Cork angered by funding snub

In A week when Ford Cork week organisers have criticised the lack of State agency support for staging the biennial regatta, the Irish Sailing Association (ISA) has been awarded £306,150 by the Sports Council and now plan - among a range of programmes - to appoint a new racing officer.

On the eve of next week's Royal Cork a.g.m., which will hinge on how members propose to deal with mounting financial losses, the event race officer, Donal McClement, stated his "huge disappointment" at the lack of Government and State agency support received for Ford Cork week last July.

"I am amazed that the PWA Windsurfing grand prix in County Kerry - with little significance in the world tourism stakes - was awarded £125,000 through a Bord Failte sports tourism initiative, and the Royal Cork were disappointed to get a fraction (£15,000) of that."

Take a small sailing club with a bright idea on the outskirts of western Europe, add an energetic band of members, spurred on by the imagination of one chief cook and simmer gently for 10 years. It sounds a simple enough recipe but one that has proved difficult to replicate anywhere else in the world. It is described by sailing professionals as unique both in hospitality and professionalism. This year world sailing president Paul Henderson dubbed it "the best regatta in the world".

McClement's message to Government yesterday was clear: "In sailing terms, Royal Cork has created a `world brand' - now we need your support".

A frustrated McClement stresses it's not just a question of cash, but also recognition that Ford Cork week is a world class event and deserving of more than lip service.

Instead, McClement says that the club meets heavy bureaucracy from agencies such as the Pricing Commission that flies in the face of the club's passionate determination to stage the event against the odds.

On the face of it, the profile of the regatta fits like a glove into Bord Failte's requirements for high-spend tourism:

By 1996 the Marine Institute had published a paper confirming what the club had known for years: there was a significant spin-off for the local community as a result of the 600-boat regatta.

Monday's a.g.m. has been moved from the clubhouse on the Owenabue river to the Carrigaline Court hotel to accommodate an expected full turn out of 700 ordinary members, who are certain to bring club officers to book.

Meanwhile, in the annual allocation of national governing body grant allocations, the Irish Sailing Association were awarded a total of £306,150. Included is provision for £70,000 for "challenge funding" which will allow the ISA to appoint a racing officer whose first job will be the preparation of the Irish team for the Laser world championships, to be staged by the Royal Cork this summer.