#commodorescup – The Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup fleet came ashore today after their high scoring offshore race with war stories, not of wrestling on the foredeck in gale force winds, but of repeatedly anchoring in a flat calm to prevent themselves being whisked off down Channel by the powerful spring tide.

After heading east down the Solent from Cowes yesterday lunchtime, the boats had to head out into the English Channel, down to a virtual mark 17 miles south of Bembridge. Unfortunately after passing this virtual mark late yesterday afternoon, the westbound tide was so strong and the wind so light that they were unable to get back to complete the mark rounding. Thus the entire fleet was forced to anchor for most of the evening until the tide turned. This 'kedging', they managed with mixed success.

"We were first to the virtual mark and were tempted to do a hand break turn and whizz round, but we were concerned we were going to cross our tracks, so to be sure we did what everyone else did and kedged," recounted Jonathan Goring, skipper of the Ker 40, Keronimo, in RYA Team GBR Red. To kedge they paid out 140m of line and chain in 40m of water as the spring tide sluiced past them at up to 3.6 knots. And they stayed like this for five hours...

"We had to keep someone on the helm the whole time otherwise the boat would have ripped the anchor out," continued Goring. "We were lucky to get our kedge back. We think it got caught around a rock - literally the stern of the boat was out of the water as we winched it up."

Around six boats weren't successful and ended up dragging. Among them was Premier Flair, Jim Macgregor's Elan 410 racing in Team GBR Blue, which was washed 5 miles west down the Channel before their anchor finally bit. "We had plenty of anchor equipment - two anchors, two cables and loads of rope, but that didn't hold," said Macgregor.

Late into the evening, even once the tide had turned, the rounding of the virtual mark wasn't over for Dignity in RYA Team GBR Red having been unable to pass the correct side of the mark before the tide changed.

The boats then made good headway north back up to the Outer Nab 2 mark where they were again expecting to anchor in the early hours of this morning with the tide turning west once more. Around this mark there was another mass fleet park up as the wind once again died on the tide turn.

With the second park-up, Premier Flair had managed to make up the ground she had lost on the first but rounded the mark straight into a busy parking situation. Having laid anchor to kedge, their anchor line began to foul the Hong Kong team's Grand Soleil 43, Team Ambush Quokka, to the extent that, after some 'discussion' with Premier Flair's crew, they were able to cut the line, take it to the other side of their boat and successfully tie it back together. For this Flair was awarded a 120 second time penalty.

Overnight the course was changed, eliminating the CS1 mark to the south of Brighton, and then shortened requiring the boats to finish at Bembridge Ledge. After the Outer Nab 2 mark, the boats reached east towards the Owers mark off Selsey Bill before reaching back to the eastern extremity of the Solent and the finish, where the leaders experienced another park-up before they were able to cross the line.

Ultimately with three re-starts the results favoured the small boats and it was the Paul Worswick -skippered A 35 CNBC that came out on top for RYA Team GBR Red. Their result corrected out to win the offshore race (with its 2.5x points weighting) two and a half minutes ahead of the lowest rated boat in the fleet, David Aisher's British Keelboat Academy-crewed J/109 Yeoman of Wight in GBR Black.

"We are pleased as punch, really happy," said Worswick, standing in for the boat's owner Mike West.

"It was all about the tidal gates, but it turned out that every time you got to a mark everyone just anchored and the slow boats all caught up. There were three re-starts and we thought we were winning at each stage before it all compressed again." But the CNBC crew also sailed well, and for example arrived at the 'virtual mark' ahead of many faster boats.

During this 24 hour race the CNBC crew kedged four times, twice within half a mile of the finish line when the wind disappeared.

First boat home on the water was the Benelux Ker 40 Baraka GP owned by the de Graaf family, which overhauled Keronimo on the water in the final park up. This was despite the Dutch big boat being one that suffered when her anchor dragged yesterday evening.

"We dragged for 3.1 miles," said eldest son Dirk, however they got their kedge up earlier and were able to sail back to the competition as the tide turned in their favour again.

According to de Graaf, Baraka GP managed to get pass Keronimo when they hoisted their Code 0 allowing them to lay the finish line directly. "It was nice for a team that has only been sailing the boat for one month now," de Graaf concluded.

However the most consistent team in the offshore race was France with a particularly strong performance from Hervé Borgoltz's Grand Soleil 44 R Eleuthera, which finished among the Ker 40s on the water leaving them third overall on corrected.

Eleuthera, along with Premier Flair, got off to the best start and was among the leaders on the water exiting the Solent. But this hardly mattered. "It has been a very strange race because we had three restarts," said Eleuthera's owner Herve Borgoltz. "We are in better shape even than after Cowes-Dinard. We know that the boat goes very fast, but it is the first time we have raced against Ker 40s - they are two generations of boat design ahead of us, and to have some of the Ker 40s behind us is a great satisfaction."

Due to the visit of HRH The Queen to Cowes tomorrow, only one windward-leeward race will be held in the afternoon in the Solent at the Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup.

#commodorescup – At 1000 the 21 competing yachts set off on the Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup 24-36 hour long offshore race, the most highly scoring segment in this series for international three boat teams with amateur crews.

While conditions this year have been mainly blustery, the start today was in the same summery conditions as yesterday, with brilliant sunshine but precious little wind.

The race management team has set up a complex course for the offshore race, taking the boats east out of the Solent and through the Forts, before heading south to a virtual mark 17 miles out into the Channel. Once round this the boats retrace their steps north towards the Outer Nab mark, before taking a long leg east to the CS1 mark, 15 miles south of Brighton and back. In total the proposed race is 154 miles long, but it seems highly likely it will be shortened.

"I think we will drift down on the tide and we'll drift back up on the tide with some intermittent kedging!" summarised Andrew McIrvine, skipper of La Réponse in RYA Team GBR Blue of how he reckoned the race would pan out. But he also observed that the prescribed route allowed the race management team plenty of scope to shorten course if required.

Having just emerged from the meteo briefing with the Team GBR forecaster Chris Tibbs, McIrvine said that they were expecting possibly as much as 10 knots of wind this afternoon. "If we can get the north-south bit done, then at least if we do kedge we can get up closer into the shore. But kedging round the Owers when the tide is running at 4 knots isn't much fun."

Mid-afternoon the boats were still struggling to make headway down to the waypoint out in the English Channel, due south of Bembridge. With the tide due to change from eastbound to westbound at 1430 BST, all the boats were getting their easting in early with La Réponse taking the most extreme easterly route south as the faster Ker 40s, anticipating an earlier rounding, were playing out a braver strategy on a shorter more direct route to the mark.

A small problem is that this virtual mark is described as a 'port rounding' and this could prove challenging, as tactician Phil Lawrence on the Hong Kong team's EFG Bank Mandrake observed: "The big issue is that we're going to a mark out in the Channel, and we're on spring tides at the moment, and when we get there the tide will be ebbing very strongly [ie westbound], the wind will be a very light easterly, and we've got to get round it to port, which may prove mission impossible. I'm expecting a lot of issues there..."

So if crews find themselves becalmed down tide of the mark then they will be forced to kedge. On the dock prior to leaving there was much talk of this - first finding the kedge anchor and then determining how much line they should attach to it. McIrvine reckoned he could rustle up 130m on La Réponse. On CNBC in RYA Team GBR Red, skipper Paul Worswick said they were taking two 100m lengths which would allow them to set the kedge in 50m of water. "We are going to need that," he advised.

At 1600 BST Magnum III, Andrew Pearce's Ker 40, in RYA Team GBR White, was closing on 'Waypoint 1' with sistership Jonathan Goring's Keronimo on her hip and the Hong Kong team's Peninsula Signal 8 a little further behind.

The two lowest rated boats in the fleet - CNBC and the British Keelboat Academy on David Aisher's J/109 Yeoman of Wight, overall leaders RYA Team GBR Black - were also doing extremely well for their size and speed.

While the Ker 40s suffered in the 8-10 knot winds yesterday, Andrew Pearce reckoned that in the lighter conditions forecast for tonight the four near one designs competing should come into their own again. "5 knots is fine because we are so light for our sail area. In 8 knots, we can't get far enough away from the chasing pack."

Assuming that the boats get around Waypoint 1 successfully, then they will have to sail north with a building easterly tide to get back to the Outer Nab mark before heading east to the CS1 mark. This will be a case of making the best of the tidal gates and the available zephyrs off the shore. Fortunately while the virtual mark is too far offshore for competitors to experience a sea breeze the legs east and back might be close enough to shore for the crews to see a land breeze tonight.

McIrvine shared his predictions for this evening: "I think there will be a bit of a land breeze at night, or even some drainage winds from the harbours if you get in close enough. But there are also quite big spring tides at the moment with interesting shallow bits, so I think it's going to be a challenge."

CNBC's Paul Worswick said that the time at which they got back north to the Outer Nab mark would be crucial. "If we can't get around there to go off to CS1 we'll be kedging and then I think it will be game over for us. If we get around there with positive tide and some breeze then there's a possibility. At some stage everyone in the fleet is going to be kedging which is great for us as the second slowest rated boat."

Phil Lawrence was forecasting that the boats might see 2-5 knots during the night. "It's going to be more of a tidal race than a weather routing race - you've got to stay on top of what you've got, so very local. My prediction is that a Ker 40 or Yeoman will win."

McIrvine pointed out that in such light conditions it is much harder on the crew than when there's a lot of breeze. "It's fun to have some sun. We have been out in masses of breeze, so we have almost forgotten how to do this..." But these winds also present their own issues as the crew can start to get a little "ratty and frustrated", so a skipper has to demonstrate his or her own management skills.

Before leaving Magnum III's skipper Andrew Pearce agreed: "Tactically it is going to be very crucial getting it right, because in these light conditions a couple of miles apart between different boats you can get different winds and all sorts can happen. So the crew has to be ultra-aware for the complete duration of the race about what is going on around them. Races like this can be more taxing than even the Myth of Malham which was a tough race, but tough for different reasons. So it is going to be an interesting one."

The boats are expected back into Cowes tomorrow afternoon.

#commodorescup – Although it sets sail this morning without its defending champions from Ireland the seven international teams are ready for action at the Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup that runs until next Saturday at Cowes on the Isle of Wight.

On one of the first days of this summer when crews have been able to wear shorts and sunglasses, the Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup fleet is in Cowes Yacht Haven preparing to go racing tomorrow in the Royal Ocean Racing Club's unique international three boat team competition for mostly amateur crews.

Skippers attended a briefing for the Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup today at the Royal Yacht Squadron

After an Opening Party at the Royal Yacht Squadron tonight, racing gets underway for the seven three boat teams at 1030 on Sunday with two inshore races. This is followed on Monday by the offshore race, designed to be 24-36 hours long, its scoring weighted by a 2.5x co-efficient.

On Wednesday there is a single inshore race, two more inshore races on Thursday, a Round the Isle of Wight race on the Friday, with a 1.5x co-efficient. A single inshore race rounds off the series on Saturday.

"We have sunshine!" exclaimed Chief Executive of the Royal Ocean Racing Club, Eddie Warden Owen. looking aloft. "All summer we have seen strong winds and this week we are going to have a variety of conditions and that is the most important thing you want in an international competition which is a serious regatta."

The latest forecast indicates that conditions, particularly on Tuesday and Wednesday, will be very light, but building towards the end of the week. But this may not be the case. "Depending on the way the high pressure works we could have good strong sea breezes," says Warden Owen. "If we have a lot of sunshine it could be 18-20 knots - so it is more a high pressure forecast than a light weather one."

However the RORC CEO admits overnight on Monday the racing will be challenging. "But that is part of the fun and it does mean that if there is one very strong team, they know it is going to be very difficult. You can't control the weather and therefore it doesn't matter how good a team you have, you still have to sail well as a group and keep an eye on each other."

Coming from furthest afield, the Hong Kong team has put in the biggest effort to be here. Ante Razmilovic, one of the charterers of the Grand Soleil 43, Quokka 8, in the Hong Kong team, says they have had a slight scrabble to get to the start line after their boat was dismasted two months ago. "The new rig went in about a week ago. It sailed for a couple of days before we took delivery, so we are looking forward to going sailing and not doing boat building!"

Despite being based in Hong Kong, Razmilovic is a highly experienced Solent sailor and agrees with Warden Owen that despite the light forecast they will still get breeze over the course of the week. "The models never show the thermal effects properly so provided it is out of the right direction I'm sure we'll have half of this regatta in 12-18 knots - we'll just see how we go."

Hong Kong is this year fielding one of the strongest teams, this being the third time they have competed having finished runner up to the Irish in 2010.

The French team raised some eyebrows last week after their strong performance in the Cowes-Dinard-St Malo race. "I am very happy to participate here because Cowes is the Mecca of sailboat racing," said Olivier Pesci. "We are proud to represent France in this very high level competition. It is the fifth time we have participated and I think France has won two times - so why not a third?"

As to the light forecast, Hervé Borgoltz thinks the Grand Soleils will be just fine, although their J/122 may suffer slightly.

The Dutch crew on Harmen de Graaf's Baraka GP racing as the 'big boat' in the Benelux team is wishing they had more preparation time. The boat only arrived a few weeks ago and in addition to getting the boat ready they have sailed the Round the Island Race but have otherwise only managed to snatch a few hours of training and none of it in light conditions.

However the crew is experienced. "We have had five hours of sailing with this boat and we feel quite comfortable, but in a year's time we will have another opinion," admits Baraka GP's Dirk de Graaf, eldest son of owner Herman. The whole crew is looking forward to the Ker 40 one design dust-up with sisterships featuring in the Hong Kong, GBR Red and White teams.

One team relishing the light forecast is the British Keelboat Academy racing David Aisher's J/109, Yeoman of Wight, in GBR Black, the smallest, lowest rated boat in the whole Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup.

"The lighter airs suits us and we are moded for a light airs event," says the BKA's Luke McCarthy. Lower rated boats tend to perform well in light air - as one observer commented: "It doesn't matter how big you are, everyone drifts at the same speed...."

McCarthy continues: "We are rated with the larger headsails, so that suits us and some of the 40.7s have bigger jibs. I think from a team point of view in GBR Black, we have another small boat in Salvo, so if there is any lighter air park ups in some of the offshore races, it is conceivable that the smaller boat ends up being a little bit more favoured, if there are any lighter air sections in any of the longer races."

In GBR White Nicolas Gaumont-Prat, skipper of Philosophie IV, was also happy with the forecast. "The First 40.7 has always been very competitive and it has a good rating. Normally we are pretty fast in light wind, although we were pretty fast last year when we had some heavy conditions as well. The 40.7 has some overlapping jibs, so although she is a pretty heavy boat she tends to do pretty well in light winds."

While Gaumont-Prat doesn't sound English, he has been based in London for 12 years, is a member of the RORC and has been racing in the UK throughout this time. His crew is a mix of French and English.

Jamie Matheson, Executive Chairman of Brewin Dolphin, was looking forward to the week ahead. "I think everything is set fair. It looks like we are going to get decent weather and nice sea breezes, which is what the sailors want and that will make for a successful regatta. It is good to see the boats here and the whole place looking alive, so I am very encouraged.

"This is our first year of sponsoring the regatta. It is part of a three edition deal that we've done. We are not unfamiliar with sponsoring sailing, but this is a new venture for us and we are very excited about it. It is a different type of regatta from that which we have done in the past, but we are all looking forward to it."

Further details of the Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup can be found here.

Crew lists and teams can be found here.

As Irish sailing prepares to honour the team that brought the Commodores' Cup home after a ten year wait, the fact Ireland previously won the Cup 32 years ago will be news to many involved, wrote David O'Brien in last Friday's Irish Times Sailing Column.

It turns out a single Irish Team won the Cup in 1978 beating an English team, the only other entry that year. (See Jack Connor's note below).

What amounts to a lost chapter in the history of the cup reveals Ireland's long standing love affair with the top prize in cruiser-racing.

The 2010 achievement is being celebrated on November 13th at the Irish Cruiser Racer (ICRA) Conference in Cork and at a gala dinner in honour of the team at the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Crosshaven that same night.

After mounting multiple teams, considered favourites going into both the 2006 and 2008 events but failing to win either, the Royal Cork boats Antix, Marinerscove.ie and Roxy VI secured the Cup in August.

After first being jilted by the French and twice by the English, the Irish could be forgiven for giving up on the cup but we never did.

The win is the highlight of the sailing year and it is the centrepiece of an action packed conference that will reflect on a job well done, the same as in 1978.

Back then the Commodore's Cup was also staged in Cowes. It was hosted by The Royal Corinthian Yacht Club and sponsored by John Haig, Scotch Whisky.

Only two teams registered, Ireland and England, so it became a match racing event. The teams consisted of a One Tonner, a Three Quarter Tonner and a Half Tonner in the existing rating bands of the day.

The Irish team consisted of Jack Connor's Sheer Magic, from Carrickfergus, Poppy, a contention 33, on charter from John Deans to Pat Donovan and Silver Shamrock skippered by Harry Cudmore.

The English team consisted of Green Highlander, Samsara and Red Hot Granny.

Crew line-up included Cork sailmakers John and Des McWilliam and Dick Gibson.

The races consisted of three inshore races, one middle distance and the event culminated in a Channel Race, similar to today's event.

Skipper Jack Connor says "I remember all the details as the sponsor had put up a prize of a gallon bottle of whisky to the winner of each class for each race! We won two, I still have one of the bottles, but Harry and his crew of four others won every race, that's five one gallon bottles of Haig!

It's a seldom heard story that is certain to be applauded again in Cork next month and one that should renew efforts to bring the Cup home for a third time.

1978 Commodore's Cup Winner Jack Connor writes:

I have recently read of the success of our national team in the Commodore' Cup event, and I whole heartedly congratulate all involved. I do not wish to knock the wind out of any sails but I would point out that the Commodore's Cup was won by Ireland in 1978! The event was staged in Cowes, hosted by The Royal Corinthian Yacht Club and sponsored by John Haig, Scotch Whisky. Two teams registered, Ireland and England so it became a match racing event. The teams consisted of a One Tonner, a Three Quarter Tonner and a Half Tonner in the existing rating bands. the Irish team consisted of Sheer Magic,from Carrickfergus, my boat, Poppy,a contention 33, on charter from John(?) Deans to Pat Donovan and Silver Shamrock skippered by Harry Cudmore.
The English team consisted of Green Highlander, Tom Chadwick; Samsara, Odile Van Trom or Dom(I think); and Red Hot Granny, or Gonnagetcha. There was one French boat turned up at the marina, but it did not take part.
I remember all the details as the sponsor had put up a prize of a gallon bottle of whisky to the winner of each class for each race! We won two,i still have one of the bottles, but Harry and his crew of four others won every race! 5 one gallon bottles of Haig's!!!
Ireland won the event and we were presented with the Commodore's Cop trophy, a Gold Cup which had been donated by two well known sailors of the time (I do forget their names- sorry).I believe it is the same trophy.
The races consisted of three inshore races, one middle distance and culminated in the Channel Race. We had enlisted the help of John McWilliam and Dick Gibson from the McWilliam sail loft as crew and I recall Des joined us for the Channel Race.It was hard to get time off work in those days.
It was our first time in the "Big League" of sailing and we enjoyed every minute of it.My memory of those times is still pretty good if anyone wants more information.
(there is an interesting story attached to Sheer Magic if anyone is interested.) Regards Jack Connor.

 

 

A Commodores' Cup dinner to celebrate the historic achievement of the Irish Team winning the Rolex Commodores Cup in August 2010 will be held at the Royal Cork Yacht Club on November 13th at 19.30 hrs.

Team Ireland boats, Antix - Anthony O Leary, Marinerscove.ie - Dave Dwyer and Roxy 6 - Rob Davies and Andrew Creighton, will be represented on the night.

The dinner cost will be €30 and booking will be on first come/first served basis. Book with [email protected] or call 021 4831023.

The world trophy for offshore cruiser racing is in Irish hands and Cork has dominated the successful assault on the Commodore's Cup in the hallowed waters of Cowes, centre of British yachting writes Tom MacSweeney.

Several times in previous years the Irish team were favourites, leading the event, with the cup seemingly in their grasp, but were beaten on the last day of the event. This year they led from the opening day. Maintaining their lead to the finish after five days of racing.

Putting just one team of three boats into the competition this year proved the best approach. Like other competing nations such as the UK and France, Ireland had entered previously entered several teams. But the result was internal rivalry that did not bring overall Irish victory.

On Saturday last as the Commodore's Cup fleet of 30 boats, representing 10 nations, headed into the Solent off Cowes for the final day's racing, Ireland was again in the lead. The crews of the Irish team's three boats - Antix, Marinerscove.ie and Roxy 6, were conscious of what had happened to their predecessors and how victory had been snatched away on the last day.

Throughout the week they had built a commanding lead, each of the team boats achieving top fleet positions racing in three different classes. It seemed they were almost certain to win the cup, but those thoughts were being forced aside, almost as if concentrating on them might jinx the final outcome.

With the team boats all from the Royal Cork, one competing in each class, the sailors all knowing each other, there was to be no repeat of previous years. Then there had been internal skirmishing between the several Irish teams on the final day, jockeying for positions, but seemingly focus to bring overall victory.

Ireland celebrates victory in Cowes last weekend. Photo: David Branigan

There was plenty of skirmishing and jockeying with opponents on the start line for the final race last Saturday when one French boat tried to protest Antix out of Class 1 in an incident before the start. Anthony O'Leary, skippering Antix, kept his cool and took a penalty time turn allowed under the rules, avoiding what could have been a messy protest. The crew of Antix sailed her so well that she made up lost time at the start during the race. When the French protested at the end of the race, they lost out, having overlooked that Antix had taken the penalty before the race started

Sweet justice for an Irish team when one remembers what happened in another world cup sport!

Strong, gusty winds, dominated the final day, but all three Irish boats sailed well. Antix finished second in Class 1, while Dave Dwyer's Marinerscover.ie revelled in the conditions with another first place in Class 2 while Rob Davies' Roxy 6 was second in Class 3, keeping the Irish team out in front, aggregated on the overall results.

At the rather upper class Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes, it was a great sight when the 50-strong Irish contingent of crews, team management and shore support staff were invited on stage at the presentation ceremony. Their haul of prizes included being the best European team at the event, the best team in both offshore and inshore races during the week and of course, the Commodore's Cup, a long-awaited victory.

After the formalities, Cowes echoed to the sound of the Irish singing The Fields of Athenry in the Pier View pub which had been unofficial headquarters for the team during the week.

The team was organised by the Irish Cruiser Racing Association under the auspices of the Irish Sailing Association. Management was led by Commodore Barry Rose from the RCYC, with Denis Kiely from Kinsale Yacht Club; Mike Broughton, Norbert Reilly and Fintan Cairns, former ICRA Commodore. He had led previous attempts to win the cup.

This is a great achievement, adding to the standing of Irish sailing internationally. All those involved, the boat owners, skippers, crew, team management and shore support deserve the highest praise. That Cork has had such a dominant involvement in Ireland's victory is marvellous.

In youth sailing, Cork sailors are continuing to stamp their mark nationally. I have been highlighting the achievements of young Optimist sailors, which were added to at the national class championships, sailed at Waterford Harbour Sailing Club. This is based in Dunmore East where huge swells are typical conditions as the seas roll into that fishing port.

Peter McCann from the Royal Cork sailed magnificently to become Senior Open and National Champion. Second to him was Peter Crosbie, also from the RCYC. Daire Cournane, a member of both the RCYC and Kinsale YC dominated the junior fleet, winning the open and national championship titles.
Another young sailor has caused so much controversy that the World Sailing Speed Record Council has decided it will no longer give recognition to records for "youngest" sailors, "to avoid encouraging dangerous sailing attempts." Guinness World Records has made a similar decision. Both were announced as 14-year-old Dutch girl Laura Dekker began a bid to become the youngest person to sail alone around the world. She had planned to leave from Portugal, but Portugese law does not allow minors to sail alone. So she left from Gibraltar instead.
A Dutch Court previously blocked her attempt at the request of child protection agencies, though her parents, experienced sailors, have supported her. Born on a yacht, she maintains she is competent to make the voyage which will not be non-stop. Dekker will call at several ports.
Earlier this year Australian Jessica Watson completed a non-stop 210-day round-the-world voyage at the age of 16. In June another 16-year-old, Abby Sunderland, was rescued in the Indian Ocean when she and her boat got into difficulties.
If Laura Dekker does complete her voyage, it will not get official record recognition.
• This article is reprinted by permission of the CORK EVENING ECHO in which Tom MacSweeney writes maritime columns twice weekly. Evening Echo website: www.eecho.ie

The Rolex Commodores' Cup arrived back in Cork last night and winning team Ireland received a heroes welcome from the Royal Cork Yacht Club writes Claire Bateman.

In his welcome Admiral Paddy McGlade mentioned there were ten trophies for the event, eight of which were won by Team Ireland. One was for best British boat that obviously Ireland couldn't win, and the other was for best female crew category which they certainly couldn't win! When Team Leader Anthony O'Leary arrived he received a standing ovation and was joined by Andrew Creighton and his family.

Unfortunately marinerscove.ie skipper David Dwyer was still on his way home and could not be present but nonetheless marinerscove.ie was very much in the minds of all present.

In the Team Leader's speech Anthony made special mention of and paid tribute to Rob Davies of Roxy 6 and the hugely important part Roxy had played in the successful outcome.

He said Antix and marinerscove.ie had been around for some time but Roxy was a new build recently launched. He again expressed his gratitude for the unstinting and unswerving support so generously provided by Rob Davies any time it was requested for Roxy's campaign.

ICRA Commodore Barry Rose also spoke and gave a graphic description of the final race of the series and how well the Irish team coped with the conditions when all around them other boats were having major difficulties.

The formalities over, the Admiral rang the bell and the team members and their supporters enjoyed refreshments as they relived the seven days of the Rolex Commodores' Cup.

Job well done. Team Ireland Captain Anthony O'Leary is welcomed home by Royal Cork Admiral Paddy McGlade. Photo: Bob Bateman

 

 

Ireland has won the 2010 Commodores' Cup but it was not without final race drama this morning. According to reports from the race course, Team Captain Anthony O'Leary was in a collision before the start of the race with a French competitor when winds gusted to 30 knots.

The news that Ireland has won the Cup is already being celebrated in Crosshaven this lunch time, the home of the three boat team.

The winning Ireland team from Royal Cork was Antix, Anthony O'Leary (Ker 39); Marinerscove.ie David Dwyer (Mills 39) and Roxy 6 Robert Davies (Corby 36).

After a series of near misses in the Commodore’s Cup, there are many reasons why 2010 was entirely appropriate timing for the Irish win in Cowes this week.

Ireland fielded a single three boat team instead of its previous two and three team approach. Individual performances this season though, including a win at the British IRC Nationals were early indicators that Ireland still had the will to win the Commodore's Cup.

And it was obvious  this week from the first inshore race on Sunday that Ireland would take a lot of stopping.

To send your congratulations to the Irish team click here

To join our forum thread click here

 

Following good performances by Ireland's three boats in the Rolex Commodore's Cup in Cowes yesterday plus the reinstatement of Roxy 6 in the jury room, Ireland has extended its overall lead to 36 points with just the final, high-scoring race tomorrow (Saturday) remaining as the last hurdle to cross for the Irish Cruising Racing Association.

Now on 66.5 points to second placed Hong Kong's 100.5, the Irish team's position at the Rolex Commodores' Cup is looking all but unassailable. With just one inshore race to go today it would now take a major disaster in all three classes for the immaculate Irish to lose their grip of the trophy that has eluded them for so long.

Yesterday the 29 strong fleet (one down with Paul Turner's Artemis in GBR Black out of the competition with a damaged keel) sailed anti-clockwise around the Isle of Wight, the results from this 55-nautical-mile carrying a points co-efficient of 1.5x. This was held in southwesterly wind that peaked at around 24 knots as the boats battled their down the western Solent towards the Needles in lumpy wind against tide conditions.

In the big boat class, Anthony O'Leary's Ker 39 Antix scored another win, her fourth this week, giving her by far the lowest points score of all the boats at the Rolex Commodores' Cup. She won on corrected by a minute, once again from her sistership, Bernard Gouy's Inis Mor racing in France Yellow.

"The start was very tricky," commented Dave Lenz, Antix' tactician and one of the crews two permitted professional sailors. "There was tide, not much breeze and while you weren't crossing the line on starboard, you wanted the left because of the effective bias there." Surprisingly only one boat, Inspara (RSA), was swept over the line by the tide and had to re-start.

Antix did well heading down the western Solent, managing to get into clear air which Lenz says was key. At the Needles the going got very bumpy thanks to the strong wind and tidal situation. "It was quite rough down there - we saw 23-24 knots and some short sharp pretty big waves." From the Needles the wind dropped to around 17-19 knots, but they were pushing tide which momentarily turned in their favour after they rounded St Catherine's Point, the southernmost tip of the Isle of Wight, turning foul again as they approached the eastern entrance to the Solent. "I thought it was going to be lower visibility, but it was alright," concluded Lenz.

"There was huge apprehension today but now we know where we are and we just have to hold it together," Dave Dwyer said last night. "There's no sense of winning, just get the job done."

"Tomorrow is a double-points day and full failure is 60 points," said Dwyer. "It would take three boats having full failure and though the odds are against that, we're going to be very, very careful and approach the race conservatively which is the approach since the start of the week."

"We had a good solid day," said Barry Rose, ICRA Commodore. "The Irish team will be taking the same approach we've had all week: hard work and grind out the best result possible."

In the medium and small boat classes, it was a good day for France with a win for Géry Trentesaux and Marc de Saint Denis' First 40 Coup de Coeur for France Blue in the former and Marc Alperovitch and Jerome Huillard's A-35 Prime Time for France Yellow in the latter.

Marc de Saint Denis, Commodore of the Union Nationale Course Au Large, said that they spent much of the race match racing their sistership, La Réponse co-owned by Peter Morton and Andrew McIrvine, Saint Denis' equivalent at the Royal Ocean Racing Club. "In general, it's him beating us. So today we managed to reverse the situation, - we managed to overtake little by little, especially at the finish where an important tactical decision had to be made between the winds and the tide."

The Coup de Coeur crew made their greatest gains on the reach to St Catherine's Point. "We didn't make so many mistakes today - it's not always like this, so we are very happy to be able to 'count' this race, a race that was interesting tactically, but also with a stunning landscape, which on the Isle of Wight is really special. The Solent is a splendid place to race, the wind conditions and current are very variable."

As to the level of competition this year Saint Denis thinks it is very good, but that now the Irish team is virtually untouchable.

Among the small boats today's winner Prime Time made a good start, but suffered on the leg from the Needles to St Catherine's Point when they did not go in close enough to the Isle of Wight to get out of the tide.

"At St Cats we weren't too bad and then we really pushed hard after that," said helmsman Jérôme Huillard. "And the reach on the way back went quite well and we worked really hard on the boat because we knew it was going to be down to seconds." In the event the small boat class today saw the closest finish with Prime Time correcting out just 18 seconds ahead of Francois Blossier's A-35 sistership RealAx, which scored her best result of the regatta. Unusually French boats took the top four spots in the small boat class today.

"The boat is going fast, not in all conditions but today was okay. On a reach we are not super good, but today we really worked hard," concluded Huillard.

South Africa continue to suffer at this regatta, now lying in eighth place overall. Small boat in the team is the J/109 Inspara, skippered by David Hudson. Hudson runs the Race Ahead, an organisation that aims to nurture sailing talent among under privileged youths in South Africa. Aboard for this regatta, his stars in the making are Wandisile Xayimpi and Marlon Jones.

Helping the Inspara team this regatta is also Mark Sadler, skipper of Team Shosholoza, South Africa's 32nd America's Cup challenger. "Dave Hudson who has chartered this J/109 asked me to come and help him out. He races Laser SB3s a lot with his guys, but most of them are dinghy sailors. So I'm here just to help them adapt to big boat sailing."

Sadler says while he competed at Cowes Week with the team, he hasn't sailed much in the UK before and today was his first lap of the Isle of Wight. "It was fantastic. Great tourism! This run has been fun."

They finished eighth today, and Sadler concedes that they haven't had the best regatta. He is not used to the Solent, and the boat has had its weak points compared to the competition. "It is okay. We are enjoying it, but I don't think we can do much better than where we are."

Tomorrow is the final day of the Rolex Commodores' Cup. This will be marked by a single inshore race in the Solent that scores double points. While the Ireland team is in good shape to take home the Trophy, the final places on the podium remain wide open with 8.5 points separating the second placed Hong Kong team from France Blue in third.

Top Five Teams - Provisional Positions after completion of 7 races

Team / Points / Place

Ireland / 64.5 / 1

Hong Kong/ 100.5 / 2

France Blue / 109/ 3

France Yellow /126 / 4

GBR Red / 128/ 5

 

Ireland is off to a great start this morning in the Round the Island Race. ICRA Commodore Barry Rose is out by the Needles. He says: "Antix is doing super in Class 1. Mariners is fourth on the water and ahead of most her Class One. Roxy second to Rockall, probably third in class" More as we have it.

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