Boost for Dun Laoghaire as Robert Sheidt is set to make Dublin Bay debut

Five times Olympic medallist Robert Sheidt will make his Dublin Bay debut in a fortnight’s time when he contests the Olympic Laser class European championships at the National Yacht Club (NYC).

As a major boost to Dun Laoghaire sailing, Sheidt (40) is among one of several international stars arriving into the east coast port next week for the European Cup event at the NYC, a major fixture on the Laser calendar.

Sheidt’s eight world titles in the class, the first in 1995 (and three more in the Star keelboat class) has placed the Brazilian skipper on top of the sport in the last two decades but so far he has never competed on Irish waters.

The Laser event completes a fortnight of single­hander dinghy action, a fitting climax to the summer season that kicked off yesterday with a 190­strong fleet of Optimist dinghies battling for the Irish title, also at the NYC.

Evidence of the the club's strong focus on developing the stars of tomorrow came in the form of a pre-regatta pep talk to the Optimist Under-15 sailors yesterday by the club's Olympic hero Annalise Murphy who will be fighting for European honours on home waters after coming so close to a medal in the women's Laser Radial at London 2012.

Big breeze specialist
The 23-year-old big breeze specialist who led the pack in Weymouth heading into the medal race, where she was narrowly edged out from the bronze position – is no doubt itching to better her seventh-place Euro finish at Lake Hourtin last year. And if added incentive were needed, the NYC woman will come up against those who pipped her for silver and Bronze in Weymouth.

Both Holland’s Marit Boumeester and Evi Van Acker of Belgium are slated for Dublin Bay.

Last year’s championships on Hourtin – northwest of Bordeaux in France – was dominated by continental sailors, with Germany’s Philipp Buhl taking the Laser Standard and Alicial Cebrian claiming the women’s Laser Radial championship for Spain. Marcin Rudawski of Poland made quick work of the men’s Laser Radial fleet to retain his title.

Murphy will not be the only strong Irish contender in the estimated 325-boat fleet. There is a line up of budding Irish talent that will first contest the Irish title in Royal Cork next weekend before moving to the Euros on Dublin Bay.

Childhood hero
At just 17, the National's Finn Lynch who can already claim a silver medal at the 2012 Youth Worlds will also be in action, spurred on no doubt by the presence of a childhood hero with two Olympic gold, two silver and a bronze medal in the Dun Laoghaire clubhouse.

In offshore news, for the first time in its 88-year history, the Rolex Fastnet Race has been won by a double­handed crew, it was announced yesterday.

The father and son team of Pascal and Alexis Loison from Cherbourg, France on the JPK 10.10, Night and Day, arrived at 07:19:57 yesterday making their elapsed time three days 18 hours 29 minutes and 57 seconds. As the number of miles to sail in the 611-mile dropped and the 330-boat fleet converged on the Plymouth finishing line, Irish interests were best served by Inis Mor (Ker 39, Laurent Gouy, Clifden BC), the Round Ireland champion who finished 12th in IRC overall and second in the IRC1 class.

Discover Ireland (Reflex 38, Aodhan Fitzgerald, GBSC), is 18th overall and fifth in class.

There was a good showing by Lula Belle (First 36.7, Liam Coyne, NYC) who was 13th in the two-handed division.