The Royal Cork Yacht Club have clashed with the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) over cashable prizes for July's 500-boat regatta. Yesterday the Irish Sailing Association (ISA) became reluctant participants in the dispute that is centred over an ambiguous wording of a regulation for ISAF regatta approval.
In a break from traditional Corinthian prizes, Royal Cork propose to award three cars, two of which are elaborate lottery prizes. But the ISAF maintain that the RCYC would then be liable to pay an approval fee of 10 per cent of the cost of the cars under Regulation 8 and 8.3. The Royal Cork dispute this.
The Ford Puma car and two Ford Ka models are intended to add extra appeal to the winners' podium, and organiser Clayton Love said he has been careful not to promote the initiative as a cash prize. He maintains the cars are a light-hearted element to the competition.
Both Ford Kas will be won as prizes in a fun raffle ashore, while the Puma - retail value £17,450 - is unashamedly a grand prix trophy for the winner of what the Royal Cork have referred to as the CHS class championships of the world, and for which the Crosshaven Club have paid an ISAF approval fee.
Yesterday, the ISAF secretary-general, Arve Sondheim, said he hoped both parties would accept the decision of the ISAF constitution committee when it next met in November. It is understood that July's event would proceed as the RCYC had planned, but the principal race officer, Donal McClement, has argued that paragraphs in the wording of the rule are self-contradictory and thus cannot be enforced.
The payment was not an issue, said McClement, who stressed the club would be happy to make a donation to the Lifeboats if it would settle the matter.
Staying in Cork, host club helmsman John Godkin, the skipper of VSOP, will have to fight hard to retain his title against Crosshaven's Arthur O'Connor, sailing Luv Is, in tomorrow's final round of Kinsale's Yacht Club's April League .
Only 1.25 points separate Dave Dwyer's Hot Stuff, Gary and Susan Horgan's Amazing Grace, Jim Donegan's White Rooster, and Mary O'Keeffe's Tux.
In Class Two, Paul Kingston's Quicksilver leads in Channel, and while he can't afford to relax for the last race, he isn't under as much pressure as Class captain Ultan McKibben's Buster, which is just about defending her overall lead in ECHO from the McCarthy brothers' Mac Magic and Neil Prendeville's Mary P. In Class Three ECHO, Bertrand O'Callaghan's Rapparee has a comfortable lead.
The ISA are running a series of safety seminars to coincide with the start of the season. The day-long seminars are at Royal St George Yacht Club (tomorrow), Kinsale Yacht Club (May 2nd), Royal Cork Yacht Club and Wexford Harbour Boat Club (May 9th), and Howth Yacht Club (May 10th). Reservations at: 01 280 0239.
