Frank Caul’s Prince of Tides and Jon McClean’s Resolute shared the leading honours in Sunday’s Cork Buoy Race, the second leg of the 2026 Cork Harbour Triple Crown.
The race, organised by Cove Sailing Club, had originally been scheduled for Saturday but was postponed because of the forecast and sailed on Sunday, 13 September instead.
Race Officer Niall Hawes started the fleet inside Cork Harbour at No 9 Buoy in light conditions following a foggy and misty morning, with the flood tide beginning to run.
The course took competitors out to Cork Buoy before a run back into the harbour to a committee boat finish anchored off Cage Buoy.
The breeze strengthened towards the harbour mouth, while fog that had lifted returned as the leading boats approached Cork Buoy.
Red Alert: Jon McClean’s Fareast 28 Resolute powers downwind under red spinnaker during the Cork Buoy Race. Resolute won IRC 1 on corrected time. Prince of Tides is pictured left under green kite Photo: Robert Bateman
Prince of Tides and Resolute Split Kites Honours
In Kites ECHO 1, Caul's Grand Soleil Prince of Tides took the corrected-time victory in 2:09:13, just 30 seconds ahead of McClean's Fareast 28 Resolute on 2:09:43.
Peter Donegan's J/109 Jalapeno was third on 2:13:55.
The order was reversed under IRC, where Resolute won Kites IRC 1 in 2:02:31 corrected. Prince of Tides was second in 2:03:57, with Denis Ellis's Corby 33 I-Zimbra third.
Frank Caul, owner of Prince of Tides, receives his Cork Buoy Race prize from Cove Sailing Club Commodore Ian Scandrett. Photo: Robert Bateman
In Kites ECHO 2, Pat Tanner's Bateleur '88 took victory from Ronan and John Downing's Miss Whiplash, with George Radley's Tuco third.
Under IRC, Miss Whiplash turned the tables to win Kites IRC 2 from Bateleur '88, with Anteex, owned by Dan/James Murphy/O'Mahony, third.
Kites 3 produced a double victory for Colman Garvey and Kieran Kelleher's Illegal, which won both ECHO and IRC. Barry and Marina Rose's Obsession was second in both divisions, with Fiona Young's North Star third.
Rosmarina Scores in White Sails
Ria Lyden's Ellida won White Sails 1 ECHO from Charles MacDonnell's Surfdancer, with Ronan Twomey's Rosmarina third.
Under IRC, Rosmarina took the victory, ahead of Ellida and Fiorentina O'Brien's Magnet.
Patrick D'Arcy, who sailed aboard Rosmarina, receives the Rosmarina Round Trophy from Cove Sailing Club Commodore Ian Scandrett. Photo: Robert Bateman
In White Sails 2 ECHO, Robbie Allen and Damien Leahy's Rana won from Sean Hanley's Siamsa, with Darren McCann's The Main 4 third. Robert Foster's Four Seas was the White Sails 2 IRC winner.
Mark Ring's Fire Diamond won White Sails 3 ECHO, followed by Kieran Collins' IF and Bright Wings, sailed by Ronan O'Gara, Stuart Byrne and Nicholas O'Rourke.
Dara Jenkins receives the Replica Navigation Mark prize on behalf of Jon McClean from Cove Sailing Club Commodore Ian Scandrett
Triple Crown Brings Harbour Clubs Together
The Cork Buoy Race formed the second stage of the new Cork Harbour Triple Crown, an initiative devised by Johanna Murphy to bring together established races run by Cork Harbour's sailing clubs in a combined series.
The Triple Crown opened with the Cobh-to-Blackrock Race on 5 September and continues with the Navy Race next weekend.
After two races, Resolute and Prince of Tides have emerged as the leading protagonists in the Kites divisions, while the results across the fleet underline the variety of boats and clubs involved in the new harbour-wide competition.
