Dublin's adieu to the class of 24

SAILING: Dublin Bay bids farewell to one of its best-loved classes tomorrow and this weekend embraces a project designed to keep at least one other traditional bay class alive.

After tomorrow's final race of the summer season, the Dublin Bay 24 fleet - Adastra, Fenestra, Euphanzel, Harmony and Arandora - are heading for St Tropez in a classic boat deal that while taking the fleet out of the bay also has the benefit of prolonging the competitive life of a class that has a 58-year racing pedigree.

The new owners, Dublin Bay sailors Chris Craig and Ward Woods, will export the boats next spring but before any sailing takes place the hulls will undergo major restoration in time for the French classic regatta series in autumn 2006.

A ceremonial sail-past has been organised by Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) commodore Jim Dolan to mark the class's last race under the DBSC burgee tomorrow after racing in Dún Laoghaire harbour.

Other sailors from the 350-boat DBSC fleet returning from racing are invited to sail with the 24s and join in the salute.

Also on the bay, Mermaid class champion Roger Bannon's ambitious plan to build a fibreglass version of a 70-year-old clinker dinghy - which met stiff opposition from traditionalists - has come to fruition and the fibreglass clone of the 17-foot design has been launched at the National Yacht Club. Bannon plans to sail her regularly in DúLaoghaire and the October frostbite series hosted by the National YC.

There are also plans to travel to clubs around the country over the next eight weeks to provide an opportunity for everyone interested to have a look.

The Mermaid was the senior bay dinghy for many years and once reached high double figures for club racing but numbers have tumbled to an average of only four boats for Thursday and Saturday racing, according to DBSC's Donal O'Sullivan.

Leaky, 20-year-old wooden hulls are proving costly both in money and maintenance time and are getting beyond the reach of many owners. Bannon claims the last professional hull to be built cost close to 30,000, while his prototype is on the water for 12,000.

The Mermaid class have partially tackled the problem with the establishment of a central maintenance facility where elderly Mermaids are taken for refitting.

Wood is still, however, very much in evidence in the new design. The six-times class champion has a solid laminate hull skin, but the rest of the hull, the transom, the centre board casing, the thwarts and the decking will still all be made in traditional mahogany to maintain the traditional lines and aesthetic appeal of the clinker Mermaid.

Bannon pioneered the project himself and though the class have been reluctant to formally sanction the experiment he was given a licence to take the mould from his own championship winning boat, Endeavour.

The plastic hull will be allowed compete in the 2004-2005 regatta season but should he win any races he will be prohibited from taking home any class trophies.