Between the 1st and 2nd September 2010, Antonio de la Madrid, ISAF's Competitions Manager, visited Dun Laoghaire to see the venue and meet the organisers of the ISAF Youth Worlds 2012.

Helmut Czasny, Antonio de la Madrid’s predecessor as the ISAF Competitions Manager, had carried out the official site visit to Ireland 2009 to confirm Dublin as the venue for the ISAF Youth Worlds 2012.

Antonio had never been to Dublin so were delighted to invite him over to Ireland when we met him at the Youth Worlds 2010 in Istanbul. Arriving late on 1st September he caught up with International Race Officer Jack Roy over dinner before settling into the Royal Marine Hotel (the 2012 venue hotel). Jack had been one of the ISAF appointed race officials in Istanbul so they had plenty of catching up to do.

The following morning was spent ashore getting ‘the tour’ of the hotel and the yacht clubs and meeting with the key members of the Dublin Bay 2012 Organising Committee and flag officers from the three yacht clubs. Lunch, hosted by Commodore of the National Yacht Club was followed by a trip afloat on a committee boat for a guided tour of the three Race Areas by Peter Crowley (2012 PRO) and Jack Roy (2012 RO). The conditions were perfect - sunshine and 15-18 knots of breeze.

Antonio reported very positively on the visit and the facilities to the ISAF Annual Conference in November 2010 at Athens.

Photo: Ian Roberts, Patrick Blaney, Antonio de la Madrid, Brian Craig, Don O'Dowd

Brian Craig, Event Chairman