It’s good news that a proper Classics Division is going to be included in Volvo Cork Week in July, and it’s even better news that one of the first to step up to the plate is Opposition, the gold standard classic 40ft S & S design which Ted Heath raced to outstanding all-round success in 1971. For although Ted Heath owned five Morning Clouds in all - with the first being the little S&S34 which won the 1969 Sydney-Hobart Race – we need to know which is which, and the 51-year-old boat now known as Opposition was arguably the sweetest of them all, as Olin Stephens took this high-profile opportunity to show what an attractive boat the new International Offshore Rule could create.

But unfortunately, the international offshore scene was expanding at an unhealthy pace, and the backroom number-crunchers in yacht design offices were soon finding that by producing rather extreme and deeply heavy boats with unattractively pinched sterns, you could get a very favourable rating. The third Morning Cloud (mistakenly used to illustrate Opposition in a recent press release) was built expressly for the 1973 Admiral’s Cup, and proved to be quite an extreme example of this less healthy hull type.

The 44ft Morning Cloud III of 1974 was a race winner, but her pinched stern - distorted to fit in with exploitation of the IOR rule -created a much less attractive boat than her predecessor

Of course the 44ft Morning Cloud III was a race-winner under the rule of the time, but as a boat she compared very unfavourably with the Morning Cloud II of 1971. And the life of Morning Cloud III was short and tragic. In 1974 in line with Heath’s policy of being seen at other regattas, late in the season she was taken to the Thames Estuary for his participation in Burnham Week. In hurrying back from that with a delivery crew, she was caught out in an extreme westerly gale in the English Channel with wind over tide conditions while trying to reach the shelter of the Solent.

When two crew were lost overboard in a knockdown, the boat suffered structural damage and eventually, the remaining crew had to take to the liferaft and Morning Cloud III was wrecked on the Sussex coast. It was a grim moment when the retrieved remains of the boat were later brought ashore at the port of Shoreham.

The remains of Morning Cloud III are brought ashore at Shoreham in Sussex in September 1974 after two crew had been drowned during what should have been a routine delivery trip from the Thames Estuary back to the Solent.

Classic boats from across Europe will take part in July's Volvo Cork Week Regatta for the first time as they join the celebrations of the Royal Cork's Tricentenary.

Sir Edward Heath's Morning Cloud, since renamed Opposition, is amongst one of the early entrants in the historic boat fleet.

Morning Cloud was the name given by the former British Prime Minister to a series of five yachts that he owned between 1969 and 1983.

Royal Cork organisers have also confirmed The Atlantic Yacht Club of France will be strong supporters of the event, committing 20 boats through their GoToCork campaign.

The Notice of Race for the Classic fleet is currently being finalised.

Entry is open for 2022 Volvo Cork Week, celebrating the tricentenary of the world’s oldest yacht club, the Royal Cork Yacht Club.

Since 1978, Cork Week has been the venue for many epic battles on the water and legendary craic ashore. The 300^th birthday celebrations for the Royal Cork add a unique dimension.

July's Volvo Cork Week features up to five days of world-class racing in Cork Harbour from 11-15th.

As Afloat previously reported, Cork Week has a huge diversity of competing boats, including inshore racing for keelboats for the ICRA Nationals, and one-design racing for the 1720 Europeans, the SB20 Grand Slam, Cape 31s, and the Dragon South Coasts.

Volvo Cork Week will feature a variety of courses both inside and outside the Harbour.

Over 60 boats have already signed up and the Royal Cork Yacht Club is preparing for over a thousand sailors from around the world to take part. All boats already entered, and who enter before Easter Sunday, will be in with a chance of winning a maximum of eight branded crew jackets from Musto.

Enter your team here 

Classic yacht owners in France have been encouraged to join Volvo Cork Week 2022 with the introduction of a dedicated class at next summer’s regatta.

Royal Cork Yacht Club Admiral Colin Morehead made the announcement at the 2021 Paris Boat Show last week along with President Pascal Stefani, Yves Lambert and Yves Gaignet of the Atlantic Yacht Club.

The two clubs have entered into a collaboration — Goto Cork 2022 — aimed at attracting classic yacht owners in France to participate in Cork Week when it returns in July 2022 after a pandemic-enforced absence in 2020.

COVID restrictions also delayed celebration of the Royal Cork’s reciprocal agreement signed with the Yacht Club de France in March 2020.

While in Paris, Admiral Morehead took the opportunity to exchange burgees with Yacht Club de France President Philippe Heral at its clubhouse in the city.

Earlier today, Afloat.ie noted the inclusion of a Cape 31 fleet in next summer’s regatta comprising boats from both the UK and a burgeoning Irish fleet.

The Royal Cork Yacht Club has confirmed that two Irish Cape 31s which are currently in build, one from Cork and one from Dublin, have now entered Volvo Cork Week 2022.

The entry form and advance notice of regatta are live on the RCYC website.

It’s expected that the Irish fleet will have grown to four of five boats by next July when the Cork Week regatta returns for a delayed Cork300 celebration after its pandemic-enforced absence in 2020.

And it’s also hoped that they will be bolstered by visiing Cape 31s from the UK for five days of championship racing in the waters surrounding Cork Harbour.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie back in August, plans are afoot to build a sportsboat fleet here from the South African racer-inspired design by Wicklow-based Mark Mills.

Last week's club talk by Royal Cork Yacht Club helmsman Harold Cudmore on the exploits of the Cork Harbour One Design classic yacht Jap at St. Tropez in October gave details of the 1897-built yacht's recent performances on the continent but also revealed details of 2022 plans to bring a classic boat division to Cork Week Regatta next year.

As regular Afloat readers will recall, the restored Jap skippered by Cudmore and with a crew that counted club Admiral Colin Morehead among its number won Le Voile Saint Tropez Classic Regatta in the South of France.

In a great result for Cork Harbour classic boat enthusiasts, Royal Cork member Terry Birles and his yacht Erin took fifth in their class in St. Tropez too.

Royal Cork member Terry Birles (left) with a half model of his yacht Erin and RCYC Admiral Colin Morehead Photo: Bob Bateman

During the club talk, Birles presented a half model of the classic yacht Erin for display at the Crosshaven clubhouse.

Details of Cork Week's Classic Division are to be announced at the Paris Boat Show on 4th December.

Jap, built in Carrigaloe in 1897 and fully restored and sailing again (pictured here in Cork Harbour) as part of RCYC's 300th celebrations, took an unassailable lead in her class at the important classic regatta in October. Olympic helmsman Cudmore was on the tiller of the oldest and the smallest yacht at the classic yacht Centenary Trophy fleet in St. Tropez. Photo: Mary Malone

Cork Week Regatta at Royal Cork Yacht Club in Cork Harbour has received a 57 boat registration for its 2022 Regatta just a week after the booking system went live for its 300th-anniversary regatta rerun.

Royal Cork's Alex Barry says there is 'huge interest' with 30% of those are from the UK and interest registered from Spain, Germany, Hong Kong and France too.

As regular Afloat readers will know, Cork Week 2020 was one of the big COVID-19 casualties of Royal Cork's Tricentenary celebrations last year.

Barry says the 2022 fleet is showing great signs of diversity from a Gunboat 68 and Swan 62 to 2 x Fast 40s, 15 x 1720s.

In the IRC ratings, there are now "15 boats registered are over 1.000, seven boats under .900 and everything in between", he adds.

Royal Cork Yacht Club organisers have published an 'Advance Notice of Race' for the 2022 Cork Week regatta in Cork Harbour.

The Race Committee is planning another action-packed five days of racing for all classes across a variety of courses.

The ICRA National Championships and the 1720 European Championships are already signed up for the week that runs from July 11 to 15.

"We will welcome a diverse fleet to assemble from around the globe, everything from stately classics to the most modern race boats, and all can expect a warm Irish welcome and great racing at Cork Week", the organisers say.  

Download the advance notice of race below as a jpeg file

'Registration of interest' is live here

The date for the Half Ton Classic Cup 2022 announced this week for Cowes following the cancellation of the 2021 event due to COVID-19 has changed its dates.
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The Cup will now be run from the 15-19th August 2022 to avoid an overlap with Cork Week 300. 

Annamarie Fegan and Ross Deasy will co-chair Cork Week 2022, Royal Cork Yacht Club has announced.

Deasy who has raced as part of many RCYC keelboat campaigns in the last 25 years, including a Commodore’s Cup win onboard Antix, will chair Cork Week's racing committee. Fegan who has been campaigning the family Grand Soleil ’40 both inshore and offshore in recent years, including a win in this year’s inaugural Fastnet 450 Race, will chair the shore-side events. 

As Afloat previously reported, the date has been set for Cork Week 2022 from Monday, July 11th to Friday, July 15th 2022.

With Volvo Cork Week 2020 having been cancelled as a result of the global pandemic, RCYC is extending its Tricentenary celebrations with a number of significant events in the coming years, including Cork Week 2022.

The 300th anniversary of the oldest yacht club in the world is a momentous occasion and the Royal Cork welcomes members, guests and visitors to join them for world-class racing and shore-side entertainment.

Cork Week organisers have committed to publishing an advanced notice of race by Easter 2021, thus giving boat owners and captains plenty of time to make plans to attend this very special event in Cork which organisers hope will achieve the 300+ boats expected for Volvo Cork Week 2022.

Honorary life member and former Admiral of the Royal Cork, Anthony O’Leary, joins the committee as an advisor for 2022. 

The committee will be supported by Alex Barry in communications, General Manager of the Royal Cork, Gavin Deane, and Rear Admiral of Keelboat racing in the Royal Cork, Daragh Connolly.