Kinsale is its own little universe, yet with appropriately worldwide links. For sure, with its confident air of comfortable hospitality, characterful and colourful streets, and the sense of everything being within easy reach around a picturesque natural harbour, it's the sort of place where elite racing classes like to hold major events of a certain cachet, such as the International Dragon Gold Cup.
And for the cruiser-racer fans, the biennial Sovereigns Regatta at Kinsale has it's own very special niche in Ireland's rolling programme of classic events.
Yet Kinsale is also currently home to Ireland's fastest growing fleet of the homely Squib class. And though the passing parade of globally-operating superyachts stopping over for visits of varying length does confers its own glitter, nevertheless Kinsale is the sort of place you'd also expect to find lovingly-maintained vintage cruisers and maybe families with direct links to some of the most remarkable sailing talents on the planet.
Racing in the Sovereigns, with KYC star boat Cinnamon Girl demonstrating the flexibility of angle of heel provided by twin rudders
TIME NOW TO GET YOUR SOVEREIGNS ENTRY ENERGISED
Thus there's always something extra to emerge from active involvement with Kinsale's popular biennial Sovereigns Cup which, in its 2025 staging from June 25th to 28th, will include the ICRA Nationals - a focused leading edge entry list is already emerging. But in putting in a request here for others to start shaping up their Sovereigns Campaign (the event falls neatly between the Dun Laoghaire-Dingle Race and Dun Laoghaire Regatta), it's by way of special thanks to the affable Regatta Director Michael O'Sullivan, father of youth and college sailing superstar Micheal O Suillibhain.
As a remarkably well-preserved Naval Port of the 1700s, Kinsale provides a very characterful regatta venue
For in discussing the 2025 Kildare Innovation Campus Sovereigns Cup 2025, other Kinsale-sailing-related topics (and they are legion) easily arose in getting the broader picture, and thus more was learned of the other mighty O'Leary sailing family of south Cork.
O'LEARY ACHIEVEMENT
You'd have thought the multi-achieving sailing powerhouse family of Anthony and Sally O'Leary of Crosshaven would have covered most options. And certainly if you seek historical connectivity for all O'Leary sailing links, you find the beginnings of it through 1774's Lament for Art O'Leary, written after his murder by the love of his life, his newly-widowed wife who was an O'Connell of Derrynane, a family that yields to none in the matter of long sailing history.
Nevertheless, across in Kinsale. Tom and Breda O'Leary have been building their active sailing involvement since 1974. Tom is from America, but in Kinsale he was soon on the inside track crewing for the late John Jeannot Petch, with seagoing passages, often of extended length.
FINDING THE DREAMSHIP
Then around 1980, the Kinsale O'Learys found what was to be their dreamship in George Kingston's picturesque little boatyard upriver at Kilmacsimon. She was a classic Charles A Nicholson-designed Nicholson 32 of the 1960s, and very much with the distinctive cod's-head/mackerel-tail hull shape favoured by the designer. She's of a marque that provided many of us with our first fondly-remembered offshore sailing experience with glassfibre construction.
With her very full bow, the Nich 32 Loitne may seem to push water ahead of her, but so too do modern scow hulls. It does not seem to impair her speed, she balances beautifully even when well heeled, while the extra space ensures the forecabin really is a proper cabin
For sure, they weren't quite ace-like in getting to windward in light airs with a lumpy sea. With their very full bows, as one design analyst pointed out, the waterlines of a Nich 32 going ahead are almost exactly the same as the famous Olin Stephens/Carleton Mitchell Finisterre going astern. But they love a breeze, they remained light-helmed when heeled, and they hav a real forecabin where other 32-footer only had a glorified coal-hole.
YEARS OF TLC
Thus Loitne, as she was called – it can be translated as "good breeze" – provided an ideal family boat, so much so that the O'Leary's have rewarded her over the years with much TLC. Yet the only visible job that has been done under cover is the topsides re-spray in an attractive dark green, put on in the paint booth in the Kingston Boatyard at Middle Cove.
TLC of a high order for Loitne. Only the re-spraying of the topsides in an attractive dark green was done under cover. The superb varnishwork is maintained in the open, often with the boat afloat in the marina.
Anyone who has done it will know that maintaining varnishwork to the O'Leary standard in the open in Ireland – sometimes with the boat afloat – requires a mixture of intense dedication with much patient waiting, interspersed with bursts of Stakhanovite activity at such a level that Beatification is next on the agenda.
Fresh as a daisy – the superbly restored 60-year-old Nich 32 Loitne shows her style in Schull
Reassuring presence. Haunted Dunboy in Beara can be one of southwest Ireland's more spooky anchorages, such that a brghtly-presented boat like Loitne makes it seem a much brighter place.
Yet far from creating a family atmosphere in which the idea of deeper involvement with boats was anathema (it does happen, you know), Tom and Breda's children Ann and Frank have gone on into the top echelons of international professional sailing. And in such successful style that Ann has been working on Superyachts since she was 18, and now skippers one.
Kinsale's Ann O'Leary on the helm of a Superyacht under her command
THE 700 SPECIAL ONES
As for bother Frank, her is one of the invisible and highly-mobile secret service of 700 or so top international world-ranging offshore racers whose personal CV now includes two Rolex Sydney Hobart Race overall wins with CYCA Commodore Dr Sam Haynes, the most recent one being the latest with the Volvo 70 Celestial.
Good people to have on your side – Hobart Race winner Sam Haynes (middle back row) with Celestial's crew including Frank O'Leary (bottom right)
The route to such a position may seem clear once the SuperStar is firmly in place, yet each story is different. Frank and his family have settled in the magic Phillip Island southeast of Melbourne across the mouth of the confusingly named Western Port bay. And further to add to the confusion the main place on the island's waterfront is called Cowes, while Ventnor and Newhaven and Rhyll are nearby.
Sanctuary. Phillip Island across the mouth of Western Port near Melbourne is accessible yet secluded
A world unto itself. There may well be people on Phillip Island who are unaware that there's another island with places called Cowes and Ventnor on it
It's about as far as possible to get from Kinsale without shooting off the edge of the planet. But it's likely that once you're securely back home in Phillip Island, other places don't often come up on the agenda anyway. For it's a very complete little community, well served by its own news and information source, the Phillip Island and San Remo Advertiser, and in April 2023 they published a hugely informative article by Sarah Hudson about this quiet giant of top level world sailing hidden in their midst in plain site, and we re-print it here in admiration and with acknowledgement:
THE FRANK O'LEARY STORY AS SEEN FROM PHILLIP ISLAND by Sarah Hudson
Once Frank O'Leary finished popping champagne to celebrate winning the last Sydney to Hobart race, he returned home to Cowes to his usual dad and husband duties.
It's a routine he's well accustomed to.
As a professional sailor for about 24 years, Frank spends about nine months of the year overseas, paid to crew in competitions. This includes either offshore events – such as the trans-Atlantic, which takes up to 16 days and which he has competed in 14 times – or regattas, which involves events up to seven-days with multiple time trial, short races.
The 39-year-old father-of-one travels the four compass points, from Italy to the Caribbean, France to Asia, working for some of the richest people in the world and royalty, such as the kings of Spain and Norway. Then he flies home to his wife Vanessa, who runs Island Days, a boutique event business, and his 12-year-old daughter Saoirse, who attends the Village School, to his anonymous Phillip Island alternate reality.
Home to Kinsale to enjoy Irish sunshine, O'Learys on board Loitne off Summercove in Kinsale are (left to right) Ann, Tom, Saoirse on helm, Frank and Brid
"It's great to come home and settle into a slower pace, and be away mentally and physically from the intensity and immersion that it is when I'm away at events," Frank says. "The major downfall is the amount of time away from family. The benefit is when I'm home, I'm home, and there's opportunities for the girls to travel also."
While on the island, where the couple have lived for 12 years, Frank volunteers and loves to drop by the Cowes Yacht Club where he has a trailer yacht, to head out on to Western Port for a sail.
Frank grew up sailing in Ireland, where his parents were keen sailors. He recalls one of his first sailing experiences was about age six on the Atlantic, when he was swamped by a wave, "thinking it was awesome and hilarious".
"I just remember always loving it. I loved getting in a boat and going fast, which is still true to this day. I did more and more sailing and everything else fell away."
Having sold his RSHR-winning TP52 Celestial, when CYCA Commodore Sam Haynes decided to charter the Volvo 70 Willow for the 2024 race, there was only time to change the topside livery in a small section that would be seen from the Hobart waterfront
He says being a relatively short and stocky build meant he was a natural sailor, with a low centre of gravity – a good power to weight ratio – and with natural attention to detail. As a teen, "sailing with my parents became a bit daggy" and so Frank took part in courses and competitions with his local Irish yacht club, crewing in open ocean yachts.
CHANGE OF COURSE AT 16
At the age of 16, part-way through his second last year of school, he decided to become a full-time sailor and moved to the yachting hub of Cowes, on the UK Isle of Wight, enrolling in further sailing courses.
"I came to the realisation school wasn't where I wanted to be and I was hell bent on sailing. My parents were pretty supportive. They weren't saying 'that's a great idea', but they understood my passion and drive and didn't stand in the way. I just loved being at sea, the camaraderie of the crew working well together, adventure, adrenaline and competition and I loved the fact I was good at it."
The old war horse. As Celestial came out of the Tasmanian dawn to the finish at Hobart in the right place and time, any confusion about the boat's real name seemed irrelevant.
In 2001 he moved to Majorca, Spain, another yachting mecca, where he met Vanessa – who at the time was working on a luxury yacht overseas – then together moving to Phillip Island and Australia in 2011.
He says Vanessa was originally from Melbourne but her family had a holiday house on Phillip Island and for several years they would frequently visit. "Every time I came to Australia we'd come to the island and when we had our daughter we decided to settle on the island," says Frank. "Moving from Majorca to Phillip Island was easy, from one island to another. I've always loved surfing, so the island was an easy sell. The island is also fairly reminiscent of Ireland, with plenty of green spaces and rugged coastline, but with better weather."
Saoirse for three years has taken part in tackers classes at the Cowes Yacht Club, while Vanessa "loves getting out for a sail".
Over the years Frank has worked in different roles and different bosses in competitive sailing. He takes part in up to 20 events annually, adding there are a few thousand professional sailors in the world: "essentially we all know each other".
For about two years Frank worked for a corporate team as a boat captain, on a yacht owned by a sponsor. "These kinds of boats are run essentially as a business, with about seven people in the office working on budgets, PR and project management."
Sam Haynes in the midst of his crew (Frank O'Leary third right back) with the ultimate trophy. To be both Commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia while winning the Hobart Race is a massive achievement.
More commonly he has worked for a wealthy owner, who will pay about five professionals to work as contractors on a boat, alongside their own team, where Frank effectively acts as a coach, to lift the level of performance. Alternatively, he works for a wealthy owner as part of a permanent crew, with the owner opting to skipper the boat or watch from the sidelines, "like having a racehorse".
VENTURE CAPITALISTS
"Most owners are venture capitalists. They go under the radar and aren't well known. I decided a few years ago I was not going to work for people I wouldn't volunteer to spend time with or like or respect. The majority of people involved in sailing are pretty good."
At an international level, crew members can be paid from $700 per day up to $5000, with a 30 foot yacht having up to 10 crew and a 100 foot yacht having up to 26 crew, including tactician, navigator, strategist, speed group and mechanical roles. The boats themselves are generally worth eye-watering sums, with an average TP52 race yacht costing $15 million to put on the water.
Owners get their money's worth. Frank has a long list of wins, not just the 2022 Sydney to Hobart on board the yacht Celestial. He and his crew hold the race record for the Rolex Giraglia, off Corsica, as well as the China Sea Race.
"3D THINKING"
Frank says competitive professional sailing is a different skill entirely to "weekend warrior" sailors. He says being a professional sailor requires "3D thinking", required to understand the inter-connected relationship of all elements on the boat, able to follow directions but at the same time take initiative and plan ahead.
"It's actually quite different to the type of sailing most people do, in depth, breadth and detail. We analyse data from every sailing, what worked and what didn't, and look for fractions, less than a one per cent gain."
When it's all worthwhile – Frank (centre) with shipmates and the Cup.
A large part of his knowledge is around the engineering, science, electronics, hydraulics and technology of modern sailing, with boats now vastly superior to those he first raced on early in his career. "Boats now are phenomenally complex. Rigging is a whole science in itself while the textiles in sails are all made out of space age carbon fibre technology. The marine industry is ahead of the aerospace industry and aerospace borrows a lot of composite engineering from marine. The technology is constantly evolving and it's critical to keep abreast of it. We're constantly re-engineering to reduce weight and any minor fault becomes a major fault quickly and is stripped down. If it's not perfect, it's broken."
SERIOUS PROFESSIONAL SPORT
If you thought professional sailing was a life of exotic luxury, you'd only be half right. "It's not about lounging around having cocktails. It's a serious professional sport. There's a lot of sweat, loud noises, grunting. It's a pretty intense experience in competition."
While he doesn't have the training schedule of an Olympic athlete, Frank nevertheless works out ideally daily, whether a run, swim or a gym session. "Because I work with heavy loads and there's a lot of pulling, lifting and winding, a strong core is important: chest arms and shoulders," he says, adding that while there is youth in the industry, there are plenty of professional sailors who work into their 60s.
Competing in offshore events is the most unglamorous aspect of his career. Take food for example. Each meal tastes the same: a foil zip-lock bag in which he pours hot water, lets it sit for 20 minutes, and then it comes out as a high energy, high calorie meal. "It always comes out looking like stew. Some are better than others but basically it's to put calories in your body and generally we're pretty hungry."
During long offshore competitions he will grab whatever sleep he can get, about five hours a night, sleeping in a pipe cot that is "pretty claustrophobic". Regattas, on the other hand, are more luxurious and "we're pretty well looked after". He wakes to a breakfast of bacon and eggs, fruit salad or muesli and yoghurt in accommodation generally like a villa, with dinner back on shore during post-race analysis.
LONG-HAUL FLIGHTS
Possibly the most unglamorous side is the long-haul flights. He says one of the longest rest periods he has had was on Phillip Island during Covid, from October 2019 to August 2020, where he surfed, took up carpentry and "realised what I'd been taking for granted". "Travel does get tiring but then I remember it's an opportunity many people don't have so stop being a sook."
Frank acknowledges sailing is not the safest sport and some of his friends have been injured. But – fingers crossed – so far he's relatively been unscathed, adding "deaths are rare". "I always have awareness of the situations I put myself in. What is safe and unsafe depends massively on the people around you."
He has faced a hurricane in the Atlantic, with 120 knot winds and massive waves "blown flatter by the wind". Of course, he is constantly wowed by marine life and says competing during whale season requires extra vigilance, as the whale will be fine, but the boat will come off second best.
DEGREE OF GRANDEUR
While there is hard work, there is also a degree of grandeur to the sport. "There's a whole range of different things that make me appreciate the job: sunrise and sunsets, great sailing, when everything is going well and you're surrounded by friends and you think this is not bad. But then there are moments when you're tired, cold, wet and hungry and I think 'what am I doing this for'. It's a combination of both. It's a career that has taken me to every continent apart from Antarctica, travelling with friends, doing something I love."
