The Commodore of the South Coast Offshore Racing Association (SCORA) has a clear, direct aim for this year’s season – get more boats sailing.
“That is it, that is what we will be aiming to do, encourage boats from the marinas and the moorings to go out sailing and racing,” says Daragh Connolly of the Royal Cork Yacht Club at Crosshaven, who was re-elected at the annual general meeting of SCORA.
It was a well-attended meeting, with seven clubs represented and a notable presence of young sailors participating in the debates about topics which ranged over defining a ‘feeder’ race, what constitutes a ‘Cruiser/Racer?’ and the different types of boats racing in fleets.
Swuzzlebubble, was awarded boat of the Year at the SCORA AGM. The twenty-third South Coast Offshore Racing Association meeting was held at the Royal Cork YC. The very large attendance included representatives from the three harbour clubs in addition to Kinsale, Schull and Waterford. Commodore Darragh Connolly opened the meeting with a report on the season's sailing activities, which had suffered an increase in cancellations due to weather conditions Photo: Bob Bateman
A discussion was also held on the problems experienced by clubs in catering for a small group of sports boats who wish to sail with the cruiser fleets in the weekly club events.
"What constitutes a ‘Cruiser/Racer' was discussed at the agm"
The Cork-Dunmore East race is to be restored in the SCORA calendar this season. There will be a SCORA offshore race each month from May, starting with the Inishtearaght Race scheduled for May 24. The Kinsale YC Fastnet Race will be sailed in June; the Kingstown (Dun Laoghaire) to Queenstown (Cobh) race in July before Cork Week; Kinsale to Baltimore in August, leading to Calves Week that month and Cork Harbour-Dunmore East in September. Further information will be issued during the season.
Michele Kenneally, Kinsale YC, was elected Vice-Commodore; Michael Murphy of Schull Harbour YC continues as Treasurer and David Cullinane of Kinsale YC is Sailing Secretary.
At the agm held in the RCYC, Commodore Connolly highlighted the strong involvement of young crews in the SCORA racing programme in the past season.
In my interview with him for this week’s podcast (below), he said that is a very positive aspect to note for the future of sailing in that trend, with more younger sailors involved in cruiser racing. Many of the prizewinning boats had young crews. “That is responding to the concern about losing younger sailors to the sport and we can see it happening. That’s very encouraging. It has been a worry to keep younger sailors in the sport, but now that is changing and in SCORA we’re delighted and pleased to see it.”
David Dwyer’s ‘Swuzzlebubble ‘ achieved a hat-trick of ‘Boat of the Year’ awards when it was named SCORA ‘Boat of the Year’.
That follows winning the Irish Cruiser Racing Association and its club, RCYC, ‘Boat of the Year’ awards.
A special SCORA award of individually engraved bottles of 3 Sq. Miles Cape Clear Gin (pictured below), listing their time rounding the Fastnet, was presented to Noel Coleman's Blue Oyster, George Radley's IMP, and Denis Murphy's Nieulargo to acknowledge their achievement in completing the 2023 RORC Fastnet Race classic in appalling weather conditions Photo: Bob Bateman
Special awards were presented to South Coast yachts based on the time they had rounded Fastnet Rock in the Fastnet Race and to the Kinsale crew that completed the Sydney to Hobart Race.
The Claire Bateman Award for contribution to sailing was presented to David Marchant of Waterford Harbour Sailing Club by Ethel Bateman, who congratulated David for his regular attendance for over twenty years at the major South Coast events and who spoke of her grandmother’s major contribution to Irish sailing Photo: Bob Bateman
A SCORA award was presented to Cian McCarthy (centre and Sam Hunt (left) for their December achievement sailing Cinnamon Girl in the Sydney Hobart Race Photo: Bob Bateman
SOUTH COAST OFFSHORE RACING ASSOCIATION (SCORA) PRIZEWINNERS 2023
BOAT OF THE YEAR
Swuzzlebubble – David Dwyer, RCYC
CLASS O
1ST IRC and ECHO – Jelly Baby, Brian Jones Royal Cork YC
CLASS O/1
1ST IRC and 2nd ECHO – Nieulargo, - Denis Murphy RCYC
1st ECHO and 2nd IRC – Alpaca, Paul Tingle, RCYC
3rd IRC and ECHO – Tighey Boy, Tony O’Brien Schull Harbour SC
CLASS 1/2
1ST IRC and ECHO – Swuzzlebubble, David Dwyer, RCYC
2nd IRC and ECHO – Reavra Too, Stephen Lysaght, Kinsale YC
3rd IRC and ECHO – Bad Company, Frank Desmond RCYC
CLASS 2/3
1st IRC and 2nd ECHO – Anchor Challenge, Conor Phelan, RCYC
1st ECHO and 3rd IRC - Diamond, Coleman Garvey RCYC
2nd IRC – North Star, Fiona Young, RCYC
3rd ECHO – Flyover, David Marchant, Waterford Harbour SC
CLASS 4
IRC - Pat Mustard, George Radley, Jr., Cove SC
ECHO – Saoirse – Richard Hanley, Kinsale YC
WHITE SAIL CLASS 1
1ST IRC and ECHO – Magnet, Kieran O’Brien, RCYC
2nd IRC – Anteex – Dan Murphy, RCYC
3RD IRC – Rosmarina – Ronan Twomey, RCYC
2nd ECHO – Aidan Heffernan, RCYC/SHSC
3rd ECHO – Big Mc –Celine McGrath, RCYC
WHITE SAIL CLASS 2
1ST Apache – Alan Mulcahy, Kinsale YC
2nd Fast Buck – John O’Connor, RCYC
3rd Jap – Kieran Dwyer, RCYC
SCORA SPECIAL AWARDS
SYDNEY- HOBART RACE
Cinnamon Girl - Cian McCarthy and Sam Hunt, Kinsale YC
FASTNET RACE
Nieularago – Denis Murphy
Imp – George Radley
Blue Oyster – Noel Coleman
CLAIRE BATEMAN ANNUAL AWARD
David Marchant, WHSC
