Sailing ColumnLack of interest means selection trials to form provincial youth squads will be limited to single-handers when they begin in Cork and Dublin tomorrow.
The dearth of any double-handed crews is disappointing news for the Irish Sailing Association (ISA), who have been unable to muster any crews from the Mirror, 420 or Laser 2 classes, the typical youth boats - or any other class for that matter - to join this weekend's pilot indicator trials.
Places on the Leinster and Munster youth teams will therefore be drawn nearly exclusively from the ranks of the Laser class.
More serious, however, is that youth manager Bill O'Hara admits there are only 15 pairs of active youth double-handed combinations currently in the country, and the association's own Academy squad - the elite of the Ireland's youth sailors - has only two double-handed pairings on their books.
Two other Academy helmsmen are unable to sail because they are without crew.
O'Hara is setting up the provincial squads for two reasons: first, to bridge the gap between normal club sailing and the ISA's Academy, itself suffering because of a lack of competition for places; second, the provincial squads are designed to capture the growing number of Laser 4.7 sailors and structure their progression. But so far it has been unable to appeal to double-handers.
This copies the successful Royal Yachting Association Northern Ireland format, and it is hoped that pride in representing a province will lead to a strong commitment to the programme from the young sailors, O'Hara said yesterday.
Selection for both Leinster and Munster squads takes place tomorrow at 10 a.m. in 4.7, Radial and full rig Laser dinghies at Dun Laoghaire and Kinsale respectively.
Last weekend the Western championships, a competition involving 21 three-boat teams, was won by University College, Cork, who beat favourites Dublin Business School in Galway.
Capitalising on a boom that has an estimated 250 crews nationwide involved in team racing remains the goal of Team Racing Association (ITRA) president Peter O'Donovan.
The association is in the first phase of formulating a strategic plan to harness the new interest in the sport, which is primarily dinghy and university based, but has also spread to the school curriculum with Schull Community School hosting the first school championships.
O'Donovan is going as far as taking a stand at the boat show to highlight its current success and promote the discipline to the clubs.
This weekend the ITRA Eastern championships - with 26 teams and 160 sailors and which doubles as a trials for the world championships later this year in Newport, Rhode Island - take place at the Royal St George YC, hosted by DUSC.
And later this month, in another first for the association, a Fingal Championship has been organised to introduce new clubs on the north of the Liffey to team racing.
It will be hosted by Swords SC on the Broadmeadow on February 26th.
All clubs from Clontarf to Skerries have been invited to attend. It precedes the national championships, also being held in North Dublin from April 2nd-3rd.
