#sovscup –Scroll down the page for images from today's day two, the halfway stage, of the Sovereign's Cup at Kinsale Yacht Club shot by Afloat's Bob Bateman.  

The Sovereign's Cup was established in 1995 and this year marks the 10th staging of this popular south coast cruiser regatta. The biennial event attracted  93 boats from all over Ireland and the UK to compete for the prestigious Sovereign's Cup for best all round score in IRC and The Portcullis Trophy for best progressive handicap.

#sovscup – RCYC's O'Leary clan continued to carve their way to the top of the 1720 European Championships table with six of the scheduled races completed. Nicholas, onboard T-Bone enjoyed a second and two bullets in today's racing held as part of the Covestone Asset Management Sovereign's Cup. T-Bone now enjoys a six point lead overall over Spiced Beef, with brothers Peter and Robert O'Leary onboard, which found today's shifty wind in Bullen Bay less to its taste. Baltimore-based Ben Cooke on Smile and Wave continues to keep the top two honest in third, just a further point adrift, while Anthony O'Leary, lies waiting in fourth should his sons slip up in the remaining races.

Kinsale Yacht Club's Sovereign's Cup passed the halfway point with a mid-event prizegiving at the newly renovated Kinsale Yacht Club.
In the Quarter Ton Cup, the competition continues apace amongst the 8-boat fleet. Rob Laidlaw in Aquila appears at this stage to marginally have the upper hand over Rob Gray's all-black Cote, scoring two bullets and a second to Gray's two seconds and a first. There's not much in it though, with the final race today being decided by a mere seven seconds. William McNeill's Illegal Immigrant lies in third overall after three third place finishes, and likewise Tony Hayward's Black Fun was remarkably consistent notching up three fourths today, to lie in fourth place overall. However, the smart money at this stage would be on Laidlaw or Gray to lift the trophy.
In White Sail Class 1, KYC's Dave O'Sullivan in Cimarron VI and Christine Willis in Rodmar of Aberaeron are tied on points at the top of the table, with the O'Mahony clan on Loch Greine just a further point behind. However, with Emir Herr winning today's race, and the overall scores reasonably close, it is all to play for yet in this fleet. In IRC, Rodmar of Aberaeron leads by a single point from Colm Bermingham's Bite the Bullet with Stephen Lysaght's Reavra just a further point back. In White Sail Class 2, KYC's Ger Grant in Loa Zour won today's race to lead overall from clubmates Caroline Forde and Gill Good on Guinness Kann and Richard Hanley on Saoirse.
In Class 2, the Waterford-based Statham team on Slack Alice now enjoy a five point lead in Class 2 IRC. In a tightly bunched fleet, this could be described as "commanding", as the second and third placed boats, the evergreen Cavatina and Bad Company are tied on points. However the two RCYC boats have only two points to spare over former Sovereign's Cup winner Dux. In Class 2 Echo, Henry Hogg's Lisador is currently comfortably ahead of Typhoon and Bad Company, but once again nine boats could be considered contenders for overall honours when one considers that Typhoon was the only one of the top five boats in Echo to score better than a third in today's racing.

Nicholas O'Leary's T bone crew lead the 1720 Euros in Kinsale. Photo: Bob Bateman. Scroll down for more photos

Class 3 were also on the Windward Leeward course with Class 2 today, and enjoyed the 15 knot+ south-westerly breeze and the pleasant sunshine. KYC member, John Twomey continued to dominate in his Blazer 23 Shillelagh, with a further two bullets today to go with the two from yesterday. Twomey's results are underscored by the fact that he has the lowest handicapped boat in the fleet, but consistently maintains a significant on-the-water lead in each race. Jaws Seachange Now and Bandit lie in second and third place respectively. In Class 3 Echo, Twomey's dominance continues, with Jaws Seachange now in second overall, but Bill McConnell's Monkey Business climbing to third overall after two second placed finishes today.
The Class 0 and 1 fleet enjoyed a very long day at sea today on the round-the-cans course which gave all boats a chance to stretch themselves in the glorious conditions. In the first race of the morning, Andy William's stunning Ker 40 Keronimo was across the line early, and had to dip back before resuming the race, scything her way through the fleet before surfing into an on-the-water lead downwind while clocking in excess of 20 knots! The "Z" flag had to be unfurled by PRO Jack Roy for the second race after a general recall. Keronimo leads overall in Class 0 IRC, but is tied on points with Kieran Twomey's Gloves Off, which continued her good form today. Murray Finlay's XP38i Roxstar lies a little adrift in third overall. Richard Fildes'campaign on his Corby 37 Impetuous suffered a serious setback today after they were Z-flagged in the second race of the day apparently dropping her out of contention until the discard comes into play. In Class 0 Echo, Gloves Off and Keronimo lie first and second respectively, with Tony Ackland's Dark Angel in third overall.

Dublin Bay Joker 2 leads Class one. Photo: Bob Bateman. Scroll down for more photos

In Class 1 IRC, John Maybury's Joker 2, has established herself as the boat to beat, not having been outside the top three to date, and scoring a bullet in today's second race. Local KYC boat David Scott's EOS lies in second place overall after squeaking a win from Joker 2 by two seconds in the first race today. The A35 Fool's Gold of Rob McConnell lies in third overall but, with just eight points separating second and sixth places and amid reports of very competitive racing - where minute margins are making significant differences - no one is calling this class yet. J109s and A35s occupy the top seven positions in Class 1 ECHO. Joker 2 also tops the table here with the RIYC boat 10 points clear of Tony Fox's Gringo and John Kelly's Jump the Gun rounding out the top three a further 8.5 points behind.

More images in the gallery below and in a separate Sovereign's Cup photography posting here

#sovs cup – Local Paralympian, John Twomey laid down a marker after the first day of racing at the Sovereign's Cup in Kinsale, County Cork yesterday. The ten times paralympian is in training for the IFDS world disabled sailing championship to be held at this venue in August and leads the class three fleet having swept the boards with two first place finishes on day one. Jamie Bergin and Brendan Foley are lying second after day one with 5 points.

Today is the second day of racing in the four day biennial cup.

British visitor Impetuous was first out of the starting blocks and shot to the top of the leader board of class zero. This result combined with their third place finish in race two leaves Richard Filde's Corby 37 in joint first position at the end of day one.

Keronimo the English Ker 40 was first over the finish line and ended up with a respectable 4th on corrected time in the first race. Andy William's boat produced a podium finish in the second race to leave him lying in third place overall. Kieran Twomey's Gloves off is keeping the home flags flying in joint first place with two second places.

RIYC Visitor Leslie Parnell finished in first place in race one in class 1 on his First 34.7 Black Velvet- Dublin Boats dominated the first three places in race 1.

The second race saw RCYC's D-Tox taking the honours with John Maybury's J109 Joker 2 taking 2nd place leaving him in 2nd Place overall. Black Velvet finished 7th in the second race leaving them in third place at the end of the days racing.

EOS is the leading local boat lying 4th overall. This 16 boat fleet looks to be setting itself up for some close competition over the coming days.

Waterford's Shane Statham sailing Slack Alice is top of the leader board in class 2 with 9 points after two races. Three boats , Sunburn , Cavatina and Alpaca are lying joint second with 10 points . Bad Company and the Main4 are providing stiff competition only a point behind.

Cork Olympian Peter O Leary and Ben Cook each had a 1st and a 3rd for the first two races. Tom Durcans' T- Bone scored two 2nds to leave three boats sharing 4 points on the 1720 European Championship after the first two races . Three times Sovereign Cup winner Anthony O Leary was not letting the Kids get away with it . He pulled a bullet out of the hat in race three leaving him in touch with the leaders and was lying a respectable 4th with 11 points after 3 races.

Sam Laidlow's Aquila opened his account with a bullet in the first of the ¼ Tonner National Championship. Cote helmed by Rob Grey finished 2nd in race 1 but with a bullet in race 2 shared the top place with Sam Laidlow after two races. Aquila continued their winning ways in race three leaving them clear leaders with 4 points after day one.

OD Donal Hayes sent the Gentlemen's class of white sailors class 1 on a two and a half hour cruise around Kinsale harbour . Howth visitor Bite the Bullet helmed by Colm Bermingham leads this fleet after the first day . RCYC's Loch Greine is lying second with Welsh visitors Rodney of Aberaeron claiming a respectable 3rd. Best of the local fleet in this class was Dave O' Sullivan's Cimmaron VI.

Saoirse , Guinness Khan and Loa Zur took the spoils in Class two.

Full day one results here.

#sovs cup – Local Paralympian, John Twomey laid down a marker after the first day of racing at the Sovereign's Cup in Kinsale, County Cork yesterday. The ten times paralympian is in training for the IFDS world disabled sailing championship to be held at this venue in August and leads the class three fleet having swept the boards with two first place finishes on day one. Jamie Bergin and Brendan Foley are lying second after day one with 5 points.

British visitor Impetuous was first out of the starting blocks and shot to the top of the leader board of class zero. This result combined with their third place finish in race two leaves Richard Filde's Corby 37 in joint first position at the end of day one.

Keronimo the English Ker 40 was first over the finish line and ended up with a respectable 4th on corrected time in the first race. Andy William's boat produced a podium finish in the second race to leave him lying in third place overall. Kieran Twomey's Gloves off is keeping the home flags flying in joint first place with two second places.

RIYC Visitor Leslie Parnell finished in first place in race one in class 1 on his First 34.7 Black Velvet- Dublin Boats dominated the first three places in race 1.

The second race saw RCYC's D-Tox taking the honours with John Maybury's J109 Joker 2 taking 2nd place leaving him in 2nd Place overall. Black Velvet finished 7th in the second race leaving them in third place at the end of the days racing.

EOS is the leading local boat lying 4th overall. This 16 boat fleet looks to be setting itself up for some close competition over the coming days.

Waterford's Shane Statham sailing Slack Alice is top of the leader board in class 2 with 9 points after two races. Three boats , Sunburn , Cavatina and Alpaca are lying joint second with 10 points . Bad Company and the Main4 are providing stiff competition only a point behind.

Cork Olympian Peter O Leary and Ben Cook each had a 1st and a 3rd for the first two races. Tom Durcans' T- Bone scored two 2nds to leave three boats sharing 4 points on the 1720 European Championship after the first two races . Three times Sovereign Cup winner Anthony O Leary was not letting the Kids get away with it . He pulled a bullet out of the hat in race three leaving him in touch with the leaders and was lying a respectable 4th with 11 points after 3 races.

Sam Laidlow's Aquila opened his account with a bullet in the first of the ¼ Tonner National Championship. Cote helmed by Rob Grey finished 2nd in race 1 but with a bullet in race 2 shared the top place with Sam Laidlow after two races. Aquila continued their winning ways in race three leaving them clear leaders with 4 points after day one.

OD Donal Hayes sent the Gentlemen's class of white sailors class 1 on a two and a half hour cruise around Kinsale harbour . Howth visitor Bite the Bullet helmed by Colm Bermingham leads this fleet after the first day . RCYC's Loch Greine is lying second with Welsh visitors Rodney of Aberaeron claiming a respectable 3rd. Best of the local fleet in this class was Dave O' Sullivan's Cimmaron VI.

Saoirse , Guinness Khan and Loa Zur took the spoils in Class two.

#sovscup – On the eve of racing in the 2013 Sovereign's Cup, Kinsale Yacht Club released IRC class bands for tomorrow's handicap cruiser divisions.

Based on these bands, it is expected that ten boats will come to the starting area in Class 0, while Class 1 will see 16 boats (most of which lie in a very narrow handicap range) fighting for honours.

18 boats will do battle in Class 2 with an anticipated seven boats in Class 3.

IRC Rating Range

Class 0 > 1.061

Class 1 0.990 - 1.061

Class 2 0.924 - 0.989

Class 3 < 0.924

Kinsale is a natural, virtually land-locked harbour on the estuary of the Bandon River, approximately 12 miles south west of Cork harbour entrance. Home to a thriving fishing fleet as well as frequented by commercial shipping, it boats two fully serviced marinas, with the Kinsale Yacht Club & Marina being the closest to the town. Visitors to this marina automatically become temporary members of the club and are therefore entitled to make full use of the facilities, which include a fully licensed bar and restaurant serving evening meals on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Fuel, water and repair services are also available.

Kinsale Yacht Club Marina, Kinsale, Co. Cork

Tel: 00353 21 4772196  Fax: 00353 21 477 4455

Email: [email protected]

VHF: Ch M

Access: H24

#kyc – Last Sunday was a bright and sunny day in Kinsale for Patricks day saw seven cruisers hit the water writes Brian Carlin.
The wind was cool with a strong northwesterly building to 20-25 knots.
The PRO made the most of the conditions and sent the small fleet of Class 1's and white sails on a fast downwind ride to Black Head.
The flat seas and strong winds made for an ideal windward leeward course, centre point being the only other mark on the course.
Results: IRC All In went to Chancer (Carroll Bros), Echo went to Joker (Broderick & Gibbons)
White sails went to Maximser (Carl Queen)

#kinsale – The ASM-Marine Frostbite League for Lasers, Squibs and Mixed dinghies at Kinsale Yacht Club passed the half-way mark on Sunday when a further three races were successfully completed to bring the total races sailed to eight, with two discards to be applied. With a further six races possible over the next two Sundays and with one more discard to be taken into consideration, the eventual outcome in most classes remain tantalizingly open.
A steady Force 4 Moderate Breeze in a bright but cool morning set the backdrop for the fourth day of racing, as the KYC Race Committee lead by PRO's Bruce Matthews and Clem McElligott decided on a triangular course for the first two races, laying the windward mark just south of the beach at Castlepark with the leeward near Kinsale Boatyard. As the tide had just turned prior to the start of the first race, it would be the third race before the effect of the flood tide was to prove a decisive input into race tactics. A more determining factor was the greater wind strength apparent on the left side of the course. Due to a the wind veer of approximately twenty-five degrees prior to the start of race three, the course was re-adjusted accordingly for that final race of the day.
The combined Laser Fleet of thirty-two boats comprising Standard, Radial and 4.7 rigs were boosted by the presence of the ISA Munster Training Squad and got off to a flying start @ 12.00 hrs. without incident.
In the Laser Standard Class, last year's overall winner Ronan Kenneally (Monkstown - MBSC) and leading helm from the previous week by just one point, markedly improved his advantage to eight points with an unbeatable combination of a second and two firsts. Meanwhile, his fellow competitors experienced very mixed fortunes on the day in this otherwise tightly contested series. Aided by a fine second in the final race James Mathews (KYC) managed to retain a firm hold on second overall, while Mathias Hellstern's (KYC) third place in the first race assisted his move to a third place overall. Robert Howe's (MBSC) performance of a first and second in the first two races is worthy of note, though he is not currently in contention due to several DNCs accumulated earlier in the series.
In the Laser Radial Class, the ever consistent Darragh O'Sullivan (KYC) and another returning winner from last year marked up one of the two outstanding performances of the day's racing by taking line honours in all three races. In so doing, he has leaped from fourth to first place overall. Given that the league standings have been affected by various helms including Darragh, not competing at various stages due to other commitments, his thirteen points lead in the top spot is looking comfortable. Despite Dara O'Shea (KYC) and Dermot Lyden (BSC/RCYC) not competing on Sunday as indicated above, with their accumulated points to date, they still manage to hold second and third positions overall. Two further notable results were achieved by Aisling Keller (LDYC/KYC) and Kinsale's Sorcha Ni Shuillabhain who was last year's winner of the Destiny Trophy for best performance by a Kinsale sailor when she competed in the 4.7 class. Aisling's second and two thirds moves her from ninth to fourth overall, while Sorcha's third and two seconds are her first set of scores in the league to date.
In the Laser 4.7 class, with three wins to his credit so far Richard Thompson (RCYC/KYC) has emerged as this year's leading helm. Another first, a third and a second on Sunday gives him a lead of three points and a total of eight overall. However Cliodhna O'Regan (KYC) with two of her maximum scores discarded and due to a second and two wins on Sunday moves up into second place and is definitely very much in contention for that top place. Thomas McGrath (RCYC) unable to repeat his performance of last week which delivered two wins drops to third overall and three points behind.
In the Squib Class, the competition between the two leading boats is definitely ratcheting up with both boats seldom out of the top two positions in any race. On Sunday Colm Dunne &Mark Buckley (KYC) in Allegro gained the upper hand, and overturned a deficit of two points overall with a remarkable winning performance of three firsts. Marcus & Meagan Hutchinson (KYC) in Sensation had to settle for three seconds and though they drop to second place overall are only one point behind. The final outcome between these closely matched boats remains very much open. Paul McCarthy/Paul Cotter (KYC) in Mack took third place in the second race, and Bobby Nash/Mike Walsh (KYC) were third in races one and three.
With only the elements as their main adversaries, the K6 of Peadar Murphy, Alan Bateman & Keith O'Riordan continued unchallenged in the Mixed Dinghy Class, adding its own particular spectacle to the overall excitement of the Frostbites.
The league continues over the next two Sundays ending on 24th February. It is an Open Event for all Lasers, Squibs and Mixed Dinghies. F.G. @ 11.55.

Dragon Gold Cup - Race One. Two Irish Yacht Club Commodores lead the home challenge at the Dragon Gold Cup in Kinsale with race one completed in a windy 20 knot south westerly breeze today. Cameron Good, Commodore of Kinsale YC finished in seventh while Dubliner Martin Byrne, Commodore of Royal St George YC finished 11th in the 70 boat international fleet.

The race was won by current Dragon world champion Lawrie Smith followed by double Olympic gold medalist Poul Rickard Hoj-Jensen. Racing continues until Friday.

Over 250 competitors, supporters and guests attended the Opening Ceremony for the Brewin Dolphin Dragon Gold Cup 2012 at a reception at Kinsale Yacht Club.

The Brewin Dolphin Dragon Gold Cup 2012 got underway in spectacular style as the 60 competitors from 16 nations and 4 continents completed their first race in strong winds and big seas off Kinsale.

The Dragon Gold Cup is legendary for being one of the toughest championships in keelboat racing as it is raced over huge 12+ mile windward leeward courses and there is no discard in the six race series. Today's rough seas and winds of up to 25 knots from the south certainly ensured it was also a test of stamina as well as skill and there were incidents aplenty with a number of spectacular broaches and some exciting mark roundings as the sailors contended with the confused seas and blustery conditions.

The fleet got away cleanly at the first time of asking by PRO Alan Crosbie, and the first beat saw the boats spread out very evenly across the course. At the first weather mark those who had opted to go right had the advantage and it was reigning Dragon World Champion Lawrie Smith, sailing GBR763 Alfie, who led the fleet from double Olympic Gold Medallist Poul Richard Hoj-Jensen, sailing GBR775 Danish Blue; Dimitry Samokhin sailing RUS76 Strange Little Girl; 2010 Gold Cup winner Anatoly Loginov sailing RUS27 Annapurna; and Cameron Good, sailing IRL211 Little Fella.

Whilst Smith and Hoj-Jensen then held their positions around the course the battle behind them for third place was fierce. By the start of the final beat Tommy Mueller, sailing GER1123 Sinewave, had pulled up into third just ahead of Samokhin, Good was fifth and Loginov sixth with Lars Hendriksen, sailing UKR7 Bunker Boys, moving up into seventh.

Hoj-Jensen pushed Smith hard on the final beat but both boats also had to defend their positions on the chasing pack. At the line Smith won from Hoj-Jensen whilst Samokhin pulled back up into third with Mueller fourth. Hendriksen, who has claimed the Gold Cup on two previous occasions, sailed a wonderful final leg to cross the line in fifth. Joergen Schoenherr, sailing DEN406 African Queen, also showed blistering pace to go from 11th to sixth on the last beat, just pipping Good on the line.

Cameron Good, Commodore of the Kinsale Yacht Club, also claimed victory in the Corinthian Division, for the all-amateur crews. Dublin's Gary Treacy, sailing IRL198 Dublin Bay, took second place in the Corinthians with Reemt Reemtsma, sailing GBR1121 Caroroo, in third and IDA Chairman Richard Blickman, sailing NED393 Cobweb, fourth.

One of the most impressive stories of the day came from the Australian team aboard AUS222 Puff III. They were running very deep in sixth place on the second run when a rogue wave caught the transom and span them into a Chinese jybe. Helmsman Richard Lynn found himself being swept out of the boat as his crew, Ian Olson and Aussie sailing legend Roger Hickman, battled to get their spinnaker, which was now doing a very good job of trawling for supper, back under control. Fortunately Richard just managed to grab the spinnaker sheet on his way out of the boat and by the time the boys had the kite under control he was back on board. They had lost a number of places but they dug in on the final lap and managed to pull back up into ninth place, keeping themselves firmly in contention.

Five more races are scheduled and the regatta continues until Friday 14th September. Lighter airs are forecast for the next couple of days but strong airs are expected to return later in the week.

The Dragon Gold Cup is considered the open World Cup of Dragon Sailing with 60 boats from 16 countries and several world champions and ex-olympians competing for this prestigious trophy, hosted by Kinsale Yacht Club from 8th-14th September.

Cameron Good, Commodore, Kinsale Yacht Club welcomed all the competitors and supporters and introduced Guest of Honour, Simon Coveney TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, who congratulated Kinsale Yacht Club for hosting this international sailing event and wished everyone good sailing for the week ahead.

Also in attendance were Lieutenant Commander Brian Sweeney, Captain of the LE Ciara Naval Vessel, that docked in Kinsale on Saturday, together with Lieutenant Ronan McLoughlin.

Additional guests included Billy Lynch, Mayor of Kinsale, Conor Grimley from Tilman Brewin Dolphin, Dublin who is participating in the Dragon Gold Cup and Niamh McCutcheon, President of the Irish Sailing Association.

Some of the top sailors competing for the Brewin Dolphin Dragon Gold Cup include British Olympic Bronze Medallist and reigning Dragon World Champion Lawrie Smith, Danish double Olympic Gold Medallist and five time Dragon Gold Cup winner Poul Richard Hoj-Jensen, past Dragon Gold Cup and World Champion Tommy Mueller from Germany, double Dragon Gold Cup and European Champion Lars Hendriksen from Denmark, three time Dragon Gold Cup winner Joergen Schoenherr, also from Denmark and Russia's Anatoly Loginov who won the Gold Cup in 2010.

With teams from sixteen nations competing including visitors from across Europe and as far afield as Australia, Hong Kong, Russia and the Ukraine competition is expected to be fierce.

Two of the top female Dragon helms will also be competing in the form of Britain's Gavia Wilkinson-Cox and Germany's Tanja Jacobsohn, both of whom are more than capable of putting in winning performances.

The Irish Dragon Fleet is well represented by current Edinburgh Cup holder Simon Brien from the Royal North of Ireland YC, Martin Byrne from the Royal St George YC and Andrew Craig, also from the Royal St George YC and recent Irish South Coast Champion, Cameron Good from Kinsale

Regatta Director is Julie Silfverberg; the Race Management team is headed up by Alan Crosbie and the M.Yves Léglise is Chairman of the International Jury.

#DRAGON - Following on from the recent successes of the Volvo Ocean Race in Galway and the Tall Ships Races in Dublin, Kinsale Yacht Club is set to host another major international sailing event in the Brewin Dolphin Dragon Gold Cup from 8-14 September.

Over 60 boats and 200 sailors from Japan, Hong Kong, Russia, Ukraine, Sweden, Germany, Finland, France, Portugal, Denmark and Monaco as well as strong fleets from both Ireland and the UK will compete in the what is considered the World Cup of Dragon sailing.

Among the competitive fleet sailing in the open waters off the Old Head of Kinsale will be several world champions and former Olympians including current Dragon Gold Cup holder Marcus Wieser, Tommy Muller, Vincent Hoesch, Volvo Ocean Race veteran Lawrie Smith and current Irish National Dragon Champion Poul Richard Hoj-Jensen.

Between them, their accomplishments include two Olympic gold medals and Volvo Ocean Race and America’s Cup campaigns.

Also competing are Jorgen Schoner, winner of three Dragon Gold Cups; Lars Hendriksen, winner of two Dragon Gold Cups and two European Dragon Championships, and former British Olympian and America’s Cup sailor Andy Beasworth who will be joining Klaus Diedreichs. 

Closer to home, the Irish Dragon fleet will be well represented by the Edinburgh Cup winner Simon Brien as well as established campaigners Martin Byrne from Dun Laoghaire, Don O’Donoghue, Andrew Craig and Cameron Good from Kinsale.

“We are delighted to host the prestigious Dragon Gold Cup at Kinsale Yacht Club this season and look forward to welcoming a world-class fleet to Kinsale for a full racing and social programme,” remarked Good, Commodore of Kinsale Yacht Club.  

Meanwhile, the Irish Dragon South Coast Championships are taking place this weekend 1-2 September to serve as a 'warm up' event for the Gold Cup. Entries are still open for both events. See www.kyc.ie for regular updates.