I see the site is up, like the videos....

www.corkweek.ie/

nice to see that sportsboat entry fees are now down to euro 380 with launching and lifting just euro 30. last time it was quite a bit dearer for boats like the 1720.

Mark
It is nice to see RCYC making a gesture to reduce entrance fees but to be honest they are still ridiculously high. The discounted total fee of Euro410 for sports boats is still Euro230 more expensive than Dun Laoghaire Regatta, thatís a whopping premium for an extra dayís racing!
If someone wanted to white-sail 50 footer it would cost Euro1,100, Euro785 more than the DLR discounted fee of Ä315, thatís 2.5 times greater!! How can that be justified?
The differential gets worse as you look at bigger boats!!
Cork Week is very expensive, accommodation, food; drink and parking are nightmarishly priced. The logistics for launching and retrieving sports boats are immensely inconvenient.
Crosshaven enjoys probably the best sailing waters for racing in Ireland allied to outstanding race management and on the water logistics. However I find it hard to understand why RCYC feels the need to charge the level of fees it does when Dublin Bay Sailing Club manages to provide 6 months of racing, 4 days a week for over 300 boats, for less than the entrance fee budget for 5 days sailing in Cork.
I fear that one of the best regattas in the world is going to suffer hugely in 2010 because RCYC have not reacted sufficiently to the current environment. A bit like the Irish Governmentís present situation, the problem was brewing for some time but other circumstances have highlighted the hidden issues.
Sailors generally have pretty basic requirements and can live without all the expensive razzmatazz provided they are getting good sailing and reasonably priced drink, food and accommodation.
Charging for parking, Boat launching etc compounds the negative issues.
Get back to basics and concentrate on the sailing and be businesslike but stop trying to run a business.
As you have gathered, along with many people who have been regular participants over the years with whom I have spoken about this in recent days, it is very unlikely I will be making the trek south next year.

And with exchange rates as they are our island neighbours will not be changing their funny money to make the trip over.

Perhaps, for the more curmudgeonly amongst us, those who like their beer in a glass not a plastic beaker, there could be an entry fee just for the sailing and not for all the shenanigans on land.

Gordon

Done Cork week once and unfortunately won't be able to make next year either but I have to say the year I did it it was fantastic. Good racing and good craic ashore.

But having entry fees like these won't help developing the sport nor encouraging skippers from abroad and it's even worse in the economic climate we're in.

Because it's not just the entry fee but the overall cost of racing at the event : trip up and down, accomodation, entry fee, food and drinks, etc... it all adds up...

But that's only my view

HI Guys, I know it is not cheap but it is less expensive than previous years and as I understand it they are making efforts that other costs such as accomodation are controlled as much as they can.
It is not exactly comparing like with like to Compare Cork week to DL regatta . 80% of the boats at DL Regatta are from the Dublin area whereas 80% of those comepting at Cork are from outside cork. As a result there are more people in the evenings around and additional facilities are required. There are also bigger boats at Cork week than DL regatta.
The main issue with Cork is that a Regatta village has to be built to cope with the numbers and that is expensive. In Dun laoghaire they have the 4 clubs but that then splits everyone up. If Cork Week had half the boats they could likely do the event at a fraction of the additional cost as their existing facilities would go a long way towards their needs. Put up a few big tents and off you go. I dont think that is what most people want though and that is why it is such a popular event for those travelling from the Uk and elsewhere.
Just a few thoughts. I am not on the Cork week committee or anything .

Mono, you are right. I it is naive to compare cork week and vdlr.

VDLR has exisitng infrastructure even a bloody train station in the regatta venue but poor old cork week has to pay 40k to the ESB just to get a big enough generator to run the event! There are hidden costs in building a village and everything costs. Would we change it, probably not......sweet memories.....

Cheeper for the 1720s, not so for their little sisters. May be that's rightly a case of looking after Corks core constituency but many people are torn between Cork and the Worlds in Garda for next year. Whether they are not feeling the love as a result of the price hike and this will make the difference, or whether it will be just the excuse used and they would of gone continental anyway it's hard to say but it's a shame.

Cork or Garda. Two legenadary places to go sailing. Irronically if the Irish SB3 fleet travels then RCYC will have been proved right, if they choose Cork then the SB3 World Assoc. will be proved right in their assertion, in scheduling the World at the only option they had for good conditions which didn't clash with Cowes, that the Irish fleet doesn't travel.

I am based in the UK and have sailed at Cork Week about ten times, because of the great racing, and am trying to persuade six other boats from the Solent to come over. We are glad to see that RCYC has reduced fees, but the real rip off is the price of accomodation. The auctioneers that pay the RCYC to advertise in the Notice of Race are asking typically Ä4000 for a six or eight person house. Add the exchange rate Euro=Pound and I stand no chance to get six boats over.
Let us compare their action and those of RCYC with the agreement Galway Council made with the hotels and B&Bs of Galway, not to rip people off when the Volvo raceboats arrived. Outcome: Millions of Euros into the local economy. Cork Week race fees might have dropped slightly, but it is meaningless whilst the locals ask four to five times the rate for every other week in July. So, come on, RCYC, this is not 2008 and every other part of the economy is struggling to come to terms with that. Do something and show you can listen to the keen sailors that have supported you many times. Tell the Cute Cork people and auctioneers to stop killing the goose and ask them to halve prices. Or wonder why in Augus the numbers were so lowand the sailors went to WIORA, Dartmouth, ...

This from Cork Week Press Officer, Louay Habib:



Cork Week 2010: Losing the pounds in all the right places.

Preparations for Cork Week 2010, Irelandís most prestigious yachting regatta are well underway, the management team have been hard at work and a new web site is now on line. www.corkweek.ie <www.corkweek.ie/>


In the Notice of Race, Mike McCarthy, Admiral of the Royal Cork Yacht Club gives an address which outlines the response to feedback given to the Club about the last event. Cork Week 2010 will have significant cost reductions to competitors, right across the board. Entry fees and accommodation have been reduced by 20-25%. Early arrivals will stay in the marina free and there are significant reductions in lift out and car park fees.


For those wishing to arrive by ferry, the new Fastnet Line will be open, offering a competitive service from Swansea to a ferry terminal, just a few miles from Crosshaven. The 154 metre vessel will dramatically reduce the travel time to Crosshaven from virtually any part of the UK and can accommodate vehicles, trailers, and smaller yachts in large numbers.


Early expressions of interest have been very promising; a substantial big boat fleet is expected including several Mini Maxis and a number of IRC optimized TP52s. Rolex Fastnet winner, Niklas Zennstromís JV72 R·n is expected, as is Sir Peter Ogdenís sleak black Mini Maxi, Jethou. Rolex Middle Sea Race winner, Andy Sorianoís Mills 68, Alegre is a veteran of several Cork Weekís and Karl Kwokís Farr 80, Beau Geste from Hong Kong would be making their first visit.


ìWe have already booked our accommodation.î Said Nigel Passmore, owner/ driver of TP52 Apollo. ìWe will be in Cork with a Plymouth crew and we are looking forward to it immensely; it is a fantastic sailing location and racing against several other TP52s with some great fun in the evenings, what could be better.î
Many of the entries for next yearís Rolex Commodoresí Cup are also expected, including some of the best overseas yachts from Europe and further afield.


For the smaller IRC boats, the fleet is set to be just as competitive, the variety of sailing conditions and courses is a great all round test of the yacht and the crew and the yachts in IRC Two and Three make up a substantial percentage of the sailors racing at Cork Week. The Cork Week committee hopes that the reduction in costs right across the board should be of great benefit to those boats in particular.


ìCompetitors can expect a variety of courses set in open water, coastal and in the harbour which should test the crew handling and get just about every sail out of the bag.î Commented Cork Week Racing Chairman, Anthony OíLeary. ìWe are blessed with some superb sailing grounds and we are intent on making full use of them for. The focus for Cork Week is the same as it has always been, great sailing and a fabulous atmosphere ashore.î


The management team is also keen to encourage participation by charter companies and corporate entries and plans are in place to offer assistance to ensure that Cork Week is a fun-filled regatta for all.

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A lot of people have been commenting, both on here, and generally, about the price of accomodation for Cork week. I know that the costs for house rentals in Crosshaven for the week have dropped by about 25%, and you can now get a 4 bed detached, with beds for 8 or 9 people 2 mins walk from Cronins, and 10 mins walk from the Club for c.3000 eu (2600str)
Thats 1000 eu less than 2 yrs ago.
I also see that all competitors will be fed and watered free of charge on the monday evening, every bit helps in this day and age.
If anyone wants info feel free to mail me.
Dave

We wont be coming over from the UK with our tweleve crew simply because it was so expensive. Ä6000 for a house for the week that was way out of town and was less than clean.
Per night it was Ä150 for a bottle of Rum in the Fastnet tent and whatever the price was for a pint of Heineken who were actually sponsors of the event. Ä10 for an average tasting small tub of noodles.... Its a minumum Ä50 a night which you may expect to pay on a ski holiday but not at a regatta that lasts 6 nights at least.
Ä830 entry fee more than most.
Very average race officer for IRC class 1 fleet.
yes we had great fun last time around but bloody hell it was far too expensive and its too late now to be looking to cut costs. In many cases the horse has bolted and it will take a while for people to come back.
Its a great shame because its a fantastic venue with great people

I would still consider Ä3000 outrageous for a weeks house rental in Crosshaven.

For 6 crew staying 6 nights that works out at 83.33 euros per night!

However, I agree with the point that Cork Week has become an expensive regatta especially for our neighbours struggling with their weak currency! The only way to save money is to avoid the fleshpots of Crosshaven and stay in Cobh, Kinsale, Cork or elsewhere... which for many visitors rather misses the point. If they can't sample the craic in Crosshaven then they won't come.

Gordon

There are many delightful modern B & B's in Crosshaven with full facilities, in some cases mind boggling, and rates can be obtained from Ä40 per person sharing including full Irish breakfast and complimentary tea and coffee during the day if anyone wishes to return to relax for a while. Probably better rates can be obtained on neotiation where there are numbers involved. There is a recession in full swing.