ballyholme Yacht Club on Belfast Lough on October 5th and 6th and will be sailed in Laser II two person dinghies.
Mark Mills has produced outline plans for a Dublin Bay One Design following an approach from a group of yachtsmen who, according to Mills, have graduated from the rough and tumble of big boat racing or from the competitive small keelboat classes. The group were interested in a fast, four man strict one design and the Mills proposal features a Scandinavian style yacht, long and narrow yet still possessing high stability. In reality, Mills claims the boat will be fast, stable, and exciting to sail, which will also reflect the unique conditions of Dublin bay.
In the Howth 17 one design class, Pat Heydon's Pauline has a narrow lead over Mark Lynch's Eileen on ECHO handicap with Isobel (Fitzgibbon/Mulligan Johnson) leading the scratch division after winning both races so far.
The League continues for another four Sundays but the Sportsboat class held their own eight race series at the same venue, with Olympic Star class sailor Mark Mansfield and his crew on Union Chandlery taking the Cork Dry Gin first prize.
