Sailing: There will be less than a dozen Irish boats at next week's Scottish series and there is a particularly significant drop-off in the number of Irish 1720 sports boats going to Tarbert.
Howth's David Nixon, the skipper of the Volvo 60 Spirit for the Round Ireland race will head for Scotland as preparation for the June circuit of Ireland.
He will skipper Roy Dickson's Cracklin' Rosie, which finished second in last week's class zero championships in Howth.
Nixon will contest class one with Joe English steering on Loch Fyne. Also down to take part is Anthony O'Leary's Antix, the Irish class one champion from Royal Cork.
Elsewhere, the flying fifteen keelboat class head north for their Western championships this weekend. It's a first for Lough Erne Yacht Club to be thought of as a west of Ireland club and the first time in 20 years the fifteens will be sailing on the lake at Enniskillen.
The situation arises out of the demise of the keelboat class in Westport, the traditional venue for the Western event. The class took up Lough Erne's invitation.
Staying with freshwater matters, Met Éireann's experimental marine weather forecast service for the inland lakes this summer begins on Monday. The forecasts will cover Lough Derg, Lough Ree, Loughs Corrib and Mask, and Loughs Allen and Key.
Forecasts will be issued twice daily, giving the expected wind, weather and visibility, with an outlook for the following day.
Notification of forecasts will be announced on Channel 16 by Malin Head and Valentia remotely-operated radio stations and the broadcast times (local time) are: Lough Ree Radio VHF Ch 62: 07.15 with a repeat at 09.15, and at 16.15 with a repeat at 18.15; Lough Derg Radio VHF Ch 61: 07.20 with a repeat 09.20, and at 16.20 with repeat at 18.20.
There was a lot of positive feedback from last weekend's inaugural cruiser championships organised by the Irish Cruiser Racer Association and Howth Yacht Club, not least the prospect that the event, which reached it's target fleet of 100 boats, is now capable of being staged as a stand alone regatta.
On the water, 10 races proved a popular format and, in spite of light winds, were completed in full.
Following the Department of the Marine's ruling that life jackets would be mandatory on sailing craft below seven-metres it was interesting to see Howth Yacht Club setting the standard by flying the "Y flag", indicating that life jackets must be worn for all competitions, even in light airs for cruisers.
Of course the wearing of life jackets is common practice in the sailing world so the new draft legislation effectively represents the club racing situation anyway.
Difficulties are more likely to arise amongst those operating outside of the existing club structures. Nevertheless, the consultation period on the new laws, planned to be in force by the June bank holiday weekend, continues until next week and the department invites comments.
Desmond Fortune, of the Royal St George YC sailing Hard on Port, emerged as Irish J24 Eastern champion after six races last weekend on Dublin Bay organised by The Royal Alfred Yacht Club within their traditional Baily Bowl weekend event for several fleets of one-design keelboat classes.
Second overall was David Taylor in Taz from Carrickfergus SC after a tie-break with third-placed Enda O'Coineen's Kilcullen of the National YC.
