SAILING:AS THE annual International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Youth World Championships draw to a close tomorrow, it's not difficult to find encouraging signs for Ireland's elite and Olympic prospects in the years ahead based on this week's performances in Croatia.
Although such lofty heights are likely to be years away, the main focus for the up-and-coming sailors is building international experience.
And a further boost is expected when the world championships are held in Dublin Bay next July in the build-up to London 2012.
Ireland’s squad at Zadar this week is small due to quotas on country representation, but as a stepping-stone to adult competition the names are certain to become more familiar.
Lying 10th overall yesterday, Quoile YC’s Sophie Murphy has delivered some impressive results in the 41-boat Laser Radial class, including a race win on Tuesday.
Courtown Sailing Club’s Philip Doran is 15th overall in the boys’ Radial fleet, which has a slightly larger turnout, and he too has some top-10 results in his series.
Emma Geary and Niamh Connolly, from the Royal Cork YC and Baltimore SC respectively, lie mid-way in the girls’ 420 fleet with some consistent top-half results plus a sixth place.
In reality, the three Irish boats competing at the worlds front a small group of talent that has emerged in recent years from the better funded and structured academies.
From their early days in Optimist and into development programmes, the fruits of this effort have already been seen through the results delivered by Annalise Murphy and Peter O’Leary, as well as by the other high-performance crews aiming for Olympic competition.
So far, the programme appears to have withstood the pressures of recession, though had budgets not been tightened the “what if?” question arises.
But the presence of non-Cork or Dublin sailors coming through at international level also indicates the growth of the sport away from traditional strongholds, at least during the economic booms years.
Sustaining that growth and the momentum of the good performances overseas will be the next challenge.
The light and fickle winds experienced by the youth crews in Croatia were also present on the Solent earlier this week when Neil Kenefick’s Tiger fell victim to a windshift off Hill Head near Portsmouth in the Quarter Ton Cup.
Having been placed fourth in the event, his son George, who was helming for this event, had to be content with sixth place, while Kinsale’s Eamonn Rohan on Anchor Challenge placed fifth.
Tiger picked up the Corinthian Cup as best boat with an all-amateur crew, while Louise Morton’s Espada won overall with an almost all-female crew.
Meanwhile, the domestic programme turns towards its usual mid-season hiatus where the attention switches to holiday-mode.
For many, the West Cork regatta term is the highlight of the summer. It begins with Calves Week in Schull two weeks from now, before moving around the area for individual local regattas.
