SAILING:NOEL BUTLER intends to continue his winning run in the Fireball class this season but after taking three provincials and the national title in 2010, this year is not looking so easy. The fixtures will be peppered with international talent as the class gathers in Sligo for its World Championships in June.
Butler, a former Laser II world champion, will face a strong British fleet that took seven of the top 10 places at the last World Championships in Barbados. Regardless, Butler is confident Ireland can post some good results in this high performance dinghy class.
“I think there are a number of strong teams at present in Ireland and a few have new boats on the way. I would guess that maybe two to three Irish boats in the top 10-20 would be a realistic finish,” said Butler.
Entries from up to a dozen countries are expected to the north west in the high-profile event for Sligo Yacht Club at Rosses Point.
In a measure of the growing international value of its sailing waters, the Fireball is only the latest class to pick Sligo’s Atlantic coast. The club, under commodore Brendan McCormack, staged the 2010 Mirror European Championships last August and have in the past week been confirmed as hosts for that class’s World Championships in 2012. In 2006 it staged the GP14 World Championships too.
As well as Butler, a number of other key home campaigns are taking shape including Dún Laoghaire’s Kenny Rumball, Simon McGrotty and Francis Rowan. All have been at the top of the domestic scene over recent seasons but have still to spark internationally.
The Sligo fixture is expected to draw entries from the UK, Australia, North America and Canada, France, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, South Africa, Slovenia and up to 20 boats from the home fleet.
Rosses Point is backing its sailing club by staging a Shanty and Seafaring Festival from the 17th-19th June to coincide with the event.
It’s not the first time the Fireball worlds have come to Ireland either. They have, in fact, being sailed here four times before. The first was in Fenit in the 1970s and the last was in 1995 when the National Yacht Club’s John Lavery won in Dún Laoghaire.
Britain was the strongest nation then and that’s the case today too. They took the top three places at the 2010 worlds in Bardbados. The world champions Chips Howarth and Vyv Townend retained the title with two races to spare having won six straight races. Ireland’s best performance was from Butler and crew Séamus Moore in 27th.
Bridging that kind of gap to break in to the top 10 will be no easy matter.
The Irish champion is the first to acknowledge the work that lies ahead before June 11th.
On top of the task of finding a new crew, Butler also has his boat up for sale. It’s a sign, perhaps, he is one of those eyeing up the new style hull offered by UK firm Weathermark marine. The new design has a modified bow area among other things. It is a development that is being keenly watched with the worlds just six months away.
From one high speed class to another. Former Cork Harbour sailor Mike O’Shea has finished fourth in the silver fleet of the International Moth World Championships in Australia. He took up sailing the single-hander after emigrating to Sydney. He clocked 27 knots (50kmh) at the event and is confident of going even faster next season. The class has successfully developed hydrofoiling and O’Shea reckons there should be a hydrofoil following at home, too, possibly in Cork Harbour.
Although it might be hard to see how a new class might start here in the depths of recession there appears to be no let-up in new dinghy and keelboat registration with the Irish Sailing Association (ISA).
In 2009, 65 Optimist dinghies were registered (57 of them new). Last year 43 Oppies registered (27 of them new). In bigger boats, 27 ISA cruiser numbers were issued (new or second hand boats) in 2009 and in 2010 there were 50 cruiser numbers issued. There were also 18 other registrations from the 420, Mirrors and Squibs classes.
Andrew Craig’s hope of bettering his previous fourth overall at the Dragon worlds did not materialise in Melbourne, Australia, last week after the Dún Laoghaire sailor posted a series of mid-fleet results to give him 26th overall in the 70-boat fleet. Craig, sailing with Mark Pettit and Brian Mathews, was the only Irish boat in the fleet.
