Displaying items by tag: Royal Cork Yacht Club
J122 'Jelly Baby' Named Royal Cork's 'Yacht of the Year' as Crosshaven Celebrates 2022 Sailing Achievements
The well-campaigned J/122 Jelly Baby (Brian and Mary Jones) was awarded Royal Cork Yacht Club's 'Yacht of the Year (Spinnaker)' for her performances in 2022 that most recently included an overall win in the club's Autumn League.
On a night of celebrations at Crosshaven, Admiral Kieran O'Connell presented the prizes that brought the curtain down on a successful sailing season that saw RCYC stage Cork Week in July and complete its tricentenary celebrations.
Chris Bateman was named the keelboat racing sailor of the year for his participation at three world championships in one season in Ireland, plus his role on board the restored Cork Harbour One Design Jap when she won her division at the St. Tropez Classic Yacht Festival in May.
Saki Curtin was named club volunteer of the year for his continuous work in RCYC's junior sailing academy and for his input in liking you sailors with keelboats and won the Morehead Tricentenary Trophy.
Paul and Deirdre Tingle's X4 Alpaca (below) was the winner of both the Offshore Series and the 19-race Superleague in IRC.
The Superleague ECHO award of the HMS Northampton Salver went to Frank Desmond, Ivers and Keane in the Jeanneau, Bad Company.
The Superleague Friday night Whitesail series, over 17 races, was won by Tom MacSweeney and his family on the Sigma 33 Scribbler II.
The MG335 Magnet, sailed by Kieran O'Brien and Fiorentina Carroll, won both IRC and ECHO divisions in the White Sails Superleague, thereby lifting the Royal Cork Yacht Club's Club 'Yacht of the Year (White Sails)' for 2022.
The Royal Cork cruising log of the year went to Jim and Kate Corbet, who sailed 1,200 miles from Cork Harbour to Dochas in Spain, France and Italy in their Dufour 36. Jim and Kate's log covers their Meditteranren odyssey over two months.
O'Shaughnessy Leads Bateman at ILCA 7 RCYC Frostbites
Jonathan O'Shaughnessy leads Chris Bateman in Royal Cork's ILCA 7 Frostbite Series in Cork Harbour.
After six races sailed, O'Shaughnessy has built up a four-point winning margin.
Wexford harbour's James Murphy holds third overall.
The Lasers and RCYC Topper fleets sailed on the Curlane Bank on Sunday under Race Officer Tom Crosbie.
Nine ILCA 7s are competing with ILCA 6s also in the mix.
This is the first year for some years that RCYC has had a full rig in its Frostbite Series as some of the Topper and 4.7 Laser sailors graduate to the bigger rig.
Results below.
Next Sunday will be the last of this series, with a prizegiving at Crosshaven after racing.
RCYC ILCA 7 Photo Gallery
Small Boats Take Charge as Young's Albin Express 'North Star' Chalks Another Win at Royal Cork Yacht Club's Winter League
Small boats reign after the third race of Royal Cork Yacht Club's Winter League, sailed in bright and patchy conditions in Cork Harbour.
The appeal of the 25-foot range was clear to see as Fiona Young's Albin Express North Star chalked up a second race win.
Young continues to top the IRC rankings in the 'all-in' fleet on five points, eight clear of Alan Mulcahy's Albin sister ship, Apache, in second place overall and pictured in Mary Malone's video below.
Lying third, one point back on 15, is the Dubois Quarter Tonner, Diamond co-skippered by Colman Garvey and Kieran Kelleher.
The 21-boat fleet had the usual start at the Grassy line; the course was over to Corkbeg, a beat back across the harbour to No.8 and then to No.9 and then to no.20 off Cobh back to no.13 out again to Corkbeg and a finish at Grassy.
The wind was mainly westerly, with a lot of gusty conditions as the breeze came off the land in the harbour.
At the start, the wind died away to six or seven knots catching out some of the boats that had timed a run to the start line in advance, and they arrived late at the line.
The best starts were taken by Magnet (Kieran O'Brien's MG335) and the consistently good starter, North Star, along with the Monkstown Bay Sailing Club 1720.
The wind increased to 20 knots as the fleet made its way to Cobh.
Racing continues next Sunday. Results are below.
Race Three RCYC Winter League Photo Gallery Below by Bob Bateman and Mary Malone
After the cancellation of their planned opening day, Laser and Topper dinghy sailors got their Frostbite series underway at the RCYC on Sunday, with three races in the same conditions experienced by the cruiser racers. Sixty dinghy sailors have entered in four classes – three Laser sections and one of Toppers.
In ILCA 7, the largest Laser dinghies, Jonathan O’Shaughnessy, leads overall by four points after winning two of the three races. James Murphy is second on eleven, and Chris Bateman third on twelve. He won the first race but retired in the second. In the third, he placed second.
Oisin MacSweeney won all three races in ILCA 6 and leads the fleet overall with three points from Daniel Mallon on eight and Joe O’Sullivan in third on nine.
ILCA 4 fleet leader is Liam Duggan on four points, having won two of Sunday’s three races. The other race winner, Eve McCarthy, is second on seven. Third is Eolann Miles on eleven points.
The Topper fleet is led by Craig Jnr O’Neill, who won two of the opening day’s three races on four points. Second is Shane Collins on five points, the other race winner. Third is Isha Duggan on ten points.
Albin Express 'North Star' Shows the Way at Royal Cork Yacht Club's Winter League
Fiona Young's Albin Express North Star was the winner of the second race of the Royal Cork Yacht Club's Winter League, sailed in damp conditions in Cork Harbour.
Young now tops the IRC rankings in the 'all-in' fleet on five points, five clear of Colman Garvey and Kieran Kelleher's Quarter Tonner, Diamond in second place overall.
Lying third on equal points with the vintage Dubois design is the Grand Soleil 40, Nieulargo (Annamarie and Denis Murphy).
The 21-boat fleet waited for one and half hours before racing began with a start at Grassy on a leg out of the Harbour to E2.
As the video below shows, the diminutive Albin Express (grey hull) got a front-row start.
There were plaudits for Race Officer Anthony O'Leary for managing to get a second race completed in the flukey conditions as crewman from Alpaca John McWeeeny relates in this video below.
The fleet returned to the harbour to buoy 14 near Whitegate; the race was then shortened at the number 6 buoy.
Racing continues next Sunday
On Form J122 Jelly Baby Takes Race One of the RCYC O'Leary Insurance White Sails League
The Jones family's J122 JellyBaby, which won Royal Cork Yacht Club's Autumn League overall last weekend, continued her winning streak with a win on Sunday in the opening race of the club's O'Leary Insurance Winter League.
There were squally conditions of 25 to 30 knots from the southwest on the Cork Harbour course for the first race.
The race started in sunshine, but 30 seconds later, a heavy rain shower engulfed the fleet.
In a day for big boats, Jones's clubmates Annamarie and Denis Murphy in the Grand Soliel 40 Nieulargo were second. Paul and Deirdre Tingle's X4 Alpaca took third place.
21 boats are competing in the league, which, for a second year running, is being competed for on an 'all-in fleet' basis and sailed under white sails only.
The 'all-in' start line was at The Cage mark, and the fleet reached across the channel to Corkbeg (in the vid below) and was followed by a one-tack beat back to number 8 buoy, then a run in the harbour and a hard beat back to the Cage.
Entry for Royal Cork Yacht Club's ILCA/Laser and Topper dinghy Frostbites Series is building, with over 50 boats entered before the early bird expires at midnight on Wednesday, the 2nd of November.
The series (incorporating the Bill Jones Trophy for the winning RCYC topper) will take place across November, Sunday 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th.
Racing will take place for ILCA4, ILCA6, ILCA7 and Topper 5.3 & 4.2 fleets, with separate starts available if numbers allow.
A one-day entry is also facilitated for those that cannot attend the full series.
The series race officer is Tom Crosbie and his crew.
The First warning signal will be 1125 each racing day.
Entry is open to all, with visiting sailors welcome to leave their boats in the RCYC dinghy yard for the duration of the series.
Racing for ILCA7 is included for the first time in a number of years.
Visit Royal Cork ILCA and Topper Frostbite series 2022 to enter here
Overall Leaders Emerge After Five Races Sailed at Royal Cork Yacht Club's AIB Autumn League
Wind against the tide for the first part of Sunday's Royal Cork Yacht Club AIB Autumn League meant that when combined with the lumpy sea conditions left over from Saturday's gale, there was difficult light to medium conditions for the RCYC fleets in Cork Harbour over yesterday's two races with at least one well-known local boat going aground.
After five league races now sailed and one discard applied, there is a new leader in IRC Spinnaker Division One according to the results that are still provisional, given reports of a number of boats are to be disqualified for premature starting.
Watermans take Class IRC One lead
Scoring a 1,4, Eric and Wan Waterman's X37 Saxon Senator of the host club have overhauled one-time leader Kinsale visitor Finbarr O'Regan in his J/109 Artful Dodger to top Class One. The Waterman brothers are on eight points, with the Jones Family J122 JellyBaby now in second on ten. O'Regan has dropped to third on 11.5 points in the nine-boat fleet.
Half-Tonner Swuzzelbubble Top in Class Two
Although Swuzzelbubble (Dave and James Dwyer) continues to lead overall in IRC Spinnaker Two division. The Half Tonner scored fourth in the opening race, which means Michael McCann's Etchells 22 Don't Dilly Dally is moving closer to Swuzzelbubble overall. The Dwyers count six points so far, with McCann on seven in second, enough to overtake Conor Phelan's Quarter Tonner Anchor Challenge in third on ten in the 12-boat fleet.
Magnet in Front of IRC WS 1 Division
There is no change at the top of IRC One White Sails division, Kieran O'Brien's MG335 Magnet scored a one and a two to be on five points, to lead Aidan Heffernan's Dufour 36 Indulgence on seven. RCYC clubmates Frank Caul and John Molloy's Grand Soliel 37B Prince of Tides are now third on nine points.
Albin Express Apache is IRC WS 2 Division Leader
Alan Mulcahy's Albin Express Apache from Kinsale leads on six points in IRC WS 2 Division from the McGrath Family's Dehler 34 Big Mc. Pat Vaughan's Contessa 33 Aramis is third. Ten are competing.
Scroll down for (provisional) overall results.
Racing continues next Sunday.
Bob Bateman's Photo Gallery of the third race of the AIB Royal Cork Yacht Club Autumn League in Cork Harbour
The Winter League for cruisers at the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Cork Harbour will be for White Sails.
There will be six races, starting on Sunday, November 6 and concluding on Sunday, December 11, according to the Notice of Race issued by the club.
“All-in White Sail, results under IRC and ECHO, with the overall trophy awarded under IRC. One race scheduled each day, weather dependent,” the Notice says. “Daily prizes for 1st and 2nd only. Series prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
The League will be sponsored by O’Leary Insurances and is an open event, to include visiting boats.
Entry forms must be completed and are available on the RCYC website
Praise for Royal Cork Yacht Club Race Communications and Offshore Sailing on the South Coast in 2023
The Royal Cork Yacht Club (RCYC) at Crosshaven has received a lot of praise for the running of Sunday’s Autumn League during a “weather window” in Cork Harbour, getting the fleet home before a gale hit the Cork area which was so strong that it caused serious damage and serious flooding.
The plan for the race involved making the start an hour earlier and racing inside the harbour.
Read Afloat's race report here.
The race was also part of the South Coast Offshore Racing Association’s annual league series.
SCORA’s Treasurer, Michael Murphy, who has been taking part in the racing, was impressed by the quality of the organisation and the safety steps taken to complete the race safely.
He is my Podcast guest this week, where we discuss the importance of good on-the-water racing communications, the differing standards of race officiating and the likelihood that there will be more offshore racing in SCORA’s calendar for next year.
Listen to the Podcast here.