Sailing Column: Following last season's outbreak of interest in sailing solo around Ireland in record times, 2006 looks set to be a quiet year for this offshore challenge. Of course, the BMW Round Ireland Race will be the focus of activity for fully-crewed challenges but the effect of a Department of Marine reminder has still to be tested.
That missive became headline news in international sailing media as it effectively ruled illegal any single-handed attempt that prevented proper watch-keeping at all times while at sea in accordance with international maritime regulations.
It seems certain that if a new record-attempt is staged, only a yacht capable of completing the course in a time that would allow a sleepless passage by the single-hander could be used.
Last year, four separate attempts were made, resulting in two new record times while a fifth attempt set a new fully-crewed record.
Not generally known to rest on his laurels, Capt Mick Liddy, who briefly held a new record time last September on AFAOM.COM, has joined forces with the Belgian sailor who subsequently bettered his time less than two months later for a double-handed campaign. Liddy leaves this weekend to join Michel Kleinjans, who already holds two world sailing records, to bring his 40-foot Roaring Forty to Plymouth ahead of the Shetlands Round Britain and Ireland Race.
The Race commences on June 11th and each two-handed crew will sail the course clockwise around all of Britain and Ireland with compulsory 48-hour pitstops at Kinsale, Barra, Lerwick and Lowestoft before completing the 2000-mile race around the end of June.
The pair reckon they stand a better than average chance of overall victory in their Open 40 footer in a fleet of close to 50 boats that counts Pete Goss in its number. To date, half a dozen potential competitors have already been forced to withdraw from the event with problems ranging from dis-mastings to collisions.
Liddy has is own pedigree to call on which includes being the youngest ever Round Ireland Skipper (2002), navigator of Independent Challenger which broke the Round Ireland Speed Record (Dec 2002); he was second in the IMX Worlds in 2003; he is a former dinghy national champion; and he broke the Round Ireland single handed record in 2005, amongst other achievements.
Just two weeks ago, he returned from serving on United Nations mission in Liberia and will return to serve with the Irish Air Corps following the race.
Meanwhile, the Irish Sailing Association is seeking to fill two vacancies.
The post of racing manager will shortly be vacated by Dave Quinn who is pursuing opportunities in the financial services industry.
A new position of marketing and membership services manager has recently been created and candidates are being sought for this post as well.
