#CRUISER RACER –-Buoyed up by some early successes abroad Irish cruiser racer fans are in for a treat at home now with Howth Yacht Club staging three cruiser events before the end of May giving a major kick-start to the Irish IRC sailing season. This weekend the Club's Spring Warmer series starts with racing for Cruiser Classes One, Two and Three who line up with one design classes for a weekend series over three weeks. Next up is the Corby Cup on 12th May followed by the ICRA Nationals on May 25th.
Irish boats from Royal Cork YC, Howth YC and Royal Irish YC, Dun Laoghaire have already finished second third and fourth in class respectively at the RORC Easter challenge and further afield the white sail Oyster 56 Lady A skippered by Stephen Hyde has been in the mix in the British Virgin Islands.
As with many events this season entries are admittedly slow at arriving but Howth's innovative Corby Cup weekend expects around 30 boats. Hot favourites in the small section are Brian Goggin's Allure from Kinsale and Will Partington's Will2Win from Wales is also confirmed.
Howth also have a number of 25s and 26s coming from Cork, Dun Laoghaire, Galway, Howth and Sligo.
Some of the bigger boats have yet to sign up but HYC says Roxy, Impetuous, and Independent Bear will all be competing together with a number of 29s.
Early bird entry for the National Championships for Cruiser Classes closes on April 14th so boat-owners and crews who want to compete for national honours have four weeks to avail of the lower entry fee of €125, a saving of €50.
Howth Yacht Club is hosting the event for the Irish Cruiser Racing Association for the third time and this year is supported with sponsorship from BMW. The event is one of the major fixtures on the 2012 sailing calendar and runs from Friday May 25th to Sunday May 27th.
Racing for Cruiser Classes 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 will be over a mixture of round-the-cans and windward-leeward courses in a seven race series. Non-spinnaker boats will compete in six races for ICRA's Corinthian Cup.
A comprehensive entertainments programme has been put in place to ensure competitors have three enjoyable days, on and off the water.
An 'Early Bird' discounted entry rate can be found on www.hyc.ie
