Goodbody to lead home challenge

SAILING / Sigma European Championship: Although open to all European countries the winner of the Sigma 33 European championship at the Royal Irish Yacht Club will be British or Irish with the 45-boat fleet being drawn exclusively from these islands.

And in narrowing the odds further for the Alfa Romeo-sponsored title, the British Champion, Alan Milton's Pepsi, has provided an early-season reminder to entrants from Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales by winning May's Scottish Series with four firsts and four seconds. There will be a strong home challenge to Milton over nine races next week, most likely be led by the host club's Tim Goodbody.

Goodbody skippers White Mischief and this season has chalked up wins at the Baily Bowl and the Dún Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club regattas and is on top of Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) summer series wins.

But back in Dublin for the event David Palmer has teamed up with bay tactician Mark Pettit and has renamed the chartered Honey of Bosham in honour of his previous boat, Princess Jalina.

Both they and Irish champion Dermod Baker, with a hot seven-man crew on Shillelagh, are in a position to mount the strongest of Irish challenges for the inaugural European Cup.

The first gun-starts for Sunday's practice race is at 11.25 a.m.

Buoyed by recent one-design performances, Kinsale YC officers have indicated they would not be surprised if there was an Irish - or even a host club winner - of August's Dragon European championships at the Cork club. So far 53 entries have been received from 14 countries.

The National YC are viewing Seán Craig as a favourite to win the Flying 15 world championships on Dublin Bay, also in August, after Craig and Stephen Boyle beat world champions Charles and David Apthorp in Dorset last month. The launch for the championship, with an expected entry of over 60 boats, takes place at the Dún Laoghaire clubhouse on Monday evening.

Staying with one designs, Dan O'Grady at the helm of Paul Reilly's Wet'n'Black completed a convincing victory at the Royal Ulster when he won the first five of nine races, in testing conditions, sailed at the ADT 1720 national championships.

In a continuation of his Star keelboat successes Crosshaven's Mark Mansfield won the German Pfinksbusch last weekend in a fleet of 28 boats. The win comes on foot of the release from the ISAF of it's world rankings which make good reading for the Royal Cork YC where three of its sailors are ranked in the top four.

HOWTH YACHT CLUB WEDNESDAY SERIES 2 (RACE): Class 1 IRC: 1, Cracklin Rosie R Dickson; 2, Megapolis H McMullan; 3, On-the-Rox C & J Boyle; Class 1 ECHO: 1, Excell R McGonagle; 2, Cracklin Rosie R Dickson; 3, Capricorn M Byrne; Class 2 IRC: 1, Phantom Guinan/Neenan; 2, Jokers Wild F Ennis; 3, Xebec T Giles; Class 2 ECHO: 1, Voyager J Carton; 2, Phantom Guinan/Neenan; 3, Redeye O'Brien/Wickham; Class 2 CLASSIC: 1, Jokers Wild F Ennis; 2, Tiara J Derham; 3, Toughnut D Skehan; Class 3 IRC: 1, Wild Mustard D Cullen; 2, Kylie J Wolfe; 3, Relativity Colwell/Wallace; Class 3 ECHO: 1, Impression B & C Smith; 2, Wild Mustard D Cullen; 3, Relativity Colwell/Wallace.