First overall in Saturday's Royal Cork Yacht Club's annual Round the Island Race in Cork Harbour was the Sunfast 32, Bad Company (Desmond/Ivers/Deasy). 

The RCYC race was part of the North Sails Open League and had a finish at the Naval Base at Haulbowline.

This year's keelboat race edition had a smaller entry than normal due to the event coinciding with Crosshaven's Trad Sail festival. 

Kieran Collin's Olson 30 Coracle IV was second in the IRC Spinnaker division with the Jones family's J109 JellyBaby third. 

In IRC White Sails, Derry Good's Exhale won from Sean Hanley's HB 31 Luas. Third was Leonard Donnery's No Gnomes, a Nicholson 33.

See photo gallery by Bob Bateman below

A group of 29er and RS200 sailors took a well-deserved exam study break to attend the annual Royal Sprint Championship last weekend hosted by the Royal Cork Yacht Club. Two beautiful days of 29er & RS200 racing were held in 10 – 14 knots of wind near the oil refinery in Cork Harbour.

The 29er winning team with an impressive seven (seven) bullets over ten races was Lola Kohl crewed by Chris Bateman.

Dawson Kohl and Sophie Crosbie, Second place 29er

In second place, capturing the remaining three (three) bullets, was Dawson Kohl and Sophie Crosbie. Third place was Atlee Kohl and Jonathan O’Shaughnessy, closely followed by Rory O’Sullivan and Rob Keal in fourth place.

David Jones and Griff Kelleher (First place RS200)

Meanwhile in the RS200’s – David Jones and Griff Kelleher took home first while Jack Young & Ellie Aneiros were a close second.

Special thanks to the event volunteers who made this event possible: Race Officer Andrew Crosbie, Paul Keal, Brian and Mary Jones, Sandie O’Shaughnessy, Linda O’Keefe and Barbie Kohl.

RCYC Sprint competitors and volunteers

16 boats raced in last night's Royal Cork Yacht Club's Thursday night series in Cork Harbour  sponsored by UK Sailmakers Ireland in a light ESE breeze writes Bob Bateman

Spinnaker fleets one and two took a beat to Corkbeg (RCYC course 93) across an ebbing tide and eased sheets to number 14 off Cuskinny a turn right to beat to East Ferry 2 back via number 12 and finish at the cage.

The five-boat whitesail fleet was given a race out the harbour to number three and then back to Cage Buoy.

Results are here

1720 A cheery wave from the under 25 crew before the start of racing Photo: Bob Bateman

(Above and below) Ellida (Ria Lyden) took a Southerly option heading for first mark and it paid off as she won IRC1 Photo: Bob Bateman

Coracle (77883) with the Collins family on board leads the event overall Photo: Bob Bateman

Cara Photo: Bob Bateman

Jump Photo: Bob Bateman

The 16-boat fleetNeulargo Photo: Bob BatemanMiss Whiplash Photo: Bob Bateman

The 2019 Irish Sailing Youth National Championships hosted by Royal Cork Yacht Club provided wild oscillations in weather conditions over the four days of planned racing. Thursday was certainly the calm before the arrival of Storm Hanna and three races for the 420 class were completed in light and fickle conditions. Friday dawned with raceable conditions in the morning but the oncoming storm would have provided little opportunity to get on the water and over to the race area and back again before the onset of the strong winds around lunchtime thereby forcing the cancellation of racing. Saturday looked as if it would provide perfect 420 sailing conditions in the strong breeze at the tail end of the storm but a long postponement eventually saw racing eventually cancelled late in the afternoon.

Sunday dawned with fog and no wind, but the fleet launched at 8:30 in the morning to head out to the race course and they were eventually rewarded with a modest breeze in bright sunshine. The Ferguson sisters from the National Yacht Club provided consistency over the two days of racing with five race wins to retain the title again this year after their win in Dun Laoghaire in 2018. In second place with two race wins were another female crew of Lucy Kane and Emma Gallagher followed by Morgan Lyttle and Patrick White in third position. 

The 420 winning crews at Royal Cork Photo: courtesy Wavelength Images

The Youth Nationals has traditionally been used by the 420s for team selections to travel to the European or World Championships each year. As Afloat.ie reported earlier here, Nicola and Fiona Ferguson will represent Ireland at the World Championships at Vilamoura in Portugal whilst the qualifiers for the 2019 Junior European Championships at Vilagarcia de Arousa on the North East coast of Spain are as follows:

• Lucy Kane (East Antrim Boat Club) and Emma Gallagher (Malahide Yacht Club)
• Morgan Lyttle Royal (St. George Yacht Club) and Patrick Whyte (Lough Ree Yacht Club)
• Ben Graf and Alexander Farrell (Lough Ree Yacht Club)

Royal Cork Yacht Club and their team of volunteers and race officials are to be congratulated on running a magnificent event under testing weather conditions.

A Howth Yacht Club brother and sister Jamie and Eve McMahon emerged on top of the 200-plus entries at the Irish Sailing Youth Championships sailed in Cork over the weekend in five classes. Both were competing in the single-handed Laser Radial event where Jamie won the class and Eve finished as best girl in fifth overall out of 27 entries.

Prizes were presented this evening on the lawn at the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Cork Harbour.

See photo gallery of prizewinners by Bob Bateman below

RCYC Admiral Pat Farnan (left), Brian Jones Rear Admiral Dinghies (centre) and IS President Jack RoyThere was a fleet of 200 youth sailors for the 2019 Championships at RCYCIS President Jack Roy addresses the sailorsJustin Lucas, 7th in the Optimist TrialsJessica Riordan, Optimist first girlLuke Turvey, fifth in the Optimist trialsBen O'Shaughnessy, fourth in the Optimist trialsSam Ledoux, third in the Optimist TrialsRocco Wright, second in the Optimist Trials James Dwyer Matthews, Optimist Trials winnerEve McMahon, fifth overall and first girl in the RadialChris Bateman, third overall in the RadialMicheal O'Suilleabhain, second overall in the RadialEmily Riordan, third overall in the 4.7Alannah Coakley, second in the 4.7Cillian Foster winner of the 4.7Morgan Lyttle and Patrick Whyte, third in the 420Lucy Kane and Emma Gallagher, second in the 420Nicola and Fiona Ferguson, 420 winnersDaniel Palmer, second in the Topper 4.2Peter Doyle, winner of the Topper 4.2 Ella Fitzgerald, third and first Topper lady

Lola Kohl third and first lady in the Topper 5.3

Oisin Mac Sweeney, second of Topper 5.3

Darragh Collins, first in the Topper 5.3

In Cork Harbour, five youth national sailing titles were decided at the four-day Irish Sailing Youth Championships hosted by the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Crosshaven though Storm Hannah disrupted the event programme writes Bob Bateman.

Ferguson victory in 420

In a commanding performance, defending champions Nicola and Fiona Ferguson from the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire won the double-handed 420 class counting no fewer than five race wins.

Although hopes were high that the high winds would ease sufficiently on Saturday afternoon, near gale force gusts continued into the evening. However, light winds on the final day allowed every class to sail between two and four races each to complete their championship series.

McMahons Win in Radial

Howth brother and sister Jamie and Eve McMahon emerged on top in the singlehanded Laser. Both were competing in the single-handed Radial event where Jamie won the class and Eve finished as best girl in fifth overall out of 27 entries.

The pair qualify to be part of the Ireland squad at the Youth World Sailing Championships in Poland this July subject to Eve achieving a qualifying result at an international regatta next week.

"Host club victory went to Cillian Foster in the single-handed Laser 4.7"

4.7 result for Foster

Host club victories went to Cillian Foster in the single-handed Laser 4.7 (subject to protest) while in the single-handed Topper 5.3 event while Darragh Collins was the winner, second was Oisin MacSweeney and Lola Kohl took third.

Dwyer Matthews Wins in Oppies

The series was also a selection trials event for the International Optimist Dinghy Association of Ireland to decide the national squads for international events this season. Cork's James Dwyer Matthews who won the weekend's event tops the list 28 and will lead the world championship team.

Full results are here

Scroll down for photo gallery of today's action. Prizegiving photos are here.

Today's second day of racing at the Irish Youth Sailing Championships was scrubbed in anticipation of the arrival of Storm Hannah at Royal Cork Yacht Club this morning.

Optimist class racing, however, did go ahead on a sheltered race course on the Curlane Bank at the Cork Harbour venue.

Tomorrow's racing schedule has been postponed for one hour to gauge the conditions before a further decision on the championships is made.

After a light and flukey start, Royal Cork Yacht Club sailed three races for 420s and Laser Radial classes in the first day of competition at the Irish Sailing Youth National Championships in Cork Harbour today writes Bob Bateman

In the ten–boat 420 class, the National Yacht Club's Nicola Ferguson on five points has a two-point lead from East Antrim's Lucy Kane with Morgan Lyttle of the Royal St. George Yacht Club a point behind in third.

The Ferguson sisters lead the 420 class Photo: Bob Bateman

In the 28-boat Radial class, Micheal O'Suilleabhain of Kinsale on five points leads last weekend's Munster Championship winner Jamie McMahon of Howth Yacht Club by one point. Local hopes are with Atlee Kohl of RCYC on 11–points.

Radial leader Micheal O'Suillebhain from Kinsale Photo: Bob Bateman

Munster Championship winner Jamie McMahon lies second overall in the Radials Photo: Bob Bateman

In the Optimist class selection trials, James Dwyer Matthews leads this 60-boat event by just three points over Howth's Rocco Wright.

A fourth, additional race had been planned in light of forecasts of gales on Friday but after six hours on the water the fleets racing in the Cuskinny and Curlane Bank areas of Cork Harbour were sent ashore.

Racing continues tomorrow subject to forecast. Full results are here

Scroll down for photo gallery of today's action

The Royal Cork Yacht Club has hosted its inaugural Sponsors & Members Corporate Lunch. An Tánaiste, Simon Coveney TD, and Patrick Coveney, CEO Greencore, both Club Members and avid sailors, were the Club’s special guests and they also took part in a post-lunch panel discussion with MC Rory Fitzpatrick asking the questions.

The sold-out lunch was the first in the newly refurbished dining room of the oldest yacht club in the world. Chair of Events & Communications, Annamarie Fegan said “The event was a resounding success, with next year’s lunch already filling up fast. We took the opportunity to launch our Corporate Membership which has garnered great interest too.”

An Tánaiste Simon Coveney TD with Patrick Coveney CEO Greencore and RCYC Admiral Pat Farnan Photo: Robert Bateman

There was a charitable element to the day, with €2,350 raised for Crosshaven RNLI. Royal Cork Admiral, Pat Farnan, said “The lunch was a fantastic opportunity for our sponsors and members to connect with each other and we are also delighted to support the RNLI who do great work to keep us all safe. We are extremely grateful to our speakers, Patrick and Simon, for giving their time and I would like to thank our Committee who organised the event and last but not least, a big thank you to all who attended.”

During the lunch Colin Morehead, Vice Admiral of the Club and Chair of the Cork 300 Committee, gave everyone an insight into the Clubs plans for 2020, when the Royal Cork Yacht Club will celebrate its 300th Anniversary as the oldest yacht club in the world. It will be an event like no other and designed as a celebration not just for the Royal Cork YC but for everyone with a passion for sailing. The website for the Cork300 is now live here

Mark Whitaker CEO of Johnson & Perrott, Colin-Morehead RCYC Vice-Admiral and David Thomas, MD Volvo Car Ireland Photo: Robert-Bateman

Rory Fitzpatrick and John O'Donovan Photo: Robert Bateman

Ted Crosbie and Andrew Crosbie Photo: Robert Bateman

More than 150 young sailors with hopes of 'Olympic glory' will get the chance to take the first steps towards fulfilling their dreams at the Irish Sailing Youth National Championships at the Royal Cork Yacht Club later this month from 25-28 April at Crosshaven in Cork Harbour.

The competition is the one time every year when the best of Irish youth sailing come together to test their skills and ability to perform under intense competition conditions – with the added pressure of being under the spotlight for the selectors from Irish Sailing Performance.

The youngsters from throughout Ireland will compete across five different classes of boat during the weekend – the Laser Radial, Laser 4.7, 420, Topper and Optimist. These five classes have been identified, say Irish Sailing, as those that develop the necessary experience sailors need to successfully develop their skills from junior through to the Olympic classes and competing internationally.

As well as racing, there are three evening talks from members of the Irish Sailing Team. Those attending will be treated to 'inspirational talks' from Katie Tingle, who now partners Olympic silver medallist Annalise Murphy in the 49erFX as they seek Olympic qualification this year.  Royal Cork's Tingle should have plenty to talk about as she will have made her international 49erFX debut in the class the week previous at the World Cup in Genoa starting on April 14.

49er sailor Séafra Guilfoyle, a silver medallist at the 2014 Youth World Championships and current partner of Ryan Seaton, who was a finalist at the Olympic Games in London 2012, and Rio 2016; and James O’Callaghan, Irish Sailing’s Performance Director, who will discuss resetting and refocusing during competition with Jessie Barr, Olympic athlete and Sport Ireland sports psychologist.

The occasion also is one of the few times where families and friends competing in the different classes can gather together in one location to share their experiences, learning and generally have some fun.

Sean Evans, Irish Sailing’s Olympic Laser Radial Academy Coach said “The Irish Sailing Youth National Championships are Ireland’s largest Youth regatta and our sport’s primary talent spotting event of the year. All the young sailors that are competing over the weekend have every chance of being selected for the Irish Sailing Academy. Sailors who demonstrate their proficiency at these championships can be chosen for squads that will be competing abroad and may even give something back by coaching and training others as well”.

Finn Lynch, just back from placing 4th in the Laser Class at the Trofeo Princesa Sofia in Palma said “I've great memories of the Youth Nationals, competing with my mates for the right to represent Ireland, racing was always great and the competition was fierce!”.

The Irish Sailing Youth National Championships, showcasing the best up-and-coming talent in Ireland, will take place from 25th-28th April at the Royal Cork Yacht Club, Crosshaven.