The weather may have decided that winter is far from gone in the last couple of days, but in Dun Laoghaire this morning, the annual conference of the Irish Cruiser Racing Association at the Royal Irish YC remembers only sun-filled days, and perfect sailing breezes. And they’ll be thinking of it for the RORC Caribbean 600 in nine days’ time, and anticipating more of the same when the seasons turn.
That’s even though one of the Conference highlights is a presentation by Cian McCarthy and Sam Hunt of Kinsale about their recent Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race campaign in a sister-ship of their home-based race-topping Sun Fast 3300 Cinnamon Girl, which was entered this week for the 2024 SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race in June. Whatever weather that may bring, the Sydney-Hobart Race in the last week of December was favoured neither by fair winds nor sun-filled days.
So what was already a remarkable exercise in long-distance logistics and communication became a real challenge of crew spirit. But as has been shown in home waters, the Kinsale duo can give as good as they get in best Munster style, as seen here in Crosbie Lorimer’s two-part post-Hobart Race interviews:
MUNSTER PACE-SETTERS?
In fact, a casual observer might think that the greater Cork area is moving towards setting all the pace in the cruiser-racer sphere, for it’s no secret that by the time today’s gathering concludes, Denis Byrne of Royal Cork will have succeeded Dave Cullen of Howth as ICRA Commodore, while the meeting will include an affirmation of James Dwyer’s “Boat of the Year” title for his classic Half Tonner Swuzzlebubble from Crosshaven.
But a strong sense of Dun Laoghaire pride will rightly go into the meeting in the knowledge that last Sunday, the redoubtable team of Brian Mathews and Fintan Cairns on the Committee Boat reckoned that any capable crew should have been well able to cope with the decidedly brisk conditions on Dublin Bay.
DUBLIN BAY RISES ABOVE ADVERSE WEATHER
They put through the weekly race of the Spring Chicken Series in some style even if, in other parts of the country, the citizenry were more concerned with avoiding their neighbourhood’s airborne chimney pots and tiles.
Dave Cullen speaking for Ireland’s large and varied cruiser-racer fleets. He stands down today after the standard two years as Commodore of ICRA, but will continue as an active Committee member
Beyond that, the good news is that today (Saturday’s) ICRA conference has attracted pre-registered numbers in significantly larger numbers than experienced for years, and is certainly way ahead when set against the post-covid turnouts. So clearly not only is the association meeting a real need, but members feel that their voice is heard at Conference, and they can usefully affect the direction and speed of the course ahead.
Yet even with fine tuning and change at various levels of policy, continuity is part of the formula. Despite two busy years in the post in which he saw the Howth-based J/99 Snapshot (Mike & Richie Evans) and the Crosshaven-based Swuzzlebubble take the “ICRA Boat of the Year” title, Commodore Cullen is by no means retiring completely, as he reverts to being a Committee member. And it’s not just in the ex officio style of traditional clubs – he’ll be a proper working member for as long as he’s willing.
Denis Byrne of Crosshaven is multi-tasking in 2024 as Commodore of ICRA, and Vice Admiral of the Royal Cork YC. Photo: Robert Bateman
Coming up into the top post from the other direction, Denis Byrne has likewise been an ICRA Committee member for some time, but now - within less than three weeks - he will have been catapulted into positions of power in two major yet very different sailing organisations.
In addition to today’s elevation to the top post in ICRA, on Monday January 21st the orderly re-arranging of the senior roles in the officer board of the Royal Cork YC saw Denis Byrne take on the role of Vice Admiral in support of newly-elected Admiral Annamarie Fegan. And for those who would seek inter-links in everything, Admiral Fegan is co-skipper with husband Denis Murphy in the Grand Soleil 40 Nieulargo, ICRA “Boat of the Year” in 2021.
RCYC Admiral Annamarie Fegan’s co-skippered Grand Soleil 40 Nieulargo was ICRA's “Boat of the Year” in 2021
These every-which-way networks might make some folk dizzy, but that’s the way it is with sailing in Ireland, and the ICRA mix provides a growing body of knowledge of what works, and who is interested. Thus one of the topics that will surface today is a clearer and possibly broader definition of what makes for an ICRA boat. As it is purely a day racing organisation – leaving overnights to the likes of ISORA, SCORA, Wicklow SC and the RORC for the Round Ireland, and the National YC for the Dun Laoghaire-Dingle – it could encompass boats which otherwise don’t have a home, such as Michael McCann’s lone Etchells 22 Don’t Dilly Dally, which is usually in the frame in the Royal Cork’s handicap racing.
ICRA PROVIDES INSIGHT INTO THE SUCCESS OF BOAT TYPES
What’s for sure is that the incoming and outgoing Commodores between them provide much insight into how different boat types appeal. Dave Cullen became internationally known with his vintage Half Tonner Checkmate XV winning the Half Ton Classics Cup at Nieuwpoort in Belgium in 2018, but more recently he has been dealing with something more substantial in the form of the First 50 Checkmate XX, which he campaigns successfully in partnership with Nigel Biggs.
The hefty First 50 Checkmate XX (Dave Cullen & Nigel Biggs) developing full power. Young sailors see it as a special challenge to get top performance out of such a notably comfortable boat. Photo: Annraoi Blaney
Speaking to Afloat.ie this week, Dave admitted that when they moved up several steps at once into Checkmate XX, they feared the keen young sailors would reckon they’d gone too far into the Comfort Zone. But on the contrary, it emerges that skilled young sailors – particularly the helmsmen – get special satisfaction from squeezing the best possible performance out of the “floating bungalow”.
As for Denis Byrne, although there are whispers of a size upgrade, he has long been associated with the Trapper T250 Cracker. She’s a rare bird, as few enough were built before the producers went out of business. But that was not the fault of this real zinger of an Ed Dubois design descended from the Starflash, as Cracker combines remarkable performance with excellent cockpit and downstairs accommodation. And all in an overall length of just 25ft – in other words, the same LOA as a Glen OD.
Incoming ICRA Commodore Denis Byrne’s TP250 Cracker revelling in a good breeze of wind in Cork Harbour. An Ed Dubois design, she ticks many boxes for anyone seeking a versatile cruiser-racer of manageable size, as she packs it all into an overall length the same as a Glen OD. Photo: Robert Bateman
It was precisely boats like Cracker that Jim Donegan of Cork, Denis Kiely of Kinsale, and Fintan Cairns of Dun Laoghaire had in mind when they brought the Irish Cruiser Racing Association into being 22 years ago. Back in the day, despite their significant numbers these boats and owners could scarcely be heard in the cacophony of sound – or noise if you prefer – from advocates of One-Designs, dinghy sailing, Olympic racing, and Junior and Adult training. But thanks to the insight of the founding fathers, the ICRA conference is now one of the hottest tickets in town, a true gathering of kindred spirits in which one good idea builds on another.
(Above) This is what it’s all about – Cinnamon Girl showing what she can do when the going is good.
RORC CARIBBEAN 600 PROSPECTS
We begin with a request. Coverage of the recent Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race as an escape from mid-winter glooms was much enhanced by knowing which boats Irish sailors were to be found aboard, and so too will coverage of the up-coming 15th RORC Caribbean 600 on Monday February 19th, so please let us know of any Lone Rangers to be found on other boats.
We’re aware that Simon Knowles (of the J/109 Indian) and a Howth group will be racing the J/122 El Ocaso. We know too that Andrew & Sam Hall of Pwllheli will be racing their intriguing Lombard 45 Pata Negra, a boat which has brought Caribbean 600 success for Irish crews in times past.
And Pata Negra certainly gets around, but not always exactly placed as she might like to be, as this photo from last year’s Fastnet from on board Michael O’Donnell’s J/121 Darkwood shows one of those moments that don’t need words, as the owner-skipper’s expression says it all.
Magic moment. Michael O’Donnell’s J/121 Darkwood crosses ahead of the higher-rated Pata Negra while beating towards the Fastnet Rock
BIG BOAT RACE?
But nevertheless it’s a moot point whether or not it’s worthwhile for any boat under 50ft to take on the Caribbean 600, as this week’s listing of the overall IRC winners clearly shows that in the top winning category, the smallest boat to have done the deed is a Cookson 50
RORC CARIBBEAN 600 - IRC OVERALL WINNERS:
2023 - Roy P. Disney, Volvo 70, Pyewacket (USA)
2022 - Christopher Sheehan, Warrior Won, Pac52 (USA)
2020 - Tilmar Hansen, Outsider, TP52 (GER)
2019 - David and Peter Askew, Wizard, Volvo 70 (USA)
2018 - George David, Rambler 88, Maxi (USA)
2017 - Hap Fauth, Bella Mente, JV72 (USA)
2016 - George Sakellaris, Maxi 72, Proteus (USA)
2015 - Hap Fauth, JV72, Bella Mente (USA)
2014 - George Sakellaris, RP72, Shockwave (USA)
2013 - Ron O'Hanley, Privateer, Cookson 50 (USA)
2012 - Niklas Zennström's JV72, Rán (GBR)
2011 - George David, Rambler 100, JK 100 (USA)
2010 - Karl C L Kwok, Beau Geste, Farr 80 (HKG)
2009 - Adrian Lee, Lee Overlay Partners, Cookson 50 (IRL)
For sure, the winds of the Caribbean are warm, and so too are the seas. But at this time of the year, you can get a lot of both, which wears down any crew, and more so in smaller craft. Having zoomed among the islands with great enjoyment in a 72ft performance ketch some time ago, Sailing on Saturday is inclined to think that Big is Best in exploring those magic waters.
So we wish the best to those who are contemplating this challenge in anything smaller, while noting from that list just what an astonishingly successful boat was the Cookson 50 which started life as Ger O’Rourke’s Chieftain, and went on to become Adrian Lee’s Lee Overlay Partners.
Under the latter title, she won the inaugural RORC Caribbean 600 in 2009. But before that, as Chieftain, she won her class in the Sydney-Hobart race, and then went on to be overall winner of the 2007 Fastnet Race. These are unmatched peaks of achievement, a shining light of inspiration for cruiser-racer enthusiasts gathered today in Dun Laoghaire.
An unmatched record. As Lee Overlay Partners, this Cookson 50 was overall winner of the inaugural RORC Caribbean 600 Race in 2009, and before that - as Ger O’Rourke’s Chieftain - she was overall winner of the 2007 Fastnet Race after winning her class in the Sydney-Hobart Race
• The 2024 ICRA Conference begins at 10.30 am at the Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire this morning (February 10th) and is also available online (registration required). More details here
