Ireland's coastline is packed with yachts this week, most with a single destination in mind as the village of Crosshaven prepares to host the biennial sailing spectacular that is Ford Cork Week.

With two days to go before the opening ceremony, the indications are that the 1998 record entry of 638 boats will be exceeded - just - to the relief of the organisers at the Royal Cork Yacht Club (RCYC).

Late last night the entry stood at 630 boats with a few dozen more expected in the final hours of registration. In many respects, the week-long extravaganza is all about numbers: high entries, up to 10,000 sailors afloat each day, as many party-goers again ashore, a £3.5 million plus boost to the Cork economy - the list goes on.

In the warm afterglow of the last event, the RCYC battle-cry was "1000 for 2000" - clearly a rethink has taken place. In any other circumstance, such a volte face in Cork would be unheard of.

Not so for this event. With a well-established reputation for listening to its market, the organising team headed by Clayton Love Jnr and Donal McClement have once again headed off their critics and allowed the event to peak at maximum capacity. With Crosshaven and its environs bursting at the seams, all involved will just about be able to tolerate the size of the regatta.

But size isn't everything. Clearly the numbers have descended on Crosshaven for more than just a big party. After the inception of Cork Week in the late 1970s, the event was low-key until a more aggressive approach was adopted by the club in 1988.

The introduction of major sponsorship allowed more flexibility in providing facilities and variety afloat. Marketing and publicity sold the concept beyond the narrower confines of the sport in Ireland.

The concept may seem obvious. Take a natural, accessible location such as Cork Harbour, mix in Irish hospitality and local attractions, set high standards and tell the world, especially our nearest neighbours. Oh yes, and provide simple but high-quality racing and before long, everyone wants to come to Cork.

For the last 20 years or so, sailors "in the know" have cited the joys of far-flung venues such as Antigua and Thailand as the world's premier regattas.

At the RCYC, the format of such events has been repeated and now Cork Week is mentioned in the same breath as the other luminous regattas.

The key difference is that the Cork event takes place, for many sailors, virtually on their doorstep. Typically, boats will be delivered to Cork over a single weekend or two, minimising the disruption to a boat's racing programme.

Once installed in a berth - any berth - in Crosshaven, the fleet will start with a settling-in period this weekend. It's no accident that the opening ceremony takes place 24 hours ahead of the start of racing - some sort of recovery period is needed.

True, you won't find Olympic sailors tearing off to the nearest pub upon reaching shore. Even round-the-world-race professional crews have shed their hard image of hitting the town upon reaching shore after a month at sea. But Cork Week caters for the amateur sailor who counts this event as part of annual leave.

The organisers' determination that Cork Week should remain essentially an amateur event has been tested in the past, but failure has been the inevitable result. While the presence of professional crews has also added an element of glamour, this is largely lost in the crowd both afloat and ashore at Ford Cork Week.

McClement has final responsibility for matters sailing and is no stranger to controversy. "We took on board the criticisms from two years ago - we can't do any more than that," he told The Irish Times yesterday. "Everyone is now perfectly happy."

Complaints that the RCYC procedure for identifying paid hands on competing yachts wasn't clear enough have been settled thanks to a new code introduced by the Royal Yachting Association, largely on the back of McClement's ground-breaking stance on the issue.

However, while that issue has largely moved on for the time being at least, McClement is now embroiled in keeping the Sigma 33 one-design class happy. Originally, an expressed preference for solid Windward/Leeward course for the entire five days has been altered to a desire to sail the variety of courses the bulk of the fleet will compete on, according to McClement.

Meanwhile, the organiser reports a good atmosphere building, with most of the big boats already alongside in Crosshaven and the reception procedure and river control in full swing.