SAILING:OFFSHORE SAILOR Piet Vroon returns to defend his Round Ireland title in Wicklow in six weeks' time against a line up of international entries for the 704-mile race that is now rated the same points-wise as the Rolex Fastnet race by its Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) co-host.
News of the Dutchman’s defence broke last night at Wicklow Sailing Club’s launch of the 2012 race at its south quay clubhouse.
The 17th edition of the event starts on Sunday, June 24th.
Although half of the 25 entries received by Wicklow are UK boats Vroon will not be the only continental visitor with Visit Malta Puma, a Reflex 38 skippered by Allie Smith, also declaring early.
There is an American entry too, Wild Goose, an Owen Clarke Class 40 skippered by Dan Walsh from New York.
So far this season J109 designs have been the pacesetters on the Irish Sea in the first two ISORA offshore races.
Last weekend the J109 (and a Round Ireland entrant) Sgrech from Pwllheli in North Wales won the 50-mile race from Dún Laoghaire to Holyhead. And in the race to Wicklow the previous Saturday John Maybury’s J, Joker II, was also a winner.
Last night Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association (Isora) Commodore Peter Ryan announced a new sponsor for the Isora race to Wicklow next month. Lynx Metmasts will sponsor the race from Pwllheli to Wicklow, a race that is only three weeks prior to the Round Ireland itself.
One of Ireland’s biggest one-design classes got a name change this week when Laser stopped marketing the SB3 sportsboat. The boat and class continue under the new name SB20.
The Dublin Bay class has also reformatted its own racing schedule for 2012 and had 19 starters for its first Sunday series.
On Wednesday, the National Yacht Club celebrated its Mitsubishi Club of the Year award. It is the fifth time the club has won the coveted ship’s wheel trophy since it was first awarded in 1979.
The club was commended on both its hosting of major events and cultivation of sailing at all levels. Last year it staged the junior Topper world championships and a stopover of the professional Figaro single-handed race.
Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company (DLHC) will double pleasure craft moorings in the Coal Harbour area of the east coast port if plans to install 150 public berths on floating pontoons go ahead.
The company sought expressions of interest earlier this month from local clubs and businesses to develop and manage the project located in the inner harbour area as part of a master plan for the Victorian harbour.
As well as home to four leading Irish yacht clubs Dún Laoghaire already has the country’s largest public marina facility, built in 2001, with an 850berth capacity.
Ireland adds a catamaran to its youth sailing team for the Four Star Pizza ISAF Youth Worlds which will be held in Dún Laoghaire in July.
The SL cat team of Alexander Rumball and Rory McStay from the Irish National Sailing Club is added to the Laser, 420 and 29er teams for the 60-nation event, a highlight of the Dún Laoghaire season.
Following the completion of trials for the Optimist dinghy trials at Waterford Harbour last weekend for this summer’s World and European championships, the Irish youth squads are:
WORLDS TEAM: Douglas Elmes (RCYC/WHSC), Sophie Browne (TBSC/RCYC), Harry Whitaker (RCYC), Harry Durcan (RCYC), Megan Parker (SSC).
EUROPEAN TEAM: Jil McGinley (RCYC), Scott Levie (LDYC/KYC), Daniel Raymond (NYC), Ewan McMahon (HYC), Ronan Cournane (RCYC/KYC), Cliodhna Ní Shuilleabhain (KYC), Alacoque Daly (TBSC).
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT SQUAD: Richard Hogan (HYC), Adam D’Arcy (RCYC), Ciarán Finnegan (WHSC), Johnny Durcan (RCYC), Ros Morgan (SSC), Alix Buckley (SSC), Heather Spain (NYC).
