Is it that time already? The 40th staging of Calves Week? For it seems like only twenty years ago that we planned our annual cruise to take in southwest Wales, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, before shaping the course in our slim 30-footer towards West Cork in order to take in the Centenary Regatta at Schull in 1984.
Through that final stage, we turned lumpily to windward across what most folk then thought of as the Western Approaches. It was in the days before some politically correct fringe-appeaser came up with the idea of calling it the Celtic Sea.
BUMPY UPWIND WORK
Whatever you call it, there's no doubting that it can make for bumpy upwind work. I tried to explain this to a disgruntled crew by suggesting afterwards - in the contemplative peace of Mary Anne's in Castletownshend above Castlehaven - that the rougher part had probably been caused by crossing the Labadie Bank. But he put a stop to that line of thought by snapping back that, as far as he was concerned, we'd been crossing the Labadie Bank ever since we poked our nose out of New Grimsby Sound.
So we turned our thoughts to the sunnier prospect of the up-coming Centenary of Schull Regatta, to which we and many other boats were ultimately bound. It had been well-promoted, for in those days Keith Hunt - father of Sam of today's Cinnamon Girl fame - was Guinness's main man in Cork and beyond, and in 1984 he threw black stuff sponsorship big time at the Schull Centenary Regatta, possibly to put Cork Dry Gin's nose out of joint.
HOISTED BY HIS OWN NEWSPAPER
Either way, it involved press receptions in both Cork and Schull, with the entertaining lead speaker at the latter being Teddy Crosbie, who was to spend the night down west. Consequently, next day's lightly-supervised Cork Examiner appeared with a conspicuous photo of their co-proprietor expounding the joys of West Cork, while behind him in a neat row were the Centenary Chairman looking at his watch, the County Manager yawning, and the Schull Harbour Master intently examining the ceiling.
The promised land. The divine view of Schull Harbour
Nevertheless, it was a successful promotion, as everyone turned up for the regatta. Except the wind, which departed at mid-race. So as the boats couldn't get to the finishing line, they took the finishing line to the motionless boats. With the pin buoy plonked down on the port side of the leader, Michael O'Leary's Imp from Dun Laoghaire, the Committee Boat then chugged round to Imp's starboard side, took up station, and fired a gun.
Imp – Fastnet race overall winner 1977 - as restored by George Radley of Cobh. Forty years ago, under Michael O'Leary's ownership, she was declared overall winner of Schull Centenary Regatta. Photo: Robert Bateman
A WINNER FOR SCHULL CENTENARY REGATTA
Bob's your uncle. They had a winner for the Schull Centenary Regatta. It was deemed a success in every way. From that, the concept of Calves Week emerged to be fully-fledged by the following year. Events and organisations don't have a year zero, thus 2024 is the 40th staging, with Michael Murphy patiently staying the course to keep this very special show on the road from Tuesday 6th August through to Friday 9th August 2024, 140 years after Schull Regatta itself was first staged.
Calves Week 2024 announces Schull Harbour Hotel as the title sponsor for its August regatta in West Cork. From (left to right) Michael Murphy Schull Harbour Sailing Club (SHSC), Eric Coogan (Heineken Ireland), Mark Murphy, (Commodore SHSC), Jack Allen (SHSC,) Carmel O'Regan (SHSC), Cornelious Ndlovu, (Schull Harbour Hotel Operations Manager) and Derval Murphy (SHSC). Photo: Robert Bateman
It's now the Schull Harbour Hotel Calves Week. Schull is more than ever a hot sailing location And it has Schull Harbour Hotel Calves Week with one irresistible USP. It allows you to add the Fastnet Race to your sailing CV without having to spend to much as one night somewhere out there in the dark, damply bashing around in the environs of the Labadie Bank. So it's time and more to secure your place. It's not fair to turn up and demand irately: "Surely you knew we'd be coming?"
It's a busy little place. Today's Schull is made for sailing and celebration
