British yachtsman Lawrie Smith is planning to kick off his 2001 Volvo Round the World campaign at July's Ford Week at the Royal Cork Yacht Club.
From an idea hatched two weeks ago, shore manager Howard Givens confirmed Team Lawrie Smith's interest in the Crosshaven regatta as a sponsorship build-up event to next year's £5 million round the world challenge.
Smith is one of a handful of high-profile yachtsmen to register interest in Ford Cork week, which is expected to have an entry of 750-800 boats, the biggest so far.
In order to compete in Irish waters, other 60-footers from around the world are negotiating the air freighting of hulls - at a cost of up to £150,000 - in time for the biennial July event, according to race officer Donal McClement.
Though Smith's new boat is not yet ready, Givens said "Silk Cut", the boat from the last Whitbread Round the World race, would have a new livery and would be sailed in Cork by Smith, along with 50 per cent of his round the world crew.
The Royal Cork Yacht Club confirmed this week that the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) President Paul Henderson will officially open the regatta.
Dublin Bay Sailing Club, the umbrella club that provides weekly racing for Dun Laoghaire's four waterfront yacht clubs, is producing a strategy for the development of the club in the light of developments in Dun Laoghaire including the prospect of marina sailing over the next 12 months.
In an attempt to garner comments and suggestions from its 1,200 members, one of the biggest racing clubs in Europe, a probing membership survey has been produced that puts a number of traditional DBSC activities under the spotlight.
In a brave re-appraisal of what is on offer to its members, the DBSC committee are even putting the traditional race days - Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday - up for scrutiny, a question perhaps prompted by the success of Howth's popular Autumn League that somehow succeeds in pulling over 1,000 sailors from their beds at 8 a.m. on winter Sunday mornings for a series of short sharp races.
The committee are also seeking support on the mooted staging of Dun Laoghaire Week, a massive regatta that would involve all four waterfront clubs.
The Irish Sailing Association, buoyant with the news that participation in sailing grew by nearly 10 percent in 1999 to 18,788 are to establish an Academy for talented youth sailors. This will be just one of the points to be highlighted on April 8th at the ISA AGM at Galway Bay SC.
In its annual report, the director of racing Harry Gallagher sets out his stall for 2000 and argues for the establishment of some structure to channel outstanding youth talent and develop potential on the international scene.
The director of boating John Crebbin reports that although it is the clear intention of the Minister of the Marine to regulate the use of fast pleasure craft, the ISA has been attempting to ensure any action taken by the Department of the Marine is reasonable.
