Match racing a learning experience for Irish

Sailing: Hopes of an Irish crew reaching the final rounds of the women's event in the ISAF Nations Cup at the Royal Cork Yacht Club effectively ended yesterday when Mary O'Loughlin and her team lost all four of their matches in the midway point of the double round-robin series.

Although placing mid-fleet with five races remaining, yesterday did bring some optimistic news for these newcomers to this discipline of sailing, and positive feedback from the 19 helms representing 16 countries will also be regarded as an endorsement for the Irish organisers.

Several invitations to enter the Grade One international circuit have already been received by the Howth crew on the strength of their performance to date this week, reward for months of training and competition at lower grade match-racing events.

"Our boatspeed wasn't an issue and we were generally the faster boat in each match," O'Loughlin told The Irish Times.

"But tactics and experience are the key ingredients, and that's where the other crews with years of match-racing time have the advantage."

But upset was not just restricted to the Irish crew.

Both the world number one Claire LeRoy of France and her principal challenger, Nicky Souter, from Australia, had mixed results, and both helms are tied for the overall lead of the women's event.

While the latter had a clean score from eight matches, just one win from four races yesterday allowed her French rival to draw even.

Both are certain to progress to tomorrow's semi-final series provided their form holds, while Bermuda and Denmark are also likely contenders with five races remaining.

Although the women's series was sailed in a steady northerly breeze and bright sunshine yesterday, a delay of almost two hours resulted from a changing wind direction for the men's event as principal race officer Peter Crowley waited to set a reliable course.

When racing in the Open series resumed, Team Shosholza helm Ian Ainslie for South Africa found himself ousted from the overall lead after three surprise losses from the five matches.

France's Mathieu Richard and Russia's Eugeniy Neugodnikov have edged ahead with all to sail for to make the semi-final series tomorrow morning.

Ireland's George Kingston added a third match win yesterday, this time against the Indian crew led by Mahesh Ramachandran.

Thanks to a timely race programme, the provision for a quarter-final round will not be used for either event as the full double round-robin series is likely to be completed.

Perhaps uniquely, once ashore, all competing crews gather with race officials and umpires to debrief the day's action.

In what must be the most compelling case for having all protest hearings held in public, these popular sessions have proven both instructive and entertaining.

With expert advice from Emirates Team New Zealand rules advisor Jack Lloyd, there can be little doubt that the emphasis is firmly on developing match-racing standards among the amateur ranks, which helps explain the optimistic outlook from O'Loughlin and her crew.

Meanwhile, the Dolmen Stockbrokers Dragon National Championships started at the Royal St George YC in Dun Laoghaire yesterday, and is being used by several overseas boats as local familiarisation ahead of the class world championship that will be sailed at the same venue in 12 months.

As usual, class maestro Pol Ricard Hoj-Jensen returns to what must be considered second-home waters, though it was the locals who took the upper-hand after the first two races yesterday, and Ward Woods' Jessica leads the 30-boat fleet into this morning's race.