This morning's final two races of the 1720 European championships in Falmouth has developed into something of a Crosshaven derby as three Royal Cork fleet leaders fight for the sportsboat title in a forecasted force four breeze at the mouth of the English Channel.
In a fleet of 50-boats that includes sailing professionals Kevin Sprowl and Gordon Maguire, Irish crews are filling the majority of the top ten places with Sprowl and Maguire only managing ninth and 11th respectively.
Defending champion Mark Mansfield on 19.5 points will attempt to widen his 3.5 points winning margin over club-mate and rival Anthony O'Leary at the helm of Ford Racing, who, despite winning the opening race yesterday morning, narrowed his chances of an overall win with a 34th placing yesterday evening. Mansfield, who has the most consistent results so far, also had problems yesterday and lost a crewman, Terry English, overboard after rounding the weather mark in fifteenth place.
Luckily English was able to hold on to a trailing jib-sheet but it took all four of the crew to lift him back on board, losing ten or 12 places in the process.
Third overall is David Rose in Bond Girl but a protest over barging at a weather mark looks certain to cost him places. Protests lodged included several appeals against disqualification for premature starts.
At home, Two Dublin Bay cruiser racers, Scenario Encore (Kieron Foley) and King One (Leslie Parnell) will be hoping to reproduce results from June's Celtic regatta at Pwllheli, in tomorrow's Carlsberg sponsored Royal St George Yacht Club regatta that will have an estimated fleet of nearly 300 boats.
The Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC) cruisers, a three-quarter tonner and half-tonner respectively, finished first and second on three contrasting days sailing off the Welsh coast despite problems with King One's headsail foil in the second of the six race series. The half tonner recovered, however, to secure two seconds and a third in the 20-boat fleet.
The event also included a long offshore race as part of Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association's (ISORA) Pwllheli to Pwllheli fixture of some 50-miles duration. Overall, the Rob Humphries designed three-quarter tonner secured three first places and the two boats made their way back across the Irish sea with a large haul of glassware.
Folkboat weekend at the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC), which includes seven Welsh visitors in a fleet of 20 boats, also takes in tomorrow's Royal St George YC regatta in a combined start with Cruisers IV. The 20-boat regatta continues with a further two races on Dublin Bay on Sunday.
In the UK, Wexford sailor Dermot O'Morchoe showed his freshwater skills on Rutland Water to win the UK's 1999 Formula one national championships in winds gusting to force six.
Courtown Sailing Club's O'Morchoe got the edge on the 20-boat fleet over the Olympic triangle courses beating John Jackson from Windermere and Paul Bankroft from Rutland for the overall trophy.
In offshore sailing, the Royal Ocean Racing Club, (RORC) Irish sea race from Liverpool to Dun Laoghaire starts today and feeds into this year's Barlo plastics ISORA week, scheduled for Howth from July 12th-17th.
Also in final preparation mode on the east coast is the biennial Halidon Dun Laoghaire to Dingle race which starts next Tuesday evening over a 280-mile course that takes the fleet outside the Tuskar, Fastnet and Skelligs.
A sea safety initiative to check the safety of pleasure craft that has the backing of the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources and Bord Iascaigh Mhara, is being co-ordinated by the RNLI. Known as Sea-Check and conducted in a thorough and helpful fashion the safety equipment advisory check is designed for all pleasure craft from small inshore craft to those making offshore passages.
It's a free service to boat owners of approximately one hour duration and thoroughly recommended as a good start towards accident prevention. More details on the scheme are available from the RNLI on 01 284 5050. Leaflets are available from any sailing club.
