#calvesweek– With a good sailing breeze, from the north west, forecast for the last day of sailing in the 2013 Cork Dry Gin Calves Week 2013 yesterday, Race Officer Neil Prendiville took the opportunity to send the fleets in an unusual triangular course. Photos by Bob Bateman below. A beat from north of the Calf Islands to Goat Island 3 nautical miles west of Schull Harbour, a fast spinnaker run down the smooth channel inside Goat and Long Islands and a broad reach out and around the Middle and Calf Islands was the set for some challenging and enjoyable sailing.
The wind, which was light onshore, built to a 17 to 18 knot breeze outside Copper Point, with gusts up to 25 knots, added interest to the spinnaker legs in particular. Classes 0/1 and 2/3, and the larger Whitesail boats, completed the circuit twice, with the smaller boats finishing after the run around the Calves.
Class 0/1 bunched around the Committee boat at the start with a few caught in the middle of a squeeze, but the fleet separated on the beat to Goat Island, with Kieran Twomey in Gloves Off leading the fleet down the sound under spinnaker. On the spinnaker leg, Dublin's Paul O'Higgins enjoyed a successful joust with Roy Darragh from Cork, with Rockabill V coming off the winner after luffing Fool's Gold up before hauling up its spinnaker. Many boats struggled however to hold their spinnakers in the gusts with a few generous broaches to add to the excitement, which may explain why in the final shakeup Fool's Gold were ahead of Rockabill V on corrected time in IRC. Both however were behind Kieran Twomey who completed a clean sweep in Class 0/1 IRC for the week.
As usual, the results in Echo had more variability. Local skipper Gabby Hogan took the lead again on Growler, ahead of Conor Doyle from Kinsale on Freya and Dave Harte in the Schull Outdoor Education Centre boat, Infinity, helmed by 15 year old Florence Lyden from Baltimore.
In Class 2/3 IRC honours were taken again by Derek Dillon on Big Deal, ahead of Brian O Sullivan on Amazing Grace and David Buckley from Tralee on Boojum. Local skipper Paul Murray won on Full Pelt in Echo ahead of local rival Frank O'Hara on Chinook and Diarmuid Dineen on Growler.
In Class 4, Shelly D won in IRC ahead of Saoirse. Waterford visitor Rene Wubben took the Echo prize on Seven Whistler, to also win that series. Whitesail 1 was won by Roche/O'Leary/Andrews, helmed by Tom Roche, on Act 2, ahead of Ciaran Geogheghan on Fizz in IRC and Morris Mitton on Albineta in Echo. Schull skippers James and Deborah Crowley on La Perle Noir won against a fleet of local rivals in Whitesail 2, by 9 seconds ahead of Colin Moorehead in Giggles.
Overall results: Class 0&1 IRC Gloves Off Kieran Twomey (RCYC). Class 0&1 Echo Freya Conor Doyle (KYC). Class 2&3 IRC Big Deal Derek Dillon (FYC). Class 2&3 Echo Amazing Grace Brian O'Sullivan (TBSC). Class 4 Shelly D Michael Murphy (SHSC). Class 4 Echo Seven Whistler Rene Wubben (WHSC). Whitesail 1 IRC Fizz Ciaran Geoghegan (DSC). Whitesail 1 Echo Act 2 Roche/O'Leary/Andrews (RIYC) Whitesail 2 La Perle Noire James and Deborah Crowley (SHSC).
