Australians confirm title will not be taken likely

Sailing Admiral's CupThe latest update from the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) this week is a case of "all systems go" for the Admiral's Cup in Cowes in mid-July. Finalising teams is the focus of the next two months, and chasing the remaining sponsorship needed is all that stands between Team Ireland and a place in the unofficial world championship of offshore sailing.

Already, the Australians have confirmed they will defend their 2003 victory and will field a formidable squad that includes Bob Oatley's 66-footer Wild Oats.

The team also has double world champion Richard Perini in the Farr 40 and Mumm 30 classes leading the squad's small boat (Mumm 30), while the mid-sized boat, the Swan 45, has America's Cup winner Team Alinghi's head of sailing Grant Simmer calling the shots on-board.

With the reigning champions looking to be the best prepared, given the distance needed to travel, the other teams are still taking shape. Crucially, the RORC put paid to speculation that the event would be compromised by lack of entries as the London-based club now has sufficient teams committed and is under-writing the cost of staging the championship from its funds in addition to sponsors.

The remainder of the field splits into three groups of confirmed, probables and possibles.

Most notable of these is Team USA, who have confirmed their participation, and their presence alone is likely to reel in undecided entries. Thanks to a decision by the Dutch sailing association not to field a team, veteran offshore sailor Piet Vroon has released his new boat to the Americans under charter.

The French offshore racing association has confirmed one team and is considering a second squad, depending on interest.

Similarly, Britain will be entering at least one team and probably two.

Britain and France benefit from their record at last year's Commodore's Cup in Cowes when they finished first and second, respectively, after they ousted Team Ireland from a week-long lead in the final, high-scoring offshore race.

So David Nixon's talent-laden Team Ireland stands waiting for the balance of its funding. With the sponsorship hunt at "an advanced stage", a deadline of the end of this month has been applied. Failing significant developments emerging at that point, the Howth sailor will withdraw from this year's event.

If Team Ireland does progress, it will likely be the seventh team to confirm its involvement. As many as three more, counting Spain and Italy as probables, plus Monaco as a possible, would place the 2005 Admiral's Cup as the strongest edition in more than a decade.

Meanwhile, the inaugural Schools Leinster Championships is to be held in Courtown Sailing Club on Sunday, March 20th. The event will be held in conjunction with the intervarsity event which takes place on the preceding three days.

All Leinster schools are invited to enter teams of six students sailing the two-person Firefly or Topaz dinghies, with all boats provided by the organisers. The top four schools from this event will qualify for the National Championships to be held in Schull on April 9th and 10th.