Royal Cork's Nieulargo Wins K2Q 160, Mojito Leads K2Q 260 Race

3rd July 2022

J109 Mojito (Peter Dunlop and Vicky Cox) leads on IRC overall in the K2Q 260-mile race Credit: Afloat

K2Q Day Three 0600 - Royal Cork's Nieulargo carried her advantage along the south coast on Saturday to win the K2Q Dun Laoghaire to Cork 160-mile race arriving back into her home port of Cork Harbour to be first in IRC overall and first in IRC One.

The new race echoes the first-ever ocean yacht race on Irish waters in 1860 held from Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) to Queenstown (now Cobh), a story told here by Afloat's WM Nixon.

Denis and Annamarie Murphy's Grand Soleil 40 was second in line honours to the First 50 Checkmate XX (Dave Cullen and Nigel Biggs), the Howth Yacht Club entry taking second overall.

Denis and Annamarie Murphy's Grand Soleil 40, Nieulargo Photo: Afloat

It's a unique double for the Royal Cork's yacht of the year - just one of two Cork boats that competed this weekend - as she also won the early iteration of the race known as the Fastnet 450, which sailed in August 2020.

First 50 Checkmate XX (Dave Cullen and Nigel Biggs) Photo: Afloat

Paul Sutton's Jay Dreamer took third overall on IRC in the J109 Jaydreamer.

Paul Sutton's J109 Jay Dreamer Photo: Afloat

As Afloat reported, the K2Q consists of two combined events in one race.

Five of the nine-boat fleet opted to finish at the 160-mile stage leaving just four competing in the K2Q 260, a course of an extra 100 miles out to the Fastnet and back to Cork Harbour.

Mojito leads K2Q 260

Three of the four still racing are Welsh, with former ISORA champion, the J109 Mojito (Peter Dunlop and Vicky Cox), pictured top, leading on IRC overall. Robert Rendell's Howth-based Grand Soleil 44 Samatom is the line honours leader and lying second overall.

Robert Rendell's Howth-based Grand Soleil 44 Samatom Photo: Afloat

The J125 Jackknife skippered by Andrew Hall is lying third on IRC. Mark and Jo Thompson's two-handed Sunfast 3200 Jac Y Do is fourth.

J125 Jackknife skippered by Andrew Hall Photo: Afloat

The K2Q 260 primary race for the "The Breffni McGovern Cup" saw the fleet passing through a virtual gate at the Cork Buoy, rounding the Fastnet Rock and finishing back at Roches Point.

All boats starting will be included in the "restricted" race. Boats passing through the finish gate at Cork Buoy and continuing to round the Fastnet and finish at Roches Point qualify for the primary K2Q event. Yachts can only win prizes in one of the events. The race for the ISORA points will be the primary 260 miles race.

The long-established Dun Laoghaire to Cork offshore race – reintroduced in Covid as the 'Fastnet 450' in 2020 – was further developed for 2022 as the 'Kingstown to Queenstown Race' or 'K2Q' race.

The Dublin-Cork promoters planned to facilitate all offshore sailors by providing a medium-length offshore race and a long offshore race by having two races in one, with all boats completing the shorter race.

However, although 26 boats were entered for the race, only 12 started from Dun Laoghaire last Friday, a turnout that now calls into question the race's timing just a week after the 700-mile Round Ireland.

See race trackers for both K2Q 160 and 260 below

Published in Fastnet 450 Race

K2Q - 260 mile course

K2Q - 160 mile course

'K2Q' Dun Laoghaire to Cork Race Live Tracker 2022

Track the progress of both the 160 mile and 260 mile K2Q Race fleet on the live trackers above and see all Afloat's K2Q Race coverage in one handy link here

The K2Q will consist of two combined events:

The primary race for the "The Breffni McGovern cup" will be approximately 260 miles, starting in Dun Laoghaire, passing through a virtual gate at the Cork Buoy, rounding the Fastnet Rock and finishing at Roches Point.

The "restricted" race for a still-to-be-announced trophy will start with the primary fleet in Dun Laoghaire but finish at the same virtual finish gate at Cork Buoy – approximately 150 miles.

All boats starting will be included in the "restricted" race. Boats passing through the finish gate at Cork Buoy and continuing to round the Fastnet and finish at Roches Point would also qualify for the primary K2Q event. Yachts can only win prizes in one of the events.

The race for the ISORA points will be the primary race – 260 miles.

The plan is for both 'K2Q races' to finish at the old RCYC clubhouse on the Cobh seafront.

Published in Fastnet 450 Race

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The Kingstown to Queenstown Yacht Race or 'K2Q', previously the Fastnet 450

The Organising Authority ("OA") are ISORA & SCORA in association with The National Yacht Club & The Royal Cork Yacht Club.

The Kingstown to Queenstown Race (K2Q Race) is a 260-mile offshore race that will start in Dun Laoghaire (formerly Kingstown), around the famous Fastnet Rock and finish in Cork Harbour at Cobh (formerly Queenstown).

The K2Q race follows from the successful inaugural 'Fastnet 450 Race' that ran in 2020 when Ireland was in the middle of the COVID Pandemic. It was run by the National Yacht Club, and the Royal cork Yacht Club were both celebrating significant anniversaries. The clubs combined forces to mark the 150th anniversary of the National Yacht Club and the 300th (Tricentenary) of the Royal Cork Yacht Club.

Of course, this race has some deeper roots. In 1860 the first-ever ocean yacht race on Irish Waters was held from Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) to Queenstown (now Cobh).

It is reported that the winner of the race was paid a prize of £15 at the time, and all competing boats got a bursary of 10/6 each. The first race winner was a Schooner Kingfisher owned by Cooper Penrose Esq. The race was held on July 14th 1860, and had sixteen boats racing.

In 2022, the winning boat will be awarded the first prize of a cheque for €15 mounted and framed and a Trophy provided by the Royal Cork Yacht Club, the oldest yacht club in the world.

The 2022 race will differ from the original course because it will be via the Fastnet Rock, so it is a c. 260m race, a race distance approved by the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club as an AZAB qualifier.

A link to an Afloat article written by WM Nixon for some history on this original race is here.

The aim is to develop the race similarly to the Dun Laoghaire–Dingle Race that runs in alternate years.

Fastnet 450 in 2020

The South Coast of Ireland Racing Association, in association with the National Yacht Club on Dublin Bay and the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Cork, staged the first edition of this race from Dun Laoghaire to Cork Harbour via the Fastnet Rock on August 22nd 2020.

The IRC race started in Dun Laoghaire on Saturday, August 22nd 2020. It passed the Muglin, Tuscar, Conningbeg and Fastnet Lighthouses to Starboard before returning to Cork Harbour and passing the Cork Buoy to Port, finishing when Roches's Point bears due East. The course was specifically designed to be of sufficient length to qualify skippers and crew for the RORC Fastnet Race 2021.

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