Displaying items by tag: Royal Cork Yacht Club
Nin O'Leary's Vendee Globe Entry Trialling off Cork Harbour, Heading For Dublin Bay This Week
The new offshore racing entity, 'Ireland Ocean Racing', that will put Royal Cork Yacht Club's Nicholas O'Leary (31) at the helm of the IMOCA 60 Hugo Boss on the 2020 Vendée Globe start line is sailing off Cork Harbour.
As Afloat.ie reported previously, the demo sails are part of the launch of the world–girdling project that will arrive into Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Wednesday or Thursday. O’Leary, son of Royal Cork's Anthony and Sally O'Leary, wants to be the first Irish sailor to complete the non–stop round the world challenge. He'll be following in the wake of plucky Enda O'Coineen's ill–fated Kilcullen that was dismasted in the last race off New Zealand in December.
O'Leary's team say he is expected into Dublin Bay on August 30.
Read more in WM Nixon's blog: How Much in the Sponsorship Pot for all These Irish Offshore Sailing Superstar Hopefuls?
Gibbons Anchor Challenge Wins Royal Cork 'At Home' in Build–Up to Quarter Ton Cup in Cowes
Paul Gibbons launched his immaculately–prepared Quarter–Tonner Anchor Challenge in order to use the weekend's Royal Cork Yacht Club's 'At Home' Regatta as a training run for his Quarter Ton Cup challenge in Cowes in a fortnight's time. In the three–race regatta, Gibbons produced three wins with an average winning margin of over three minutes per race.
As Afloat.ie reported previously, Anchor Challenge also won the ICRA Nationals this year (Afloat.ie's June report here) and before that was crowned IRC Euro Champion as part of Cork Week 2016.
The predominantly light airs 'At Home' regatta suited the swift 25–footer in the three in–Cork Harbour races with RCYC race officer Kieran O'Connell.
For more on the 'At Home' read Bob Bateman's report and photo gallery here
Sole Irish Entry for Quarter Ton Cup
Anchor Challenge will be sailed at the Quarter Ton Cup by Paul Gibbons, Joe Bruen, Grattan Roberts and 2004 Star class Olympians, Mark Mansfield and Killian Collins, all of RCYC.
This is a pretty strong RCYC team but they will come up against teams in Cowes who will have three or even four professionals on board and who have been competing as a team in events all season.
The favourite for the event would be Sam Laidlaw's Aguila which has won most of his regattas this year. Last year's winner Bullet owned by Louise Morton should be well to the fore especially in stronger wind conditions.
Anchor Challenge has undergone some IRC modifications this year to improve her strong wind performance under the direction of Mark Mansfield but it will not be fully known how these will affect her until she does her first race at the Quarter Tons, the only Irish Cup entry this year.
Royal Cork Yacht Club 'At Home' 2017 Photo Gallery
Light airs gave a gentle start to Royal Cork Yacht Club's first day of the 2017 'At Home' Regatta in Cork Harbour yesterday writes Bob Bateman.
Scroll down for photo gallery below
Toppers, RS Fevas, Optimists, National 18s, Mirrors, RS 200s, Mangos, Topaz dinghies and a single 29er skiff plus a mix of cruiser–racers made up a good turnout for craft took part in the first day of racing in the “At Home’ sponsored – for the second year – by The Maher Private Hospital Cork.
Over twenty cruisers got a start outside White Bay and for the first race had a course of E2, no.7 P, No3P, No.7P Finish at No.3. In the All–in IRC cruiser division, the quarter–tonner Anchor Challenge is currently leading the scoring with two wins. Racing continues today.
The National 18’s were sailing for the South Coast Championship and seven of the Ultra boats were vying for honours in this class.
Two other courses were laid on the Curlane Bank, a thirty strong fleet of Optimists were sailing closer to the shore off Luk Beach.
Another Course was set for Lasers, Toppers and mixed dinghies including Mirror,Fevas, RS 200. Mango, Topaz and 29ER.
Results are HERE
Irish Laser Championship Winners Crowned at Royal Cork– Photos Here
As the Irish Laser Championships started so did it end with consistent sailing rewarding day one leaders with overall victory at Royal Cork Yacht Club this afternoon.
Scroll down for Bob Bateman's prizegiving gallery.
A mix of mist and downpours brought the championships to a close at Crosshaven, where the prizegiving marked the special contribution of Belfast's Ron Hutchieson who retired as Class Secretary after forty years service to the class.
Two final races were sailed outside Cork harbour today. However, the Radial fleet's second race was abandoned as the wind died. It was expected to fill in again but did so from a different direction thereby bringing backmarkers up to the leaders and so it was abandoned.
The National Yacht Club's Finn Lynch put Tokyo 2020 rival Liam Glynn, the former Topper World Champion, to the sword in the standard division with a string of wins. Third was Ronan Walsh of the host club. See the standard rig results here.
Royal Cork's Luke McGrath stayed top of the Radials and he had 22–point margin over Sean Craig, a recent Radial rig convert, who took second place. The Royal St. George multi–champion was seven points clear of Dingle Sailing Club's Cunnane. Read the Radial results here.
In the 4.7 fleet, Jack Fahy also maintained his overall lead with a five point cushion and in a show of strength for the Royal St. George Yacht Club, another George helmsman, Tom Higgins, was second overall. Third was Michael Carroll from Kinsale YC. 4.7 results are here.
Keep up to date with Irish Laser Racing News in one handy link here
The scoreline's impressive but it belies the fact that on the water the National Yacht Club's Finn Lynch is not getting things all his own way at Royal Cork Yacht Club's Laser National Championships. A string of wins came to an end in race six this morning when Tokyo 2020 rival Liam Glynn, the former Topper World Champion, took the gun but it was business as usual in races seven and eight as Lynch built a six–point advantage over the Ballyholme YC man. Royal Cork's own Nick Walsh is third but some 17–points off Glynn.
Although Johnny Durcan made the tough decision to sit out the Laser Radial Worlds in Medemblik, Holland after day two (he was lying thirteenth after the first day) the Cork helmsman, who is recovering from injury after a capsize in California, was in fact back in action at the Nationals today, on the third day of competition in the full rig division, and counted a 3,4,2 to be right up there with Olympic trialists, Lynch and Glynn. See the standard rig results here.
Race officer Peter Crowley sailed the combined fleets in a westerly breeze outside Cork Harbour today.
Royal Cork's Luke McGrath stays top of the Radials and he has 20–point margin over Sean Craig, a recent Radial rig convert, who has moved into seconf place. The Royal St. George multi–champion is now four points clear of club mate Patrick Cahill on 36 points. Read the Radial results here.
In the 4.7 fleet, Jack Fahy also maintains his overall lead with a seven point cushion and in a show of strength for the Royal St. George Yacht Club, another George helmsman is second with Tom higgins counting 18–points. Third is Michael Carroll from Kinsale YC. 4.7 results are here.
As announced at the recent National 18 Championships, the Cork N18 class are hosting a big party in the Royal Cork Yacht Club on Saturday, 9th September in recognition of Dom Long's 35 years of service to the class.
This will be run in conjunction with the Sutton Book event with guests from Sutton Dinghy Club racing N18's for the day.
There will be plenty of on the water action both sail and power along with a function in the club on Sat evening.
'I Stopped Breathing & Passed Out': Royal Cork's Johnny Durcan Recovering in Hospital After Capsize Accident at 29er Worlds
Royal Cork's top youth sailor Johnny Durcan has been involved in a serious incident competing at the 29er world championships where he was trapped under his skiff dinghy during a capsize. The top Laser sailor is recovering in hospital in Los Angeles after he ended up 'getting stuck beneath the water'.
Durcan has described the 'hectic end' to the championships on social media and relates how, after his '[trapeze] harness was caught, it led to 'drowning and total respiratory failure i.e. 'I stopped breathing and passed out'.
The Cork Harbour ace was one of two Irish 29ers competing at Long Beach, California, the other boat sailed by his twin brother Harry and Harry Whitaker, also of Royal Cork Yacht Club.
Durcan admits 'things were looking quite bad because I was under the water, unconscious for a while but thanks to the many sailors on the course who jumped out to help, I'm still here and kicking'.
It is understood, his 11–year–old helm Lola Kohl, from Christiansted, St Croix in the USA, raised the alarm and fellow competitors and coaches rushed to Durcan's assistance.
CPR was performed on the Irish youth champion. He was rushed ashore from the race course and an ambulance brought him to hospital immediately.
'My fellow competitors helped save me. And that's something that makes sailing the sport it is.' the Cork youth declared on Facebook, posting this photograph below from his hospital bed.
Parent's Yvonne and Tom Durcan were one of the first to post a comment online in response: 'One seriously relieved Mom and Dad xxxxxx'
We wish Johnny a speedy recovery and the Irish 29er team a safe trip home – Ed.
Rounding Ballycotton Lighthouse on Saturday afternoon was satisfying, after a long beat from Crosshaven in the restored Royal Cork Ballycotton Race.
Over the 15-mile course which took about three hours a Northerly breeze veered through to an Easterly whisper and then - nothing. Coracle set the pace from the Grassy start line. As the course pulled rounded Roches Point the Easterly wind kicked in intermittently. Altair hugged the coast and as the white sails of Loch Gréine, Plumbat and Luna Sea followed this line those flying spinnakers no long benefited from the big sail. Passing Power Head the fleet split with the majority heading out to sea to avail of a tidal push while Altair and YaGottaWanna hunted breeze and wind lifts inshore.
As the fleet closed on Ballycotton Lighthouse Altair pulled a lead over Coracle, rounding Ballycotton Island and heading for the finish in what was becoming a very soft breeze, Coracle and YaGottaWanna rounded as the wind died further, with Loch Gréine and the kites of Cavatina and Scribbler II edging to the finish line. Plumbat and Luna Sea, in whitesail. without the option of a kite and no wind had to retire.
Results: IRC – 1st Altair (K.Dorgan/J.Losty); 2nd Coracle (Kieran Collins); 3rd Ya Gotta Wanna (David Lane/Sinead Enright). ECHO – 1st Loch Gréine (Tom/Declan O’Mahony); 2nd Scribbler (Tom/Cormac MacSweeney); 3rd Cavatina (Ian Hickey). Gas Rigs Trophy/ECHO and Paddy and Peg Walsh Trophy/IRC– Altair. Jim Donegan Trophy, Best Family Boat – Coracle.
This is a race which was traditional and the RCYC Cruiser Classes are interested in getting more boats involved in coastal racing. It has invited those interested, boatowners or potential crews to make contact with the club.
Alex Barry and Richard Leonard successfully defended their RS400 Southern Championship crown this afternoon at Royal Cork Yacht Club. The dinghy duo were just one of many winners at the second edition of the multi–dinghy championships in Cork Harbour that attracted over 100 boats.
The three day event produced some very tight racing in spectacular conditions for the centreboard classes as illustrated in Bob Bateman's RCYC Dinghy Fest Galleries on Day One, Day two and Day three (including prizegiving).
As reported in our Dinghy Fest preview, also running as part of the weekend was the RS 200 Euro Cup & Irish National Championships, the National 18 National Championships, the RS Feva and RS 400 Southern Championships plus a PY fleet an Optimist fun Fleet and a demo Moth fleet.
Barry and Leonard beat Belfast Lough's Gareth Flannigan and David Fletcher of Ballyholme Yacht Club for the top prize after six races by one point in a 12–boat fleet.
This month's Kiel Week top ten performers, Geoff Power and James McCann were winners of the 15-boat 420 Irish Championships after nine races but only by a single point from Kinsale Yacht Club's Micheal O'Suilleabhain and Michael Carroll. Third were Dublin's Kate Lyttle and Niamh Henry from the Royal St George YC.
In the biggest Fest fleet, Neil Spain and Shane Hughes of Howth Yacht Club were winners by three points after nine races in the 21–boat RS200 fleet. Greystones Sailing Club's Marty O'Leary and Rachel Williamson were second and RStGYC's Sean Craig and Rosemary Tyrell were third.
The National 18 fleet did not make double figures for its national championships on home waters which is somewhat disappointing given the hype around its new Morrisson design. Royal Cork's Charles Dwyer beat Tom Dwyer with Ewen Barry of Monkstown Bay Sailing Club third.
Rory Fitzpatrick beat Neill O'Toole in a battle of the Moth's with John Chambers WasZP debut third of three foilers in the weekend's 'Extreme fleet'.
Results are here