SAILINGSCHOOLGIRL SOPHIE Browne has a chance tomorrow morning of breaking into the World's top 10 of the Optimist class after an impressive performance in Napier, New Zealand, this week.
Up until Tuesday’s single race the Tralee Bay single-hander had stayed inside the top 10 and though she is now in 16th, only 10 points separate 11 of the top 16 boats in the massive 210-boat fleet.
The 14-year-old has sailed with consistency in what is the world’s toughest youth fleet, placing inside the top 20 in every one of her six races so far. The racing schedule in Napier resumes after a three-day break. It is the first time Ireland has contested the World Championships in four years, Irish team efforts have otherwise concentrated on the European Championships.
A 16th in the sixth race dropped Browne from seventh to 16th overall but with a further discard in hand for the end of the championships next Monday there is still much to play for even though a strong Singapore team already look likely champions.
In Australia and at home there have been plaudits for Dublin sailor Gordon Maguire (48) who as part of the Loki crew won the Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race, a high point in his career as a professional sailor based in Sydney.
Staying in the Southern Hemisphere, the Discover Ireland-backed Team Sanya entry in the Volvo Ocean Race that sought refuge in Talanero, Madagascar, following a rigging scare before Christmas looks like it is finally ready to leave for Abu Dhabi later today. Due to hull problems in leg one the yacht has yet to complete a leg of the race, which started in Alicante last November.
One successful Irish arrival into the Arabian Gulf this week is a near century-old Galway Hooker Nora Bheag after setting out from Galway over eight weeks ago (via container ship). The Galway craft is part of a cultural exchange that sees Arabian dhows coming to Galway for the Volvo race finish next July. Nóra Bheag took its maiden sail off Abu Dhabi yesterday at the Volvo Ocean Race compound. The project is a joint initiative involving the Irish Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Emirates Heritage Club, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority and Tourism Ireland.
On home waters, in one of the most competitive Howth Yacht Club Laser Frostbites in many years, Ronan Cull ended the first series as clear winner, discarding a second place in the 11-race programme. Conditions were very consistent throughout the series, with winds mostly in the 10-14kt range.
The Irish Sailing Association (ISA) is convening an extraordinary general meeting (February 11th) to propose a revised membership fee structure next month.
The introduction of the “joint membership scheme” in 1993 fundamentally changed the representative base of the association and now the ISA say that because clubs have changed over the past 20 years, there is a need to introduce a single fee formula that is proportionate to a club’s membership subscription income.
