#corkweek – Royal Cork Yacht Club has described the weekend signing of its new sponsor for Cork Week as 'a new chapter' for Ireland's longest running international regatta week. News of the new title sponsorship broke on Friday.

Cork Week is recognised as one of the premier regattas in Europe and the Royal Cork Yacht Club is very proud to continue to host this event since its inception thirty six years ago. John Roche, Vice Admiral Royal Cork Yacht Club and Chairman of Volvo Cork Week, is looking forward to welcoming many old friends who have been coming to Crosshaven for many years and of course also looking forward to welcoming new competitors to this premier event. Racing on Cork Harbour's world famous courses will, as always, be under the direction of Anthony O'Leary, renowned national and international sailor.

Adrian Yeates, Managing Diretor Volvo Ireland Ltd said at the weekend launch: "Cork Week has enjoyed a long and illustrious history, both on the Irish and international sailing calendar. Volvo Car Ireland, in conjunction with Johnson and Perrott Motor Group, is proud and delighted to add its name to this prestigious event. Volvo has invested heavily in the sailing arena over the years and Ireland benefitted greatly from the visit of the Volvo Ocean Race to Galway for the last two round the world races. Volvo Cork Week will be one of the biggest sailing event to take place in Ireland in 2014 and next year will be the turn of the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta which we have sponsored since 2007. We are looking forward to an exciting programme in Crosshaven in July and welcoming sailors and visitors alike

In 2014, conscious of the economic environment, there will be a substantial reduction in the entry fees and the format of the event will change from five to four days, Tuesday to Friday inclusive with Monday being a practice day for those wishing to avail of this. Volvo Cork Week 2014 will strive to include ten races and will continue to offer free berthage and a free car parking space for the duration of the event.

Of course there will be the usual variety of courses set in open water, coastal and in the harbour which should test crew handling and get just about every sail out of the bag .

In recent years, Two-Handed racing has become increasingly popular all over the world and Volvo Cork Week will recognise this by introducing a two handed class for the first time. The Sir Thomas Lipton Cup is one of the Royal Cork Yacht Club's most famous awards and the trophy, dating back to 1900 will be awarded to the best yacht in this class. Also, by its very nature, sailing short handed reduces accommodation and living expenses for a competing yacht.

The Royal Cork Yacht Club, the oldest yacht club in the in the world, looks forward to extending a warm welcome to all sailors who come to visit and would like to extend good wishes to all for a very enjoyable and safe regatta.

#corkweek – July's Royal Cork Yacht Club's Cork Week regatta will share the same title sponsor as Dun Laoghaire regatta according to this morning's Irish Times Sailing Column. It's a move that gives the Swedish car marque the headline name to both of Ireland's big sailing events.  As previously reported by Afloat.ie, the Crosshaven event has had a number of key changes to its format for 2014 aimed at reducing costs for both competitors and organisers alike. 

The new sponsorship deal will be a shot in the arm for the biennial event that is Ireland's longest running international regatta, a sporting event that became a global name in the nineties when competitor boat numbers reached 700 in 1998 to rival the UK's Cowes week regatta.

Royal Cork's John Roche is to chair the new week with top Cork helmsman Anthony O'Leary in charge of the famous Cork Week courses.

The J109 fleet will race for national honours as part of the week and a new trophy for short handed competition is also to be introduced. Royal Cork's own 1720 sportboat fleet will also be racing.

The Irish Times has more on the story here.

#corkweek – Since 1978, sailors from Ireland and all over the world have enjoyed Cork Week writes Louay Habib. One of Ireland's top regattas has evolved over the years, taking into consideration the changes within the sport but the sailing grounds in and around Cork Harbour have stayed the same. Cork Week offers a variety of courses from Atlantic wind and waves to the tricky tidal confines of Cork Harbour and the legendary 'craic' ashore, hosted by the Royal Cork Yacht Club, significantly adds to the fun.

J Boats

Once again, the J/109 Irish National Championship will be held at Cork Week. A fleet of 20 yachts from Ireland, UK and overseas is expected, confirmed J Boats, Paul Heys. "J Boats has just completed an excellent London Boat Show and we can definitely see a resurgence in demand for J Boats right across the range. The J/109 Irish National Championship has always been a very popular event and we expect a good turn out for Cork Week. The J/70 design is going from strength to strength, with over 600 boats sold in America and Europe. In November, Maurice 'Prof' O'Connell was appointed J Boat dealer for Ireland and we are already seeing demand for the new Sportsboat in Ireland, we expect to see a number of J/70s competing at Cork Week.

High Performance

South African, Mike Bartholomew's Mills 40, Tokoloshe was runner up to Piet Vroon's Dutch Ker 46, Tonnerre de Breskens in 2012 and hopes to return to Cork Week with his new GP42, Tokoloshe.

"The new Tokoloshe needs quite a few modification to get it competitive for IRC and we are working on that now." confirmed Mike Bartholomew. "We hope to come to Cork Week and I am really excited about the prospect, as the competition, the courses and the conditions will, as always, produce excellent racing."

Capable of surfing at over 20 knots, the all carbon flyer will revel in the Cork Week courses on the Atlantic Approaches and Tokoloshe may not be alone. Hamble UK based, High Performance Charter, has similar yachts available to charter for Cork Week.

"Cork Week provides well run races in perfect conditions for fast light displacement race boats. High Performance Charter has a range of yachts available including GP42, Ker 40 and Mills 43." confirmed Bryan Davies. "These yachts will be in top condition for racing and the package includes delivery from Hamble to Cork and back. Basically a team can fly in to Cork have a real blast and fly home again."

Falmouth Boys

Tim Cunliffe's Cornish Half Tonner, Insatiable will be returning to Cork Week after coming runner up in IRC Three last time out. Tim explains why the crew from Falmouth will be coming back, proudly flying the Royal Cornwall YC burgee.

"First and foremost, in 2012 we had a successful Cork Week after arriving with no expectations, so I guess it is rather dangerous to be returning! We had great racing with the RCYC Admiral's team, Bad Company, and we would love another battle with them. We really enjoyed the Irish hospitality and Cork Week delivers the best IRC racing anywhere.

I know that there will be a Cornish contingent coming to race this year. There is an affinity between Cornwall and Ireland given the celtic roots, but also because the scenery is very similar in many ways, there has always a good number of boats from Falmouth that have come to Cork over the years."

1720 Sportsboat

A sizeable fleet of 1720 Sportsboats is expected for Cork Week from Dublin and County Cork based. Sailors from overseas will be joining Irish crews and chartering bareboats boats for their own teams. Jamie McWilliam grew up in Cork but has settled in Hong Kong. This summer McWilliam will be returning to race in the 1720 Class

"For the last few years, the 1720 Class has been having a revival in Ireland and I have been keeping up to date with mates, who tell me the racing is awesome. There is little you can do to optimise the boat, so it is really good one design racing and whilst the size of the fleet has been increasing, so has the strength in depth. For Cork Week, the 1720 Class will have some really great sailors competing and the spirit on and off the water will be superb. 20 years ago, courtesy of Tom Roche and the legendary Noddy, we had the best Cork Week ever and we are looking to wallow in nostalgia in 2014 - but with children this time!"

Cork Week Race Chairman, Anthony O'Leary has confirmed that he will be racing Ker 39, Antix with a very strong Irish team.

"It is very encouraging to see that we will have some excellent yachts and top class sailors coming to enjoy Cork Week but the event has always been about a variety of sailors and yachts, everybody will be made very welcome. The Royal Cork Yacht Club will open its doors to all competitors. As in recent years, Cork Week will serve up a variety of courses both inside and outside the harbour and besides outstanding racing, Cork Week will have a great atmosphere ashore."

The entry fee for Cork Week 2014 will also be reduced by 30%, compared to 2012 and the reduction in racing days and other measures will effectively reduce the overall cost of attending Cork Week by at least 20%.

Entry for Cork Week 2014 can be made via the official website or by contacting the Regatta Office: 00 353 (0)21 4831179

#corkweek – Cork Week 2014 is well underway and the management team has been making plans for Ireland's longest running and 'most prestigious' regatta. The sailing grounds in Cork Harbour and the Atlantic approaches offer a fantastic variety of sailing and that will never change. However, Anthony O'Leary, Racing Chairman for Cork Week, explains that 2014 will see some changes aimed at substantially reducing cost. Download the Notice of Race as a pdf below.

"Competitors can expect a variety of courses set in open water, coastal and in the harbour, which should test the crew handling and get just about every sail out of the bag. We are blessed with some superb sailing grounds and we are intent on making full use of them. The focus for Cork Week is the same as it has always been, great sailing and a fabulous atmosphere ashore.

The Royal Cork Yacht Club has never shied away from listening to sailors and, when possible, changing Cork Week to suit their needs. The resounding message from sailors in 2012 was that the racing is fantastic and the shoreside 'craic' is as good as ever but a major concern has been cost. For Cork Week 2014, the organising committee has addressed areas, that we have control of, to reduce cost for every competing yacht.

For 2014, Cork Week will have a 4 day racing programme running from Tuesday to Friday (8-11 July 2014). This will reduce the previous 5 day regatta programme but not the number of races. At least 10 races will be scheduled for all classes. This change is designed to allow competitors to take less time off work and can reduce their overall costs for Cork Week by as much as 20%

For those who wish to get out on the water earlier, Monday 7th July will be a practice day. The club will organise practice starts and races that will not count towards the overall series - that way competitors that prefer a 5 day programme will not lose out.

In recent years, Two-Handed racing has become increasingly popular all over the world and Cork Week will recognise this by introducing a Two-handed Class for the first time. The Sir Thomas Lipton Cup is one of the Royal Cork Yacht Club's most famous awards. The trophy, dating back to 1900, will be awarded to the best yacht in the Two-handed Class. By its very nature, sailing short handed reduces accommodation and living expenses for a competing yacht.

The 1720 Class has been having a renaissance in Ireland, there are 26 1720s in Cork alone and charter opportunities are available. Cork Week is also talking with other one design classes and we would be delighted to entertain discussions with many more class associations. The management team is also keen to encourage participation by charter companies and corporate entries and plans are in place to offer assistance.

In 2012, we decided to allow professional sailors to race at Cork Week in any of the classes and that will continue. We don't want to put up any barriers to people who want to come and enjoy some wonderful racing.

Cork Week is striving to keep down costs for all competitors, right across the board. We realise the importance of this in the feedback we have received. However, we will make sure that the event is a memorable occasion. We want to continue to produce a unique experience and a memorable occasion for everyone that sails at Cork Week.

The entry fee for Cork Week 2014 will also be reduced by 30%, compared to 2012 and the reduction in racing days and other measures will effectively reduce the overall cost of attending Cork Week by at least 20%.

Entry for Cork Week 2014 can be made via the official website or by contacting the Regatta Office: 00 353 (0)21 4831179

#corkweek – Royal Cork Yacht Club's Rear Admiral John Roche is to Chair Cork Week 2014, scheduled to run from July 5th to 11th next year.

#corkweek – Like a fine seafood platter, Cork Week dishes up a huge variety of courses and today's Harbour Race was the centrepiece of a phenomenal week of racing. The entire international fleet racing at Cork Week enjoyed a scenic race in Cork's historic harbour. The weather may have closed in once again but the myriad of racing boats parading passed Cobh provided a spectacular finale to what has been a very special regatta.

In IRC Zero, Piet Vroon's electric blue Ker 46, Tonnerre de Breskens streaked away right from the start to take line honours by a significant margin. Frank Gerber, mainsheet trimmer, has been a long time member of a solid team and he was quick to praise the boat captain, Matt Trautmann and first mate, Jack Boutelle. "Matt and Jack are the unsung heroes of our success, Tonnerre is immaculately prepared for racing and that means we can concentrate on going the right way and fast. Also tactician Dave Lenz hasn't missed a shift all week and the crew has pulled off every manoeuvre. This is the first big win for us for some time, we came second in the Round Ireland Race and choked on the last day of the RORC IRC Nationals, so it has been fantastic to come here and win, Piet is absolutely over the moon."

The in harbour course rounded off Cork week 2012. Photo: Bob Bateman

In IRC One, Richard Fildes' Abersoch based Corby 37, Impetuous held off a strong challenge from Royal Cork YC member, Conor Phelan racing Ker 37, Jump Juice. "To have a realistic chance of beating Impetuous we needed them to have a bad day and we had a go at them from the start." Explained Conor Phelan. "We did manage to slow them down and we had an excellent first part of the race but Impetuous came back well to hold onto their overall lead and I would like to congratulate them on a fine win."

It was all to play for in IRC 2 with two yachts vying for the class win and the title of 2012 Irish J/109 National Champion. After two legs of the Harbour Race, Hall & McDonell's Dublin based Something Else led the charge but Ian Nagle's Jelly Baby made a decisive move on the beat past Roches Point to gain the upper hand. Royal Cork's Jelly Baby never looked back and won the last race of the regatta to win both the class and the J/109 Irish Championship.

In IRC 3, Tim Cunliffe's Half Tonner, Insatiable won today's Harbour Race to take second overall. The team are all from Cornwall and the vintage half tonner was beautifully restored at the famous Pendennis Shipyard. However, the clear winner of the class was the Royal Cork Yacht Club Admiral, Peter Deasy with his Sunfast 32, Bad Company. Diarmuid Foley's Quarter Tonner, Anchor Challenge was third overall.

In IRC 4, John Twomey's Sonar, Baileen Ban won today's race scoring their fifth win of the regatta. John's next event will be the Paralympic Games in Weymouth and everybody at Cork Week wishes the Kinsale man good luck in the Games. Claridge & Fox's Sigma 33, Excelle scored their fifth podium finish of the regatta to clinch second place just ahead of Finbarr Dorgan's Sonar, No Half Measures.

In the 1720 Class, Robin & Ben O'Mahony took the gun today putting pressure on overall leader Denis Murphy's Aquatack. However, Aquatack managed a third place to hold on to the class win.

In the White Sail Class, Mike Bailey & Andy Roy's vintage Swan 46, Something was a late starter to Cork Week, missing the first day of racing. However, the vintage Swan had a fantastic battle with Dublin skipper Dan O'Neill steering IMX 38, Xerxes. Something won the class title with Xerxes second. Annie O'Sullivan Elan 37, Diamonds are Forever won today's Harbour Race to claim third in IRC. The all girl crew have never sailed as a team before and have been improving their performance as each day has gone by. Their dedication to partying is also most noteworthy, as the Girls for Sail charter team have been the last out of the party tents just about every night!

In White Sail Two, a close encounter between two yachts from the Royal Cork Yacht Club was settled today. Tom McNeice's Minx III came out on top but the Sigma 33 had an epic battle with Conor O'Donovan's X-372 Xtension. Xtension won the last two races of the regatta but it wasn't enough to beat their club rivals and McNeice's team were declared class winners.

Cork Week Racing Chairman, Anthony O'Leary has been racing his Ker 39, Antix all week and narrowly missed out on beating Tonnerre de Breskens in today's Harbour Race by just 25 seconds. " I think that the overall standard of racing this week has been very high, both from the competitors and also the race management team. With the wind mainly in the northwest, setting courses is not easy and for a variety of reasons I think that the race management team have done an excellent job. In difficult conditions, we only lost two races, which is a credit not just to the race officers but also to the entire team, I would also like to add that everybody wishes Martin Stephens a speedy recovery from an injury sustained whilst laying marks at Cork Week."

After tonight's Final Prize Giving, The Papa Zitas will close out the evening entertainment. Recognised as are Ireland's definitive Motown Big Band experience. Their 10-piece outfit will deliver a set of 1960's Motown classics to conclude a memorable and fun filled week.

Results:

IRC0:

1 TONNERRE DE BRESKENS 3 Peter Vroon

2 TOKOLOSHE Michael Bartholomew

3 PENINSULA SIGNAL 8 Jamie McWilliam

IRC1:

1 IMPETUOUS Richard Fildes

2 JUMP JUICE Conor Phelan

3 INGA II FROM SWEDEN Richard Goransson

IRC2:

1 JELLY BABY Ian Nagle & Paul O'Malley

2 SOMETHING ELSE J Hall, S McDonnell & B Hall

3 CHENAPAN Gilles Caminade

IRC3:

1 BAD COMPANY Desmond/Ivers/Deasy

2 INSATIABLE Tim Cunliffe

3 ANCHOR CHALLENGE Diarmuid Foley

IRC4:

1 BAILEEN BAN John Twomey

2 EXCELLE Toby Claridge & J. Fox

3 NO HALF MEASURES Finbarr Dorgan

J109:

1 JELLY BABY Ian Nagle

2 SOMETHING ELSE J Hall, S McDonnell & B Hall

3 JALAPENO Baker et al

1720:

1 AQUATACK Denis Murphy

2 IRL1760 Robin & Ben O'Mahony

3 WAHOO Finbarr Jeffers

IRC Non Spinnaker 1:

1 SOMETHING Mike Bailey & Andy Roy

2 XERXES Dan O'Neill

3 DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER Anne O'Sullivan

IRC Non Spinnaker 2:

1 MINX III Tom NcNeice

2 XTENSION Conor O'Donovan

3 AISLING Bryan Heffernan

#corkweek – The penultimate day of Cork Week will be remembered for some seriously feisty weather, torrential rain overnight continued through the morning and a thick sea fog and a building sea state produced what the Crosshaven locals call 'proper weather'. With 20 knots of breeze and Atlantic swell, Cork Week's Race Committee had the option of racing inside Cork Harbour and took it.

All classes bar IRC Zero and One were set a windward leeward course inside the safe confines of Cork Harbour but the visibility around the Moonduster mark ensured a tight course. Outside the harbour the big boat fleet managed to get one race in before the front drove through to leave a sloppy sea state and no wind, scuppering any chance of a second race today.

In IRC Zero, Piet Vroon's Ker 46, Tonnerre de Breskens proved unstoppable again today, blasting through the surf to score yet another bullet. "I should buy a lottery ticket today!" Admitted mainsheet trimmer, Dave Lenz. "We had excellent breeze down the run and it literally shut down behind us, stopping all of our competition. The phrase rich get richer certainly applied to today's race." Piet Vroon and his team don't even need to race tomorrow's Harbour Course to win the class but Vroon insisted that Tonnerre de Breskens would be racing tomorrow. Michael Bartholomew's Mills 40, Tokoloshe could only score a fifth today but is still second overall, whilst Jamie McWilliam's Ker 40, Peninsula Signal 8 is third.

In IRC One, Richard Fildes' Corby 37, Impetuous won Race 7 to stamp their authority on the class. Conor Phelan's Ker 37, Jump Juice got the better of Richard Goransson's Corby 36, Inga of Sweden today to leapfrog into second place. However, barring a shocker in tomorrow last race, Impetuous look to have won their class.

Getting IRC 2 away for the first race was not easy, there were hooters a plenty as two general recalls resulted in a third re-start with a black flag. Ian Nagle's, J/109 Jelly Baby nailed the pin end and extended in clear air at the top mark to win the first race of the day with Gilles Caminade's French A 35, Chenapan taking second. However, Hall & McDonnell's J/109, Something Else got buried into the pack and scored a lowly ninth. Donal O'Leary's X-35, D-Tox won the second race of the day but the big story in IRC 2 is that Something Else who have led from the start of the regatta have dropped to third place on countback from Chenapan and local Cork boat Jelly Baby are now top of the class. However, Something Else still leads the J/109s for the Irish title by just a point from Jelly Baby.

In IRC 3, Royal Cork's Admiral Peter Deasy with Bad Company has opened up a seven-point lead after scoring two podium finishes today. Tim Cunliffe's Half Tonner, Insatiable has their best day of the regatta. The Cornish team were spotted 'fuelling up' at the Royal Cork Yacht Club bar last night, obviously with the desired effect! However, Diarmuid Foley's Quarter Tonner was out-gunned by the displacement yachts in today's heavier conditions and drops to third. Brian Goggin's Corby 25, Allure finished the day on a high, winning the last race of the day but by just two seconds.

John Twomey's Sonar Baileen Ban has virtually sealed the win in IRC 4 with a second and first place today, but a battle is raging for second place. Finbarr Dorgan's No Half Measures and Claridge and Fox's Sigma 33, Excelle are on equal points and Nyhan & Buwalda's Hunter 707, Outrigger is just a point behind.

The 1720's were racing outside the Harbour today, which was a full on experience. However, some very experienced crews race the pocket rockets and all was well. Denis Murphy's Aquatack won today's race from close rivals Robin & Ben O'Mahony but there was only 7 seconds between them. Aquatack now have a four-point cushion virtually sealing the class win.

Take That, The Prodigy, Vengaboys, MC Hammer and House of Pain are just some of the top 90s bands that won't be on the main stage tonight but Irish tribute band, Smash Hits will. Delivering a high-energy set to a packed crowd that will be looking to stretch some tired limbs after four days of hard racing at Cork Week.

Full results and much more can be found at www.corkweek.ie

Results:

IRC0:

1 TONNERRE DE BRESKENS 3 Peter Vroon

2 TOKOLOSHE Michael Bartholomew

3 PENINSULA SIGNAL 8 Jamie McWilliam

IRC1:

1 IMPETUOUS Richard Fildes

2 JUMP JUICE Conor Phelan

3 INGA II FROM SWEDEN Richard Goransson

IRC2:

1 JELLY BABY Ian Nagle & Paul O'Malley

2 CHENAPAN Gilles Caminade

3 SOMETHING ELSE J Hall, S McDonnell & B Hall

IRC3:

1 BAD COMPANY Desmond/Ivers/Deasy

2 INSATIABLE Tim Cunliffe

3 ANCHOR CHALLENGE Diarmuid Foley

IRC4:

1 BAILEEN BAN John Twomey

2 NO HALF MEASURES Finbarr Dorgan

3 EXCELLE Toby Claridge & J. Fox

J109:

1 SOMETHING ELSE J Hall, S McDonnell & B Hall

2 JELLY BABY Ian Nagle

3 JALAPENO Baker et al

1720:

1 AQUATACK Denis Murphy

2 IRL1760 Robin & Ben O'Mahony

3 WAHOO Finbarr Jeffers

IRC Non Spinnaker 1:

1 SOMETHING Mike Bailey & Andy Roy

2 XERXES Dan O'Neill

3 DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER Anne O'Sullivan

IRC Non Spinnaker 2:

1 MINX III Tom NcNeice

2 XTENSION Conor O'Donovan

3 AISLING Bryan Heffernan

#corkweek – It may be a 'boutique' edition of Cork Week but there is a fantastic buzz at the Royal Cork Yacht Club and with the sun bursting through the clouds and a moderate to fresh breeze of 15 - 20 knots, the racing area south of Roches Point was a truly spectacular location for Ireland's longest running sailing regatta.

On today's Slalom Course, Piet Vroon's electric blue rocket ship, Tonnerre de Breskens revelled in the conditions, fully pulling the trigger, hitting 18 knots of boat speed. Tonnerre de Breskens romped home in both races by over two minutes. Mike Bartholomew's Mills 40, Tokoloshe and Jamie McWilliam's Ker 40, Peninsula Signal 8 took a second place each today cementing second and third respectively on the leaderboard.

With a discard kicking in, Richard Fildes, Corby 37, Impetuous returns to the top of the class, scoring a first and a fourth in today's races. Richard Goransson's Corby 36, Inga from Sweden was desperately close to a win in the opening race of the day, missing out by just ten seconds. However, a lowly 7th place in the last race means the Swedish yacht has now lost the class lead. Royal Cork member Conor Phelan, helming Ker 37 Jump Juice had another solid day to claim third overall. "We're enjoying it, sailing well and hanging in there." Declared Phelan shortly after racing.

Wow from Dun Laoghaire Photo: Bob Bateman

In IRC Two, Hall & McDonnell's J/109, Something Else leads the class with two more solid results today. However, Ian Nagle's local J/109, Jelly Baby had a better day and has closed the gap on their rivals for both the class and the J/109 Irish title. Gilles Caminade's A 35, Chenapan scored a first and a second today, moving the French team up to third overall.

"Jelly Baby goes well in good breeze and we certainly got that today." Explained Jelly Baby's tactician Killian Collins. "Getting away well was important today and we liked the pin end and really went out to win the starts. With the discard kicking in, we are just a couple of points off the lead and with a big fleet, we can easily make that up in just one race, so its all to play for."

It's tight at the top of IRC Three. Royal Cork Yacht club Admiral, Peter Deasy had a very good day at the office. His Sunfast 32, Bad Company won both of today's races, putting the team from Cork just half a point behind the class leader, Diarmuid Foley's Quarter Tonner, Anchor Challenge. Tim Cunliffe's Half Tonner, Insatiable had their best day so far, scoring two podium finishes to put the Cornishmen into third in class.

In IRC Four John Twomey's Sonar, Baileen Ban started the regatta with a disappointing fifth but since then the team has been virtually unstoppable, winning all but one of the five races. Twomey has enjoyed a distinguished Paralympic career and will make a phenomenal tenth Games appearance at London 2012. At the Games in Weymouth, he'll be at the helm with teammates Ant Hegarty and Ian Costelloe. Finbarr Dorgan from the Cove Sailing club is in second place racing Sonar, No Half Measures and Nyhan & Buwalda's 707, Outrigger is still very much in contention in third place.

Right now, it is standing room only at the Royal Cork Yacht Club with competitors enjoying a glass in brilliant sunshine.

Tonight's entertainment features a young band from Cork that the New York Times described as 'the new U2". The Calvinists will be delivering foot stomping original songs and well-known covers played with heaps of energy on the main stage in the event village.

#rnli – Crosshaven RNLI lifeboat were tasked to a collision between two racing yachts, South of Roches Point competing at this afternoon's Cork Week regatta.

The initial information was that one of the yachts was taking on water.

Crosshaven lifeboat quickly launched and headed for the 32' stricken yacht. On arrival, it was clear that no crew on either boat had been injured and that the damage to one yacht, whilst extensive, was above the waterline.

Crosshaven ILB then escorted the damaged yacht back to Crosshaven. Crosshaven Coast Guard and Cork Civil Defence Ribs also attended on scene.

#corkweek – A gentle breeze building to 18 knots of breeze towards the close of play brought the second day of Cork week to a fitting climax writes Louay Habib. Crew in the 101 boat fleet were hiking hard and boat handling became a much bigger issue than the opening day. Scroll down for day two photos by Bob Bateman.

In IRC Zero, Piet Vroon's Ker 46, Tonnerre de Breskens stamped their authority on the class, scoring two more bullets but it was far from straight forward, the Dutch flier won both of today's races on the Trapezoid Course by just a few seconds.

"The course today was very short, which makes it difficult to make up a time correction of 5 minutes an hour. I have to say that the two main reasons for our success today were the excellent way in which the boat is prepared and how well the crew handle the boat." Explained Vroon. "I first came to Crosshaven in 1969 and I think the reason that I have been coming back for all these years is that the natives are so friendly and I have always been impressed by the high standards of the Royal Cork Yacht Club and this year is no exception."

Tonnerre de Breskens is the clear leader in IRC Zero, Michael Bartholomew's Mills 40,Tokoloshe scored two podium results today to move up to second with Kieran Twomey's local Corby 38, Gloves Off dropping a place to third.

There was plenty of drama in IRC One today, Richard Goransson's Corby 36, Inga from Sweden has taken over the class lead but an incident at a top mark with Scottish entry Mills 40, Crazy Horse, was caught on camera by the Cork Week TV crew. This may have an effect on the result of Race 4. However, last night's leader, Richard Fildes' Corby 37, Impetuous was called OCS in Race 3, scoring a debilitating 20 points. However, Impetuous came back strongly, leaping off the start line like a wild salmon, to win the last race of the day. Royal Cork's Conor Phelan racing Ker 37, Jump Juice scored well today to move up to third overall.

The crew of Welsh visitor Impetuous. Photo: Bob Bateman

IRC Three has a new leader, Diarmuid Foley's Quarter Tonner, Anchor Challenge had a great day on the water winning the first race to depose Royal Cork's Admiral Peter Deasy, racing Bad Company, from the top of leaderboard. Crosshaven local, Paul Tingle racing First 31.7, Alpaca finished the day in fine style with a bullet in Race 3.

"A light and shifty first race but the windward leeward course certainly suits us better than the Trapezoid course." Admitted Diarmuid Foley. "Now we just have to negotiate the hazards ashore after racing but we are Cork boys so we know are way around the clubhouse!"

In the Non-Spinnaker Class, Dan O'Neill's IMX 38, Xerxes has scored three clean bullets. Dan was raised in Annapolis, USA but has lived in Dublin for over 20 years.

"Xerxes has won many top regattas in the past but a few years back, I decided to stop racing at that level, mainly due to the cost. Also you need nine really good sailors but racing with just white sails we only need three good crew, leaving room on board for good friends who don't have that much experience. Racing in this class is a great way to introduce people to the sport in a safe environment. This week I am sailing with my cousin, who is visiting Ireland for the first time from Missouri, USA and I can guarantee you, he is enjoying every moment of Cork Week.

Results:

IRC0:

1 TONNERRE DE BRESKENS 3 Peter Vroon

2 TOKOLOSHE Michael Bartholomew

3 GLOVES OFF Kieran Twomey

IRC1:

1 INGA II FROM SWEDEN Richard Goransson

2 JUMP JUICE Conor Phelan

3 CRAZY HORSE Chambers/Reilly

IRC2:

1 SOMETHING ELSE J Hall, S McDonnell & B Hall

2 JELLY BABY Ian Nagle & Paul O'Malley

3 ANTIX BEAG Jim Pryor

IRC3:

1 ANCHOR CHALLENGE Diarmuid Foley

2 ALLURE Brian Goggin

3 BAD COMPANY Desmond/Ivers/Deasy

IRC4:

1 BAILEEN BAN John Twomey

2 OUTRIGGER J Nyhan & M Buwalda

3 EXCELLE Toby Claridge & J. Fox

J109:

1 SOMETHING ELSE J Hall, S McDonnell & B Hall

2 JELLY BABY Ian Nagle

3 JALAPENO Baker et al

1720:

1 AQUATACK Denis Murphy

2 IRL1760 Robin & Ben O'Mahony

3 GIRLS ANTIX Jane McLelland

IRC Non Spinnaker 1:

1 XERXES Dan O'Neill

2 DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER Anne O'Sullivan

3 JUST 4 FUN

IRC Non Spinnaker 2:

1 MINX III Tom NcNeice

2 MINSTREL John Patrick Hayes

3 XTENSION Conor O'Donovan