A drifting mark off the Old Head of Kinsale upset the opening day of the Sovereigns Cup yesterday where 101-boats have gathered to decide the biennial trophy event.

THE penultimate day of the Rolex Commodore’s will be staged today with a 50-mile Round the Isle of Wight race, in which Ireland will face a significant challenge to maintain its overall lead of the event that has eluded Irish victors for almost two decades.

WHILE the TP52 Patches owned by Galway’s Eamon Conneely and steered by Shirley Robertson has eased into a five points lead in IRC Class Zero at the Sovereign’s Cup and the Irish Cruisers Championships off Kinsale, the Cork-Dublin Bay battle in Class 1 looks set to go to the wire.

TWO races were sailed at Kinsale on Easter Monday in the Kevin O’Leary Nissan April League series and now it is down to the wire for some as they face into the final race on Saturday. The influence of Munster’s rug