The race around the Fastnet Rock on day three of CD Environmental Calves Week saw new boats perform as the West Cork regatta enters its podium-deciding final round on Friday.
All seven fleets started in Schull harbour in foggy, damp conditions, and all left the Fastnet Rock to starboard, with the bigger Classes 0 and 1 having an additional mark off Crookhaven harbour.
Visibility at the start was approx half a mile with a 15 knots S/W wind and choppy sea. Conditions gradually got fresher with gusts to 25 knots when the heavy rain arrived in the early afternoon.
For the second time this week, the Calves Week prizegiving on Schull Main Street has been moved indoors to the Harbour Hotel due to the weather.
See the full results below
IRC Zero leader ValenTina flying her distinctive Day-Glo orange genoa staysail on a fetch from Crookhaven to Amelia Buoy off Schull in the Fastnet Rock Race on day three of Calves Week Photo: Maurice O'Connell
Tomorrow's final race will decide the Calves Week IRC title in five-boat IRC Zero as a single point separates overall leader John Treanor's J112e ValenTina from Norbert Reilly's J111 Ghostraider.
Paul O'Higgins in the JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI in the lead of IRC Zero in the Calves Week Fastnet Rock race Photo: lensfromaboveireland
A Fastnet Rock race win today by Paul O'Higgins in the JPK 10.80 puts Rockabill VI in third place and only two points off the lead.
Leslie Parnell's First 34.7 Black Velvet from Dublin still leads in IRC One of Calves Week Regatta Photo: Bob Bateman
Similarly, it's tight at the top of IRC One, where Leslie Parnell's First 34.7 Black Velvet from the Royal Irish Yacht Club continues to lead on five points from race two winner and clubmate Bobby Kerr on the J109 Riders On The Storm on seven but a Fastnet Rock Race win on Thursday by Jamie McWilliam in Kiwi puts him into third place on nine points.
Jamie McWilliam on the helm of Kiwi has moved into third overall in IRC One at Calves Week Regatta Photo: Bob Bateman
There are no arguments with the perfect scoreline of three wins from three races for David and James Dwyer's Half Tonner Swuzzlebubble in IRC Two.
Kevin Daly's Jamaro has moved the Schull Harbour J80 into second overall in IRC Two of Calves Week Regatta Photo: Bob Bateman
Flor O'Riordan's Elan 31 Three Cheers is now third in IRC Two of Calves Week Photo: Bob Bateman
A second in Thursday's Fastnet race for Kevin Daly's Jamaro has moved the Schull Harbour J 80 into second overall. Flor O'Riordan's Elan 31 Three Cheers is third. Rival Half Tonner Two Farr (Boardman/Kelly/O Leary) retired in today's race and dropped off the podium.
Fiona Young's Albin Express North Star, the leader in IRC Three division, sporting a Code Zero at Calves Week Regatta Photo: Bob Bateman
Likewise, in IRC Three, Fiona Young's Albin Express North Star has three wins to her tally. Colman Garvey & Keirin Kelleher in the Quarter Tonner Diamond stay second on seven, with Patrick Collins' Ealu moving into third place on nine.
There is a change of leader in IRC Four where The Radley's Skipper 70, Pat Mustard, encountered some difficulties under spinnaker on the way back from the rock. A sixth-place score drops them to second overall on eight points as Rob O'Reilly's BonJourno! Part Deux takes the lead on seven. Richard Hanley's Saoirse stays third.
Michael Murphy's Moody 30, Shelly D, on the way back from the Fastnet Rock on day three of Calves Week Regatta in West Cork Photo: lensfromaboveireland
Aidan Heffernan's Dehler 36 Indulgence from Schull leads Kieran O'Brien's MG 335 Magnet in Whitesails IRC One.
Results below
