Howth Yacht Club’s long established Autumn League, sponsored for a third year by Anglo Irish Bank, starts on Sunday 16th September with some 170 boats in 12 classes expected to contest the six-race series. The growing popularity of the White Sail Cruiser Class requires that fleet to be split into two divisions while the dramatic growth of the new Laser SB3s is expected to be reflected in a good turnout for the League.

Cruisers 2 and 3 will, as usual, be highly competitive and numerically strong. After their emphatic wins in the recent East Coast Championships, John Murphy and Richard Colwell’s ‘Kinetic’ and Vince Gaffney’s ‘Alliance’ will be favourites to head up Class 2 and 3 respectively.

Other East Coast Champions who can be expected at the front end of their fleets include Gillian Guinness in the Squibs and Peter Courtney in the Seventeens, while the McCabes and Andrew Knowles will be keen to add to their White Sail successes in Dun Laoghaire.

Racing takes place on five Sundays from September 16th, with the final race on Saturday 20th October. There is also a Team Trophy at stake.

Entries are being accepted online on www.hyc.ie