SAILING COLUMN:AS TRUE summer weather arrives for the peak season, Ireland's young sailors are to the fore at home and abroad on junior courses and international championships.
The unique standing which the sport has as the main PE activity in the west Cork village of Schull paid dividends this week when the Community College squad defeated 20 other teams to win the British Schools championship.
Ross Murray, Connor Miller, Oisín O’Driscoll, Kasper Snashall, Ellen O’Regan and Katie Moynihan made schools history by winning the event three races to two against Seven Oaks’ first team in the final on Tuesday. Rochestown College from Cork narrowly missed a place in the semi-final.
Schull Community College won the event at home in 1996.
“Winning at team-racing in ‘public school’ England when you’re an Irish team is a difficult task,” said manager David Harte. “Their resources and back-up of their public schools compared to us is enormous.”
Harte praised the team for the effort they put into their training and preparations.
“Team racing is a very skilful discipline that requires a lot of discipline. They were the sort of team that, as a coach, you dream of taking to an event.”
Although the Americans didn’t attend this year, Harte reckons after Schull’s performance against them in 2009 repeating that wouldn’t have been a problem.
The Irish crews won the finals with a score of first and second places in the two finals.
“We would have been regarded as the under-dogs in the event so it was a sweet, sweet win!”
Schull Community College focuses on team racing as it removes the cost element for participants and opens the sport up to anyone who wants to take part. The group travels by ferry and camps out to keep down expenses.
Meanwhile, with almost two years to run before Dublin Bay becomes the host, the ISAF Youth World Championships get under way next week in Istanbul with 300 sailors from 60 nations.
Ireland is sending representatives in four disciplines: Matthew O’Dowd (Royal St George YC) – Laser Radial Boy’s One Person Dinghy; Sophie Murphy (Quoile YC) – Laser Radial Girl’s One Person Dinghy; Cian O’Regan (Kinsale YC) and Scott Flanigan (Howth YC) – 420 Boy’s Two Person Dinghy; Jane Butler and Jenny Andreasson (Royal St George YC) – 420 Girl’s Two Person Dinghy.
Ross Killian will be team leader and is joined by Australian Arthur Brett as coach.
Minister for Sport Mary Hannafin is reported to be about to make good on a long-standing promise to go sailing when she joins in with the Wow (Women on the Water) scheme that is holding a one-day event on Sunday week at the National Yacht Club in Dún Laoghaire.
Beginners and experienced women sailors are welcome to join the initiative that will be sailed in the Irish Sailing Association’s fleet of J80 Sportsboats or larger cruisers.
Former Olympian Cathy MacAleavey, who is organising the day, can be contacted via the club.
branigan@indigo.ie
