SAILING:After three days of, at times, frustration for both sailors and race management, the Saab Irish Cruiser Championships were decided off Roche's Point yesterday with practically all four seasons of weather on offer.
Lines of rain-bearing clouds brought windshifts of 90 degrees for more than two hours before a race was squeezed off on both courses for the four major Irish IRC-handicapped classes.
Despite the tricky conditions, cream invariably rises to the surface and so it was that all four classes were dominated by well-sailed boats that performed impressively in all six races.
Although prevented from competing due to a leg injury, Eamon Rohan's Blondie III with Olympic Star class contender Maurice "Prof" O'Connell helming emerged overall winner of the 11-boat Class Zero fleet with a string of first places.
The Royal Cork YC boat spoiled the ambitions of club-mates Conor and Denise Phelan's Jump Juice who would have been in line for a clean sweep of the season's major events in Irish waters.
However, O'Connell faced down the pressure and the Phelan's 37-footer ended third overall as Tim Costello's Tiamat from Dun Laoghaire scored a first place in the final race to secure second overall with a small margin from the other runner-up.
For a time yesterday, more than two-hours under the "Flag AP" for postponement, it seemed the breeze would not co-operate and the temptation was for O'Connell's crew to begin celebrations as the final race was surplus to requirements thanks to a healthy points lead and a low discard should a sixth race have gone ahead.
Eamon Crosbie brought his Teng Tools from the National YC to victory in Class One by a 10-point margin over Peter Beamish's Aztec 2 by counting only first and third places from the six races.
Class Two saw pre-event favourite Barry Rose prove his "local supreme" status on board his Corby 25-footer Obsession VI with his son David helming.
Kinsale's John Twomey proved one of the ablest skippers of the event in Class Three when the Athens Paralympian scored five wins in the series to take this class championship title for 2007.
n Team New Zealand staged a stunning comeback to beat Swiss team Alinghi yesterday and level the best-of-nine America's Cup series 1-1.
Alinghi led at the first mark despite being beaten off the start by New Zealand after a closely fought pre-race duel. But the Kiwis ground Alinghi down on the second upwind leg and the balance of the race shifted on one critical tack, with Team New Zealand rounding the final mark with a 15-second lead.
