Jump Juice setting the pace

SAILING:The opening day of the Saab Cruiser National Championships at the Royal Cork Yacht Club yesterday lived up to pre-event billing with close results across all four classes.

Conor and Denise Phelan's Jump Juice leads the big boats of Class Zero while Eamon Rohan's Blondie III is in hot pursuit.

Dublin Bay Sailing Club Commodore Tim Costello holds third overall on Tiamat, fresh from his overall French IRC championship victory.

A Dublin duel is emerging in Class One where Flashback from Howth is being taken on by Eamonn Crosbie's Teng Tools and Peter Beamish's Aztec 2 in what promises to be a close contest.

Elsewhere, local Class Two supremo Barry Rose has Obsession VI where this stable of racing boats has almost invariably been, leading overall and this under both IRC and ECHO handicaps.

Similarly, Kinsale's John Twomey leads both disciplines in Class Three on board Shillelagh.

All 75 boats, comprising around 500 sailors have today and tomorrow's racing remaining to secure each of the four national titles.

Cruiser National Championships (Irish Cruiser Racing Association - at Royal Cork YC): ICRA Division 0 IRC 1- Jump Juice (C & D Phelan - RCYC); 2 Blondie 3 (E Rohan - RCYC); 3 Tiamat (T Costello - DMYC); ECHO - 1 Blue Belle (J O'Connell - KYC); 2 Blondie 3; 3 Team Kingspan (M Davis - HYC); ICRA Division 1 IRC 1- Flashback (Breen/Earls/Hogg - HYC); 2 Voodoo Chile (E Crosbie - NYC); 3 Aztec 3 (P Beamish - RIYC); ECHO 1 X Rated (J & G Gordon - MSC); 2 Rocky Pale (McGlinchie - LSYC); 3 Flashback; ICRA Division 2 IRC 1 Obsession VI (B Rose - RCYC); 2 Flying Machine (B Cunningham - RIYC); 3 Dick Dastardly (B Cusack - DMYC); ECHO 1 Flying Machine; 2 Monkey Business (B McConnell - WHSC); 3 Tigger (Cassidy & Mulhall - HYC); ICRA Division 3 IRC 1 Shillelagh (J Twomey - KYC); 2 Impacunious (E Rice - RCYC); 3 Bandit (J Hickey - KYC); ECHO 1 Shillelagh; 2 Impacunious; 3 Fast Buck (J & F Murphy - RCYC).