The Squib National Championships scheduled for Kinsale Harbour in West Cork next month got a boost on Tuesday when the Mayor of County Cork launched the one design championships that is expected to attract 120 sailors from across Ireland and the UK.
Mayor Cllr Gillian Coughlan joined local business and civic representatives as well as members of the Kinsale Yacht Club at the launch of the Bandon Co-op Squib National Championships at the West Cork clubhouse.
The joint UK and Irish National Championships will see 60 Squib crews from England, Wales and the Island of Ireland compete for two national champions on the waters South of Kinsale harbour.
Originally scheduled to be sailed in June 2020, the championship was postponed to this year due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Speaking at the launch, regatta director Ian Travers indicated that while the postponement was disappointing, the reschedule appears to have served to increase the anticipation around the event. Kinsale is a world-class destination with its sheltered waters under the lee of the old head of Kinsale which makes for the perfect championship race area. This coupled with the natural beauty of its historic harbour along with everything the town has to offer makes it the jewel of the Irish South coast.
In thanking the title sponsor, Travers highlighted how Bandon Co-op is part of the fabric of Kinsale and with its support, the Yacht Club will be able to stage a superb which will bring positive energy to the already bustling seaside town of Kinsale and beyond. He also thanked secondary sponsors for supporting the event which includes Cork County Council, Blacks of Kinsale, the Good Food Circle and CH Marine.
‘Events like the Bandon Co-op Squib Nationals make Kinsale yacht Club the club that it is and the energy this event will generate will contribute to help make Kinsale the fantastic destination that it is, both on and off the water’.
The Bandon Co-op Squib National Champions takes place from the 19th to the 24th of June.