Preparations are in full swing for the arrival of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race for its first stopover in Europe since it departed the UK last September. The project is sponsored by Cork City Council, Cork County Council and Fáilte Ireland with the principle objective of building Cork brand awareness internationally.

Kinsale has developed a very exciting programme which highlights what Kinsale does best – arts, cultural, cuisine and good craic. The yachts are expected to arrive sometime over 02/03 July but the festival will kick off on 02 July to ensure that there will be a warm welcome for the 180 crew when they arrive. An artisan food and craft fair will run for the whole weekend and Kinsale Arts Week will run STOPOVER an exhibition of an artwork from each of the regions participating in the Clipper Race in the Mill which has been renovated by Cork County Council and Kinsale Town Council and will be a lasting legacy from the event as it will provide long term exhibition space in the town.

Other activities that Kinsale will host include national and international performers and music acts, Adventures of the Seven Seas Parade on Sunday and a unique Clipper book project which will be held in Kinsale Town Library whereby everyone who visits can make an entry in the book.

Speaking at today’s launch Cork County Mayor, Cllr Derry Canty stated: ‘When I participated in the start of the Clipper Race in Hull last September, I was amazed at the courage of the crew taking on this challenge and now we are looking forward to welcoming them back safely to Kinsale after an incredible 10 month journey. They have been fantastic ambassadors for the Cork region and we will ensure that we will have a true Cead Míle Fáilte for all the crews and sponsors when they arrive in July’

On Wednesday 07 July the fleet will make its way in a parade of sail to Cork City. To celebrate the Cork Clipper’s homecoming in style Albert Quay beside the Custom House will be transformed into a Race Village for three days from 10am to 10pm daily with food, drinks and crafts stalls and a large stage for musical acts such as Cork favourites John Spillane and Fred. Each day there will be street entertainment and a vintage carousel and amusements for all the family.

The Clipper fleet will be moored at the new Cork City pontoons at the Custom House which have been installed by the Port of Cork with assistance from the City Council.

‘The Cork Clipper Festival will be a fun event for all the family celebrating our participation in this wonderful Round the World Race. The festival adds to the packed summer programme in Cork including the Midsummer Festival, Live at the Marquee with its world class acts, the Ocean to City rowing race and The Cork Marathon. Cork is the place to be this summer and I encourage everyone to visit over the summer months to enjoy our wonderful city centre with its vibrant streets and excellent shopping’ stated Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr Des Cahill.

The festival website www.corkclipperfestival.com has just been launched which details all free events over the 8 day period which will see over 200 performers participate in the two different venues.

‘We are expecting over 3000 people from overseas to travel to the event and many more tens of thousands domestic visitors’ said Fiona Buckley, Head of Operations,  Fáilte Ireland at today’s launch. The national media campaign for the Cork Clipper Festival will run in June in the lead up to the event and as there is an increase in attendance for free festivals  we expect strong numbers and a positive outcome for the tourism trade in the region’ she continued

Cork is the first ever Irish entry in Clipper Round the World Yacht Race however, it hasn’t been all plain sailing for the Cork Clipper crew in this year’s race. In January the ten boat Clipper Race was cut to nine when the original Cork Clipper hit a reef in the Java Sea leaving it unsalvageable forcing the Cork Crew to join other teams.

"However onshore the news has been better according to Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, founder of Clipper Ventures. ‘We sourced a replacement racing yacht at our own cost within days of the incident so that Cork’s participation in the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race could continue. Independent research has recorded a cumulative global audience of more than 360 million people following the race to the end of February, already a significant increase over previous Clipper Races, and delivering an important return on investment to our sponsors."

In conjunction with Tourism Ireland the Cork Clipper has been a valiant promoter of Cork and Ireland in destinations which so far have included Hull, La Rochelle, Rio de Janeiro and South Africa.

An independent economic and media study has been undertaken by students in the UCC MBS Management & Marketing Programme and the project will release full results in Autumn 2010.

Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is the only global event raced by people from all walks of life; from teachers to accountants anyone can take part, no experience necessary. In fact 40% of the crew had never stepped aboard a boat before. The Clipper Race consists of a 10-month-long, 35,000 mile course that has taken the race from England to France before crossing to Brazil, South Africa, Australia, Singapore, China, California, Panama, Jamaica, New York, Cape Breton Island, before arriving into Kinsale and Cork and then to the Netherlands. The Race will make its triumphant return to the Humber on July 17 2010.

The Kinsale Carnival Parade is planned as part of the Clipper Stopover weekend on Sunday 4th July and organisers are looking for the people of the town and surrounding areas to be part of the big welcome and attend a meeting in Actons Hotel on Thursday May 27th.

“We’re going to be sailing 4 giant ships through the streets of Kinsale and need you to get involved. We’re looking for people of all ages to participate: to be the waves, the sailors, and the colour, that will make this a wonderful afternoon of carnival mayhem, joyous dancing and loud partying through the town of Kinsale” says Organiser, Moray Bresnihan.

“If you’re interested in getting involved please come down to Actons Hotel between 6 – 7pm on Thursday 27th May for more information, to sign up and meet the crew.

It’ll be fantastic fun so be sure to get yourself down there. We’re open to all ages and groups. If you can’t make it along but still want to get involved, telephone on 021 427 0475 or email [email protected].”

Kinsale is the first landfall in Europe for the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and the town is hosting a Kinsale Clipper Stopover Carnival to welcome the participants. The Carnival will take place from Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th July 2010.

The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is a ten-month event during which a fleet of identical racing yachts cross all the world's major oceans and visit ports on six continents during the 35,000-mile race, around the planet. The race is due in Kinsale on the first weekend of July, the first European stopover, so let us all ensure that it’s no one will forget.

The Kinsale Carnival is sponsored by Cork County Council, Cork City Council and Failte Ireland. 

Just as Kinsale's Spring league ends the McWilliam Sailmakers May League takes place at the Royal Cork Yacht Club (RCYC), Crosshaven, County Cork starting next Friday. All the details are here:

 

 

 

 

1          RULES

1.1       The Regatta will be sailed under the current RRS (2009 – 2012), the ISA prescriptions, the IRC Rules, part 1, 2 and 3, the ECHO handicapping System, Class rules where applicable, by this Notice of Race and by the General Conditions and Sailing Instructions of the Royal Cork Yacht Club (RCYC) except as amended by this program. Amendments to this program and RCYC General Sailing Instructions will be posted on the RCYC notice board.

 

1.2       IRC Crew limitation shall not apply. 

2          ELIGIBILITY AND ENTRY

2.1       A completed signed Race Entry Declaration 2010 and current valid ECHO and /or IRC certificates must be submitted before 18:00hrs on Friday 7^th May 2010 in order for a boat to be eligible for a result. Boats that have not submitted a valid Race Entry Declaration and Certificate(s) may not be given a result.

 

2.2       Classes will be divided on the basis of their IRC TCF and the anticipated Class Divisions are as follows:

Class                          Rule type Parameters                 Class Flag

1          IRC/ECHO    TCF 0.980 and above              Numeral Pennant 1

2          IRC/ECHO    TCF 0.920 to 0.979.                Numeral Pennant 2

3          IRC/ECHO    TCF 0.919 and below.             Numeral Pennant 3

 

White   IRC/ECHO    No Spinnakers, Gennakers        White Pennant

Sail                            Spinnaker poles, or

Whisker Poles

 

2.3       Results will only be issued to boats that have valid sail numbers clearly legible on both sides of its mainsail.

3          CLASSIFICATION

3.1       Entries must comply with ISAF Special Regulations Governing Offshore Racing for Category 4 Races.

 

3.2       Entries in all classes are required to fly the correct pennant. Any boat not flying the correct pennant may not be scored.

 

3.3       The OA reserves the right to combine Classes if the number of entries does not justify separate Classes.

 

3.4       Boats shall show their correct Sail Numbers. Permission to race using any other Sail Number must be sought from the Race Office prior to going afloat. Any boat not showing its correct Sail Numbers may not be scored.

 

3.5       The Race Committee reserve the right to place any boat in any Class they deem appropriate.

 

4          SCHEDULE

4.1       Dates of Racing:                                   First Gun each day:

Friday May 7^th 2010                            1850

Sunday May 9^th 2010                          1155

Sunday May 9^th 2010                          as soon as possible after the finish of Race 2

Thursday May 13^th 2010                     1850

Thursday May 20^th 2010                     1850

Thursday May 27^th 2010                     1850

4.2       6 races are scheduled.

 

5          SAILING INSTRUCTIONS

The event will be sailed under the General Sailing Instructions of the RCYC.

 

6          VENUE

The League will be hosted by the RCYC and will be sailed in the waters of Cork Harbour and its approaches.

7          SCORING

7.1       The Low Point System of Appendix A will apply, with the following amendments:

 

The final races of Kinsale's Spring Series, sponsored by Ron Holland Design, were sailed on Sunday in trying conditions for both competitors and race management alike. The wind, what little of it was there was from a south westerly direction, originally at 8 knots writes Keith O'Riordan.

Bob Bateman's photos from Sunday are here.

Classes 0,1 and 2 had a windward leeward course officiated by Principal Race Officer Alan Crosbie, while Jeanot Petch looked after classes 3,4 and the White
Sail fleet, who had an around the cans course.

The breeze was light and shifty with a strong ebb tide and it says a lot for the race management that both fleets got off the line on time. Classes 0 and 1 got under way on their beat up towards Black Head with Anthony O'Leary's Antix leading the way from Dave Dywer's Marinerscove.ie and Gloves Off (Kieran and
Brian Twomey). This was the way the positions stayed with the sports boats in command throughout. On handicap Marinerscove.ie took first position and thereby the series with 8 points overall. Antix came in second overall on 10 points with Gloves Off in third position.

In ECHO 0 Tom Roche's Meridian took first place followed by Johnny Godkin's Godot in second and Freya(Conor Doyle) in third place. This gave Freya the win overall in ECHO 0 with Marinerscove.ie and Antix in second and third respectively.

Freya again featured in the top three in the IRC Restricted Class, in second place. This was won by Nagle/O'Malley's Jelly Baby and David Scott's Eos in third place.

In IRC 1 the day's race was won by Jelly Baby from Derry Good's Exhale in second and Dan Buckley's Justus in third. This gave Jelly Baby pole position in the
overall standings with Eos in second place and Exhale getting on the podium in third.

In ECHO 1 the day's racing was won by John Downing's Samba, from Indulgence (Aidan Heffernan) and Exhale third. Overall the top prize was taken by Exhale from Eos in second and Indulgence in third in an extremely tight finish to the Series.

Class IRC 2 was dominated throughout by the consistency of Jerome McCarthy's Harmony, and it was therefore fitting that he took the top overall prize.
Thunderbird, Denis Coleman's Corby 25 chased hard but could only manage second place with Clem McElligott's Sea Hawk squeezing into third place overall.
In ECHO 2 Y-Knot took a second in Sunday's race to give them the overall win .In second place overall was Mark Mendell's Wicked with No Gnomes (Leonard Donnery) in third position.

Classes 3,4 and the White Sail fleet were on the Round the Cans course which was slightly more inshore and consequently had a bit more breeze. These Classes managed to get a second race in after a short break. Conditions during the break were more akin to an arctic ice shower than a first day of summer!
In class IRC 3 Ian Traver's Bandit came into the last day with a practically unassailable lead and didn't make any mistakes, winning both races and the
series. Pathfinder owned by Alan Bateman had 2 seconds and second place overall followed by Powder Monkey(Liam Lynch) in third place.
ECHO 3 was won overall by Monkey Business (Bill McConnell) followed by Tony & Alice Kingston's Away On Business, with Powder Monkey coming in third place.

In IRC 4 it was Mike Sexton's consistency, with 5 firsts and 2 seconds which gave him the overall win on Granny Knot. Sundancer (Alan Mulcahy) came up with second place overall from Paul Swanton's Go Kart in third. Two of these boats were also to the fore in ECHO 4. This was won overall by Go Kart from Sundancer in second with third place going to Guinness Kann (C Forde/G Good).

The White Sail Class also got two races, which were both won by John Whelan's Wheels. This gave Wheels the Series overall from Dave O'Sullivan's Cimmarron VI with Dave Akerlind's Beneteau 47 Paragon in third place overall.

Frank Whelan's Lola from Dublin Bay leads the 13-boat Squib champs in Kinsale. The results are here and event photos here. 

 

 

Photos from the first days action of the South Coast Squib championships are online in our gallery.

Marinerscove conlcuded Kinsale's Spring 12 division Series yesterday with a two point win over Anthony O'Leary's Antix in Class IRC Zero. With yesterday's races sailed with everything from warm sunshine to hail and with wind from 3 to 23 knots, the series is completed and the winners in all class results decided. The full results are over the fold and Bob Bateman has added great shots to our gallery section from yesterday's sunshine and hail action here.

Spring Series 2010 Results

01 May, 2010

IRC 0
1 Marinerscove.ie     David Dwyer                  KYC        8     1 1 2 1 2 2 1
2 Antix                       Anthony O Leary          RCYC    10     2 2 3 2 1 1 2
3 Gloves Off             Kieran & Brian Twomey RCYC    21     6 6 1 3 3 5 3
4 Freya                     Conor Doyle                  KYC      21     3 3 4 4 4 3 4
 

ECHO 0
1 Freya                    Conor Doyle                   KYC      14     3 1 4 5 1 2 3
2 Marinerscove.ie    David Dwyer                   KYC      15     1 4 2 1 3 4 4
3 Antix                      Anthony O Leary            RCYC   17     2 5 3 2 2 3 5
 

IRC Restricted
1 Jelly Baby             Nagle & O'Malley      11       2 2 2 1 10 3 1
2 Freya                   Conor Doyle              16      4 1 3 5 1 2 7
3 Eos                       David Scott               20      1 3 1 2 9 7 6
4 Exhale                   Derry Good              20      3 9 5 6 3 1 2
 

IRC 1
1 Jelly Baby              Nagle & O'Malley     RCYC    9     2 1 2 1 10 2 1
2 Eos                       David Scott              KYC      17    1 2 1 2 9 5 6
3 Exhale                   Derry Good             RCYC    18   3 7 4 6 2 1 2
 

ECHO 1
1 Exhale                   Derry Good            RCYC     23    1 8.5 4 8 5 2 3
2 Eos                        David Scott            KYC        24    2 6 2 2 9 6 6
3 Indulgence             Aidan Heffernan    RCYC      24    5 2 6 4 6 5 2
 

IRC 2
1 Harmony                 J McCarthy           RCYC       10    2 1 2 2 1 11 2
2 R Thunder Bird      Denis Coleman     RCYC        15   1 4 1 1 11 3 5
3 Sea Hawk               Clem McElligott     KYC          23    3 2 5 3 6 8 4
 

ECHO 2
1 Y-Knot                    Pat Barrett & Cathal Conlon  RCYC   21    4 3 10 9 1 2 2
2 Wicked                    Mark Mendell                        RCYC   28    8 8 8 10 2 1 1
3 No Gnomes             Leonard Donnery                 RCYC   28    12 2 2 4 8 8 4
 

IRC 3
1 Bandit                      Ian Travers         KYC          8     2 1 1 1 1 2 1 1
2 Pathfinder                Alan Bateman     KYC        20     1 6 4 4 4 3 2 2
3 Powder Monkey       Liam Lynch          TBSC     24      8 2 6 6 2 1 3 4
 

ECHO 3
1 Monkey Business       Bill McConnell    WHSC     19     1 2 3 1 3 3 6 6
2 Away On Business     Tony Kingston    KYC        25     2 7 5 9 4 2 2 3
3 Powder Monkey         Liam Lynch         TBSC      26     7 1 4 8 1 1 7 5
 

IRC 4
1 Granny Knot             Mike Sexton       KYC       9      1 2 1 1 2 3 1 1
2 Sundancer                Alan Mulcahy     KYC     13      2 1 2 2 1 3 2 3
3 Go-Kart                     Paul Swanton    KYC      18     3 3 4 3 3 1 3 2
 

ECHO 4
1 Go-Kart                    Paul Swanton                      KYC   11     2 1 2 3 1 1 4 1
2 Sundancer                Alan Mulcahy                      KYC   18     3 2 3 2 2 3 2 4
3 Guinness                  Kann C Forde & G Good     KYC  19     4 3 1 4 3 2 1 5
4 Granny Knot             Mike Sexton                         KYC  19     1 4 4 1 4 3 3 3
 

White Sail
1 Wheels                    John Whelan          KYC     10     4 2 2 1 1
2 Cimarron VI             David O'Sullivan     KYC     16    1 7 1 5 2
3 Paragon                  David Akerlind        KYC     21     5 8 3 2 3
4 Magic Elfin               Peter Kelly              KYC    21     3 3 8 3 4

 

 

The Irish South Coast Squib Championship sponsored by Marine Motors Matthews of Cork, & Calco Ireland Ltd. takes place in Kinsale Yacht Club, in conjunction with the National Squib Owners Association, from Saturday 1st May to Sunday 2nd May with Monday 3rd May held as a reserve day.

Principal Race Officer is John Stallard accompanied by Bruce Matthews and his boat Anerika.

Races will be sailed in the waters outside Kinsale Harbour between the Old Head of Kinsale and the Sovereign Islands and the courses shall be Windward-Leeward with a maximum of 4 races per day.

Kinsale Squib Class Vice Captain, Neil J Prenderville is expecting a large turnout, with 6 entries confirmed already from the Dublin Bay Fleets, as the Class gears up for the The Squib National Championships 2010 to be held at the Royal St George Yacht Club in June.

The Spring Series at Kinsale Yacht Club, sponsored by Masts & Rigging Ireland Limited, took place last Sunday in near perfect sailing conditions. Competitors and Race Management could not have asked for more; with glorious sunshine and a 15 knot south westerly breeze.

This being the penultimate day, competition was stiff as boats jockeyed for position for a place in the top three of their respective classes. One discard was applied following the fifth race of the Series, so boats now have a good idea of what needs to be done to gain places or consolidate their position. Classes 3 & 4 and the White Sail fleet were on a Windward – Leeward course looked after by Alan Crosbie, while Classes 0, 1 & 2 were on a Round the Cans

course marshaled by Jeanot Petch.

Classes 0, 1 & 2 had a Round the Cans race giving the big boats a chance to stretch their legs on a long beat to Black Head. There was a general recall in the first as some were a little too enthusiastic on the start line. Anthony O’Leary’s Antix got off to a flying start and indeed won both races on handicap. This increases the pressure on Dave Dwyer’s Marinerscove.ie as he enters the last day with the overall lead, with a single point separation, followed by Freya in third. In ECHO 0 Conor Doyle’s Freya had a first and second to put him on top of the table jointly with Marinerscove.ie and Antix one point behind.

IRC 1 sees Derry Good’s Exhale move up the leader board into third positionoverall, thanks to a first and second in Sundays racing. Jelly Baby (Nagle & O’Malley) still lead, closely pressurised by David Scott’s Eos in second place.

In ECHO 1 only four points separate the top three boats with Eos leading from Exhale and Jelly Baby in third. This should lead to some exciting racing on the
final day.

Jelly Baby tops IRC Restricted with Freya hot on her heels in second and Eos in third.

In Class 2 IRC the McCarthy brothers on MacMagic II had a good day at the office with a second and first pushing them into contention for a top three finish.
First and second positions look like going to Jerome McCarthy’s Harmony and Denis Coleman’s Corby 25 Thunderbird. They are separated by two points going
into the last day with everything to race for. Class 2 ECHO is being led by the First 32 Y-Knot owned by Pat Barrett and Cathal Conlon. Clem McElligott’s Sea Hawk is in second with Leonard Donnery’s No Gnomes in third position. Again with only five points separating the top three boats, it could be a very close
finish,

In Class 3 Ian Traver’s Bandit was first off the line, but it was Powder Monkey, Liam Lynch’s Sigma 33, who led around the course reveling in the fresher conditions. Bandit managed a first and a second respectively though, leaving him in top spot overall and in an almost unassailable position. Alan Bateman’s Pathfinder lies in second overall with Powder Monkey just behind him in third position. In Class 3 ECHO Bill McConnell’s consistency is keeping Monkey
Business in pole position with Powder Monkey (Liam Lynch) in second and Tony & Alice Kingston’s Away On Business in third.

In Class 4 Mike Sexton’s Granny Knot is still leading overall followed by Sundancer (Alan Mulcahy) and Paul Swanton’s Go-Kart in third. The same three boats are also in contention in ECHO 4 with the top spot going to Go-Kart, Sundancer in second and Granny Knot in third.

The White Sail fleet sailed a triangular course using the Classes 3 & 4 windward-leeward with a gybe mark to complete the triangle and were given four rounds of this course. David O’Sullivan’s Cimarron VI won on handicap followed by John Whelan’s Wheels and Paragon (Dave Akerlind). This leaves Wheels in the lead overall being run hard by Cimarron VI and Spindrift (David Kelly) in third.

The Series concludes this Saturday, 1st May, with a First Gun at 10.55 hours followed by the prize-giving dinner in Kinsale Yacht Club on Saturday evening.

Bob Bateman's Photo Gallery from last Saturday here

Antix won both races today in Kinsale's April League  with Marinerscove.ie second in both races and this leaves them just one point apart with Dave Dwyer’s Mariners in the lead writes Claire Bateman.

A magnificent days sailing was enjoyed by the competitors at the Kinsale Spring Series for Races 7 and 8 of the series today (Sun) Today’s racing was sponsored by Masts and Rigging. The bigger boats were on the round the cans course while Classes 3 and 4 had windward/leeward, the White Sail having their own course. Classes Zero and One had a general recall for the first race and got away on the second attempt, John Godkin on Godot getting the best start. They enjoyed a long beat with Antix in the lead followed closely by Marinerscove.ie, Gloves Off, and Godot who seemed to be very much on their tail but also seemed to have some difficulty in getting the spinnaker drawing.

Antix won both races today with Marinerscove.ie second in both races and this leaves them just one point apart with Dave Dwyer’s Mariners in the lead. Jelly Baby, Nagle and O’Mahony, are leading the Zero and One Restricted IRC with Conor Doyle’s Freya second. In IRC 2 Jermony McCarthy in Harmony leads from Denis Coleman’s Thunderbird. In IRC 3 Ian Travers’ Bolero, Bandit, has a good lead over Alan Bateman’s Pathfinder and in Class 4 Mike Sexton’s GK 24 Granny Knot is just one point clear of Alan Mulcahy’s Sundancer.

 

More Bob Bateman pics from yesterday's racing on the Afloat gallery here

KYC Results here