Kinsale Names O’Sullivan and O’Leary for Sovereign’s Cup 2027

2nd October 2026

Afloat.ie Team

All aboard: Anthony O’Leary (PRO), Tomas O’Brien (KYC Vice Commodore), Anthony O’Neill (KYC Commodore), Michael O’Sullivan (Race Director) and Stephen Lysaght (KYC Sailing Secretary) with the Sovereign’s Cup silverware ahead of the 2027 regatta

Kinsale Yacht Club has confirmed the dates and senior race management team for the 2027 Sovereign’s Cup, with Michael O’Sullivan returning as Race Director and Anthony O’Leary again taking charge on the water as Principal Race Officer.

The four-day regatta will run from Wednesday, 23 June to Saturday, 26 June 2027 and will be the 17th edition of the biennial event, first sailed in 1995.

O’Sullivan returns to the Race Director role he held for the 2025 regatta, which attracted 95 boats to Kinsale.

O’Leary will also resume his 2025 role as Principal Race Officer. A multiple winner of the Sovereign’s Cup as a competitor, the Cork sailor has won the overall trophy on three occasions.

From Competitor to Race Officer

His experience on both sides of the race committee boat was evident in 2025, when the programme included the “Jeanot Petch” feature race among the courses set for the fleet.

Kinsale Yacht Club Commodore Anthony O’Neill said the club was delighted to have both men returning for 2027.

“We had 95 boats on the entry list in 2025, and we believe that all crews were very happy with what the venue delivered both in the quality of racing and from a social perspective ashore,” O’Neill said.

“The 2027 dates are set, the team is in place. Put 23rd to 26th of June in the diary, and we will welcome you to Kinsale in June 2027!”

Racing and Shoreside Programme

O’Sullivan said O’Leary’s return as PRO would give the regatta an experienced hand in developing the racing programme.

“It is fantastic to have Anthony back as PRO. He is sure to build a programme to test good sailing across all possible wind conditions and have everyone back to the marina in time for the evening entertainment,” O’Sullivan said.

The Sovereign’s Cup has been a fixture of the Irish cruiser-racing calendar since its inaugural staging in 1995, combining racing off Kinsale with a shoreside programme at the West Cork harbour venue.

2027 Dates Confirmed

With the Race Director and PRO now confirmed, the next edition is set for 23–26 June 2027, two years after the 2025 regatta drew a 95-boat entry.

Published in Sovereign's Cup

Tagged under

About The Author

Afloat.ie Team

Email The Author

Afloat.ie is Ireland's dedicated marine journalism team.

Have you got a story for our reporters? Email us here.

We've got a favour to ask

More people are reading Afloat.ie than ever thanks to the power of the internet but we're in stormy seas because advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news sites, we haven't put up a paywall because we want to keep our marine journalism open.

Afloat.ie is Ireland's only full-time marine journalism team and it takes time, money and hard work to produce our content.

So you can see why we need to ask for your help.

If everyone chipped in, we can enhance our coverage and our future would be more secure. You can help us through a small donation. Thank you.