In a new championship setup which reflects the pared-back post-pandemic situation as sailing re-finds itself in 2021, the two Tony Castro-designed Sportsboats – the 1720 of 1994 vintage and the newer SB20 – will be sharing course arrangements for championships at Royal Cork in Crosshaven this weekend, where the National 18s – the daddy of them all - will also be racing.
In the 1720s, Rob O'Leary of Baltimore was the most consistently successful in 2020, but in 2021's Easterns at Howth in July, it was the Howth-Crosshaven team of Ross McDonald and Aoife English who emerged as champions ahead of clubmate Dan O'Grady, with O'Leary in third.
The SB20 Southerns this weekend meanwhile have an added significance, as they are also the in effect the class's selection trials for the All Ireland Championship, that historic battle for the crème de la crème in which the SB20s have had a notably good record in recent years.
In 2021, Team Ted led by Michael O'Connor from the Royal St George YC have been setting the pace with a convincing win in the Northerns at Carlingford. Twelve boats are expected at Crosshaven, the lineup being:
- Shambles
Roger Smith / Kate - Slippery Nipple
John Malone / Emmet Sheridan - Bango
Ben Graff / Kevin Fenton - Strictly Business
Eoin Leahy / Donie Herraghty - Bad
Stefan Hyde / Dowling Bros - Carpe Diem
Colin Galavan / Richard Hayes - SoBrr
Ron Finnegan / Declan Murphy - Lofly
Doran Family - Sea Biscuit
Marty Cuppage / Barry Glavin - Ted
Michael O'Connor / Davy Taylor - Sharkbait
James Delaney / Jude Kilmartin - Goldigger
Mel Collins / Aidan MacSweeney