Gloves Off nearly across the line

SAILING: Colm Barrington and the crew of Gloves Off must sail a perfect final race today if they are to retain their overall chances in Class Zero of Ford Cork Week against stiff competition in the Harbour Race.

Yesterday saw the Dun Laoghaire entry, arguably Ireland's best performing racing yacht, take fifth place in the offshore course to hold first overall by a tenuous one-point lead.

Hot on Barrington's heels are joint-second placed Island Fling, skippered by Hong Kong-based Paul Barrington, and Cowes entry Thunder 2.

While Gloves Off scored its second fifth place of the event, certain to be discarded when the second throw-out comes into play this afternoon, the close margin between the three boats could yet reopen the scoring issue that confused Tuesday's second race on the windward/leeward course.

Then, 22 of the 25 Class Zero boats were disqualified for being over time, then reinstated with normal points while the remainder of the class that finished also received normal points.

Meanwhile, in the 1720s, John Rickards in Babbalaas can opt to start winning celebrations early this afternoon by attaining almost any sort of result in the penultimate race this morning, such is his 24-point margin over the nearest competing yacht. Des Cummins' Merlin is the best of the Irish, in fifth overall, after former national champion Anthony O'Leary plummeted from third place to ninth after a disastrous "on-course-side" starting penalty plus a 17th.

In Class Seven, Kinsale's John Twomey bounced back to form with another win to regain a top three overall position from his sixth place overnight after arriving 15 minutes late for the coastal race on Wednesday morning, inflicting a 23rd place for his trouble. The Sydney 2000 Paralympian will struggle to oust Stephen Rees from the overall lead, some 12 points ahead, but second place is certainly possible with two races remaining today.

A race win for Stuart Kinnear's Sceal Eile brings this Dun Laoghaire Class Four boat onto the doorstep of a top three result today by a mere one point.

A win for Stuart Edmundson on Kit Off dropped Eamon Crosbie on Humphrey Go-Kart to second overall in Class Five, while Michael Guinan's Corby 25 Phantom took a second place to move into third place overall.

A fourth place for Andrew Coveney on Frank Clarke's Sapphire secures second overall in Class Two, for the time being only, as Robert Elliott's Swan 48 Jacobite is tied on points.

A race win for Maurice Mitton's IMX 38 Exclamation fulfilled pre-event predictions that this Dun Laoghaire crew would produce the goods, and the National YC crew moved into fourth place and striking distance of the top three overall.

Yesterday saw a slight improvement in conditions as an easterly breeze reached 12 knots and added a slight swell to the courses outside the harbour. Taking full advantage of the constant wind, race officers opted for quick and clean races, as memories of the flukey weather that marked the first three days of the event remain fresh.

The Irish Internet-based Nowcasting, official weather data suppliers to the event and whose predictions have been extremely accurate all week, show continued moderate, northerly winds today but shifting gradually to the south all day.

The freshening weather also brought the first injury of the week when the Crosshaven Lifeboat launched to assist a crew-member injured on the 33-foot Daydream five miles off Roche's Point.

The casualty was transferred to Cork University Hospital and treated for head injuries and was last night reported to be fine.