Anthony O'Leary's modified 1720 Antix Beag from the host club continues to lead the all–in IRC spinnaker division of the O'Leary Insurance Winter League by a single point writes Bob Bateman. Staying second is Kieran Collins's Olson 30, Coracle IV. Moving up to third is Brian Jones's J109 Jelly Baby.

In spite of several competing yachts grounding before the start at low tide, Royal Cork Yacht Club Race Officers Clem and Wendy McElligott got racing away promptly, setting a course (67 on the course card ) in chilly easterly conditions of eight to ten knots to Corkbeg  The course then left number 16 to port, a run past Cobh to Whitepoint (No. 5) to starboard, a beat back to (no. 13) off Cuskinny then back out the harbour to (no 5) Dognose and then a run to Cage.

Two of three competing Impala's Prometeus Paul Murray and Whistlin' Dixie Tom McCarthy Photo: Bob BatemanFrank Doyle’s J122E. CaraAntix Beag helmed by Ritchie HarringtonThe Grand Soleil Nieulargo sailed by 16 yr old Mia MurphyThe Desmond/Ivers/Deasy owned Bad Company to weather of the under-25 Academy 1720

Results are here

Last Friday night the Royal Cork Yacht Club end of year prize giving for the keelboats was held, a great crowd turned up to the evening, the format for this prize giving changed a few years ago, away from a formal dinner to a fun, more relaxed night with finger food in the main club bar and this as proven to be a great success with over 70 members in attendance on the night.

RCYC Vice Admiral Colin Morehead opened the evening with a warm welcome and thanks to all. The first set of prizes was for the Fitzgerald Menware Aug/Sept League swiftly followed by the Northsails Sunday Morning Leagues and the Coastal series league. The RCYC annual Super League prize was then presented, this is the trophy for the combination of all mid-week racing across the season.

Next up was the Overall trophies and we have introduced three new trophies in 2018, we added a Keelboat sailor of the year, won by Molly Murphy, a Under 25 sailor of the year, won by Robyn Lynch and the Royal Cork Stanchion trophy (for the boat won was unable to keep all their crew on board while racing, for one reason or another during the year) this was won by Deirdre & Paul Tingle.

Colin Morehead and Frank Doyle, Fitzgerald’s Menswear August leagueColin Morehead and Paul TingleJack Young presenting Oisin MacSweeney, winner of the North Sails Sunday Morning LeagueJack Young and Len Donnery, North Sails Sunday morning leagueCormac MacSweeney and Jack Young, Fitzgerald’s Menswear August September leagueColin Morehead and Kieran O'BrienColin Morehead and Denis Byrne IRC 2 Super LeagueColin Morehead, Mel Collins & Kieran Collins, IRC 1 Super League winnersColin Morehead and Brian Jones, Ballycottton RaceColin Morehead and Denis Ellis, August combined leagueColin Morehead and Tadgh Lynch representing Paul O’Shea for White Sail boat of the tearColin Morehead and Tom McGrath volunteer of the year with the under 25 AcademyPaul Tingle, Colin Morehead and Deirdre Tingle Royal Cork Stanchion trophyColin Morehead and Molly Murphy keelboat sailor of the yearColin Morehead and Robyn Lynch and Tom McGrath under 25 Sailor of the YearColin Morehead and Peter O’ Leary, Best Overseas Performance in the Star classColin Morehead, Kieran Collins, Mel Collins, Kieran O’Connell club boat of the yearKieran O Connell and Roy HananBrian Jones, Kieran O’Connell and Colin Morehead

A full list of prize winners is below:

RCYC Super League Winners 2018

Club ECHO SPIN 1 Fleet

1st IRL77883 Coracle IV

Club ECHO SPIN 2 Fleet

1st GBR9896 Magnet

Club ECHO WS Fleet

1st IRL1022 Aramis

IRC SPIN 1 Fleet

1st IRL77883 Coracle IV

IRC SPIN 2 Fleet

1st IRL2501 Cracker

IRC WS Fleet

1st Elegance Paul O Shea

IHS Division

1st IHS Exhale

2018 Coastal Series

Ballycotton Race IRL 9609 Jelly Baby

Round the Island Series IRL77883 Coracle IV

Club Trophies

Whitesail boat of the year Elegance Paul O Shea

Under 25 Sailor of the Year Robyn Lynch

Keelboat Sailor of the Year Molly Murphy

RCYC Stanchion Trophy Deirdre & Paul Tingle

Overseas Boat Peter & Rob O'Leary in the Star Class

Club Boat of the Year Coracle IV Kieran Collins

Boat of the Year Nieulargo Denis Murphy

Royal Cork Yacht Club Race officers set Course 97, a route that brought the O'Leary Insurance sponsored Winter League fleet to East Ferry in Cork Harbour and up to number 20 off Cobh writes Bob Bateman.

The modified 1720 Antix Beag (Anthony O'Leary) leads the all in IRC fleet after three races sailed by three points from club mate Kieran Collins in the Olsen 30 on nine points.
Third is Bad Company (Peter Deasy/Mark Ivors/Frank Desmond) in the Sunfast 32 one point behind.

Today's course was actually designed for a west wind but it worked very well for the 18-20 knots easterly that prevailed for day three of the League.

One boat retired with gear damage.

Off they go with a fetch to Cork beg. Three boats were OCS at the start. Photo: Bob Bateman

Jelly Baby (Jones Family) went into lead at Corkbeg and held on to it in race three Photo: Bob Bateman

IRC overall leader (Above and below) Anthony O'Leary's Antix Beag at speed Photo: Bob Bateman

Second in IRC overall Kieran Collins' Coracle IV Photo: Bob Bateman

Third in IRC overall is Bad Company (Peter Deasy/Mark Ivors/Frank Desmond), a Sunfast 32 Photo: Bob Bateman

Results are here

Only the bravest hoisted spinnakers in the somewhat reduced fleet that took part in today's heavy weather outing of the O'Leary Insurance Royal Cork Yacht Club Winter League from Crosshaven writes Bob Bateman.

The forecast proved correct in Cork Harbour because while conditions looked benign at 10 am the breeze soon averaged 27 knots with gusts of 37 in squalls from the south-west.

Strong gusts from the south-west for the second race of the Winter League

In what is turning out to be a series of contrasts, this race followed last week's opener in light airs.

The Committee Boat set Course 7o for the second race

Race Officers Clem and Wendy McElligott started the race from the Committee Boat at Grassy Walk and used Course 70 with a running start and took in an area from start to Corbeg to Number 7 buoy and then on to number 13 off Cuskinny, with several rounds totalling about 12 miles in total.

Kinsale Yacht Club's Alan Mulcahy now leads Echo overall

Kieran Collins' Coracle get to grips with the kite

Pat Vaughan’s Aramis in the sunshine after a rain squall

See more in Bob Bateman's photo gallery from race two below:

Coracle helmed by Mel Collins got off to a good start and led across Cork Harbour followed closely by Anthony O’Leary sailing the modified 1720 Antix Beag in the first races of the O’Leary Insurance Group’s sponsored Winter League at Royal Cork Yacht Club today writes Bob Bateman.

There was just a trickle of breeze at the start of the race but winds increased somewhat during racing, just as well with a 3.9m flood tide.

Light winds prevailed for the first RCYC Winter League Race

Having put their Sigma 33 Sea Hawk to bed for Winter, Clem and Wendy Mc Elligott, took up their annual role as race officers for the series. They set a course from The Committee boat /Cage across to the Eastern shore of the Harbour to Corkbeg back to round Cage take Number 7 to port round number 13 and finish between the Committee Boat and Number 9.

Despite her early lead, Coracle (Olsen 30) had to give way to an outward bound Gas Carrier and this allowed Antix Beag through on the water.

Corrected results are here.

A 15-knot northwesterly breeze brought the 2018 Royal Cork Yacht Club Autumn League to a close today writes Bob Bateman. 

The series attracted entries from all the south coast clubs including Kinsale Yacht Club, the newly founded Great Island SC, Monkstown Bay SC, Waterford Harbour SC and Schull Harbour SC.

This year's series was raced over five Sundays with a good mix of laid courses and coastal style courses across the series as well as racing for 1720's on their own course.

After seven races sailed, Conor Phelan's clean slate in a four-boat class zero fleet meant the Ker 37 did not have to sail the last race. Second overall was Frank Doyle's J122 Cara. 

Jump Juice

In the 14-boat Class one and two fleet, Annamarie and Denis Murphy's Grand Soliel 40 Nieulargo was the overall victor after seven races by four points from Kieran Collins' Olson 30 Coracle IV. Third was the Jones family J109, Jelly Baby.

Fulmar Fever

Visiting Westerly Fulmar, (Robert Marchant) from Waterford Harbour Sailing Club was the overall winner by four points after seven races sailed. Second was Richard Leonard's Bolero 26, Bandit. Third was the Trapper 250 Cracker (Denis Byrne). 

Nieulargo

In the 1720 sportsboat class, after 12 races sailed and two discards, Tom Durcan and Clive O'Shea's T-Bone emerged as the overall winners by three points from Anthony O'Leary's Evolution Racing.

1720 T bone

For full results see here 

With another win yesterday, Conor Phelan's Ker 37 Jump Juice has a clean sweep in class zero IRC of Royal Cork Yacht Club's Autumn league.

Second in this class is Frank Doyle's J122E Cara on 11 points with Tom Roche's Meridian from Kinsale Yacht Club one point behind on 12 points.  Four are competing

In class one and two IRC, Annamarie & Denis Murphy's Grand Soliel 40, Nieulargo has a three-point margin over Finbarr O'Regan's Elan 333 Artful Dodger on 11points.Third overall after five races sailed is Kieran Collins' Olson 30 Coracle IV.

Full results are here. 

In contrast to last Sunday where Royal Cork Yacht Club's Autumn League featured the heavy weather drama of broken spars, a grounding and a crew in the water, today's race was an airless one and racing for classes 1,2,3 and 4 (the spinnaker fleet) was abandoned writes Bob Bateman.

The white sail fleet got a start inside Cork Harbour with a first beat along the Eastern Shore.

Royal Cork Yacht Club finished fourth in the silver fleet at the Global Team Race Regatta in Newport, R.I., USA at the weekend.

With steady sailing across a full range of conditions and against a fleet of determined opponents, the Royal Thames Yacht Club (London, U.K.) claimed the championship at the inaugural Regatta, a two-on-two keelboat team race hosted by the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court from October 5 to 7. The octet of sailors from the historic London yacht club won 18 of 21 races over the course of three days. The team representing the host New York Yacht Club finished second with 16 wins and five losses. St Francis Yacht Club (San Francisco) was third at 15-6 and Reale Circolo Canottieri Tevere Remo (Rome, Italy) fourth with a 14-7 record.

A dozen teams from 10 countries, including Japan, Argentina and Australia, travelled to Newport for a frenetic weekend of sailing at the very end of the northeast sailing season. They were rewarded with wind from 5 to 20 knots, a matched fleet of 22 Sonar keelboats, an efficient race committee that cranked out 126 races and the unparalleled hospitality of the New York Yacht Club. Proponents of team racing, including New York Yacht Club Commodore Phil Lotz, who threw his full support behind the event, hope the Global Team Race Regatta will spur team racing's ascendancy to the pinnacle of competitive small-boat sailing, the Olympic Games. Of course, one successful team race isn't going to sufficiently charm the International Olympic Committee, but there was nonetheless a lot riding on this event.

Gold Fleet:
1. Royal Thames Yacht Club (England), 18-3
2. New York Yacht Club (New York), 16-5
3. St. Francis Yacht Club (St. Francisco), 15-6
4. Reale Circolo Canottieri Tevere Remo (Italy) 14-7
5. Dutch Match & Team Racing Association (The Netherlands) 9-12
6. Bayerischer Yacht Club (Germany), 6-15

Silver Fleet:
1. Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (Italy), 11-10
2. Japan Sailing Federation (Japan), 10-11
3. Royal Northern & Clyde Yacht Club (Scotland), 10-11
4. Royal Cork Yacht Club (Ireland), 8-13
5. Sorrento Sailing Couta Boat Club (Australia); 7-14
6. Yacht Club Argentino (Argentina), 2-19

It was a drama–filled second race day of Royal Cork Yacht Club's Autumn League when near gale force winds swept through today's coastal course race writes Bob Bateman. 

The three boats competing in Class Zero were reduced to two when Conor Doyle's XP50 Freya split her jib at the harbour mouth forcing her retiral.

Southwesterly winds at Roches Point at the entrance to Cork Harbour were averaging 24 knots but gusting to over thirty.

Dave Doyle's Muskateer from Great Island Sailing Club Photo: Bob Bateman

Prior to that, the zero start was postponed when Conor Phelan's Jump Juice fouled the pin end buoy of the start line and had to be freed and the line reset.

In a separate incident, in class one, the rail or rail wire on Paul Tingle's  XP33 Alpaca gave way and some of her hiking crew ended up in the water but were all recovered safely.

The course set by Race Officer Peter Crowley

Race officer Peter Crowley sent classes 0,1,2,3,4 on a coastal course starting close to Whitegate. Zero went to Daunt, Smiths, W1, No.5 with a finish at Cage. 

Class 1and 2 went to W1, Power Head, Ringabella, No.5 and a finish at Cage

Classes 3 and 4 got a shorter course out to Ringabella Harp and finish at Cage.

Race Officer David O'Brien sent the white sail division to Ringabella, Harp mark, back to W1, no 5 and finish at Cage. White Sail One got a slightly longer course but in the same area.

The 1720s sailed on the Harbour's Eastern Bank.

Sigma 33 Flyover (David Marchant)  Photo: Bob Bateman

Results are here

Miss Whiplash (John Downey) Photo: Bob Bateman

Jelly Baby (Brian Jones) Photo: Bob Bateman

Above and below the Elan 333 Chancer Photos: Bob Bateman

Coracle (Barry Rose) to leeward and Finnbarr O'Regan's Artful Dodger Photo: Bob Bateman

The J109 Justus from Kinsale Yacht Club Photo: Bob Bateman

Ria Lyden's Ellida Photo: Bob Bateman

(Above and below) The J80 Jedi skippered by Fergus Coughlan Photo: Bob Bateman

Bad Company, (Desmond/Ivers/Deasy) Photo: Bob Bateman

Robert Marchant's Fulmar Fever from Waterford Harbour Photo: Bob BatemanSean Hanley's Luas, a HB31 Photo: Bob Bateman