Cork's ILCA Summer Sprint Series Thrills Spectators at Inniscarra Sailing and Kayaking Club

11th September 2024

Race officer Brian Bird and assistant Tim McCarthy were able to find a sweet spot for the race course to run the ILCA Summer Sprint Series at Inniscarra Sailing and Kayaking Club

Fresh breeze played its part on the flat water behind Cork's famous Inniscarra dam for the ILCA summer sprint series on Sunday.

The River Lee Reservoir hosts a diverse community of clubs, including the National Rowing Centre. This weekend, however, it was the Inniscarra Sailing and Kayaking Club (ISKC) that hosted round 4 of the ILCA Summer Sprint series. ISKC Commodore Tim O'Herlihy welcomed twenty boats from a variety of clubs around Cork, and a fresh, shifty breeze funnelled down the valley from the Northwest, creating ideal conditions for a windward, leeward course for the three ILCA fleets.

Race officer Brian Bird and assistant Tim McCarthy were able to find a sweet spot for the course and achieved the full five races on the day. Olin Bateman, taking a few tips from his brother Chris, who also raced, came home first in the ILCA 7 ahead of local sailor Sean O'Herlihy. The great grandmaster Robert Jeffreys showed his mastery of wind shifts to stay ahead of Liam Duggan and is very well prepared for a run at the European masters at the start of October.

Inniscarra Sailing and Kayaking Club (ISKC) welcomed twenty boats from a variety of clubs around Cork for round 4 of the ILCA Summer Sprint series

A return to racing for Isabel McCarthy after a summer of instructing at the ISKC Sailing courses on the lake showed that experience of the wind shifts can really pay off when racing on such a narrow course. She beat Conor Lynch, who had just moved to ILCA 4 from the optimist class over the summer.

After the day's racing, the sailors enjoyed a barbeque and social gathering. Next up for the sprint series is the finale event, which has a 50% modifier for the series, which will help to tighten up the final standings. That event is scheduled for Sept 22nd at Royal Cork Yacht Club in Crosshaven. Racing will incorporate five sprint races on the 22nd, which can be entered as a standalone regatta.

More details here

Published in Laser, Youth Sailing

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Published in Laser

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ILCA

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The ILCA, formerly known as the Laser, is the most produced boat in the world, with 220,000 units built since 1971.

It's easy to see why the single-handed dinghy has won the title of the most widely distributed boat of all time.

The Laser is a one-design dinghy, the hulls being identical but three rigs that can be used according to the size and weight of the sailor.

The class is international, with sailors from 120 countries. The boat has also been an Olympic class since 1996, being both the men's and women's singlehanded dinghy.

Three rigs are recognised by the International Laser Class Association (ILCA):