With just over 15 months to go before the Sydney 2000 Regatta, Irish Olympic sailing is on a roll with some of the strongest ever performances recorded at the annual SPA Regatta last weekend. As expected, there is a strong emphasis on the single-hand contenders for places on the Irish squad, but team officials are buzzing about the strength and consistency of the showings at Medemblick.

Amidst a fleet comprising the best Finn sailors in the world, Malahide's David Burrows has taken the lead for the single nomination for this class after finishing seventh overall at the SPA.

Sailing buddy and rival John Driscoll recorded two race wins on Friday and Saturday, but a poor 24th place on Sunday dropped him below Burrows on the trials points table and he ended eighth overall. The pair is joined by Colin Chapman, who relies on this weekend's Finn European Championships to put himself in contention for the nomination.

Meanwhile, Europe single-hander Maria Coleman had another promising regatta, ending sixth overall, and is reported to be very pleased with her progress in the build-up to the games. Team management were optimistic about both the Europe and Finn classes, although they admitted concern for the double-handed men's dinghy.

Tom Fitzpatrick and David McHugh had a disappointing event in Holland, finishing 61st, and even opted not to sail the final day as strong winds could have produced gear damage. Laser class representative Jon Lasenby also performed poorly, though with a good track record to date he is likely to recover in the forthcoming months and should still secure his nomination.

However, it is the level of competition between the two Finn sailors that is causing the excitement within the Irish camp. Revised World rankings issued by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) this week will show three Irish Olympic sailors listed in the top 20. The Irish Sailing Association is also providing £12,000 in extra funding in recognition of the achievements of the three sailors. Meanwhile, at home this weekend the Eastern Championships of the Dragon Class are being held on Dublin Bay. The class used to be relatively easy to predict a winner in, but with six new boats racing plus a host of previous and current champions, it has become more difficult. Reigning All-Ireland title-holder Mick Cotter will compete against multiple national champion and defending east coast champion, Simon Brien.

Eric Williams, from the south coast of England, is another likely leader, along with Irish southern champion Andrew Craig. Kinsale's John Twomey has received clearance from the International Class Association to fit a special self-tacking seat enabling him to helm from the weather side of his new boat.

The 1988 Seoul Paralympic gold medallist (discus event) will have Olympic gold medallist Poul Richard Hoj Jensen on board this weekend.