#rnli – A 'Pan Pan' radio call to Valentia Coast Guard resulted in the Crosshaven Lifeboat being tasked to a medical emergency on board a Yacht off Cork Harbour today.

At 1.30pm, the Crosshaven RNLI crew were informed that an adult male was suffering chest pains on board a yacht, south of Roches Point.

The lifeboat with Con Crowley, Aidan O'Connor and Alan Venner on board made their way towards the casualty boats position and rendezvous with a yacht club RIB which now had the casualty on board.

The crew administered oxygen therapy whilst on route back to the lifeboat station where the Lifeboat Station Doctor,John Murphy was waiting.

After an assessment by the Doctor in the lifeboat station, the casualty was removed by ambulance to hospital.

Crosshaven Coast Guard personnel, also assisted at the lifeboat station.

#royalcork – Kieran Twomey's Gloves Off continues to lead in the 14-boat Cruisers 1 fleet of the CH Marine Autumn league at Royal Cork. The Corby 38 took its third race win this afternoon to lead by a margin of 13 points from Rob McConnell's A35, Fools Gold. Third is Dan Buckley's J109 Justus writes Claire Bateman.

With thrills, spills, T bones, a medical emergency and seasick sailors the second Sunday of the CH Autumn Regatta provided very different fare to last week.

Outside the harbour Class One were the first to start today and they got away cleanly as they had a long start line square to the boat and off they went on a windward leeward course.

There was no catching Kieran Twomey's lightweight flying machine 'Gloves Off' on the day. However, a ding dong battle ensued between Conor Doyle's Freya and Tom Roche's Meridian, Conor Doyle leading at the first weather mark but a better hoist on Meridian brought them into the lead. This lead continued for the three rounds of the course and ended up with Meridian coming into the finish line on starboard with Freya coming in on port but one boat length behind. Mary O'Keeffe's X332 'Tux' was also engaged in tough rivalry with the other two X332s. Similar situations of these ding dong battles pertained right throughout the fleet in today's conditions. Bad Company, Alpaca, and Allure were also engaged in tough battles for supremacy. A similar situation also existed with the three quarter tonners, Iles Pitiuses, Per Elisa and Anchor Challenge.

Today there was an awkward sea with wind over tide for a period and also the matter of the tide flowing out the harbour to create lumpy stretches followed by dropping into holes in the sea and with wind of about 16 knots occasionally rising to over 20 it put the crews to the test. There were many broaches and many sailors not feeling the best as a result and many raised voices urging fast action as required.

The second race was a triangle course, the wind having shifted some 30 degrees more into the south east and again there were many incident s including one port and starboard incident where the porthand boat tried to dip the starboard boat but in the conditions the boat wouldn't bear away quickly enough.

Meanwhile, inside the harbour the Class four and whitesail fleets were having good racing as well with flat water and with the wind starting out at about 11 knots and before racing finished it had risen to some 16 or 17 knots. The 1720s were sailing on this course today and they had a fleet of nine boats. Class four were given a course running between the East Ferry mark and no. 16 buoy while the wind shift that was affecting the outside harbour course caused the Race Officer to slightly alter the course on the eastern bank as well using EF2 and No. 13.

A competitor who was feeling unwell was whisked away in one of the Club's high speed rescue RIBs to rendezvous with Crosshaven RNLI 'Miss Betty'. The lifeboat crew then took the sailor on board and transferred him to the ambulance waiting to take him to CUH. The good news welcomed is the sailor involved is making a good recovery.

All in all today proved to be a wonderful day of sailing with the sailors congregating afterwards while awaiting the prize giving and regaling one another with stories of their experiences of the day that left everyone looking forward to next Sunday's racing.

A summer gale provided the perfect test bed for Sea trials of pilot and rescue boats in Cork Harbour in August. Two Interceptor pilot boats were put through their paces in a big storm with 10m breaking seas off Roches Point, Cork on 16 August 2012, by their builders Safehaven Marine of Cobh.

The boats are designed and built by Frank Kowalski's Safehaven Marine Ltd of Cobh who employ 25 people in two factories that produce pilot vessels for port authorities.

#national18 – The National 18 title result  in Cork Harbour went down to the final race where any one of four competitors could have taken the title but it was Bryan Hasset sailing 'Clea' with Sandy Rimmington and Nin O'Leary on a two point margin who won overall writes Claire Bateman. Scroll down for pics.

A delayed start for the final races of the National 18 Championships led to a great afternoon of racing on the Curlane Bank. The sun shone, the tide was in and the wind was up all resulting in a splendid finale to the event.

Race Officer was John Crotty working from Rory Fitzpatrick's Serifa as the committee boat. The result went down to the final race where any one of four competitors could have taken the title. Hasset sailing 'Clea 'with Sandy Rimmington and Nin O'Leary had a two point margin on 12 points to take the win over three boats all finishing just two points adrift each on 14 points and a count back was needed to decide the placings.

This worked out as follows: Second place went to Ewen Barry, Stan Browne and Dion Barrett in 'GBU' followed by Nick Walsh, Rob Brownlow and Conor Kelly in 'Three Blind Mice' 3rd and fourth went to Colin Chapman, Martin Almond and Morgan O'Sullivan in 'Aquaholics' .

The super prize of a North mainsail was won by Stephen O'Shaughnessy by an unusual method in that for Race Four of the series the person who finished in tenth position would be awarded the prize. When the sealed envelope was opened it delivered this magnificent prize to Stephen O'Shaughnessy who sailed 'Virtual Reality'.

#ucc – Adding to the buzz in the Royal Cork Yacht Club yesterday was the celebration of UCC's Sailing Club 40th Anniversary that took the form of a celebratory Regatta and Dinner with all proceeds from the event going to the Joe English Trust writes Claire Bateman.

The Regatta consisted of 3 vs 3 team racing in Fireflies provided for the racing and the six person teams had to be made up of at least four alumni or present UCC students.

A dinner will take place in the RCYC this evening at 7.30pm for everyone with sailors not participating in the regatta more than welcome.

#national18 – With 8 to 10 knots of a westerly breeze saw the first day of the National 18s Irish Championships sponsored by North Sails in Cork Harbour yesterday writes Claire Bateman. This is the largest one design fleet in the harbour and 18 boats came to the line. Certainly the top half of the fleet showed just how competitive this class is. Sailing off Trabolgan with the weather mark off Roches Point, the fleet got in three good races. The first race was a windward leeward and this was followed by an Olympic course that took a black flag to get the fleet away cleanly.

Racing continues today with FG 11.55hrs as per the Sailing Instructions and not 10.25hrs as per the Notice of Race.

Also in the harbour yesterday a fleet of twenty or so Optimists were heading out to get in some practice for the Cobbler League that will commence next weekend. These intrepid young sailors can never seem to get enough of the water!

Today also sees the start of the highlight event of the Autumn Season the CH Marine Autumn Regatta with this event counting for the SCORA League.

#rcyc – Last weekend three Munster dinghy sailing Championships were sailed out of the Royal Cork Yacht Club, the 420s, 470s and Optimists writes Claire Bateman. On Saturday the fleets sailed outside the harbour with race officer David O'Brien, using the one committee boat, and starting the 420/470 fleet before starting the Optimist fleet on their trapezoid course.

With a light to moderate wind from the east before turning into the south east during the afternoon there was an opportunity for excellent racing for the 150 competitors that had descended on the Royal Cork the previous evening.

On Sunday with a stronger wind forecast the decision was made to sail on the eastern bank between Cuskinny and Aghada and again it was a day that started with an east wind once again turning more to the south east as the day progressed.

In the 420 class Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove got the better of Patrick Crosbie and Grattan Roberts with Adam Hyland and Bill Staunton taking the third slot followed by Harry and David Whitaker with Peter McCann and Arran Walsh taking the fourth and fifth slots respectively.

In the 470s Rob Lehane and Iarlaith Kennedy took the winning slot followed by Douglas Elmes with crew and mentor Thomas Chaix in second place followed by Diana Kissane and Jenny Andraeson in third place.

In the Optimist fleet Harry Durcan took the title in atightly fought contest that he won on count back from Adam D'Arcy while in the Junior fleet Peter Fegan was the winner. The Regatta fleet sailed on the Curlane bank with OD Grattan Roberts and the overall winner was eight year old Eve McMahon.

#multihull – No sooner have the MOD 70s left Dublin Bay than Cork is the next venue for giant multihull visitors for the first edition of the Route des Princes that will take place from 9th to 29th June 2013.

The event will be based on multihulls measuring in excess of 40ft. The boats will arrive in Cork from Wednesday 19 June and depart on22 June. The route will take the form of a genuine tour of Europe's regions according to a French press statement released today as follows:

Spanning Valencia (Spain) and the bay of Morlaix (Brittany), via Lisbon (Portugal), Cork (Ireland) and Plymouth (England), the route will provide a dense and comprehensive racecourse, punctuated by events at each of the stopovers. The top sailors, the fastest boats of the age, an event already deeply rooted in regions of great richness: a new European race has been born!

In homage to performance...

For what seems like forever, the exchanges between sea and land have maintained the richness of the different territories, yet the events likely to show them to advantage are few and far between. Committed to promoting their skills and their culture through a strong and long-lasting presence in the world of offshore racing, the producers at "Prince de Bretagne" were keen to create a race that truly reflected their values. Aimed at all manner of multihulls, from 40-footers to the giant record hunters, MOD70s as well as Multi50s, today the Route des Princes is the only meeting geared exclusively around such craft. On two or three hulls, the top names will race alongside enthusiastic amateurs as they come together to write the opening lines of an epic that will set sail from Valencia on 9 June 2013. With around twenty boats expected on a shared start line, the stage for what promises to be an unprecedented standard of competition will be set the moment the starting gun sounds. Punctuated by a series of authentic stopovers, this event won't simply pitch up in towns across Europe with great fanfare. It will impact the locals and their lives, by revealing the true fabric of Europe woven by those at sea and those working the land. In the process, both the skippers and their partners will benefit from a warm welcome wherever they go, snapping up the opportunity to let others explore their boats and all the riches of European marine technology. From the Mediterranean to the North Sea, from Spain to Brittany via Portugal, Ireland and England, alternating between long courses and genuine sprints, the Route des Princes promises to be resolutely geared towards diversity.

... A festival for all European regions!

The maritime and competitive aspect of this event will be further boosted by a very strong emphasis on Europe's region. In this way, each host town and city will have the chance to show off its riches, be they agricultural, gastronomic, traditional or cultural. The Route des Princes' ports will enable the public to rediscover the magic of major oceanic meetings and get up close to the sailors and their boats. Each stopover will correspond with an already existing, well-established event for the people: the giant paëllas and grand chef competition in Valencia, the City Festival in Lisbon, the concerts in Cork, the Barbican festival in Plymouth and France's grand finale, the "Entre Terre et Mer" ('Twixt Land and Sea) festival, the second edition of which will transform the bay of Morlaix into a communion of sailors, fishermen and farmers. Steadfastly open, the race village will be at the very hub of the entertainments programme. A totally innovative festival, the Route des Princes will satisfy the needs and aspirations of Europe's regions, the public and sportsmen and women everywhere.

From 9 to 29 June 2013, all the sailors, all the lands and all the public will come together in the Route des Princes!

Quotes:

Jean-François Jacob, Secretary-General of the St Pol Sica, Manager of Prince de Bretagne: "We felt that it was in the interest of all the owners and skippers of multihulls to have an extra event to support their programmes. We were keen to have an event, which gathers us all together and highlights our very strong link with the sailors. Like them, we're subject to the vagaries of the weather on a daily basis and if we manage to grow vegetables year round in northern Brittany it's thanks to the influence of the sea and the Gulf Stream. Through the Route des Princes, we want to show that the land-based world is a source of dynamism in a number of regions across Europe. This notion is something Prince de Bretagne's producers hold dear and they want to share this with others. Our aim is to enhance the prestige of the different territories and to enable the greatest possible number of people to discover them thanks to an event for the people, which will be a celebration of all the different trades at sea and on land".

Lionel Lemonchois, skipper of the Maxi80 Prince de Bretagne: "The concept is an attractive one because it is reminiscent of the original European Tour, a race which existed in the 90s and always proved to be extremely popular. It's always nice to switch from one country to another, especially when racing in crews. The Route des Princes is really offering a fine course. It is also important to be able to associate oneself with something other than sailing as it gives things a new twist and thus has greater appeal for us and for the public."

The dates for the Route des Princes

Valencia

Start Sunday 9 June 2013

Lisbon

ETA Wednesday 12 June

Departure Saturday 15 June

Cork

ETA Wednesday 19 June

Departure Saturday 22 June

Plymouth

ETA Thursday 27 June

Departure Friday 28 June

Baie de Morlaix

ETA Saturday 29 June

Prince de Bretagne

Situated in northern Brittany, in traditional vegetable producing country, Prince de Bretagne, which exports to over 30 countries, is the standard bearer for a whole network of services related to producing fruit and vegetables: research, production, commercialisation-shipping, communication and a training college. Brand leader in the world of fresh fruit and vegetables, with a range of 87 species and 2,350 producers, Prince de Bretagne is at the service of the consumer in providing the best possible standard in terms of safety, health and taste.

The general organisation of the event will be taken care of by the Société Commerciale pour la Promotion des Territoires (a Marketing Company concerned with the Promotion of Europe's Regions), a subsidiary of the St Pol de Léon Sica in Brittany.

#navalrace – The Royal Cork's Annual Navy Race took place in Cork harbour at the weekend by kind permission of the Irish Naval Service writes Claire Bateman.

A light southerly breeze greeted the excellent fleet that turned out for the annual Naval Race. Adrielle, moored off Cork beg, did the honours as Committee Boat sending the three fleets off on a beat to the mouth of the harbour. The name of the game was to start as normal on starboard before tacking quickly on to port to get the best of the ebb tide for the beat and thereafter to hug the shore for as long as possible for the run in the harbour.

In the White Sail fleet Eddie English's Holy Grounder did this to good effect to take the win in White Sail ECHO as did John Hayes in Minstrel in White Sail IRC. However, the two big ketches, the Naval Service Creidne and the beautiful Anna Emily from the Naval Yacht Squadron struggled somewhat in the light conditions.

However, amongst the regular sailing names Vinny O'Shea's Corby 33 Yanks & Francs took the IRC One title with Leonard Donnery in No Gnomes doing the same in IRC Two. However, in IRC Three Kieran O'Connell and Graham Marron showed their National 18 wily skills to take the class in Bandit while Kieran Collins in Tambourine had to be content with second with Finbarr Dorgan in No Half Measures taking third.

The day was also an Open Day at the base for Naval Service family and friends with everybody mingling and having a most enjoyable time.

#RUSSIAN NAVY - While Dublin Port was visited by USS Fort McHenry (LSD-43) over the last week, the Russian Navy's Vice-Admiral Kulakov (626) paid a courtesy call to Cork Harbour, berthing at Cobh, normally associated with frequent cruise callers, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The imposing Udaloy anti-submarine destroyer berthed alongside Cobh's deepwater quay last week, where the public had rare access to board the 162m destroyer commissioned in 1982.

Later this month the Cork Harbour Open Weekend (15-16th Sept) as previously reported on Afloat.ie will offer two-days of fun filled activities for all ages, with events and activities for all, both on and off the water.