ONE of Irish sailing's long standing sponsors announced its programme for the coming season in Dublin yesterday.
Heineken are to support three major events including two world championships that will be staged in Ireland this summer.
Both dinghy and keelboat sailing is covered by the package and the focus is clearly on the competitive end of the sport. While the early season has already seen the Windsurfing Tour stage two events at Wexford and Galway, the Royal Cork Superleague was the first of the club events to get underway at. Crossshaven two weekends ago.
However, the first major event will be the Heineken GP14 World Championship hosted by Skerries Sailing Club in the north Dublin venue's first foray into international event organisation. The President Mrs Robinson, will open the week long series on Saturday, July 19th.
Current world champion Richard Estaugh (UK) was on hand for yesterday's ceremony but has been in Ireland more recently when he ran coaching sessions for the Irish class at the championship venue. Irish hopes rest with current national champions John and Donal McGuinness from Donegal who will face stiff competition from the 150 crews expected from five continents. Dinghy sailing is again to the fore.
The following month when the second of the newly revised Dinghy Weeks is held once again at the Royal Cork Yacht Club from August 20-24th.
This event had reached its height" of popularity in the early 1970s but was discontinued due to its growing size and individual classes held separate championships.
Now the old format is proving more popular with the expanded facilities at Crosshaven well able to cater for a large fleet of dinghies.
The biennial event combines class national championships for six high performance boats although the highlight will be the Laser II World Championship which begins four days earlier and is a class with proven Irish success in recent time.
The classes are the Laser single hander; Fireball two person dinghy; the exciting Skiffs; various multihulls and the National 18 footers. Racing is also to be provided for disabled sailors, 1720 Sportsboats and the 420, Vagabond and Albacore classes. The IDRA14 which played an important role in the original national authority and growth of the sport will also race at Crosshaven.
Towards the close of the season when crews are battle hardened and on top form, Howth yacht Club will hold its hugely successful Autumn League under their new three year sponsorship deal. This even has attracted a large turnout each September for its six races every Sunday with 1,000 or more sailors expected on the water from September 14th to October 19th.
