SAILING: Following the cancellation of the 2001 event, a RORC steering group convened to devise a new event for a trophy that was first awarded in 1957 as part of a duel between the RORC and the Cruising Yacht Club of America. It was later to be extended to all nations.
At its peak in the 1970s and 1980s, up to 19 nations took part when the International Offshore Rule (IOR) united handicapped yachts world-wide.
Computerisation eventually allowed designers to exploit this formula, and costs rose along with the explosion of professional sailors.
Irish involvement with the Admiral's Cup dates to the 1960s, and was an ambition for young crews and owners alike. The last national team sailed in 1993, but, as with other smaller nations, we abandoned participation in recent years as team numbers dropped to seven or eight.
In revising the event, the RORC has stated that the Admiral's Cup will retain its offshore bias by including a long-distance race. Commodore Peter Rutter described the changes as a "calculated gamble but an opportunity as well".
Moving the event to Ireland was a signal of the RORC's intent. "Fossilising the event in Cowes is not the way to go," he said yesterday.
Accommodating the IRC and IMS handicapping systems was a "move away from rating rules politics and get on with racing," he said.
Since the decline of the IOR and the emergence of costly alternatives, the world of big boat racing has splintered. Part of this saw the emergence of one-design classes, equal in design and sail-plans, which placed the focus firmly on crewing ability.
Speculation had been that one of the boats in the revised format might be a one-design such as a Mumm 30 or a Farr 40. However, the RORC steering group dismissed this option as choosing from the vast array of classes would not be decisive.
Having cancelled last year's event due to low interest and advance commitments, the RORC now hope that they attract at least 10 teams and possibly as many as 20 for 2003.
