"Fantastic Weekend" Planned for Rankin Dinghies in Cork Harbour

24th August 2026

Tom MacSweeney

Revival Meeting – Rankin dinghies race off Cobh in Cork Harbour ahead of a major gathering of the revived class for the Rankin Worlds in Crosshaven Credit: Bob Bateman

“It is shaping up to be a fantastic weekend for the Rankin Worlds in Crosshaven,” say Conor English and Maurice Kidney, organisers of the great ‘Rankin Revival,’ which is planned to reach a height this weekend at the Royal Cork Yacht Club.

“We were very disappointed to have to postpone the original event in June due to the weather, but safety has to come first, particularly with these beautiful older boats, which all need to be treated with a little care and respect!” they say. “We are expecting close to 30 Rankins to gather for this weekend, with boats coming from across the county and further afield to join the fleet. It is particularly encouraging to see so many boats making the journey to be part of the event and to support what promises to be a great gathering of the Rankin fleet.”

The ‘Rankin Worlds’, as they are named by the Cobh-headquartered Class in Cork Harbour, has experienced a huge revival, led by English and Kidney over the past few years.

In a message “to all Rankins,“ they say: “The weekend programme will feature three races on Saturday and two on Sunday, including the traditional Sunday fun race. This usually involves a spirited raid back up the river to the Royal Cork Yacht Club, providing a great spectacle both on and off the water.

“The event has also received tremendous support this year from the Port of Cork and a number of other sponsors, who have generously contributed towards prizes and volunteers helping with the logistics of putting the weekend together. Their support has been hugely appreciated and has allowed us to make the event something really special for the fleet.

“With the largest gathering of the Rankins together expected, boats travelling in from around the country and a full weekend of racing and social activity planned, we are really looking forward to seeing the fleet come together in Crosshaven. It should be a great weekend of racing, camaraderie and, hopefully, some sunshine -and a wonderful showcase for the Rankin class and the sailing heritage of Cork Harbour.

“We look forward to welcoming everyone on August 29–30.”

Published in Rankin Dinghy, Royal Cork YC, Cork Harbour

Published in Rankin Dinghy

Tagged under

About The Author

Tom MacSweeney

Email The Author

Tom MacSweeney writes a column for Afloat.ie. He is former RTE Marine Correspondent/Presenter of Seascapes and has a monthly Seascapes Podcast on the Community Radio Network and Podcast services

We've got a favour to ask

More people are reading Afloat.ie than ever thanks to the power of the internet but we're in stormy seas because advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news sites, we haven't put up a paywall because we want to keep our marine journalism open.

Afloat.ie is Ireland's only full-time marine journalism team and it takes time, money and hard work to produce our content.

So you can see why we need to ask for your help.

If everyone chipped in, we can enhance our coverage and our future would be more secure. You can help us through a small donation. Thank you.

You might also want to read...

The Rankin Dinghy of Cobh, Cork Harbour

A Rankin is a traditional wooden dinghy which 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.

And the name of one of those boats is linked to the gunboat which fought against the Irish Volunteers during the 1916 Easter Rising and later for the emergent Irish Free State Government against anti-Treaty Forces during the Irish Civil War.

It also links the renowned boat-building Rankin family in Cobh, one of whose members crewed on the gunboat.

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.