An Taoiseach Micheál Martin joined the club’s Admiral Colin Morehead earlier today to salute 300 years of sailing in Cork at a Tricentenary Maritime Parade across Cork Harbour. They reviewed a stunning spectacle of 100 colourful yachts on board the LE Roisin, after greeting the sailors and families on the water. The naval vessel was anchored alongside the Irish Naval Headquarters at Haulbowline Island, where the Water Club of the Harbour of Cork (now the Royal Cork Yacht Club) was founded back in 1720.

The Taoiseach and Admiral were joined by a host of dignitaries to mark the momentous occasion, including the Mayor of the County of Cork Cllr. Gillian Coughlan, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence Simon Coveney TD, the Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr. Colm Kelleher, Flag Officer Commanding Naval Service Commodore Michael Malone, Ann Doherty, Chief Executive, Cork City Council, CEO of AIB Colin Hunt, the premier sponsor of the Regatta and Cork300, and key sponsors.

The Maritime Parade was followed by the biggest sailing event of the year in the Royal Cork calendar, the AIB RCYC Tricentenary Regatta, with racing officially started by the Taoiseach, after which an Admiral’s Lunch was held at the Crosshaven club. The Regatta will continue for the rest of the weekend and can be viewed across the harbour.

Over 100 participating boats lined up at Cage buoy off Crosshaven at 10 am  and assembled at No 18 buoy before the fleet made its way past the L.E. Roisin  berthed at the berth off Haulbowline for the official salute and the lowering of the Cork300 pennant (below) Photo: Bob Bateman

The Clayton Love skippered Golden Apple led the parade of sail. This was the the former Coveney family ketch that sailed round the world on an 18-month voyage to raise funds for the Cork-based Chernobyl Children's Project in 1997 Photo: Bob Bateman

The tricentenary events were originally scheduled to take place in 2020 as part of a phenomenal Cork300 celebration across Cork Harbour to celebrate the sailing club’s 300th anniversary and heritage as the oldest club in the world. However, they had to be postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic and many of the larger high profile international events, such as The Great Gathering, the Powerboat Festival, and Volvo Cork Week, which were set to attract thousands of sailors and competitors from around the globe, could not be rescheduled.

Dick Gibson's Mandalay is dressed overall for the special occasion Photo: Bob Bateman

An Taoiseach Micheál Martin said, “This is a truly significant historic milestone for the Royal Cork Yacht Club, Cork Harbour, and the sailing community worldwide, so it is truly an honour to celebrate where it all began. Although many events to mark the milestone were cancelled or postponed over the last year, the legacy from Cork300 will live on. The Royal Cork has positioned Cork Harbour as one of the most desirable locations in the world for sailing events, and hopefully, this will help secure Ireland’s bid to host events like America’s Cup here.”

Former RCYC Admiral Bill Walsh and his wife participated in the Parade of Sail Photo: Bob Bateman

Admiral of the Royal Cork Yacht Club and Chairman of Cork300 Colin Morehead said, “The Royal Cork is delighted to be in a position to put on a weekend of celebratory events to mark the club’s tricentenary one year on. We are of course disappointed not to be joined by our international comrades and thousands of spectators as originally planned, but we hope we have left them with a desire to visit Cork when life returns to normal.”

At the end of parade was another round the world yacht Saol Eile with former RCYC Admiral Ted Crosbie at the helm Photo: Bob Bateman

Also commenting, Minister Coveney said, “It’s a privilege to be here today to celebrate this historic event with the Royal Cork, the Taoiseach and the naval service.”

Yachts racing in the 'At Home' regatta assembled a second time for a starting gun opposite the Naval base. Initially proceedings got under way in light winds but a second race started off the no. 8 buoy in perfect sailing conditions in Cork Harbour Photo: Bob Bateman

The tricentenary celebrations were supported by the premiere partner for the Regatta and Cork300, AIB, the Irish Naval Services, and other Cork300 partners Volvo Car Ireland, Port of Cork, Cork County Council, Cork City Council, Heineken, Musto and Doyle Shipping Group.

RCYC 300th Celebrations Photo Gallery by Bob Bateman

The Royal Cork Yacht Club fleet is gathering for this morning's club tricentenary celebration in Cork Harbour.

A parade of sail past Haulbowline Island, where the oldest yacht club in the world was founded in 1720, is being held.  It will be followed by two days of 'At Home' racing.

RCYC is holding its deferred Tricentenary Regatta today and tomorrow.

It will start with a parade of sail and motor off Haulbowline Island on Saturday, which was the first location of the Waterboys Club of Cork in 1720, from which the present RCYC evolved to become the oldest yacht club in the world.

Original Tricentenary plans had to be postponed due to the Covid pandemic.

Special trophies have been commissioned for the Regatta. "As always, the At Home' is open to members of visiting clubs," says the RCYC.

The Tricentenary sailing programme is here.

More here from Afloat's W M Nixon this morning, and check back for photos from Afloat's Bob Bateman as celebrations unfold on Afloat's dedicated Cork300 section here.

John Ryan's planned arrival into Dublin Bay this evening by high speed RIB was scrubbed shortly after his UIM record bid started at Cork Harbour this morning.

Ryan told Afloat "We lost the middle engine, we'll be a no show today".

It's a frustrating scenario for the record-breaker given the current favourable weather forecasts and flat seas.

As Afloat reported earlier, the Royal Cork skipper was due to depart Cork Harbour at 11 am in the 85-mph RIB.

As regular Afloat readers will know, Ryan broke his own existing Cork Fastnet Cork speed record in a time of 1 hour, 47 minutes and 7 seconds (Subject to ratification by UIM) last week as reported here.

The Zerodark team are expected to set a new date for the Cork-Dublin run and other Irish powerboat record attempts too.

Royal Cork Yacht Club member John Ryan and his ZeroDark RIB team are underway in a bid to set a new time powerboat record time between Cork and Dublin today.

Ryan told Afloat the bid is due to depart Cork Harbour at 11 am although sea fog may change plans. 

As regular Afloat readers will know, Ryan broke his own existing Cork Fastnet Cork speed record in a time of 1 hour, 47 minutes and 7 seconds (Subject to ratification by UIM) last week as reported here.

The ZeroDark RIB was built by Ophardt Maritim in Duisburg, Germany and she arrived by road into Cork last week.

Designed by Andrew Lee of Norson Design specifically for the German Special Forces as a craft to be utilised for high-speed covert operations.

She has an aluminium hull and is the fastest of its type in the world and can reach speeds in excess of 85 knots.

Subject to a succesful record run to Dublin, the RIB is due to dock at the Royal St. George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire Harbour, according to Ryan.

A high-speed RIB capable of 80 knots has arrived in Cork Harbour for several 'days of testing' and to 'show its speed capabilities', according to posts on social media.

The RIB, say posters, is here to attempt the Cork Harbour to Fastnet Rock speed record.

The black RIB reportedly 'gently stretched' its speed to 74 knots on a short test run.

As regular Afloat readers will recall, in August 2020, Frank Kowalski's Safehaven Marine in County Cork set a new World powerboat record for Cork - Fastnet Rock – Cork averaging 44.6 knots.

Safehaven Marine set a new over 50ft class Cork to the Fastnet Rock and back UIM World powerboat record in their 23m long XSV20 ‘Thunder Child II’ in a time of 2hrs 36 minutes averaging 44.6kts, recording a maximum speed of 53kts on the run. 

The UIM World powerboat records are categorised in three sizes which, if the RIB crew attempts a bid, will be for the 30-50ft record, a separate one to Kowalski's time.

Here's a video of the newly arrived 12-metre RIB vessel off Roches Point posted on social media below.

The vintage quarter tonner Diamond (Dorgan/Losty /Marshall) was the Spinnaker IRC division winner of Cobh People's Regatta in Cork Harbour on Sunday.

The Ed Dubois design beat the Jones family J109 Jelly Baby and third was Sean Hanley's Luas.

Cobh People's Regatta results 

Spinnaker IRC 1.Diamond, Dorgan/Losty /Marshall  2. Jelly BabyJones family, 3. Luas Sean Hanley

Standard class 1. DejaVu Brian Curtis, 2 Spindrift 3. Second chance, Jim O 'Meara

White sail -1st Magnet, Kieran O Brien, 2. Mazu, Denis Ellis 3. Big Deal

Cobh People's Regatta photo gallery

The South Coast Offshore Racing Association (SCORA) will run a Cork Harbour to Dunmore East offshore race next Saturday, August 21st.

The offshore body is also considering a race back to Crosshaven the following day.

The plan is for a first gun at 7.00 am between No 3 Buoy at Roches Point at the entrance to Cork Harbour.

According to SCORA Commodore Daragh Connolly, seven boats plan on racing to Waterford.

SCORA aims to foster links with a burgeoning Waterford fleet and build on the regular WHSC attendance at Kinsale Yacht Club for its April league and Sovereign's Cup. Connolly notes how the WHSC crews also travel to RCYC for Autumn Leagues and Cork Week. 

A strong SCORA team this year also includes Kinsale's David Cullinane and Schull's Michael Murphy to promote offshore interest on the south coast.

A fine turnout of revived Rankin dinghies raced in a Cork Harbour mist and drizzle to commemorate the class founders in Saturday's Cobh People's Regatta. 

Fiona O'Connell's Rankin R21 was the overall winner of the 29 boat fleet after two races sailed, scoring a 3 and a 1.

Ewan and David O'Keeffe were second in R5.  Third was Richard Marshall in Rankin R30.

The packed regatta schedule included cruiser racing for the Titanic Trophy on Friday night.

It was followed by the Optimist Spit Bank Challenge plus racing for a fast dinghies fleet and lower handicap dinghies too.

Cruiser Racing involving other harbour clubs will be on Sunday, with the first gun at 1330.

A Rankin is a traditional wooden dinghy that was built in Cobh, of which it’s believed there were 80 and of which The Rankin Dinghy Group has traced nearly half.

The name of the Rankin dinghies is revered in Cork Harbour and particularly in the harbourside town of Cobh.

Maurice Kidney and Conor English are driving the restoration of the Rankin dinghies in Cork Harbour. They have discovered that Rankins were bought and sailed in several parts of the country.

Fiona O'Connell's Rankin R21was the winner

 Ewan and David O'Keeffe were second in R5

Third was Richard Marshall in Rankin R30

Rankin Dinghies Race at Cobh People's Regatta Photo Gallery below

There is a hectic weekend ahead in Cork Harbour with four events scheduled.

Cobh People's Regatta, the 1720 National Championships, the SB20 Southerns and the National 18's Lowflo Trophy are to be sailed.

Cobh People's Regatta will be held at Cove Sailing Club with racing for cruisers and dinghies. The packed schedule includes a commemorative event for the revived Rankin dinghy fleet on Saturday, for which the First Gun is at 1245.

Cruisers racing for the Titanic Trophy on Friday night are the first regatta event, with First Gun at 7 p.m. The Rankin dinghies will begin the racing on Saturday with their commemorative event for the Rankin Brothers Cup.

This will be followed by the Optimist Spit Bank Challenge starting at 1300 and followed by the Fast Dinghies fleet racing at 1330 and the Lower Handicap Dinghies at 1400. Cruiser Racing involving other harbour clubs will be on Sunday, with First Gun at 1330.

National 18's are racing for the Lowflo Trophy at Royal Cork Yacht Club Photo: Bob Bateman

As Afloat reported previously, the 1720 National Championships, organised by the RCYC and the Sportsboat Class Association, start this Friday afternoon with two races. Four are scheduled for Saturday and three on Sunday.

The SB20s, also to be raced out of the Crosshaven club, have three races planned for Saturday and the same number on Sunday.

Colin Galavan and Richard Hayes from the Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire are sailing their SB20 Carpe Diem in the Southern class Championships at Royal Cork

An ESB partnership aims to develop large scale storage for “green hydrogen” off the Cork coast which could meet up to ten per cent of current annual electricity consumption in Ireland.

Up to three terawatt-hours (TWh) of “green hydrogen” and hydrogen carriers could be stored if the project is licensed and given planning approval, ESB and dCarbonX have said.

“Green hydrogen” is produced by using renewable electricity such as wind to split water into its basic elements of hydrogen and oxygen.

“Green hydrogen” is described as a carbon-free gas that can be safely stored and used as a replacement fuel for heavy transport, shipping, industry and backup power generation.

“Decarbonising the electricity network and achieving Ireland’s goal of net-zero carbon by 2050 requires the large-scale development of green hydrogen from renewable sources,” the two companies have said.

This new project off Kinsale, Co Cork, with dCarbonX is one of several to identify and develop subseas energy storage offshore opportunities in Ireland.

Several months ago, the ESB announced plans to invest in a hydrogen facility as part of its redevelopment of the Moneypoint site in Clare into a renewable energy hub.

The companies have also proposed the development of a new “green hydrogen valley” around the Poolbeg peninsula in Dublin

The ESB says a proprietary evaluation of the depleted gas field reservoir around Kinsale took place earlier this year to identify the potential for large-scale storage of green hydrogen.

“Since then, a comprehensive work programme has begun, comprising subsurface analysis, mineralogy, capacity modelling, injection and withdrawal rates, compression, drilling evaluation, well design, retention assurance, monitoring, electrolysis and infrastructure tie-in,” the ESB says.

“Mirroring developments across Europe and globally, ESB recognises the role hydrogen will play in enabling a low carbon future,” ESB strategy manager for generation and trading Padraig O’Hiceadha said.

“Transforming sites – such as the recently decommissioned gas reservoirs at Kinsale Head – and repurposing reservoirs for green hydrogen can deliver large-scale sustainable energy storage for homes and businesses in the future,” he said.

“The Kinsale Head reservoirs hosted safe, secure and reliable offshore natural gas subsurface energy storage for many years, underpinning Ireland’s security of gas supply,” Dr John O’Sullivan, chief operating officer of dCarbonX, said

“Kinsale Head is the third Irish offshore location that we are assessing with ESB for green hydrogen storage and we look forward to providing further updates as appropriate,” O’Sullivan said.

The two companies said that the county Cork region is “ideally placed to be a renewable energy hub, having one of the largest natural harbours in the world”.

They have also highlighted Cork’s “excellent energy and transport connectivity, modern global manufacturing and service industries together with power stations, refinery and gas reception terminal”.

dCarbonX Ltd is a geo-energy company based in Dublin and London, which was established to develop subsurface hydrogen storage, carbon sequestration and geothermal baseload assets as part of the energy transition.