Sailing Cruiser National Championships: The People's Republic of Cork returned to Leinster in force at the weekend, this time to stage a water-based rout of the assembled forces of the rest of the State in the Saab Cruiser National Championships.

Now in its fourth year, the Irish Cruiser Racing Association decided four major national titles at the three-day event based at the Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dún Laoghaire. Two of these went to Royal Cork YC crews and had a stronger Limerick contingent been available, a total Munster victory within sight of Lansdowne Road might have been on the cards.

Just nine of the 93-strong fleet sailed from Cork to take part yet almost every boat departed Dublin Bay with a prize of some standing.

Although staged at the start of the season, the event provided a useful form guide ahead of the forthcoming Commodore's Cup in Cowes in just five weeks.

And so it was that Anthony O'Leary retained his Class One championship title with one race to spare yesterday. The ICRA Boat of the Year sailed ashore early with malfunctioning electronics though an early departure for the delivery crew northwards to Bangor to prepare for the Scottish Series was the real reason.

Even missing out on the final race still delivered the former RCYC Admiral the class title with five points to spare. Having just won the April League in Kinsale, another win at Tarbert next week would be fine preparation as the Ireland Team Orange small-boat in the Commodore's Cup.

Among the bigger boats in Division 0, Eamon Rohan's Corby 37 Blondie produced an impressive score sheet that counted four race wins and two second places while a third place was discarded.

Local supremo Tim Costello placed third on Tiamat and might have provided a closer challenge were it not for a broken backstay on Saturday afternoon but it was Conor and Denise Phelan's Jump Juice who placed second six points behind their Crosshaven team-mate.

Division 2 saw the Munster run end and Howth Yacht Club's Kinetic, under the successful Colwell and Murphy partnership, beat the Dún Laoghaire Corinthian champion Tim Goodbody on his Sigma 33 White Mischief by two points.

Howth also won Division 3 with Vincent Gaffney's Abin Express Aliiance beating Dave Cullen's souped-up Impala Wild Mustard by two-points.

Conditions over the three days varied from near calm with thunder and lightning to gusts of 40 knots delivering a testing series for the combined fleet.

The major titles were decided on IRC handicap while prizes were also awarded under the ECHO handicap system.