Champagne conditions for the practice race at the Paralympic World Sailing Championships 2013

Glorious sunshine and 10-12 knot winds welcomed the 120 sailors from 19 nations to Kinsale for the practice race in advance of the start of the Cork County IFDS World Championships.

In the Sonar class, London 2012 Bronze medallist Norway's Aleksander Wang-Hansen did not compete in the practice race however the London 2012 Gold medallist Udo Hessels started and finished mid-fleet. Corkman Paul McCarthy on IRL697 had a good race finishing in second place but the race was won by USA's Rick Doerr and his crew. Irish Paralympian John Twomey, Anthony Hegarty and Ian Costello on Providence Team IRL finished in 7th place.

On Course B, in the singlehanded 2.4mR class, 39 of the 46 competitors took part in today's practice race with Germany's Heiko Kroeger, who won silver at London 2012, getting the bullet. He was followed by Damien Seguin from France and Italian Antonio Squizzato in third. Helena Lucas from the UK who won Gold in Weymouth did not participate in today's race.

Also on Course B the nine Skud 18 sailors completed their race with John McRoberts from Royal Victoria Yacht Club in Canada taking line honours. The Netherlands' Vera Voorbach was second and Italy's Marco Gualandris third.

At 6pm this evening the World Championships will be officially opened in the James O'Neill Memorial building by Cork MEP Brian Crowley and the Mayors of Kinsale and County Cork before a parade from Market Square down Pier Road to Kinsale Yacht Club where each nation will present their flags to the Regatta Director John Stallard. The parade will be led by Kinsale Red Cross, Civil Defense, RNLI, Coast Guard, local GAA clubs, Foroige Riverstick and Kinsale, soccer clubs, rugby club, Kiley Walsh school of Irish dance, athletics clubs, Kinsale Vintage Car Club, Kinsale Golf Course and Kinsale Equestrian Club. The Access Dinghy class which teaches children with disabilities to sail will have a dinghy on display as part of the parade.

The championships will get underway tomorrow at 12 noon with two races planned daily until Friday. As predicted the wind died off this afternoon to around 4 knots with just 2-3 knots expected for tomorrow's racing.