NATIONAL OPTIMIST champion Colin Lough (IS) has opened his World championship selection account with four straight wins in the first of three Optimist trials for the Irish team.

Sailors up to 15 years of age, from six different clubs across the country, lead the 40-boat fleet whose members are chasing the five team places for the championships to be hosted by Carrickfergus Sailing Club from July 28th to August 5th.

Following a windy start to selection off Howth last weekend, the second part of the 15-race series continues tomorrow at the National YC, Dun Laoghaire with Howth's Daire O'Reilly (15) on 8.75 points chasing Lough's five points with no discard at this stage,.

The pair have opened up a near 30-point gap on the rest of the field, but with 10 races left to sail, the National YC's third-placed Jonathan Coate (IS), 12-year-old Conor McGonagle, Cork's Stefan Hyde and Strangford's Dermot Walsh have it all to play for on Dublin Bay tomorrow with only six points dividing third and sixth place.

The Royal St George YC host the three-day 1720 class East Coast Championships tomorrow and while it will be one of the largest I 720 fleets ever assembled, it will also be one of the biggest-ever category B events to be staged on Dublin Bay.

Internationally, the three Olympic A card holders proved their worth at a light air Hyeres regatta this week by recording three further top-third-of-fleet results and thereby confirming funding for their full-time campaigns.

Solo sailor John Driscoll's 10th overall in the 42-boat Finn fleet was the Irish team highlight.

Maria Coleman took full advantage of the flukey French mistral to outwit Aisling Bowman and take 15th overall, one place ahead of Bowman.

Neil Spain and Andy Davitt, the current 420 National champions, battled with Fireball National champions Matthew and Martin Treadwell, both from the host club, for the overall monohull fleet title of the Swords pursuit series which concluded last weekend.

The 420 class provided the core competition in the monohulls with Spain and Davitt fighting off competition from Tony Nolan and Marita Connaughton in their new Rondar 420.

A bumper turnout in the multihull fleet of Hurricane 5.9's, 4.9's and Dart 18's also provided close racing around the tight Broadmeadow course. The Duffy brothers sailed a consistent series in a Hurricane 5.9 and did to secure first place overall in the multihull section from Ian Nish and Alan Fitzgerald also sailing a 5.9.