Strong team for world coastal event

ROWING NEWS:IRELAND HAS an impressive record at the World Coastal Rowing Championships, and a big Ireland team has been chosen for this year's event at Bari in Italy, which takes place next weekend.

John Keohane of the Kilmacsimon club in Cork won the men’s singles crown in Istanbul last year, and will defend his title in Italy. He is joined by clubmates in the men’s double – which has an entry of 54 crews – and men’s coxed four.

In 2009, Ireland’s Monika Dukarska won the women’s singles title and the Killorglin woman, who turns 21 this week, hopes to regain that crown.

Sheila Clavin, a member of the St Michael’s club in Limerick and previously known as an Olympic-class rower, makes the leap over to the coastal side. A double and two singles from Arklow complete the women’s team.

The world governing body for Olympic rowing, Fisa, runs the coastal championships, but the format is very different to Olympic rowing. The course is triangular and is defined by buoys rather than lanes.

Coastal rowing in Ireland is a big participation sport, with club membership of about 3,000. This year, the Irish Coastal Rowing Federation agreed to come under the aegis of Rowing Ireland.

One of the legends of ocean rowing will join Keohane in the men’s single in Bari. Eamonn Kavanagh from Arklow and his brother Peter rowed across the Atlantic in 1997. They took 58 days and finished fifth in what was the first year of the transatlantic race.

Since then, transatlantic rowing has become a major activity, and Irish rowers have been an important part of that growth.

Next year a five-man crew skippered by Matt Craughwell will row the Sara G from Tarfaya in Morocco to Barbados with the aim of breaking the 30-day mark. Dubliner Aodhan Kelly, who is now based in Reading, will be hoping to write his name in the record books.

Back on the (hopefully) more tranquil waters of the Liffey at Islandbridge, the Dublin Sculling Ladder time trial is set for tomorrow. Sculling has become a necessary skill for ambitious oarsmen and women, and Ciarán Lewis, the organiser of the event, is hoping for a record entry.

Eamonn Joyce of Cork Boat Club won the recent Cork Sculling Ladder time trial, and Karen Corcoran-O’Hare of Shandon Boat Club won the women’s section. The ladder remains open until April 1st next year.

Mark Pollock’s supporters have organised the Run for Mark in the Dark for Wednesday evening, November 16th. There are events planned for Belfast, Dublin, Galway and Cork. The Trinity oarsman and well-known adventurer, who is blind, fell and broke his back at Henley Royal Regatta last year. Details on www.run4mark.com.

IRELAND TEAM(World Coastal Rowing Championships, Bari, Italy, October 21st-23rd): Men, Coxed Four: S Bennett, S O'Neill, K O'Dwyer, E O'Neill; cox: M Farrissey (all Kilmacsimon). Double: D O'Donovan, R Farrissey (both Kilmacsimon); Singles: J Keohane (Kilmacsimon); E Kavanagh (Arklow). Women, Doubles: H O'Neill, L O'Neill (both Kilmacsimon); Y Jordan, D Maghery (both Arklow). Singles: M Dukarska (Killorglin); S Clavin (St Michael's, Limerick); J Lee (Arklow); J Ní Ghoráin (Arklow).