Cork Harbour Combined League Opens With Royal Cork-Cove Rivalry

13th June 2026

Afloat.ie Team

Close Quarters — The Cork Harbour Combined League fleet bunches at a mark rounding as competitors battle for position on opening night of the 2026 series Credit: Bob Bateman

The Johanna Murphy-sponsored Royal Cork Yacht Club and Cove Sailing Club Combined Friday League opened in Cork Harbour on Friday night after the previous week’s racing was cancelled by weather.

The first race of the 2026 series attracted fleets across Echo, IRC and ORC divisions in a 12–15-knot south-westerly breeze.

Race officer Tom McGrath ran proceedings from a RIB committee boat, setting courses off Whitegate and the lower harbour. The spinnaker fleet was sent on a longer test that included a beat against the tide to No. 20, while the larger white-sail fleets contested several windward-leeward laps.

Sharp Start — Anteex, the X-99 sailed by Dan Murphy and James O'Mahony, races in Cork Harbour on her way to victory in Non-Spinnaker Echo Class 1 at the opening round of the Johanna Murphy-sponsored Combined League. Photo: Robert Bateman

In Non-Spinnaker Echo Class 1, Dan Murphy and James O'Mahony's X99 Anteex took the opening victory ahead of Ronan Twomey's First 40.7 Rosmarina, with Kieran and Fiorentina O'Brien's MG 335 Magnet third.

Conor Hanlon's Sun Odyssey 34.2 Lapwing won Non-Spinnaker Echo Class 2 from Mike Rider's Dehler 37 CR Freya, while Brendan Egan's U Class Boekanier completed the podium.

Tonner Triumph — Pat Tanner's Castro 3/4 Tonner Bateleur '88 powers through Cork Harbour, winning the IRC Spinnaker division and finishing second in ORC Spinnaker on Combined League opening night. Photo: Robert Bateman

Pat Tanner's Bateleur '88 won the IRC Spinnaker division after Ejine retired, while George Radley's Tuco topped the Echo Spinnaker results ahead of Bateleur '88 and Ejine.

Magnetic Pull — Kieran and Fiorentina O'Brien's MG 335 Magnet races to victory in the ORC Non-Spinnaker division and third place in Echo Class 1 during the opening round of the Cork Harbour Combined League. Photo: Robert Bateman

Magnet moved to the top of the Non-Spinnaker IRC standings, ahead of Rosmarina and Anteex.

In ORC Spinnaker, Tuco claimed victory from Bateleur '88, with Le Rendezvous third.

Double Delight — George Radley's Sun Fast 32 Tuco sails off Whitegate on her way to a clean sweep of the Echo and ORC Spinnaker divisions in the opening race of the Cork Harbour Combined League. Photo: Robert Bateman

The ORC Non-Spinnaker division went to Magnet, which finished ahead of Rosmarina and Summer Light in the corrected-time standings.

ORC Ireland results are published here.

Cork Harbour Combined League Photo Gallery by Bob Bateman

Race Results

You may need to scroll vertically and horizontally within the box to view the full results

Published in Cove Sailing Club, Royal Cork YC, Cork Harbour

Published in Cove Sailing Club

Tagged under

Cork Harbour

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