Kinsale Yacht Club has thrown open its doors to welcome more than 200 Dragon sailors from around the globe in preparation for the Kinsale Dragon Gold Cup 2024 sponsored by Astra Construction Services Ltd, which gets underway tomorrow, Sunday 8 September.
A post Covid record entry of sixty-two teams from twelve nations and four continents has registered for this very special 80th edition of the Dragon Gold Cup. The fleet includes all the top international teams, plus an exceptionally strong group of all amateur Corinthian crews, who will also be vying for the Corinthian Gold Cup.
Sadly, the weather gods failed to deliver for today’s planned practice race and although the fleet went afloat and Race Officer Con Murphy put his team through their paces mark laying and wind tracking, the breeze failed to build sufficiently and at 14.00 the boats were sent home.
Despite today’s lack of practice the teams are raring to go. 2019 Gold Cup Champion Pedro Andrade summed up the feeling saying, “It’s always good to go out and check the racecourse, and for the race committee to check all their systems and equipment and make sure everything is working so they don’t have any surprises. I love Kinsale and have been here a few times in the past. I sailed an Irish Nationals and a South Coast Championship here with Martin Byrne and Adam Winklemann and I absolutely loved it. The sail out is beautiful, and the racecourse is great. And the hospitality is perfect too, plus it’s exciting to see over 60 boats here.”
Supporting the Race Committee on the Committee Boat will be International Dragon Association’s Championship Coordinator Martin Payne. Looking ahead to tomorrow’s opening race he noted, “Tomorrow the forecast is for a lot of wind and a change of wind direction, so it’s going to be quite exciting. The first race of the Gold Cup has its own special trophy, which was presented in honour of the great Danish Dragon sailor and boatbuilder Borge Borresen, who competed in the Gold Cup an incredible 51 times, winning twice as a helm in 1967 and 1985."
The Gold Cup is run to a very traditional format, with one race per day scheduled for each of the six days using long windward leeward courses. The time limit for each race is up to five hours, unless it becomes necessary to run two races on a single day to catch up the schedule, in which case the time limit is reduced to three hours per race. There are no discards in the series and with all races to count consistency and good boat preparation are paramount. Racing will run from Sunday 8 to Friday 13 September on an open sea course area set against the spectacular backdrop of the Old Head of Kinsale.
Defending Gold Cup crew Ruairidh Scott will be racing once again with helm Lawrie Smith. Fresh from their recent victories at the Edinburgh Cup (British Championship) and Irish Championship, Ruairidh picked up on the exceptional nature of the Gold Cup, “The Gold Cup is always good fun and this week we’re sailing with Martin Wrigley [a top 470 sailor] who has not done a Gold Cup before, so I’ve been explaining some of the anomalies and intricacies of the length of the of the course and size of it. And that the no discard scoring brings its own challenges. With six long races and no discard you have to think about the racing slightly differently. We’re definitely looking forward to it!”
Alongside the racing, the championship will also feature a superb social programme. Each afternoon long standing Dragon Class sponsor Yanmar will host an Après Sailing Party. The Regatta was formally declared underway at this evening’s Opening Ceremony, hosted at Kinsale Yacht Club and sponsored by Cork County Council. The Opening Ceremony was followed by a Taste of Ireland supper party sponsored by Astra Construction and featuring delicious Irish fare including local oysters, mussels, seafood chowder and Irish Stew, all washed down with Guiness. Later in the week event sponsor Astra Construction will host both a reception at the historic Charles Fort, overlooking the entrance to the harbour, and a Gold Cup Gala Dinner at Acton’s Hotel. The championship will conclude on Friday with the Prize Giving Ceremony.
From left to right - Tomas O’Brien, M.C.; Anthony Scannell, Commodore Kinsale Yacht Club; Rose Carron, Cork County Council; Cllr. Marie O’Sullivan, Deputy Cork County Mayor; Maeve Cotter, Regatta Director; Sharon Conroy, Cork County Council and International Dragon Association Championship Coordinator Martin Payne pictured at the launch of the Kinsale Dragon Gold Cup 2024 sponsored by Astra Construction Services Ltd at Kinsale Yacht Club on Saturday 7 September 2024. Picture John Allen
At the Opening Ceremony, Regatta Chair Maeve Cotter issued a warm welcome to the competitors saying “It’s wonderful to see so many Dragons here in Kinsale, and to welcome teams from across the world. To have such a wide mix of ages and Corinthian and non-Corinthian teams is very special and we’re excited for the week ahead.” She also relayed a personal message from Michael D Higgins, President of Ireland, who asked her to convey his warm regards to Kinsale in hosting this important event for the third time, following previous editions in 1977 and 2012. He expressed his best wishes to all those involved and wished the competitors an enjoyable, memorable and successful week.
The first race is due to get underway at 12.55 tomorrow, Sunday 8 September, and you can follow the latest regatta updates on the event website, Facebook and Instagram pages. Further information about the regatta can be found at www.kyc.ie or by contacting:
