Today is the concluding day of racing at the Four Star Pizza World Youth Sailing World Championships.  The town has been praised throughout the week for its organisation and enthusiasm in hosting the event and David Lynch, writing in today’s Irish Times has suggested that a hosting of the senior event may yet be on the cards to mark the bicentenary of the Harbour in 2017.
That would be a massive event for Ireland to win.  The 2011 Championships were held in Perth, Australia and generated AUS$39 million (€33 million) for the local economy off the back of an AUS$8.8 million(€7.5 million) government investment.
The two previous World Championship events were held in Spain and Portugal and the event will return to Iberia in 2014 when it will be held at Santander.
The official rules of yacht racing were first penned at the Royal St George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire and it is possible given the success in staging the youth event, despite challenging weather conditions, that a blend of the traditional and the modern may raise the prospects of Dun Laoghaire at least being in the hunt for 2017.
The Youth event has seen over 350 competitors on and off shore, together with friends, family and supporters creating a real buzz around the town.  There was a music and entertainment festival on the opening weekend and the town will have drawn real benefit from hosting the Championships.
Emo Oil, KPMG, Fáilte Ireland and BNP Paribas have been among the sponsors of the event alongside Four Star Pizza.