SAILING: Ireland will be represented at the forthcoming Rolex Commodore's Cup in Cowes by at least one team, it emerged this week. An earlier squad proposed by the South Coast Offshore Racing Association (SCORA) was dropped amid controversy just weeks before the deadline for entries.

The new Irish Sailing Association-nominated team utilises the backbone of the SCORA line-up along with two Dublin boats. The original promoters, led by Donal McClement, remain with the team along with Ger O'Rourke's Beneteau 40.7 Chieftain from the Royal Cork Yacht Club.

Veteran offshore racer Roy Dickson of Howth Yacht Club brings his Corby 40-footer Cracklin' Rosie to the squad along with Simon Brown's Prima 38 White Knuckles from the Royal St. George Yacht Club.

The line-up will continue to be managed by McClement and racing gets under-way on August 11th.

Earlier this year, the SCORA announced that it was proposing to enter a team comprising boats from its area for the Commodore's Cup, primarily an amateur crewed event. Interested boat owners were invited to a briefing and paid a bond of €5,000 to the SCORA to offset costs.

The original panel included Chieftain along with a second Beneteau, Flying Colours, owned by Kieran Twomey. Towards the end of May, differences between the parties emerged resulting in the SCORA withdrawing from its involvement.

Flying Colours was dropped from the line-up and the new squad emerged.

Twomey told The Irish Times last night that he was deeply unhappy at the manner in which he had been treated, particularly as arrangements had been made for family members to return from New Zealand and America to crew on board for the event and he had been fully expecting to take part in the Commodore's Cup.

However, McClement commented that Flying Colours could still take part in the event as two Irish teams are permitted. Although the deadline for entries has passed, the ISA had made an "administrative entry" for a second, as yet unnamed squad, that could easily include Twomey's boat.

McClement added that he and his co-promoters' "prime motivation is and has always been to introduce young talented sailors to a higher level of competition at international level" and that is what would be achieved.

At the ISAF World Sailing Games currently taking place in Marseilles this week and next, Chieftain helmsman David Rose and his crew form the nucleus of the men's J80 keelboat class.