Not plain sailing as Azure use rules to advantage

The world of big-boat yacht racing may be in disarray thanks to conflicting and complex handicap systems but that has not ended the regular jousts between leading boats on the club circuit in Ireland.

A fresh salvo has just been fired at Howth Yacht Club's Dublin Port Autumn League where the six-race series is building towards its finale three weekends from now.

Class Zero is where this latest action on the rating front is taking place and the principal protagonist is Bob and Bairbre Stewarts' sparkling Dubois 40 Azure. New for this season, it had been expected to mount a serious challenge to the class supremo Colm Barrington's Corby 38 Gloves Off.

Veteran offshore racer Roy Dickson also converted his Corby-designed Cracklin' Rosie to a sportsboat-style configuration after the start of the season by adding a bowsprit and switching to asymmetric spinnakers.

Azure had a shaky start to the season as the team led by Mark Pettitt got to grips with their new craft as Barrington's experienced team continued to hold sway until the start of the final league of the year. Following the Cracklin' Rosie initiative, the Azure team found they could achieve a 19-point handicap advantage by switching from symmetrical sails and leaving their spinnaker pole ashore.

This configuration was one of many submitted en masse to the RORC's rating office in Lymington and the new sail-plan was the result of selecting the most favourable revised handicap. Last Sunday, Azure romped home in first place in the fresh weather off Ireland's Eye and with a new sail arriving from McWilliams' loft today, another bullet this weekend is on the cards.

Azure argues that the other events are week-long affairs whereas Howth is running a league over a particular season and is similar to the Royal Alfred Superleague held in the summer.

Last weekend saw the annual gathering of Dragon sailors for the final class event of the year, at Kinsale YC. The South Coast Championship, sponsored by Setanta Asset Management, was a wind-swept affair and the three races on Saturday took place during an abatement of the storms that lashed the country. A final on Sunday morning confirmed national champion Andrew Craig's top form and he led a hat-trick of boats from the Royal St George YC, with Robin Hennessy and Peter Bowring in second and third places respectively.

This weekend sees the turn of the Flying 15 class to stage their regular event when the Ericsson East Coast championship takes place at the National YC in Dun Laoghaire. A large British contingent is expected, including former world champion Steve Goacher.

Irish favourites Gerry Donleavy with Dave Gorman will be seeking to maintain their record this year as national champions. John Lavery with David O'Brien will be prime contenders .