The Irish entry in the Clipper Round the World Race, Cork, leaves Cape Breton Island in Newfoundland today to get a head start on the fleet as it heads across the Atlantic to Kinsale and Cork. The new Cork Clipper boat is notably slower than the craft she replaced. The original 68-footer was one of a unique fleet, so the replacement boat is a foot shorter, but also eight tonnes heavier.
The fleet, originally one-design, now races under IRC, with Cork facing a serious speed deficit in lighter airs.
She leaves Sydney this morning, expecting to reach Ireland between July 1 and July 4.
What awaits her and the rest of the fleet in Cork is an enormous festival on the Kinsale and Cork waterfronts, before the fleet heads for the Solent for the grand finale.