ICRA nationals stage set for breezy championships at Crosshaven
by ICRA 6 Jun 2017 09:17 PDT
9-11 June 2017
All set for a breezy ICRA nationals © ICRA
Bright and breezy conditions are on the cards for next weekend's Irish Cruiser Racing Association's annual championships at Crosshaven where a fleet of 60 boats from around Ireland are expected to contest four national titles.
A steady stream of boats arriving by road at the Royal Cork Yacht Club marked the build-up to the event over the weekend with several crews expected on the water on Thursday for training practice.
All four national champions will be defending their titles led by ICRA Boat of the Year, John Maybury's Joker 2 from the Royal Irish YC who is aiming for a hat-trick victory in Class 1 this year. Class Zero champion Conor Phelan on Jump Juice will be without Scottish challenger Inis Mór following the Ker 39 footer loss off the Saltee Islands on Saturday. Howth YC's David Cullen arrived by road with Checkmate XV on Monday while Ken Lawless and Sybil McCormacks' Cartoon from the Royal Irish YC is also ready to defend their Class 3 title.
"While we are saddened by the loss of Inis Mór and the absence of our Scottish friends from the championship, we are enormously relieved that nobody was injured or worse during the sinking," commented Simon McGibney, ICRA Commodore from Foynes YC. "We are thankful, as always for the professionalism of the Irish Coast Guard crew on Rescue 117 for winching the sailors to safety and to the Kilmore Quay RNLI lifeboat crew for their efforts to save the yacht."
Safety will be upper-most in the ICRA event organisers' thoughts this weekend as current forecasts suggest winds in the upper-range of racing conditions for at least part of the event. More updates will follow closer to the weekend when more accurate forecasts are available.
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