The Royal Cork Yacht Club has rescheduled the biggest weekend of its Cork300 tricentenary celebrations, planned for 28-30 August, in light of new government restrictions on outdoor and sporting events announced last week.
Many of the events, which included a Tricentenary Maritime Parade in Cobh, a Tricentenary at Home Weekend Regatta, and the Fastnet Powerboat Challenge, an exciting world-record attempt, had already been pushed back from earlier in the summer. A Family Race to the City on 12-13 September has also been put on hold. This follows on from the recent cancellation of Volvo Cork Week, the Great Gathering, and the inaugural Powerboat Festival.
The Crosshaven based sailing Club hopes to be in a position to reschedule most of these events, in addition to others that were previously cancelled like the Cork300 Gala Dinner in Cork City Hall and Cork300 Wild Atlantic Way Cruise in Company along the Cork and Kerry coastline, to July 2021.
The events will coincide with the Irish Navy’s 75th anniversary and the final year of Seafest in Cork, making it a big year for maritime celebrations in the county.
Small ceremony at Haulbowline
A number of small activities will still take place to mark the anniversary this weekend. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defence Simon Coveney TD and Flag Officer Commanding Naval Service Commodore Michael Malone will join the Admiral of the Royal Cork Yacht Club Colin Morehead for a small ceremony at Haulbowline, the Irish Naval Headquarters and home of the original ‘Water Club of the harbour of Cork’, as it was known back in 1720.
A new Royal Cork Yacht Club Exhibition, supported by AIB, will also open at the Sirius Arts Centre in Cobh this Saturday, another former home of the sailing club from 1854 to 1966. The exhibition, which will run until December, will look back on the history of the club over 300 years, and what life was like during its time in Cobh.
The National 18 Southern Championships and the AIB 1720 Southern Championships will go ahead over the weekend, but activity will be limited to the water, with the clubhouse closed to visitors.
Commenting on the rescheduled events series, Admiral of the Royal Cork Yacht Club Colin Morehead said, “It is with deep regret that we have to yet again reschedule our celebratory events, but public health must come first. We hope that by 2021 we will be in a much better position to truly celebrate the momentous feat of having the oldest sailing club in the world here in Cork.
“I am delighted to be joined by Minister Coveney and Commodore Malone at Haulbowline to mark the actual anniversary of the Royal Cork in some small way, and I hope the public will visit the excellent exhibition at the Sirius over the coming months. As branch manager of AIB in Cobh, I am proud to have this exhibition in the town and to have it sponsored by AIB.”
A number of sailing events are currently still scheduled to take place from September to November 2020, including the AIB Cork300 Autumn League which will be held over 5 weekends leading up to the October Bank Holiday. This is expected to be the largest yacht racing event on the South Coast of Ireland this year. Sailing teams from across the country also hope to compete in Cork Harbour for the title of AIB Irish Team Racing National Champion 2020 from 21-22 November.
As the event only takes place every other year, the Royal Cork has also announced dates for its 2022 Volvo Cork Week Regatta, which will be held from 11-15 July 2022. Strong interest is already being received from several one design classes to hold their championships as part of the event.
