Plans are well underway at the Royal Cork Yacht Club to host the Irish Cruiser Racing Association’s National Championships in Cork Harbour on the 9th to 11th June. For the second consecutive year the nationals will be a three day event. However while the decision to reduce the event from historically being four days was hoped to suit boat owners and crews trying to juggle family time, work holidays and participation a busy cruiser racing schedule, it unfortunately doesn’t reduce the workload for a busy event organising committee under direction of Chairman Paul Tingle and including Tom Crosbie, Michael McCann and Julianne McDonnell.

With National Titles up for grabs the Royal Cork Yacht Club have put together a very experienced team of race officials across the various divisions and with a variety of division options available to ensure all racing enthusiasts are catered for. International Race Officer Peter Crowley will take charge of the Non-Spinnaker and the new Coastal division which has been introduced due to the renewed interest in longer leg type racing. While in the IRC fleets International Race Officer’s Jack Roy and Alan Crosbie are both lined up, with a mixture of windward leeward and Olympic type courses planned.

Enjoying the Social Side of Sailing at Royal Cork

On the shorefront craneage will be provided by Salve Marine, Castlepoint and Crosshaven Boatyards. Special cranes arrangements are available on request. 

While we will all be there for great racing the social side is not forgotten by the organising committee. There will be entertainment at the club on the Friday and Saturday nights with a BBQ after racing and a sit down dinner also available and it would be remiss to speak about going to Crosshaven and not to mention the many fabulous restaurants in the area.

To alleviate any accommodation headaches the Royal Cork Yacht Club have provided a very comprehensive accommodation list. There is limited camping facilities at the venue or perhaps an equally convenient but far more comfortable option, which has become increasingly popular in recent years, would be camper van rental. 

The early bird entry fee is available until May 12th but the Royal Cork Yacht Club and ICRA would ask competitors to enter early to facilitate planning and organising of the event.

Queries can be directed to the event office at the Royal Cork Yacht Club on 021 483023.

Royal Cork Yacht Club in conjunction with ICRA and RORC will be running an IRC Measurement weekend on the 5th, 6th and 7th of May.

The aim of this weekend is two fold:

IRC Measurers:
• To train up new people on the south-coast to be qualified to measure boats. This will be done over the one evening and two day course, the cost of this will be €50 per person and will include lunch during the course.
Boat Measuring:
• While the course is on, RORC will be offering to measure boats at a substantial discount to normal cost, so if you are interested in getting your boat weighed and measured it will be done here in Crosshaven for a cost of €200 per boat. Spaces will be limited for this offer so it will be on a first come first served basis.

If you are interested in either of the two option planned for this weekend as places will be limited, so book early to ensure you get in. Further details here.

The Royal Cork Yacht Club in Cork Harbour achieved second place in a strong international field at the International Marina of the Year Awards and, as previously reported by Afloat.ie, were just pipped to the post by the Karpaz Gate Marina, located in northern Cyprus.

Gavin Deane, General Manager at the Royal Cork Yacht Club, said: “We are delighted to receive this significant award from TYHA. This is as a result of the hard work of the Executive Committee and Club Staff since the Royal Cork attained the Five Gold Anchor Status in late 2011. The award means so much to everyone at the Club as it is voted for by both our berth holders and visiting boats”.

For more on this story click here

The Royal Cork Yacht Club achieved second place in a strong international field at the Marina of the Year Awards and were just pipped to the post by the Karpaz Gate Marina, located in northern Cyprus.

The Yacht Harbour Association (THYA) announced the winners of its prestigious Marina of the Year Awards, with proud sponsors GJW at the 2017 London Boat Show. Now in its fourth year, the Awards recognise the best of more than 160 Gold Anchor accredited marinas from around the world. The winning marinas are voted for by their berth holders in the International, Superyacht, UK Coastal and UK Inland categories.

Gavin Deane, General Manager at the Royal Cork Yacht Club, siad: “We are delighted to receive this significant award from the YHA. This is as a result of the hard work of the Executive Committee and Club Staff since the Royal Cork attained the Five Gold Anchor Status in late 2011. The award means so much to everyone at the Club as it is voted for by both our berth holders and visiting boats”

Marina of the Year 2017 winners and runners:

International Marina of the Year 2017
Winner – Karpaz Gate Marina
Runner up – Royal Cork Yacht Club

Superyacht Marina of the year 2017
Winner – IGY Isle de Sol
Runner up – Talise Pavilion Marina

UK Coastal Marina of the Year 2017 (over 250 berths)
Winner – Largs Yacht Haven
Runner up – MDL Torquay Marina

UK Coastal Marina of the Year 2017 (under 250 berths)
Winner – Poole Quay Boat Haven
Runner up – Portavadie Marina

UK Inland Marina of the Year 2017
Winner – Church Minshull Aqueduct Marina
Runner up – MDL Windsor Marina

This year saw the launch of the accolade Marina of Distinction. This honour distinguishes a marina with over three consecutive years of continual customer service excellence, as voted for by its customers in the Marina of the Year competition. To qualify, marinas must rank a category finalist over three consecutive competitions. On the third year, they would automatically receive the title of Marina of Distinction.

To commemorate their achievement, winners and runners up of the Awards, as well as receivers of Marina of Distinction, were presented with laser etched glass trophies and framed certificates by David Perfect, Managing Director of GJW, and Sarah Hanna, Chairman of The Yacht Harbour Association.

Jon White, General Manager of The Yacht Harbour Association, commented: “A huge congratulations to all the winners, runners up and all marinas who were voted for in the 2017 Marina of the Year competition. The array of marinas who stood out in this year’s competition showed how strong the today’s marina industry is at achieving, and in some cases exceeding, the modern consumer’s standard of quality service and excellent facilities.

“The new Marina of Distinction accolade goes one further, honouring outstanding long-term customer service. We are delighted this year to be awarding five marinas from across the world for the first time with the title of Marina of Distinction.”

Marinas of Distinction for 2017:

International Marina of the Year 2017
Marina de Vilamoura

Superyacht Marina of the year 2017
Porto Montenegro

UK Coastal Marina of the Year 2017 (over 250 berths)
Mayflower Marina

UK Coastal Marina of the Year 2017 (under 250 berths)
Southampton Town Quay

UK Inland Marina of the Year 2017
Overwater Marina

Royal Cork's Harry Durcan was back on the water in Crosshaven, County Cork at the weekend with crew Harry Whitaker in advance of their first 29er skiff event of the year in Spain in February.

The first Eurocup of 2017 marks a new chapter for the youth sailing pair who have already notched up an overall win at the UK 29er British Nationals last August.

Meanwhile, Harry's twin brother Johnny returns from Australia today having finished fifth overall at the Australian Laser Youth Nationals in Adelaide on Friday.

Next year's three big Irish sailing regattas have set out their stalls early. The race is on to attract entries for July's Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta but before that there will be a fortnight of action on the South Coast with the Sovereign's Cup at Kinsale and the ICRA Nationals at Royal Cork both taking place in June.

The ICRA Notice of Race is published here and the Dun Laoghaire NOR is published here. Details on the 2017 Sovereign's Cup are here.

As an extra incentive all fully paid entries for VDLR received by 31st December will be automatically entered into a draw and 10% of these crews will have their entry fee refunded. 

Organisers are expecting up to 31 Classes for the 2017 Regatta at Dun Laoghaire that also celebrates the bicentenary of its famous Harbour with a Classic Boat section. 

Both the Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) and the Royal Cork Yacht Club (RCYC) have just launched their respective websites for the ICRA National Championships which will take place at the Crosshaven club from Friday 9th to Sunday 11th June.

Online entry is now open and available at www.cruiserracing.ie and www.royalcork.com

Along with nine National IRC and ECHO Titles the event will also host the Corinthian Cup and for the first time a new ICRA Coastal Cup. A minimum of six races are scheduled but with the option to sail additional races at the discretion of the RO, determined by factors such as the weather. Racing is scheduled to start at 1400 on Friday 9th. Closing date for the early entry fee is 12th May, 2017. The Notice of Race can be downloaded below.

The Royal Cork Yacht Club have been working closely with Kinsale Yacht Club on scheduling of event dates with Sovereign’s Cup taking place two weeks later, boat storage in between events and even some delivery opportunities. The first 20 o line entries to the ICRA National Championships (non-Munster) will be offered the option of having their boat delivered after the ICRA event by sea from Crosshaven to Kinsale for Sovereigns Cup on June 21st to 24th. Further details to follow. To facilitate planning the organising committee would encourage all boat owners to enter early.

Bright sunshine and a blue sea with an eight to ten knot northerly breeze greeted competitors for the third day of the O’Leary Insurance Group Winter League in Cork Harbour today writes Bob Bateman. The first mark on the Royal Cork Yacht Club course was the Corkbeg buoy. Some competitors chose to sail beyond it to head for the eastern shore. This allowed them to avoid the worst of the ebb tide for the hard beat up to number thirteen, passing the Whitegate Refinery jetty on the way.

Once rounding thirteen it was a slalom course all the way home, a run to number eleven, a gybe and reach to number ten, a further gybe and reach to Corkbeg, more gybing and a reach to the finish between Adrielle and Cage Buoy. Race Officers for the popular winter series were again Clem and Wendy Mc Elligott.

First boat to finish was Denis Murphy’s 1720 Aquatack helmed by Michael Mc Cann followed by True Pennance Martin Darrer and Colman Garvey helmed by Roy Darrer.

Johnny Durcan was the winner of Royal Cork Yacht Club's prestigious Pyewacket Trophy for his results in the Laser Radial class. It's a campaign boost to the Cork youth sailor's winter race preparations as he heads off to New Zealand on December 7th for the World Sailing Youth World Championships where a place on the podium would equal club–mate Seafra Guilfoyle's silver medal of 2014.

Durcan started his season with a third at the Youth nationals and received a place on the ISA academy and from there went on to Hyeres to finish ninth at the biggest Laser Radial Europa Cup of the year. Following that he finished fourth at the Holland Europa cup and then third at the Belgium Europa Cup. At home, the Royal Cork ace won the Leinsters a week before finishing seventh at the  KBC–sponsored Radial Youth World Championships at the Royal St.George on Dublin Bay. From there he travelled to Weymouth and became the British youth champion the following week. The last event of the summer was the national championships in Galway which he also won to earn himself a place at the Youth worlds in NZ next month. To cap off a season of highs he also won the Junior All Irelands in late September in Schull.

Durcan is heading off to New Zealand on December 7th. He has been training every weekend for the past three months. After New Zealand Durcan moves to compete in the Australian Radial Nationals.

In October 2001, the late Roy Disney, widely known American sailing enthusiast who had a home in West Cork, had strong ties with the Royal Cork Yacht Club, and participated in many Ford Cork Week Regattas, presented the club with the Pyewacket Perpetual Cup at a dinner in the club hosted by the then Admiral, Anthony O'Leary. The Pyewacket Trophy is presented each year to the youth sailor, who in the opinion of the Adjudicating Committee, has achieved the best results overall in his or her class.

Johnny's twin brother Harry was a nominee with Harry Whitaker was a nominee for the Pyewacket trophy following their success at the 29er British Nationals in August.

The twin's father Tom, is co–owner of the 1720 T–Bone, the winner of the 2016 Sports Boat Cup and last month's 1720 Class winner of RCYC's CH Marine Autumn Series. 

Read also: Irish Youth Sailing Success Comes Centre Stage

A unique north–south Olympic campaign was launched last night at Royal Cork Yacht Club when double Olympian Ryan Seaton of Belfast Lough announced new crew Seafra Guilfoyle of Cork Harbour as his partner for Tokyo 2020.

As Afloat.ie reported previously, the new pairing will face stiff competition not least from Seaton's former crew Matt McGovern who is among up to four campaigns aiming for Tokyo selection in the mens skiff class.

The Belast–Cork duo say they are looking to build on Rio's top ten finish, Ireland's top Olympic 49er result so far.

In a further boost for Irish skiff class hopes, a boat that is not yet raced here domestically, there are also three other fledgling campaigns readying for Tokyo and beyond too.

Oisin O’Driscoll from Schull and Mark Hassett from Baltimore, Sean and Tadgh Donnelly from Dun Laoghaire, and Robert Dickson from Howth with Sean Waddilove from Skerries have all been involved in training camps at home and in Spain bringing Irish interest in the 16–footer to an all–time high.

Read also: Irish 49ers Are Ahead of the Curve