Key Irish sailing regattas are shaking off the effects of COVID restrictions and preparing for a bumper 2022 season, the Irish Cruiser Racer Association (ICRA) conference heard yesterday in a show of strength at Dun Laoghaire.

Sailors and regatta representatives gathered online and in person at the National Yacht Club to hear the latest regatta news from the East, South and Southwest coasts.

The positive vibe for '22 revealed how much clubs had achieved despite all the obstacles thrown up by COVID-19 over the past two years.

Director of Rating for IRC Jason Smithwick, who joined the meeting online, gave the numbers of Irish boats registered with IRC certification numbers of 374 between 2019 and 2022. 90% are below 12 metres.

In a packed morning schedule, incoming Commodore Dave Cullen welcomed representatives from Cork Week, ISORA, the Round Ireland Race and WIORA. Each gave updates on their regatta and race plans this summer.

Approximately 20 delegates attended the NYC, with another 30 joining online from the morning conference that ran from 10 am to 1 pm.

Cork Week

Royal Cork Yacht Club will host the ICRA National Championships as part of its July Cork Week Regatta. Organiser Ross Deasy detailed indicative rating bands for the regatta that will be a celebration of the club's 300th birthday in Cork Harbour. 

Indicative rating bands for Cork Week Regatta 2022

ISORA

ISORA is celebrating its 50th birthday in 2022, and ISORA Chief Peter Ryan told the meeting that after two 'lousy years' with COVID, the association is 'reverting to type'. There will be a 16 race calendar with six offshores, five coastal races and five coastal races in Wales. Ryan also confirmed the courses are set for these races now, irrespective of weather on the day.

The ISORA calendar is busy early on, leading into the season's offshore highlights, the 700-mile Round Ireland Race in June and July's 270-miler Dun Laoghaire - Cork race. The association has teamed up with Kenny Rumball's Offshore Academy and will be delivering a series of lectures to help develop offshore skills through the season. 

ISORA's 2022 schedule

Wave Regatta

Brian Turvey from Howth Yacht Club told the meeting that Wave Regatta would major on ICRA's under 25 themes and encourage such participation with an under 25 team prize. There will be three race courses in operation catering for IRC and ECHO, non-spinnaker and one-designs. The club has secured deepwater berthing for boats in Howth Harbour for the duration of the event. Turvey explained the biennial fixture - including the famous Lambay Race - is a regatta wrapped inside a party, and the focus is also very much focussed on shoreside fun from June 3-5.

Round Ireland Race

Round Ireland Race organiser Kyran O'Grady described the 21st edition of the classic offshore race from Wicklow as the 'jewel in the crown' of Irish offshore sailing. The Irish circuit is on the ISORA, UNCL, RORC and Class 40 international calendars leading O'Grady to predict a strong fleet, but he nevertheless appealed to the ICRA crews to 'make this the year to do the race'. The Round Ireland got a boost at the conference when guest speaker Tom Kneen, the winner of the 2021 Fastnet Race, said he was 95% certain that he and his JPK11.80 crew would be doing the race.

WIORA

In June, Liam Lynch of Tralee Bay Sailing Club said the 2021 West of Ireland Offshore Sailing Association (WIORA) would host its annual championships at Kilrush on the Shannon Estuary.

This year will see a change to the usual format as the event will run over three days, from Friday 24th to Sunday 26th June inclusive, rather than the traditional four-day event, which typically runs from Wednesday to Saturday. The rationale for the change comes from feedback from sailors participating in the West Championships over the years, who feel that a three-day event may make it easier for crews to get time away from families and time off work. It is scheduled to run eight races for Spinnaker Class and six races for White Sails Class.

Commodore Cullen emphasised the need for owners to enter the various events as early as possible to allow voluntary regatta organisers to finalise plans.