The annual South Coast Offshore Racing Association (SCORA) AGM was held on Friday, January 20th, in the Royal Cork Yacht Club, attended by a large body of the sailing fraternity representing south coast clubs.
Commodore Daragh Connolly reported on a successful sailing season, drawing particular attention to the growing interest in the offshore series and congratulating Kinsale on the successful running, in the early season of the Inishtearaght race in addition to their traditional summer Fastnet-Baltimore race.
SCORA officers - Michael Murphy, Hon Sec/Treasurer (left) and Daragh Connolly, Chairman Photo: Bob Bateman
The Kingstown to Queenstown (K2Q) race ran in conjunction with ISORA, attracted some questions regarding the ability of competitors to finish at a line off the Daunt buoy or continue around the Fastnet before returning to Cork harbour in a separate race.
The inter-club league comprising of the spring series in Kinsale, Calves Week in Schull and the Autumn series at the RCYC continued to attract large fleets, with the commodore explaining of the results headaches caused by boats alternating from white sail to cruisers at the various events.
Prior to the prizegiving, Connolly spoke on the invaluable service to sailing coverage on the South Coast provided by Mary Malone and Bob Bateman and presented them, together with long-serving SCORA financial officer Michael Murphy, with inscribed glass trophies.
A total of 23 Bob Bateman photographs from the 2022 season were presented, with 12 going to the RCYC, five to Kinsale YC, three to Schull Harbour SC, two to Cove SC and one to Crookhaven SC, being the first-ever SCORA award won by the club.
SCORA Boat of the Year - Brian Jones (left), skipper of the J122 Jelly Baby Photo: Bob Bateman
The boat of the year award went to the Jones family on the J/122 Jelly Baby, while special mention was made of the 120-year-old Lady Min from Schull, whose owner Simon O'Keefe spoke of the long project of restoring his great grandfather’s boat and how delighted he was to be back in Crosshaven where the boat had sailed in the previous century.
Simon O'Keefe, owner of the restored 120-year-old Lady Min from Schull in West Cork Photo: Bob Bateman
The evening concluded with the presentation of the Claire Bateman award, which Daragh Connolly explained was awarded to Noel and Alan Coleman in Blue Oyster for their continuing support of all local and offshore events and their class win in the Round Ireland Race.
Listen to Tom MacSweeney's podcast with Daragh Connolly of SCORA here
