O'Leary takes overall honours

SAILING: Anthony O'Leary of the Royal Cork Yacht Club ended the biennial Sovereign's Cup as overall winner following an emphatic victory in Class One. The trophy is presented after organisers analyse results from all four racing classes with weighting applied depending on fleet turnout in each and the results of the best boats. A constant battle between O'Leary's Corby 35 Antix and Eamon Crosbie's Kerr 32 Voodoo Chile, both on and off the water, ended with the Munster boat taking the ICRA National title for a second consecutive year.

Ironically, in the 2004 inaugural championship, Voodoo Chile was the Class Zero champion, but a change in handicap for 2005 dropped the National YC boat into the next division where O'Leary was defending his title in an older boat. Peter Beamish's Aztec 2 was third overall in the class.

Meanwhile, class zero was conquered by Eamon Conneely's new Transpac 52 Patches in a contest that saw the Galway boat racing alone and frequently in different breeze patterns in the light air dominated event. With no matching competition, the professional-led team won most of their races in the 18-boat class.

In their wake, a more even competition was taking place for the runner-up places. An uncommon slip in form from Colm Barrington on Flying Glove in Thursday's two races, when the Dun Laoghaire skipper scored outside the top three, was repaired on Friday and Saturday.

Just as well for Paul Hyde and Simon Coveney's Dark Angel was eagerly waiting to take full advantage of any gaps in Flying Gloves usual consistent results of race wins or second places. In the final analysis, however, the Cork crew were obliged to take third overall.

Conneely had been expected to race Patches in the inaugural Dun Laoghaire Week in 10 days' time but The Irish Times has learnt that he intends to charter the state-of-the-art racer, now the National Class Zero champion, to one of a number of interested parties for the event.

There was comeback, too, for Patrick Gregory's team on the Elan 31 Benola. Having opened the series last Wednesday as overnight leaders, the Howth crew slipped from sight until Saturday's final two races when they deposed Barry Cunningham's Dick Dastardly into second overall.

Week-long class three leader Fred Fisher collected the class title for his fleet while the more relaxed Whitesail classes were won by Charlie Ryan's Larcia and James O'Brien's Zyst.

Attention switches to the west coast later this week for the Galway Bay Championship and the inaugural Dun Laoghaire Regatta Championship in 10 days' time when a fleet of around 400 boats will be competing.