The backdrop of Howth Yacht Club provided the ideal setting for the signing of a new exciting and progressive memorandum of understanding between the Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) and the Irish Sailing Association (ISA) following extended constructive negotiations

Howth Yacht Club will be hosting the 2016 Irish Cruiser Racing Association National Championships 10th – 12th June and with over seventy entries from all corners of the Ireland to date it is shaping up to be an event not to be missed, see http://cruiserracing.ie/icranats/
This Memorandum of Understanding provides a commitment of the two associations working very closely together to support cruiser racing sailors and encourage more people to join this exhilarating sport. Initiatives such as Crewpoint will be developed further to help give crew and boats an easier path to matching up opportunities to race together. The old “Turn up with your life jacket on Sunday and someone will take you.” is great, but how does the skipper know if he will pick someone up and how does that guy or girl feel hanging around waiting to be “picked”. Crewpoint will help to unite crew with skipper and boat, as well as create a greater awareness of access to sailing for all. A lot is being talked about recently about access to sailing and how hard it is to get on the water if you don’t own a boat, so ICRA, Crewpoint and the ISA are linking up with the Try Sailing campaign to create access points for more people to give sailing a try and to encourage more sailors to give racing a try in open days, crewing opportunities and events, see www.trysailing.ie to see participating clubs and centres throughout the nation.

Royal Cork Yacht Club (RCYC) are bringing Try Sailing to the 2016 Volvo Cork Week in July with the ISA Try Sailing Challenge. The Challenge will be held in 1720 sports boats and will be white sail only. It will be open to anyone who has taken part in the Try Sailing programme in any ISA club and each team is only allowed one experienced crew member to either skipper the boat or to be part of the crew. Clubs can bring their own 1720 or charter one of three available from RCYC.

To help support the development of Cruiser Racing in Ireland all ECHO and IRC handicap fees are reinvested in to the development of Cruiser Racing.

Simon McGibney, Commodore of ICRA, says “This is great news for newcomers to the sport of sailing and for all sailors who enjoy the thrill of going racing. It will enable positive innovative initiatives to grow sailing in the sector going forward.”

Watch this space – more on Crewpoint out soon and full details on Royal Cork Yacht Club ISA Try Sailing Challenge  is available here www.corkweek.ie/isa-try-sailing-invitational-challenge/

Crew having the craic – David Branigan Oceansport

Tight racing conditions – great adrenaline. David Branigan Oceansport

Title picture. David Branigan Oceansport