Laser SB3 proving to be a classact as world championships loom

SAILING COLUMN:WHEN IT comes to previewing the Irish sailing season, picking out the highlights has become a matter of choosing between national stalwarts and international one-offs, variously claiming to be championship-grade competitions.

The basis for these claims invariably relies on International Sailing Federation recognition and with upwards of 85 such classes all entitled to decide world, European and regional champions annually, it's a big pool of disciplines that splash our way in Ireland from time to time.

Domestically, Ireland has 47 classes all entitled to hold national championships and while many are unique to this country and are not internationally recognised, support for these classes is often cyclical and turnouts are often barely enough to register a pulse, much less a fleet.

But every now and again, in between the hoards of individuals bearing the title of "champion", a class comes along that polarises opinion and support and makes for a truly unique competition.

The most recent example of this is the Laser SB3 that took Ireland by storm in late 2006 and rapidly grew last season to a national fleet of almost 70 boats.

This three-crew sportsboat is easily "trailable", and with countrywide support linked by a vibrant class organisation, it wasn't long before its popularity was recognised by a decision to hold the inaugural SB3 world championship in Dún Laoghaire this year.

These high-performance boats are certain to revel in the fresher breezes of late summer when the event is staged from September 20th to 26th at the National Yacht Club.

There are already entries from Australia, New Zealand, USA, South Africa, France and the Netherlands in addition to the big Irish and British fleets.

Entries have already passed 70 boats and the fleet will be capped at 120 boats at the start of July, when the deadline is reached.

Ireland has bucked the trend by its accelerated growth in the class; countries such as France and Italy are still in the early growth stages, with just a few dozen boats each - though their fleets are also growing steadily.

Irish entries read like a who's who of the amateur end of the sport from the last 10 years and include dinghy and keelboat champions, past Olympians and regulars from some of the country's best-known "one-design" fleets.

But is the overnight success of the SB3 a risk that could discourage newcomers and eventually result in a fall-off in numbers?

After all, the five-crew Cork Harbour-inspired 1720 Sportsboat was introduced just over a decade ago and attracted a large following quickly before being abandoned in favour of the SB3 within two seasons.

It's something of which the new class's association is mindful, especially when the issue of dominance by the near-professional-grade sailors inevitably threatens to dampen enthusiasm.

Countering this involved seven principles for the new national class and included splitting fleets into gold, silver and bronze divisions to spread the competition.

Out-of-competition training, regional events and emphasis on a relaxed social scene ashore and increasing participation by women have all contributed.

Perhaps best of all, spreading high-value prizes throughout the entire fleet at events has worked best, resulting in winners walking off with the "champions' titles but the competitors all having a fair crack at taking home the silver.