A strengthening north-westerly breeze and three different handicap systems combined to produce a fascinating opening day of racing at Calves Week 2026 in Schull on Tuesday, where standout performances and razor-thin corrected-time margins set the tone for an intriguing championship.
The day began in relatively light conditions before the wind steadily strengthened through the afternoon, a pattern reflected in the ORC course modelling, which ranged from around seven knots at the start to approximately 17 knots later in the race.
While the larger classes produced different winners under Echo, IRC and ORC, George Radley's Tuco emerged as the day's outstanding performer, completing a clean sweep of Class 3 honours across all three handicap systems.
Course of the Day
Race Officer Alan Crosbie opted for passage racing rather than windward-leeward courses on the opening day. Class 0 and 1 competitors completed a seven-mark anti-clockwise circuit via CUSH, No. 8, No. 3, Goat Island, No. 4 and No. 1, while the remaining fleets sailed a shorter harbour course around CUSH, Amelia and the numbered navigation marks.
Class 0: Waterfront Makes Statement After Late Promotion
Waterfront Statement — Simon Coveney’s Corby 34.7 Waterfront, moved from an initial Class One allocation into Class Zero, nailed the pin-end start before winning IRC Zero and taking second in ORC Zero on the opening day of Quintas Capital Calves Week 2026. Photo: Robert Bateman.
The premier fleet produced three different winners, underlining both the quality of the competition and the influence of the day's changing conditions.
Having initially been allocated to Class 1 before being promoted into the top Class 0 fleet, Simon Coveney's Waterfront immediately justified the move. The Corby 34.7 nailed a superb pin-end start and converted the early advantage into IRC victory ahead of Paul O'Higgins' Rockabill VI, with El Syd completing the podium.
Echo 0 honours went instead to Burke, Lemass and Rigley's Prima Forte, ahead of Joe Kiernan's Out of Office and Waterfront.
ORC calculations told a different story again, rewarding Rockabill VI, with Waterfront second and I-Zimbra third.
Three handicap systems. Three different winners. It was an indication of just how competitive the championship promises to be.
Class 1: J/109 Fleet Delivers Opening-Day Classic
Dodging Ahead — Finbarr O'Regan's J/109 Artful Dodjer (Kinsale YC) won IRC One and ORC One on the opening day of Quintas Capital Calves Week after a close duel with fellow J/109s Chimaera and Dear Prudence. Photo: Robert Bateman.
One of the closest contests of the day unfolded among the highly competitive J/109 fleet.
J/109 Duel — Barry Cunningham's J/109 Chimaera (Royal Irish Yacht Club) finished runner-up in both IRC One and ORC One after an intense all-J/109 battle with Artful Dodjer and Dear Prudence on the opening day of Quintas Capital Calves Week 2026. Photo: Robert Bateman.
Fresh from winning the Beaufort Cup, Robert O'Leary took the helm of Storm, with Olympic 49er campaigner Johnny Durcan on mainsheet duties. The experienced pairing featured prominently throughout the race before finishing third under IRC.
Storm Brewing — Pat Kelly's J/109 Storm, helmed by recent Beaufort Cup winner Robert O'Leary with Olympic 49er campaigner Johnny Durcan on mainsheet, finished third in IRC One on the opening day at Schull. Photo: Robert Bateman.
Finbarr O'Regan's Artful DodJer claimed IRC honours by just nine seconds from Chimaera, with Storm only a further 11 seconds behind on corrected time, highlighting just how closely matched the leading trio were.
ORC also favoured Artful DodJer, ahead of Chimaera and Dear Prudence.
Echo Winner — G. Hogan's Growler (SHSC) sailed to victory in Echo 1 on the opening day of Quintas Capital Calves Week, beating Chris Moore's Powder Monkey and Stephen Pile's Dear Prudence. Photo: Robert Bateman.
Echo scoring rewarded Growler, with Powder Monkey second and Dear Prudence third.
Class 2: Handicap Systems Split the Honours
Ghost Story — Nobby Reilly's Ghost Raider led ORC Two after the opening race of Quintas Capital Calves Week, finishing ahead of Miss Whiplash and Ejine in a competitive nine-boat fleet. Photo: Robert Bateman.
Class 2 provided another example of the day's contrasting results.
Frank Caul and John Mulloy's Prince of Tides topped the Echo standings after an impressive performance.
IRC produced one of the day's curiosities with a dead heat between Swuzzlebubble and Miss Whiplash, while the ORC calculations favoured Ghost Raider, ahead of Miss Whiplash and Ejine.
The contrasting podiums reflected the steadily increasing breeze experienced during the race.
Class 3: Tuco Claims Perfect Opening-Day Hat-Trick
Early Pace — Tuco, George Radley's Sun Fast 32 from Cove Sailing Club, pictured at Cork Week, carried that form into Schull by winning both IRC Three and ORC Three on the opening day of Quintas Capital Calves Week 2026. File photo: Robert Bateman.
If one yacht could claim to have mastered Tuesday's conditions, it was George Radley's Tuco.
The Sun Fast 32 was the only yacht to complete a clean sweep, winning Echo 3, IRC 3 and ORC 3 to establish an early championship lead.
Behind Tuco, Illegal and 3 Cheers completed both the Echo and IRC podiums, while ORC recognised Mackey G and Manzanita as second and third respectively.
It was the most emphatic performance of the opening day.
Class 4: Bon Journo Part Deux Opens Strongly
Classic Campaigner — The Moody Shelly D competes in IRC Three during Race One of Quintas Capital Calves Week as the Schull regatta opened in light winds that freshened steadily through the afternoon. Photo: Robert Bateman.
Class 4 also produced differing outcomes depending on the handicap system.
Defending Calves Week 2025 champion, Bon Journo Part Deux secured IRC honours ahead of Shelly D and Toroloco.
Echo calculations rewarded Tete a Tete, with Toroloco second and Shelly D third.
White Sail: Close Racing Across Both Divisions
White Sail Winner — Indulgence sailed to IRC White Sail One victory on the opening day of Quintas Capital Calves Week 2026, finishing ahead of Elantic and Magnet after corrected time in a competitive fleet off Schull. Photo: Robert Bateman
The White Sail fleets enjoyed equally competitive racing.
Flying Colours — Rosmarina made an excellent start to Quintas Capital Calves Week by winning ORC White Sail One on the opening day in Schull. The victory came ahead of Magnet and Kernow after a race sailed in a breeze that built steadily through the afternoon. Photo: Robert Bateman.
In White Sail 1, Elantic headed the Echo standings ahead of Magnet and Rosmarina, while IRC honours went to Indulgence, followed by Elantic and Magnet. ORC recognised Rosmarina, Magnet and Kernow as its top three.
Leading Lady — Lady Min emerged as the top performer in White Sail Two under both IRC and ORC on the opening day of Quintas Capital Calves Week, heading Mischief and Cove Pirates on IRC and Mischief and Full Pelt under ORC. Photo: Robert Bateman.
White Sail 2 saw Orca 2 win Echo ahead of Full Pelt and Lady Min. IRC honours went to Lady Min, followed by Mischief and Cove Pirates, while ORC favoured Lady Min, Mischief and Full Pelt.
Happy Crew — The crew of the Ruffian 23 Orca II helmed by Ann Kirwan enjoy the opening day's racing at Quintas Capital Calves Week as a light morning breeze steadily built into a fresh north-westerly across Roaringwater Bay. Photo: Robert Bateman.
Building Breeze Sets Up Championship
Tuesday's opening race demonstrated that Quintas Capital Calves Week is unlikely to produce easy victories. With the breeze building from light conditions into the mid-to-high teens during the afternoon, crews were tested across a wide range of conditions, and the three handicap systems rewarded different strengths.
With another fresh west to north-westerly breeze forecast for Wednesday, the opening day's results suggest the battle for honours across every class is only just beginning.
Calves Week 2026 IRC and ECHO results are below and ORC results are here
