AIDAN KEATING'S straight win in last week's Irish Squib championship at Howth Yacht Club puts the new champion in the hot seat for Sunday's first race of the UK national championships which are to be sailed at the same venue.
In an unusual departure for the British fleet, they decided to hold their championships outside the UK and, despite the woolly question of semantics, officials and competitors alike are unworried according to organiser Russell Rafter, about holding the British championship in north county Dublin.
Given the fact that the record Howth fleet surpasses all previous championship fleets Keating therefore has it all to play for. His resounding win in the 43 boat Irish fleet is a strong indicator that he will lead Irish hopes against an assembled 100 boat fleet.
His result last week was no flash in the pan and comes after months of preparation with some of Britain's most noted Squib sailors.
Current British champion Stuart Brewer from Burnham, also a builder of the 20 foot keelboat, has made 10 trips this year to Howth for two boat tuning exercises with Keating under the eyes of coaches David Howlett and Dublin Bay's Mark Pettit.
Keating, who will be crewed by former Fireball World Champion. Tony Wetherall, has beer making last minute preparations to his boat, What's the Story, including experimenting with some new sail designs.
Past Irish champion Fergus O'Kelly, who will be crewed by Yorkshire's Tony Saltonstall, is also expected to be an Irish front runner. Dubliner Owen Delaney, who now races from the Royal Norfolk and Suffolk YC, has never won the event but has been a runner up on several occasions.
The second leg of the Enterprise class Tiller Trophy saw a small fleet of boats produce three different winners at the Inland Blessington Sailing Club last weekend. The final result saw a 1, 2 and 3 to boats from Greystones Sailing Club with the championship being won by Roy and Neil Van Maanen on 4.5 points, Second overall was Mark and Bernadette Usher on six points with Shane McCarthy and Simon Herriott third on 7.75 points.
The Laser II Inland championships were also held at the same venue and Tom Fitzpatrick and David McHugh emerged as overall winners after a close battle"
with Royal St George pairing Sean and Heather Craig. David Williams and Hilary Murray finished in third place with John and Heather Gilmore fourth.
In a build up to the World Youth Championships to be held in Newport in mid July, selected Irish team members Laura Dillon and Ciara Peelo finished fifth with David and Alan Crosbie sixth.
The Department of the Marine and the Irish Marine Emergency Service are holding a public demonstration at Dun Laoghaire harbour on the East Pier on Sunday, June 23rd, at 3 p.m. Demonstrations will include offshore and in shore lifeboats in operation and the work of coastal and cliff rescue teams. There will also be a breeches buoy demonstration.
The display will conclude with a public meeting at the National Yacht club at 5.00 p.m. John de Courcy Ireland has been awarded the Caird Medal for his contribution to the maritime field by the Maritime Museum of England and, to mark the achievement, the Minister of State at the Department of the Marine, Mr Eamon Gilmore, will honour the achievement on board the Lough Beltra research vessel tomorrow evening at the Coal harbour, Dun Laoghaire.
