Sponsorship boost for Dún Laoghaire regatta

SAILING: Grand Prix yachting sponsorship comes to these shores next season with the news that Volvo has signed a six-figure deal to become title sponsor of Ireland's biggest regatta.

Organisers for next July's Volvo Dún Laoghaire week are expecting up to 600 entries - a third more than this year's Cork week attracted - and the sponsorship deal is a further boost for an event that ran for the first time in 2005, when 3,000 sailors in 400 boats took part.

Volvo will not officially announce details of their involvement until January but the event chairman, Brian Craig, confirmed the sponsorship will run for 2007 and 2009.

Over 150 races will take place on six different courses across Dublin Bay for the four-day event in July.

In 2005 the regatta was combined with a festival ashore, and Craig says he is planning a significant expansion of these activities in 2007.

Best known in sailing as sponsor of the Ocean Race, Volvo has also been a regular supporter of sailing at Olympic and youth level. The Volvo Ocean Race 2005-2006 was the most successful Round the World Race to date.

In other news, Dublin Bay Sailing club holds its annual prize giving tonight at the Royal St George Yacht Club. In his report to members, commodore Tim Costello confirms a rise in dinghy numbers, from 91 to 107, and keelboat numbers. Overall boat entries rose from 347 to 359.

Racing continues in to the winter and the former commodore Fintan Cairns, who organises the annual turkey shoot, has 64 entries for the Sunday morning series.

The biggest keelboat class in the country - which has yet to set sail - holds its inaugural class agm tomorrow at the Royal St George YC at 3pm.

The class will elect its first chairman and committee and decide on venues for 2007.

The inaugural SB3 national championships look set for the National YC in September 2007.

Over 43 SB3 keelboats are now on order and 10 are already here. There are some second-hand boats also in circulation, bringing the fleet to 57. The biggest fleet is in Dún Laoghaire - 26 boats - but there are also fleets in Cork and Belfast.

The goal, according to Tim Bourke, one of the promoters, is to get a fleet of 100 boats by 2008 in time for the European championships, scheduled again for the National YC.

On the west coast, the Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) agm takes place at the Great Southern hotel, Galway, on November 25th, where the ICRA boat of the year will be announced.