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Displaying items by tag: Inishtearaght Race

With just two weeks to go until the start of Kinsale Yacht Club's biennial Inishtearaght Race sponsored by the Matthews Centre, all of the boats that raced the 2022 edition are returning for another shot at offshore glory in the 280-miler along the Cork and Kerry coastline.

In addition to the local boats from Kinsale and Crosshaven (including the inaugural doublehanded race winner), this May 24th race will also feature visitors from Kilmore Quay (Prime Suspect), Tralee Bay (Mynx), and Waterford Harbour (Bjorn).

Of particular note is the return of the 2022 line honours winner skippered by Chris Power Smith, hailing from Dublin Bay's Royal St George Yacht Club.

The hardy ISORA competitor is back in top form after tackling the early season Viking Marine April Coastal Series on Dublin Bay and is warming up for June's Round Ireland Race, racing cross-channel to Wales in this weekend's 90-mile ISORA fixture before heading to the south coast.

Aurelia is one of the biggest entries in the Inistearaght Race, so there's a chance her Dun Laoghaire Harbour crew will make it back in time for the Rugby Champions Cup Final on Saturday; a deadline sure to please the keen Leinster supporters onboard.

Organisers will be using YBTrackers on all boats.

Inishtearaght Race 2024 entry listInishtearaght Race 2024 entry

Link to the 2024 entry list is here

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The Notice of Race is now available for Kinsale Yacht Club’s Inishtearaght Race, once again generously sponsored by Matthews of Cork.

Cian McCarthy and Sam Hunt on Cinnamon Girl won the race on IRC in 2022 and they have confirmed that they will be taking part again this year in the second edition.

The race starts on Friday 24 May and is approximately 240 nautical miles long, running along the coast of West Cork and Kerry to round Inishtearaght in the Blasket Islands and return to Kinsale.

One highlight of the race is the spectacular and varied scenery along the course.

In 2022 the fastest boat was Chris and Patanne Power Smith’s Aurelia with an elapsed time of one day, nine hours and 57 minutes.

The race has been timed to run about a month before the Round Ireland, so is perfectly suited as a shakedown race for any boats competing in that event.

SIs and the entry form will be available in due course from the KYC website.

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Following a successful inaugural race in 2022, the date for the 2024 Kinsale Yacht Club Inishtearaght Race has been set to start on Friday, 24th May 2024.

The date has been set to be one month before the Round Ireland Race 2024 to give those competitors an opportunity to take part in a shorter shake-down race before the 700-mile circumnavigation on 22nd June.

The second Inishtearaght race starts in Kinsale and runs along the dramatic West Cork and Kerry coasts to round Inishtearaght and return to finish in Kinsale, a distance of around 240 nautical miles.

Inishtearaght is the westernmost of the Blasket Islands off the County Kerry coast. 

Tony O’Brien helming White Tiger on the return leg of the 2022 Kinsale Yacht Club Inishtearaght RaceTony O’Brien helming White Tiger on the return leg of the 2022 Kinsale Yacht Club Inishtearaght Race

"Competitors who took part in the 2022 race found it to be a really interesting course, and many commented that they were looking forward to doing the race again", Kinsale Yacht Club's Dave Cullinane told Afloat.

In 2022, line honours were taken by Aurelia (Chris & Patanne Power Smith) from the Royal St. George YC on Dublin Bay in a time of 33 hours 57 minutes.

Sunfast 3330 double-handed duo Sam Hunt and Cian McCarthy on their way to the overall win in the 2022 Inistearaght RaceSunfast 3330 double-handed duo Sam Hunt and Cian McCarthy on their way to the overall win in the 2022 Inistearaght Race Photo: Bob Bateman

The overall winners on IRC rating were Kinsale Sunfast 3330 double-handed duo Sam Hunt and Cian McCarthy

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Overall IRC and ECHO honours in Kinsale Yacht Club's inaugural Matthews Centre sponsored Inishtearaght Race went to double-handed duo Cian McCarthy and Sam Hunt of the host club.

McCarthy and Hunt sailing the Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl finished with a corrected time of one day 12 hours 07 minutes and 26 seconds, some 20 minutes faster than line honours winner Chris Power Smith's full crewed J/122 Aurelia. (1:12:27:55 corr). 

McCarthy and Hunt sailing the Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl to an overall win in the closing stage of the KYC Inishtearaght RaceMcCarthy and Hunt sailing the Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl to an overall win pictured in the closing stage of the KYC Inishtearaght Race Photo: Bob Bateman

Third in the 240-miler on IRC was Denis Murphy's Grand Soleil 40 Nieulargo from Royal Cork Yacht Club which finished on 1:13:06:40 corrected.

As Afloat reported earlier, the Royal St. George J/122 Aurelia crew win the historic KYC Thullier Cup for the line honours win. 

Chris Power Smith skipper of  J/122 entry Aurelia from the Royal St. George Yacht Club with Kinsale's Thullier Cup for the line honours win Photo: Bob BatemanChris Power Smith skipper of J/122 entry Aurelia from the Royal St. George Yacht Club and his crew with Kinsale's Thullier Cup for the line honours win. Pictured from left are Dave Cullinane KYC Race Organiser, Chris Power Smith, Niall Smythe, Matthew White, John McManus, Luke Murphy, Sam Magill-Dohan, Sam Gillivan and James Matthews, Sponsor Matthews Cork and (below) Aurelia reaches to the finish line  Photo: Bob Bateman

Aurelia reaches to the finish line

 Full results in the six boat fleet here.

The next KYC Inishtearaght Race is scheduled for May 2024.

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Chris Power Smith's J/122 entry Aurelia from the Royal St. George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire was the line honours winner of the inaugural Inishtearaght Race, finishing at 9 pm on Saturday.

The only Dublin entry in the Kinsale Yacht Club offshore 240-mile race took just under 36 hours to complete the challenging course from Kinsale along the Cork and Kerry coast and back to the West Cork port. 

"It was a tough race, big seas and big winds, but we were able for it", Chris Power Smith told Afloat after crossing the finish line. 

Subject to official confirmation, the Dublin crew will lift one of Kinsale Yacht Club's most prestigious trophies, the Thullier Cup, which dates back to 1850, for their line honours achievement.

Chris Power Smith's J/122 entry Aurelia from the Royal St. George Yacht Club closes in on the Kinsale finish line Photo: Bob BatemanChris Power Smith's J/122 entry Aurelia from the Royal St. George Yacht Club closes in on the Kinsale finish line Photo: Bob Bateman

An enthusiastic Power Smith said that after the initial 'slog', the crew enjoyed 'champagne sailing', and the Dublin Bay sailors were already promising to return for the 2024 race.

Second home of the seven boat fleet was Cian McCarthy's double-handed Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl.

Cian McCarthy's double-handed Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon GirlCian McCarthy's double-handed Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl

Full handicap IRC results are awaited

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There were great starts for the host club's Elan 40 Chancer (Brian Carroll) and Denis Murphy's Grand Soleil 40 Nieulargo from Royal Cork in the inaugural Inishtearaght Race from Kinsale this morning in the brand new Irish offshore yacht race fixture along the Cork and Kerry coasts.

An entry of seven boats started a new chapter in West Cork offshore yacht racing just after 9 am when the small but competitive fleet crossed the Kinsale Yacht Club line.

Cian McCarthy's two-handed Sunfast 3330 Cinnamon GirlCian McCarthy's two-handed Sunfast 3330 Cinnamon Girl Photo: Bob Bateman

The fleet, led by Chancer off the line, set out in 15-20 knot south-westerly conditions and light rain. Forecasts this morning indicate gusts to over 30-knots on the way to the Blasket Islands.

The single Dublin entry in the race is Royal St.George's J/122 Aurelia (Chris Power Smith) Photo: Bob BatemanThe single Dublin entry in the race is Royal St.George's J/122 Aurelia (Chris Power Smith) Photo: Bob Bateman

Unfortunately, the planned start using a Navy ship did not materialise due to the exigencies of the Naval Service but Club Race Officer Dave O'Sullivan got the fleet underway in a club vessel from the KYC's Charles fort startline inside Kinsale Harbour.

The fleet, led by Chancer off the line, set out in 15-20 knot south-westerly conditions and light rainThe Inishtearaght Race fleet set out in 15-20 knot south-westerly conditions and light rain Photo: Matthias Hellstern

As Afloat previously reported, the course is approximately 240nm long and will run along the spectacular south coast, round Inistearaght island and back to Kinsale.

The Elan 40 Chancer crewSoft day - The Elan 40 Chancer crew all wearing offshore gear in anticipation of a wet trip to the Blaskets Photo: Bob Bateman

The first boats in the Matthews Centre sponsored event are expected home sometime on Saturday evening but as competitor Brian Carroll told Afloat in a podcast here, the fleet is expecting quite a lot of challenging upwind sailing today. 

Cian McCarthy's Cinnamon Girl on starboard and Chris Power Smith's Aurelia on just port after the startCian McCarthy's Cinnamon Girl on starboard and Chris Power Smith's Aurelia on port after the start Photo: Bob Bateman

The Inishtearaght Race fleetThe Inishtearaght Race fleet emerge from Kinsale harbour with (from left) Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl, Grand Soleil 40 Nieulargo, Elan 40 Chancer and Dublin Bay J/122 entry Aurelia to weather  Photo: Matthias HellsternThe breeze is on for (from left) Grand Soleil 40 Nieulargo, Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl and Dublin Bay J/122 entry Aurelia to weather  Photo: Matthis HellsternThe breeze is on for (from left) Grand Soleil 40 Nieulargo, Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl and Dublin Bay J/122 entry Aurelia to weather  Photo: Matthias Hellstern

The Thuillier family have kindly allowed the oldest trophy in Kinsale YC to be presented as the line honours trophy for the race. The Thuillier Cup is 150 years old, having been originally presented by the Royal Enniskillen Fusiliers in 1871 and won by Michael Thuillier. The cup was presented to Kinsale YC by the Thuillier family to acknowledge the long tradition of yacht racing in Kinsale.

Noel Coleman's Oyster 37 Blue Oyster from  Royal Cork YC on her way to the Blaskets Photo: Bob BatemanNoel Coleman's Oyster 37 Blue Oyster from Royal Cork YC on her way to the Blaskets Photo: Bob Bateman

The inaugural Inishtearaght Race fleetThe inaugural Inishtearaght Race fleet

Bob Bateman's Inishearaght Race Start Photo Gallery below

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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]

©Afloat 2020