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'Pledge Your Commitment' – New Royal Cork Admiral Urges Members to Support Club in 2014

21st January 2014
'Pledge Your Commitment' – New Royal Cork Admiral Urges Members to Support Club in 2014

#royalcork – The Annual General Meeting of the Royal Cork Yacht Club took place last night and attracted a capacity attendance writes Claire Bateman. Outgoing Admiral Peter Deasy and his team took the meeting through the business of 2013 before handing over to the incoming Admiral, Pat Lyons and his team.

Admiral Pat Lyons then paid tribute to the work of the former Admiral and said " at this time it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the work done by the 2012-13 Executive Committee, so ably led by Peter Deasy. I want to thank him for giving me the opportunity to serve as his Vice-Admiral and for proposing me as Admiral, and I would ask you all to join with me in thanking him and all of the outgoing Executive for their hard work during the past two years."

Over time, Members have encouraged the hosting of major events within our Club and the 2014 season will witness a response the these demands. For 2014, we host three major events. These are:

The prestigious ISAF Women's Worlds Match Racing Championships, which take place in the first week of June Cork Week, which commences on Monday, July 7th, and The Irish Optimist National Championships, which will be held during the third week of August, and which promises to bring significant numbers of junior sailors and their families to our Club

The success of such major events is dependent to a significant on voluntary effort and I encourage all Members to become involved in facilitating and supporting these events, so as to showcase the well earned reputation of Royal Cork as a location for major national and international sailing events.

Looking farther into the future, during 2013, former Admiral Deasy commenced a process of addressing the Club's 300th Anniversary, which takes place in just six year's time, in 2020. To date, several informal meetings have taken place with a small number of members aimed at capturing a range of ideas relevant to celebrating and marking this unique and auspicious event. It is my plan to formalise and accelerate this process over the coming months and we will be inviting widespread participation from across all sectors of the membership base in this process.

The success of such major events is dependent to a significant on voluntary effort and I encourage all Members to become involved in facilitating and supporting these events, so as to showcase the well earned reputation of Royal Cork as a location for major national and international sailing events."

The Admiral then spoke on issues of membership and other related matter and outlined his ideas for same that would be further discussed with his Executive team.

Concluding his address I quote "As I said at the beginning, these are challenging times for our Club, but they are also exciting times. And as we begin to emerge from the past few difficult years, it is my hope that we can look forward to an exciting future. Doing so will require work, effort and perseverance. Not just by the members of the Executive and the designated Sub-committees and staff who work so hard on our behalf, but by you the Members.

As a Club, our strength is drawn from its Members, from their commitment, their loyalty and their support.

For 2014, can I urge you to pledge your own commitment and support to the Club of which we are all justifiably proud? It is through your support, commitment and loyalty that its continued future will be delivered. "

Published in Royal Cork YC
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Royal Cork Yacht Club

Royal Cork Yacht Club lays claim to the title of the world's oldest yacht club, founded in 1720. 

It is currently located in Crosshaven, Co. Cork, Ireland and is Cork Harbour’s largest yacht club and the biggest sailing club on the south coast of Ireland.

The club has an international reputation for the staging of sailing events most notable the biennial world famous Cork Week Regatta.

In 2020 RCYC celebrated its tricentenary under its Admiral Colin Morehead.

Royal Cork Yacht Club FAQs

The Royal Cork Yacht Club is the oldest yacht club in the world, and celebrated its 300th anniversary in 2020. It is one of the World’s leading yacht clubs, and is in the forefront of all branches of sailing activity. It is the organiser of the biennial Cork Week, widely regarded as Europe’s premier sailing event. It has hosted many National, European and World Championships. Its members compete at the highest level in all branches of sailing, and the club has a number of World, Olympic, continental and national sailors among its membership.

The Royal Cork Yacht club is in Crosshaven, Co Cork, a village on lower Cork Harbour some 20km south-east of Cork city centre and on the Owenabue river that flows into Cork Harbour.

The club was founded as The Water Club of the Harbour of Cork in 1720, in recognition of the growing popularity of private sailing following the Restoration of King Charles II. The monarch had been known to sail a yacht on the Thames for pleasure, and his interest is said to have inspired Murrough O’Brien, the 6th Lord Inchiquin — who attended his court in the 1660s and whose grandson, William O’Brien, the 9th Lord Inchiquin, founded the club with five friends.Originally based on Haulbowline Island in inner Cork Harbour, the club moved to nearby Cobh (then Cove) in 1806, and took on its current name in 1831. In 1966 the club merged with the Royal Munster Yacht Club and moved to its current premises in Crosshaven.

The Royal Cork Yacht Club today encompasses a wide variety of sailing activities, from young kids in their Optimist dinghies sailing right through the winter months to the not-so-young kids racing National 18s and 1720s during the remaining nine months. There is also enthusiastic sailing in Toppers, Lasers, RS Fevas and other dinghies. The larger keelboats race on various courses set in and around the Cork Harbour area for club competitions. They also take part in events such as the Round Ireland Race, Cowes Week and the Fastnet Race. In many far off waters, right across the globe, overseas club members proudly sail under the Royal Cork burger. The club has a significant number of cruising members, many of whom are content to sail our magnificent south and west coasts. Others head north for the Scottish islands and Scandinavia. Some go south to France, Spain, Portugal and the Mediterranean. The more adventurous have crossed the Atlantic, explored little known places in the Pacific and Indian Oceans while others have circumnavigated the globe.

As of November 2020, the Admiral of the Royal Cork Yacht Club is Colin Morehead, with Kieran O’Connell as Vice-Admiral. The club has three Rear-Admirals: Annamarie Fegan for Dinghies, Daragh Connolly for Keelboats and Mark Rider for Cruising.

As of November 2020, the Royal Cork Yacht Club has approximately 1,800 members.

The Royal Cork Yacht Club’s burgee is a red pennant with the heraldic badge of Ireland (a stylised harp topped with a crown) at its centre. The club’s ensign has a navy blue field with the Irish tricolour in its top left corner and the heraldic badge centred on its right half.

Yes, the Royal Cork Yacht Club organises and runs sailing events and courses for members and visitors all throughout the year and has very active keelboat and dinghy racing fleets. The club also hosts many National, European and World Championships, as well as its biennial Cork Week regatta — widely regarded as Europe’s premier sailing event.

Yes, the Royal Cork Yacht Club has an active junior section with sailing in Optimists, Toppers and other dinghies.

Charles Yes, the Royal Cork Yacht Club regularly runs junior sailing courses covering basic skills, certified by Irish Sailing.

 

The Royal Cork hosts both keelboats and dinghies, with the 1720 Sportsboat — the club’s own design — and National 18 among its most popular. Optimists and Toppers are sailed by juniors, and the club regularly sees action in Lasers, RS Fevas, 29ers and other dinghy classes.

The Royal Cork Yacht Club has a small fleet of 1720 Sportsboats available for ordinary members to charter.

The Royal Cork Yacht Club’s Club House office can provide phone, fax, email, internet and mail holding facilities for a small charge. Club merchandise and postcards may be purchased. Showers and toilet facilities are available 24 hours a day, free of charge. Parking is plentiful and free of charge. Diesel and petrol are available on site. Marina berths are generally available for a fee payable in advance; arrangements must be made before arrival.

Yes, the Royal Cork Yacht Club’s Club House has all of the usual facilities, including bars and restaurant, which are open during normal licensing hours. The restaurant provides a full range of meals, and sandwiches, snacks etc, are available on request.

Normal working hours during the sailing season at the Royal Cork Yacht Club are 9am to 9pm daily. For enquiries contact the RCYC office on 021 483 1023 or email [email protected]

Yes, the Royal Cork Yacht Club caters for all types of events rom weddings, anniversaries, christenings and birthday celebrations to corporate meetings, breakfast meetings, luncheons, private dinners and more. For enquiries contact the Royal Cork Yacht Club office on 021 483 1023 or email [email protected]

New members are invited to apply for membership of the Royal Cork Yacht Club by completing the Nomination Form (available from www.royalcork.com/membership) and returning it to The Secretary, Royal Cork Yacht Club, Crosshaven Co Cork. Nominations are first approved by the Executive Committee at its next meeting, and following a period on display for the members, and are reviewed again at the following meeting at which any objections are considered.

No; while ordinary members of the Royal Cork Yacht Club are usually boat owners, there is no requirement to own a boat when submitting an application for membership.

The annual feel for ordinary members (aged 30+) of the Royal Cork Yacht Club is €645. Family membership (two full members and all children aged 29 and under) is €975, while individuals youth (ages 19-29) and cadet (18 and under) memberships are €205. Other rates are available for seniors, associates and more. All fees quoted are as of the 2020 annual subscription rates.

Memberships of the Royal Cork Yacht Club are renewed annually, usually within 60 days of the club’s Annual General Meeting.
For enquiries contact the Royal Cork Yacht Club office on 021 483 1023 or email [email protected]

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