Mirror Sailors to compete in All-Ireland Sailing Championships

Three current mirror sailors will represent the class in the All-Ireland sailing championships this weekend, to be held in laser radials.

Defending girls' champion Rachel Guy is young enough to qualify to defend her title. Rachel has been consistent this season, scoring three fifths and a fourth place in he four events in which she has competed. She was also a race winner at the Southerns in Wexford. Rachel was part of the Optimist team that traveled to Ecuador for the 2004 Worlds, and has been competing in mirrors since 2005. She won last year's edition of the girls' All-Irelands despite a lack of experience with the Topper.

Rachel Guy and Matty O'Dowd at the Europeans 2006

Qualifying on this years' rankings for the junior championship are the Boylans, Mark and Aileen.

Mark has been highly competitive ever since bursting onto the scene at the 2005 nationals in Skerries, in which he finished 17th, beating such experienced and talented sailors as Fred Gilbert, Colm Malone, Paul Amerlynck and Stephen Mullaney. In 2006 he was ranked 9th in only his second season, the high point of which was being the fourth Irish boat at the nationals in Cork, as well as competing in the Europeans in Poole, where he finished 38th . After some intensive training, he climbed to 14th at the worlds in South Africa, including a fourth place in race 7. This season he has been consistently in the top two, and won the Southerns despite his tender years. Mark is another graduate of Oppies, and also crews to a high standard in a 420. He previously crewed with older sister Aileen in the 2005 worlds.

Mark on his way to victory in the Southerns '07

Aileen is Mark's older sister, and has been around since 2003 as a crew. She started helming in 2004, competing in the Europeans that year. Although results were initially slow in coming, she still managed to outrank her old helm at the end of the season. For the next year Aileen was a solid member of the fleet, but in 2006 she started to raise eyebrows with a top 10 finish in the southerns. It wasn't until this season that her true speed started to become apparent. At the worlds in South Africa, she managed an anonymous 45th, but at the first Irish event of the season, she shocked everyone by winning two races and finishing second overall. She wasn't out of the prizes again until the nationals, and is the top ranked girl of the season, fourth overall.

Aileen at the 2007 nationals

In the adult event, former mirror sailors still dominate the fleet, with such names as Niall Henry, Gerbil Owens, Maurice O'Connell and Jonathan Craig all having sailed mirrors.