ICRA National Cruiser Championship & Corinthian Cup Preview

WIORA Regional West Coast Championships & White Sails

A combination of a National & Regional event!

The Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA), together with the West of Ireland Offshore Racing Association (WIORA) and host club Tralee Bay Sailing Club (TBSC) have been very busy over the winter months organising the ICRA National Cruiser Championships / Corinthian Cup and WIORA's Regional West Coast Championships / White Sails which will take place from the 12th – 15th June 2013.

As it is a combination of two events, the Regional West Coast Championships commences on Wednesday, June 12th and finishes on Friday, June 14th with the ICRA National Cruiser Championships commencing on Thursday, June 13th and finishing on Saturday, June 15th, for two days out of the four there will be duel scoring for both events.

With the ICRA National Cruiser Championships been a NON DISCARD event for the first time in its history a lot of competitors have also entered the regional event (WIORA) to get their boats up to speed the day before the Nationals commences. WIORA have opted to keep with their traditional stance on Discards - one discard will apply, if six or more races are sailed and in their White Sails division one discard will apply, if five or more races are sailed.

On the water Alan Crosbie, David Lovegrove, Peter Moore and teams will be ensuring the course will be of the highest quality and varied to satisfy the competitors with Mike Butterfield officiating as chairperson in the protest room and Denis Kiely & Peadar Murphy looking after the prompt posting of the results.

Tralee Bay Sailing Club boasts panoramic views of Tralee bay, with spectacular race courses easily followed from various spectator spots along the shore line. The organizing committee under Brian O'Sullivan are finalizing an exciting and varied racing programme over the four days, along with an excellent social programme of shore side activities including a crew tug of war sponsored by Walsh Brothers Shoes of Tralee. With ten weeks to go to first gun and over fifty confirmed entries to date, it will be a very special event both on and off the water. For non-sailors joining the event, they will be interested to know that there is a lot to see and do locally, and the organizers are running a fashion show in aid of the RNLI on Friday afternoon in the club, for further details please see www.traleebaysailing.com.

Tralee Bay Sailing Club has partnered with the Brandon Hotel (Please call reservations on (066) 7123333 and Quote ICRA) to bring a very special accommodation deal for the duration of the event and reservations are open until 19th April. Also, locally there are houses available to rent - for more information please go to www.traleebaysailingclub.com. The committee advises to book accommodation early, as availability of houses is not limitless!

Entries for the National Cruiser Championships, West Coast Championships, and ICRA Corinthian Cup & WIORA White Sails can now be made on line at www.traleebaysailingclub.com. Entry fee for combined events is €225 – single event €175. To encourage early entries a discounted entry fee for combined events of €175 – single event €125 applies until the 27th April 2013. Entry closes 04th June 2013.

The events are supported by Dubarry of Ireland Clothing and Footwear, West End Bar & Restaurant, Bons Secours Tralee, Kelliher's of Tralee, North Sails, UK Sailmakers, Irish Mast & Rigging, and The Tankard Restaurant.