Jon McClean and Mark Mansfield’s Fareast 28R Resolute emerged with a perfect score from the 2026 Hibernia Line Cork Harbour Triple Crown as the three-race series concluded with its overall prizegiving at the Naval Base in Haulbowline on Saturday (September 19th).
The Triple Crown brought together the Blackrock Race on September 5th, the Cork Buoy Race on September 13th and Saturday’s Naval Race, with fleets competing across spinnaker and White Sails divisions.
Resolute won all three races in Kites IRC 1 to finish on three points, five clear of Frank Caul’s Prince of Tides. Tim McCarthy and Wan Waterman’s J/111 Joyride was third on nine.
Resolute also won Kites ECHO 1 on five points. Prince of Tides and Joyride tied on eight, with the published results placing Prince of Tides second and Joyride third.
Rosmarina Takes White Sails IRC 1
Ronan Twomey’s First 40.7 Rosmarina took the White Sails IRC 1 overall title with six points after scores of 3-1-2.
Tom McGrath’s Big Mac was second on eight points, with Ria Lyden’s X-332 Ellida third on nine.
Ellida took White Sails 1 ECHO after recording two victories from the final two races. Charles MacDonnell’s Surfdancer also finished on nine points and was ranked second, with Fiorentina O’Brien’s Magnet third on ten.
In White Sails 2 IRC, Robert Foster’s Four Seas produced another perfect series, winning all three races to finish on three points.
Tom O’Mahony’s Loch Greine was second on nine, while Sean Hanley’s Siamsa and Ian Hickey’s Cavatina both finished on ten points, with Siamsa ranked third in the published results.
Cork Harbour Triple Crown Prizewinners PhotoGallery by Bob Bateman
Miss Whiplash Wins IRC 2
Ronan and John Downing’s Miss Whiplash won Kites IRC 2 with five points, combining second place in the Blackrock Race with victory in the Cork Buoy Race and second in the Naval Race.
John Michael McCann’s Don’t Dilly Dally was second on eight points, with Pat Tanner’s Bateleur ’88 third on ten.
George Radley’s Tuco took Kites ECHO 2 on seven points, one ahead of Miss Whiplash. Batt O’Leary’s Sweet Dreams was third on 11 after finishing the series with victory in Saturday’s Naval Race.
North Star Tops IRC 3
Fiona Young’s North Star won Kites IRC 3 after a particularly consistent series of 2-2-1 gave the Albin Express five points.
Colman Garvey and Kieran Kelleher’s Illegal, winner of the Cork Buoy Race, was second on six, with Barry and Marina Rose’s Obsession third on seven.
The ECHO 3 overall prize went to Obsession, whose three second places produced a six-point total. Illegal and North Star both finished on ten points, with the published results ranking Illegal second and North Star third.
In White Sails 2 ECHO, Sean Hanley’s Siamsa took overall honours on five points, ahead of Four Seas on eight and Robbie Allen and Damien Leahy’s Rana on 11.5.
Kieran Collins’ IF topped White Sails 3 ECHO with eight points, ahead of Chris McGinley’s Elf on 13 and Ronan O’Gara, Stuart Byrne and Nicholas O’Rourke’s Bright Wings on 15.
‘One Harbour, One Club’
The overall prizegiving was staged at the Naval Base following the final race, bringing crews from across Cork Harbour together after three weekends of competition.
Speakers thanked title sponsor Hibernia Line, the Naval Service and Defence Forces for hosting the concluding gathering, as well as the clubs, race officers and volunteers involved in delivering the three fixtures.
The collaboration between the harbour clubs was summed up at the presentation as “one harbour, one club”, while the gathering also heard how participation had grown from as few as six boats in an earlier race to around 50 boats for the event.
A Hibernia Line representative praised the sense of community evident among Cork Harbour sailors and said the company was proud to be involved and hoped to continue its association with the event.
Commander Brian Matthews had earlier welcomed competitors to Haulbowline following the Naval Race and said the Naval Service was delighted to support the event into the future.
The prizegiving brought the curtain down on the 2026 Triple Crown after three September fixtures spanning Cork Harbour.
