#rcyc –The November/December O'Leary Insurance Group League in underway at Royal Cork writes Claire Bateman. It was very noticeable on the way to Crosshaven today that the leaves on the trees had suddenly decided to become a glorious riot of colour and definitely were marking the passing of Autumn to winter.

Today's race was a light airs start in a westerly breeze and race officers Dave Kearney and Dave Coveney decided on sending the fleet to No. 6 Port, 7 Port, 13 Starboard, 9 Starboard, Cage Starboard, 7 starboard and then to take Cage to Starboard to finish. Obviously the intention was that after No. 9 if they wanted to shorten the course they could do so.

As the fleet made its way under Fort Camden Meagher it was met with a flood tide coming in the harbour and in the light breeze with the fleet trying to round the mark all bunched together, there was a little bit of bumpers being played out of which the least said the better!!

During the racing the wind filled in towards the end but had swung to a more south westerly direction giving more reaching on the course than had been intended'

However, it turned out to be Conor Phelan's day in Jump Juice taking the IRC win on the day but, after three races to date, it is still the Martin Darrer/Colman Garvey True Pennance that holds the lead while Denis Murphy's Aquatack is lying second at the halfway stage in the league. In second place today was Judy McGrath sailing the Impala Bonanza.

In the Progressive Handicap All In Kieran and Liz O'Brien's Magnet leads the way with True Pennance second and Pat Vaughan's Aranis in third place.

Racing will continue next Sunday with FG 12.25

#Last night's Heineken Super League Prize Giving 2013 was yet another splendid evening enjoyed by a capacity attendance at the Royal Cork Yacht Club writes Claire Bateman.. It promised to be a night of good food, and bonhomie with the climax of the presentation of trophies and other prizes by the score.

At the end of the outstanding meal and with everybody feeling relaxed and very happy judging from the sounds of conversation and laughter, it was time for the big moment of the evening.

Once more Ronan Enright, Rear Admiral Keelboats, stepped into the limelight to organise the handing out of the prizes. This commenced with the prize giving for the Leagues throughout the summer season. First on the list was the Marshall Marine Tetiles April League sponsored by Richard Marshall. Next came the UK Halsey Sailmakers May League sponsored by Des and Sue McWilliam. June saw the Union Chandlery League sponsored by John and Maeve Wallace followed by Airport View Parking July/August/September League sponsored by John and Rose Donnery and finally Marshall Marine Textiles White Sail Summer league sponsored by Lianne and Richard Marshall. In this league Peter Webster enjoyed four wins out of twenty one races and of the same twenty one races there were fourteen different winners.

Next it was the turn of the Heineken Super League prizes to be handed out and our genial Admiral Peter Deasy stepped up to the mark for this pleasant task. The recipients of their prizes received very nice white bags bulging with club merchandise but we did not see what was in the bags. However, awe have no doubt they contained some very smart items indeed. Also in the Super League were The Phelans trophies for both IRC and ECHO and these lovely items were won by Frank Doyle in Endgame.

On then to the mouth watering Trophies, quite a few of which have to be retained in the club for security purposes but at least the winners can enjoy their photographs holding them as these are very old, prestigious and valuable items.

MAY
IRC WS : Atlantic Fleet Galleon Trophy: Batt O'Leary, Sweet Dreams
IRC Class 3: Clytie Cup Trophy: David Lane/Sinead Enright, An tOiléanach
IRC Class2: Harold Cudmore Trophy: Bad Company, Desmond/Ivers/Deasy
IRC Class 1: H.Harling Hayes Trophy: Conor and Denise Phelan, Jump Juice
JUNE
IRC Class 3: Bayona Trophy: Kieran O'Connell/Graham Marron, Bandit
IRC Class 2: Hugh Smith Barry Trophy: Len Donnery, No Gnomes
IRC Class 1: Sans Souci Trophy: Ian Nagle, Jelly Baby
JULY
WS First Sloop Flotilla Trophy: Bryan Heffernan, Aisling
Class 3: Camden Challenge Trophy: David Lane/Sinead Enright, AntOiléanach
Class 2: Belleville Cup Trophy: Clem and Wendy McElligott, Sea Hawk
Class 1: H.Howard Gould Trophy: Derry and Hilda Good, Exhale
JULY
WS Admiral Doyle Plate Trophy: Peter Webster, Thistle
Class 3: Muckley Trophy: David Lane/Sinead Enright, An tOiléanach
Class 2: Smelter Valley Trophy: Desmond/Ivers/Deasy, Bad Company
Class 1: Breffni McGovern Trophy: Derry and Hilda Good, Exhale

The presentation of the eagerly awaited and most coveted trophies then took place:
The Martin McDonnell Trophy was presented by Julianne McDonnell to Mark Reardon as skipper of the yacht which contributed most to the spirit and enjoyment of white sail racing.
The Doyle Family Trophy for the beset overseas performance was presented by Ingrid Doyle to David Kenefick for his outstanding achievements in the French Professional offshore solo sailing circuit, his participation in La Solitaire du Figaro, the Fastnet two handed race the Generali Solo and best Rookie of the year.

The final trophy was for Boat of the Year and the winner was Antix, Anthony O'Leary for his Class Zero win at ICRA and his 1720 National Championship win plus his participation representing RCYC at the NYYC Rolex Invitational.

Finally, Admiral Peter Deasy on behalf of the club accepted a presentation of a framed photograph from David Kenefick representing David's outstanding achievements for the season to date.
David then spoke of his 24 year old friend Nathan Kirwan, who is well known to many members of the RCYC. Nathan suffered a broken neck earlier this year and is making progress that could never have been envisaged without his great fighting spirit that has kept him going. Indeed it was only yesterday that David's brother George and others had got Nathan out in a RIB to watch the racing in Dublin. Nathan is due to leave the National Rehabilitation Centre, Dunlaoghaire, next Saturday to go to Barcelona for further specialised treatment and hopes are high for major further advances in his recovery. A novel feature of the RCYC Autumn League just gone by was the introduction of an excellent idea to raise further funds for the Nathan Kirwan Trust and to this end each boat skipper was given an envelope for voluntary contributions from crews. This resulted in the magnificent sum of €4000.00 being raised for the Nathan Kirwan Trust and reflects a great spirit of generosity and well being towards Nathan on behalf of all those who contributed.

#rcyc – There was a wild finale to CH Marine Autumn League followed by a brilliant night at the Royal Cork Yacht Club writes Claire Bateman.

The final day dawned with high winds and rain as had been forecast. However, the stalwarts still gathered at the club to see what was going to be the outcome and what decisions would be taken by the race Committee. There were coffees and smokes aplenty with some of the hardier veterans even downing a few pints while awaiting a decision. Meanwhile the seas were crashing and banging and the wind continued to howl.

The decision was taken to postpone and the AP flew. At 12 noon race Officer Peter Crowley headed to sea in Sparetime and was registering gusts of 43 knots and could not even get his anchor to hold. However, at 1.30pm it was decided to have a go as the wind was down to 20 knots and by the time the required waiting period of one hour had passed the wind had abated to some 17 knots so it was all systems go for one race with all fleets to remain in the harbour. Classes 1,2, and 3 raced under Peter Crowley with Class 4, whitesail and 1720s racing with Barry Rose.

Speaking with John Doran, who sails on Jump Juice, at the prizegiving dinner that took place last night, he gave a graphic description of what it was like to be waiting for the chance to race in the afternoon and the palpable relief when it was finally established they could go to sea. He said they enjoyed a wonderful race and were very glad they had waited. While it was still gusty, the clouds broke and slowly the sun began to appear and finally broke through to give a glorious couple of hours to allow the sailors to enjoy wonderful sailing and those who had stuck it out and waited were indeed fortunate to have had this last race of the League to enjoy.

Now to the evening of pure enjoyment, camaraderie and the chance to chat with many old friends. It is quite a fair while since we have enjoyed such an evening at the Royal Cork. For whatever reason last night turned into something very special. The club was jointed and I don't think it would even have been possible to get space for a fly on the roof. It was the Royal Cork at its best as remembered by so many people. No wonder Admiral Peter Deasy had a beatific smile on his face as he went among the tables greeting everybody and being met with beaming faces and indeed comments from all about the wonderful meal which was outstanding and compliments to Anthony McCann and to the chefs for the evening who had prepared such a sumptuous repast.

Then to the eagerly awaited prize giving. As usual the prizes provided by the Sponsor CH Marine were excellent and received by the lucky recipients with great delight. Ronan Enright, Rear Admiral Saiing did his usual brilliant job on handling this part of the event and also, sadly for the club, announced his retirement from this onerous office at the end of his current term. There is no doubt he will be greatly missed and whoever fills his shoes will have a hard act to follow. Hopefully, his talents will not be lost to the sailing scene. Sponsor of the event, Nick Bendon, of CH Marine also spoke of pleased he was with the event and thanked all those involved for their hard work in making the event the success it was and singled out Miriam McMahon for all her efforts before and during the League.

Barry O'Connor, Commodore of Waterford Harbour Sailing Club also spoke briefly but eloquently about their new pontoon and slipway and the welcome that visiting yachtsmen would receive and those who are just passing through by road would always be most welcome to come and enjoy the facilities. The Raiders from WHSC have been faithful supporters of the Autumn league for many years and have enjoyed many successes.

Thus ended the formalities of a most enjoyable evening.

Results: HERE

#rcyc – The penultimate day of Royal Cork's CH Marine Autumn League could only be described as a topsy turvy for sailing in Cork Harbour writes Claire Batman.

One moment the rain was bucketing down, next minute there was nothing and the wind in the harbour had gone with it. Even before the sailors got out to the course at all they had been trying to get into their sailing gear in the backs of cars, vans and any other shelter in the car park they could get in the thunderous rain.

All fleets with the exception of One and Two were sailing inside the harbour but it is to Peter Crowley and his race team on Sparetime I will go to first.

The committee boat was set up using No. 3 as the Pin End and a laid mark off Ringabella as the weather mark and there was a good breeze at this portion of the harbour.

With a 4.2m tide and a start an hour short of low water it made for a boisterous sea. From the weather mark at Ringabella there was a run to E1 then to No. 5 and then to take No. 3 to starboard. Unfortunately a 50 degree windshift took place which upset the best laid plans of mice and men but such is life when yacht racing.

In the second race conditions were much lighter and had changed considerably and a windward/leeward course was set up but bringing the boats into the harbour to No. 7 followed by a fetch to a finish off the cage. Fools Gold now leads IRC 1 on 12 points after eight races while in Class 2 IRC Shane Statham's Slack Alice is leading on 14 points.

The other fleets all sailed inside the harbour with Barry Rose as race officer. IN IRC 3 Kieran Collins has a slender lead of one point from Finbarr Dorgan's No Half Measures. In the Sigma Class Seahawk and Flyover had 10 points each, Seahawk counting a 2 and a 1 today and Flyover counting a 1 and a 2.

In Class 4 Sundancer is on 8 points while Shelly D is on 15 point with Thistle on 17 points but counting a 1 and a 2 today.

In whitesail IRC Michael Wallace's Felix is on 10 points while Conor O'Donovan's X-tension is on 15.

The final two races of the series will take place next Saturday followed by a prizegiving dinner at 7pm. FG 11.55

#royalcork – Cork Harbour was alive with boats today with dinghies and cruisers writes Claire Bateman. On the water the Optimists were sailing their Cobbler League, the Lasers were sailing as were the 420's and also the Toppers and it was even possible to watch the Phil Morrison designed new National 18 prototype.

In the third day of the CH Marine League Race Officers were indeed fortunate to get in two races for the competitors as light winds were the order of the day with about 6 knots from the North. With a 3.5m tide and racing starting at the top of the tide it was essential especially for the Class 1, 2 and 1720 fleets sailing outside the harbour to sail the best course to get to the weather mark. But then it is factors like this that make sailing interesting.

Rob McConnell in Fools Gold did not have it all his own way in IRC 1 to day posting a second and a fourth but was able to discard the fourth while Jump Juice had a good first race taking the gun and is lying second overall, with Freya lying third.

Things are very tight at the top of IRC2 with Bad Company on 9 points with Waterford raider Shane Statham in Slack Alice just one point adrift but Paul Tingle got Alpaca going well today and took the gun in the first race in that class.

IRC 3 and Sigmas sailed the inner harbour course today and Kieran Collins' Tambourine leads from Finbarr Dorgan's No Half Measures while in the Sigmas Wendy and Clem McElligott had two firsts today and now top the leaderboard in that class.

1720 racing. More photos below. Photo: Bob Bateman

The eight boat 1720 fleet is led by Denis Murphy's Aquatack on 9 points, while Salve Marine Racing, with a little bit of help from tactician Anthony O'Leary, is just one point adrift . In Class 4, Alan Mulcahy's Sundancer leads on 5 points from Shelley D while the positions are reversed in ECHO. Finally, in IRC Whitesail Michael Wallace's Felix is getting the better of Conor O'Donovan's Xtension but it was Tom McNeice who took the two wins today.

Racing continues next Sunday with FG at 11.55

#rcyc – Today was a day that weather wise did not appear to promise a whole lot for the first day of racing in the CH Marine Autumn league in Cork Harbour writes Claire Bateman. It was raining on in the early morning and there was low cloud and fog about. Yet for all that a grand day of racing was had. To be fair, it was mild with a nice easterly wind of about 14 knots and with the experience of Race Officers Peter Crowley and Barry Rose they were able to make full use of the inner harbour for the entire fleets using two committee boats. It was a good size fleet of approximately sixty boats. There were competitors from Waterford and a welcome strong contingent from Kinsale and, as usual, the entry was boosted by boats from Cobh, Monkstown and Schull.

Peter Crowley and his team on board the Committee vessel Sparetime set up a start line at Cage with a beat to Dognose and a reach into the harbour before the boats went on a windward/leeward course up and down the Cobh Roads.

The first incident spotted was when Class 2 were heading for the weather mark and Shane Statham with Bad Company and Magnet close on his heels was coming into the mark on starboard while Cavatina tried to slide in on port resulting in a Murray Walker Formula One expression, there was a "coming together"! !

Happily the rain had disappeared, leaving a very grey dull day, but one doubts if the crews had time to look around them as they were busy hauling and dropping spinnakers, tacking, and generally dodging other boats before Peter Crowley eventually brought Sparetime into No. 13 with a shortened course and finished the race at that point. His ingenuity knew no bounds and he set up the committee boat off Cobh and proceeded to give the boats another course beating and running before sending them on a reach out the harbour before finishing them near the harbour mouth. One incident that happened in this race was John Molloy in Manzanita with his Schull crew was running at Cobh when Chancer from Class 1 was beating in the opposite direction and unfortunately their shrouds touched and tangled giving Manzanita a nasty fright by submerging her stern before the spreader broke and released the boats from one another.

Class Three had two sub divisions, Impalas and Sigmas. The Sigmas mustered four boats and strong competition arrived from Waterford in the shape of David Marchant sailing Flyover. In Race Two Wendy and Clem McElligott's Sea Hawk was seen to be performing graceful pirouettes as their spinnaker got wrapped around the top of the mast.

Meanwhile the Whitesail fleets were racing close by, Barry Rose and his team doing the honours for Whitesail One and Two and Class Four and here he had the full expanse of the eastern bank to play with and with a very good breeze during the day and mild weather the competitors were mightily pleased with the day's sailing.

Racing continues next Sunday with FG at 11.55.

#nyyc– Anthony O'Leary was aiming to make it third time lucky at the New York Invitational Cup yesterday but although an overall win eluded him and his 12 man crew, the skipper of the Royal Cork entry did post his best result so far, a fourth overall writes Louay Habib. The Irish national cruiser champion had previously finished fifth and eighth in the first two editions of this corinthian event. Final results downloadable below as a pdf document.

Twenty yacht clubs from 13 different countries enjoyed some sensational racing at the 2013 Invitational Cup presented by Rolex. However, on the final day of the regatta, the lack of wind frustrated the competitors and race officers alike. The race committee tried every trick in the book to get some racing in and initially they succeeded by taking the fleet offshore, where 10 knots of breeze filled in from the South at around 1400 local time for Race 11.

Larchmont YC (at right) knew before that start that this would be the only race of the day and the team from New York wasted no time in harassing the regatta leader, Royal Canadian Yacht Club. In the pre-start the two yachts were prowling around each other in an attempt to force a penalty. At the start, Larchmont YC managed to get over the top of Royal Canadian Yacht Club, forcing them to the unfavored right side of the course and for a time, Larchmont YC looked like they might be able to put enough boats in between them and the Canadian team to win the regatta. However, at the top mark, two yachts were penalized and Royal Canadian YC made up a few places there before capitalizing on free air to make even more gains on the run. By the bottom mark, Royal Canadia YC was ahead of Larchmont YC on the water.

As quickly as the breeze had materialized, it vanished, and the race was abandoned, much to the frustration of Royal Hong Kong YC, which was way out in front.

Tonight, the New York Yacht Club will host the Awards Ceremony for the 2013 Invitational Cup presented by Rolex and the Royal Canadian Yacht Club will be awarded the Invitational Cup trophy for the second consecutive time. Larchmont Yacht Club finished second with Royal Thames in third, the highest finish ever for a European club.

#rcyc – Royal Cork Yacht Club's CH Marine sponsored Autumn Regatta will take place over five weeks, beginning on Sunday September 29th and finishing on Saturday October 26th. The prizegiving will take place after dinner on the final Saturday evening.

The entry fee for the five weekends of racing is €75, the same as last year.

#rcyc – The Royal Cork Yacht Club will be led once again by Anthony O’Leary when they compete in 2013 at the 2013 New York Yacht Club Invitational regatta. Having finished fifth and eighth in the first two editions of this Corinthian event, O’Leary is looking forward to “third time lucky” in Newport as a majority of the RCYC team has competed in one of the previous events.

Many of the world’s best known yacht clubs were established under royal patronage or granted the privileged title at some point in their history. Eleven that fall into that category are among the 20 yacht club teams that will compete from September 7-14, 2013, on Swan 42s in the 2013 New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup including Real Club Náutico de Barcelona (Barcelona, ESP), Royal Belgian Sailing Club (Zeebrugge, BEL), Royal Cork Yacht Club (Crosshaven, IRL) and the Royal Swedish Yacht Club (Stockholm, SWE).

The 9th Lord Inchiquin not only established Royal Cork Yacht Club in 1720, he lent his castle on Hawlbowline Island for its activities and in doing so founded what is generally considered to be the world’s oldest yacht club. Since 1831, by grant of King William IV, the club has carried the Royal prefix.  In more recent history RCYC has demonstrated their competitiveness in events ranging from the Admiral’s Cup to the Olympics. Their participation in the 2013 Invitational Cup will once again see Anthony O’Leary leading the Irish team.   “Good old-fashioned one-design skill and teamwork is of paramount importance at this event, and we rely on the Technical Committee to equalize the boats – leaving us sailors without excuses if we don’t perform,” said O’Leary.  “We only get the chance to sail in one-design boats of this size at Newport, and the international dimension elevates this event to its being our number one priority for 2013.”  

Established in 1876, the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona, which was granted the Royal distinction by Alfonso XIII in 1888, is one of the oldest yacht clubs in Spain. Located in the modern yacht harbor of Port Vell, RCNB is surrounded with evidence of Barcelona’s position in history as the greatest maritime power in the Mediterranean by virtue of its strategic location on the Balearic Sea.  The Old Port Authority, an ornate structure built in 1907 as a maritime station, is nearby, as is the Museu Marítim which is housed in a landmark building on the site of the medieval shipyards. A focal point of this historic area on Barcelona’s bustling waterfront is the 197-foot-tall Columbus Monument that was constructed in 1888 to honor the explorer’s first voyage to the Americas.   

The RCNB team will make its third attempt to win the Invitational Cup, and this edition will see Javier Scherk at the helm for the second consecutive time.  “This is the best regatta by far I have ever done,” said Scherk who is assembling a team that has sailed together for 40 years on a variety of boats – starting with a Ron Holland half-tonner and now a J/80 – named Gunter. 

“My father built up a crew of very young people and we are still sailing together,” said Scherk, who explained that his teammates have all been 470, Finn or Laser sailors, and together were second in class in the Round the Island Race (Isle of Wight), while also competing in IMS and ORC races, as well as in the Melges 32 class.  Scherk noted that better understanding of the Swan 42, and being together more as a team, form the basis of the team’s preparations for the upcoming regatta.

The Royal Belgian Sailing Club, founded in 1863 on the Leie River in Ghent, and receiving its royal designation in 1873, is the largest sailing club in Belgium with over 2,500 active members. Initial competitions were held on the canal linking Ghent to Terneuzen. Today, however, after relocations necessitated by the first and second World Wars, the club has operations in Zeebrugge, Heusden, Duinbergen and Het Zoute. 

“Our club is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year,” said Commodore André Annicq who noted that the anniversary festivities would include a royal visit from Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde later this month.  “The Invitational Cup is presented as one of the lead events during this celebration year,” he added.Regular practice for RBSC’s first entry in the Invitational Cup is taking place on a Swan 45 owned by Patrick Van Heurck who will lead the Invitational Cup team. In the coming months, while negotiating logistical challenges posed by team members residing across the globe, the “tenacious” Belgian team will charter a Swan 42.

Formed in 1830, the Royal Swedish Yacht Club (KSSS) was given royal status in 1878 and is the oldest yacht club in Sweden as well as in Europe outside the British Isles. International recognition accompanied the success of several club members: Eric Lundberg, who in 1929 won all 11 races in the Swedish-German-American Square Metre event off the coast of Marblehead (USA) and was deemed an important ambassador of the class by noted yacht designer L. Francis Herreshoff; Erik Åkerlund, won the gold at the 1932 Olympics, and Sven Salén, who won bronze at the 1936 Games, both in the 6 Metre class. Since the 1920s KSSS has organized the most prestigious race on the Baltic Sea, the Round Gotland Race. The club is also the Challenger of Record for the 2013 Americas Cup.

“We know it’s highly competent teams, who have sailed Swan 42s for a long time, that participate,” said Team Captain Douglas Eklund on the club’s first entry in the Invitational Cup.  “We know that the races are tight and we have made great connections with local Swedish sailors living in Newport to learn more about the sailing waters. Some of us have sailed Swan 42s before and we know how important the team work onboard this boat is.”

“Most of us in the team are sailing addicts for life, and Newport is historical grounds for us. This is a unique opportunity for us to be a part of the real sailing in Newport.”

#rcyc – Regular Irish participant Royal Cork Yacht Club is returning to New York Yacht Club for International corinthian competition this September.

From the first edition in 2009, the resounding success of the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup presented by Rolex reignited the tradition of international Corinthian competition between yacht clubs. The biennial event - returning to Newport from September 7-14, 2013 - fuses five days of intense racing with a glamorous social schedule to deliver an unrivaled event for competitors from around the globe.
The 20 yacht club teams will race one-design NYYC Swan 42s - identically tuned and equipped with supplied sails - on Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound, one of the world's most legendary sailing venues. Along with the 2011 champion, the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, returning to defend its title, the fleet will include the host club and 15 invited international clubs, plus three American yacht clubs determined by a qualification series held in the fall of 2012. The 2013 regatta promises another test of ability and tactical expertise as these yacht club teams from around the world display their patriotism and the competitive skills of their best sailors while in pursuit of the championship crown.
Competitors must be non-professional (Corinthian) sailors and members of the yacht clubs they represent; they must also be nationals of their countries. For 2013, the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup presented by Rolex will welcome competitors from the following yachts clubs:
Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (AUS)
Japan Sailing Federation (JPN)
Nyländska Jaktklubben (FIN)
Real Club Nautico de Barcelona (ESP)
Royal Canadian Yacht Club (CAN)
Royal Cork Yacht Club (IRL)
Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (HKG)
Royal Thames Yacht Club (GBR)
Royal Yacht Squadron (GBR)
Yacht Club Argentino (ARG)
Yacht Club Italiano (ITA)
Those clubs have previously competed alongside host New York Yacht Club (USA). New to the event are the Royal Belgian Sailing Club (BEL), Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club (AUS), Royal Southern Yacht Club (GBR), Royal Swedish Yacht Club (SWE), as well as the three teams determined by the outcome of the 24-club U.S. Qualifying Series held at NYYC: Larchmont Yacht Club, San Francisco Yacht Club and Seattle Yacht Club.
For more information on the 2013 New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup presented by Rolex, contact Event Chairman Paul Zabetakis at [email protected], or visit nyyc.org/yachting-public and follow the link to the Invitational Cup event pages.