The Junior Laying Up Supper celebrated a fantastic year afloat for Royal Cork youth sailing on Saturday.

Afloat.ie's photo gallery is below.

Interest in keelboat racing is increasing. Cruiser racing is on the way back! So says the Royal Cork Yacht Club’s Rear Admiral for Keelboats, Kieran O’Connell, writes Tom MacSweeney.

Clubs around the coast have experienced a fall-off in racing numbers at cruiser events over the past few years. ‘Keelboats,’ a traditional Class description, have changed fundamentally in design as cruiser/racers have evolved since they were first labelled as ‘keelboat racing’.

“There was a decline, numbers have been down, but this season there has been an improvement and an upsurge in interest,” O’Connell told the prizewinning club racers (See Afloat's Gallery here) at the annual presentation of prizes when he pointed to the turn-out for the Autumn series/October League and what has been a surprisingly big entry for the November/December Winter League which is still underway at the club, in which an average 30 yachts are on the water.

Cruiser racing on the up – Cork Harbour has seen strong turnouts for its Winter sailing season. Photo: Bob Bateman

“This is encouraging and indicates that interest and participation in cruiser racing is on the up. It has turned around after a few difficult years.”

Kieran O’Connell is also Commodore of the South Coast Offshore Racing Association (SCORA) which combines Southern clubs planning events for the annual sailing calendar.

To general applause, he told the RCYC cruiser racers that he intended to stay in office to steer ‘keelboat’ racing for a while yet. That is good news for the cruiser racing, as he has put a lot of work into orchestrating its revival.

More in the weekly Sailing Column in the Cork Evening Echo.

A yacht that went aground during racing in the O'Leary Insurance Winter League in Cork Harbour yesterday was successfully recovered by fellow competitors and Royal Cork Yacht Club officials writes Bob Bateman.

The 38–foot yacht that was competing in the White Sails division of the league when it hit a rocky area area known as 'Chicago Knoll' in the vicinty of Roches Point.  

Although there was a rising tide, a lee shore presented further potential difficulties for the stricken boat. The RNLI were called at 1.30pm.

Some quick thinking by RCYC's Michael Murphy got a line on to the yacht. Sails were taken down and furled and RCYC Rear Admiral Kieran O'Connell took a halyard from the tip of the yacht's mast in an effort to pull the yacht over to release her. Happily, it was a tactic that worked and Blue Oyster floated off the rocky area without any 'structural damage', according to an RNLI report.

Crosshaven RNLI, assisted in escorting the Blue Oyster back to the Royal Cork marina.

Meanwhile, conditions for race three, at the halfway point of the series, dawned with mist and zero wind. However, by start time a 10–knot south westerly breeze had filled in.

Scroll down for a gallery of images below.

Racing started off a committee boat at Corkbeg and the all–in fleet sailed to cage (P), No3 Buoy (S), Wno6 (P), Cage (S), No9 (S) No5 (S) and a finish at Cage.

Jelly Baby won the IRC race Photo Bob Bateman. Scroll down for photo gallery

Leading the race saw the J109 Jelly Baby Brian Jones, with Nigel Young of North sails onboard, leading at the Cage buoy followed by 1720 T Bone Tom Durcan/Clive O'Shea then Paul and Deirdre Tingle's Alpaca. Jelly Baby went on to win today's race IRC division.

Last year the O'Leary Family presented the Club with the perpetual Irish Mist trophy to honour the memory of Archie O'Leary, a past Admiral of the Royal Cork.

This trophy will be awarded for the best performing boat under IRC of the League.

Last night's Royal Cork Yacht Club keelboat prizegiving celebrated a buoyant sason in Cork Harbour for the annual leages and Trophy races writes Bob Bateman.

Peter Deasy skipper of Bad Company (Deasy Ivers Desmond) was the winner of the Stack Polly Trophy awarded to RCYC boat of Year in Club events.

Quarter Ton sailor Paul Gibbons was awarded The Doyle Family Trophy (international events). Conor Phelan was the winner of the Club boat of the Year at National events.

Among those in the Crosshaven clubhouse for the presentation last night were Admiral John Roche, Rear Admiral Kieran O'Connell and some RCYC league sponsors including Nigel Young of North Sails sponsor of the Sunday morning leagues and Evie Conway of Union Chandlery, sponsor of RCYC's June League.

The crews will gather again early next month when Rugby commentator Alan Quinlan, who played for played for Munster, will be guest speaker at a separate kelboat dinner on December 2nd. 

Scroll down for Bob Bateman's prizegiving gallery below

Paul Gibbons (right) won The Doyle Family Trophy (international events)

Peter Deasy (right) of Bad Company (Deasy Ivers Desmond)  was the winner of The Stack Polly Trophy

Conor Phelan was the winner of the Club boat of theYear at National events

Kieran and Liz O'Brien and the crew of Magnet with the Breffni McGovern Trophy

Kieran Collins skipper of Coracle with the Clytie Cup

Brian Jones from the 1720 Cosmic

Dave Lane of the J24 Ya Gonna Wanna

Gary Rhodes from the 1720 Heroes and Villians

Pat Vaughan skipper of Aramis

Kieran O'Brien

Ria Lyden skipper of Ellida

Paul Tingle skipper of Alpaca

Oisin MacSweeney from Scribbler II

Denis Byrne from Cracker

Clem McElligott from Seahawk

Clive O'Shea from the 1720 T Bone

Royal Cork's annual Topper and Laser dinghy Frostbite League commenced on November 9 in chilly but bright conditions with fifty five dinghies competing. After seven races sailed, Joe O'Sullivan leads the Topper 4.2 fleet, Jonathan O'Shaughnessy leads a 23–boat 5.3 fleet. Conor Horgan is top of a 13–boat Laser 4.7 fleet.

There was great support from Kinsale Yacht Club who joined the Royal Cork contingent on the water under the watchful eye of Ciaran McSweeney, PRO.

It bodes well for the Munster club that has seen a surge in dinghy sailing.

The has seen the RCYC Laser group finish five days of performance coaching over two weekend's with coaches Michal Gryglewski, Cian Byrne and Tom McGrath. The Topper mid term clinic came to a close after four days with Adam D’Arcy, Eoghan O’Regan and guest coach Alan Ruigrok.

The fleets are looking forward to two more Sundays on the water before the prize giving on Sunday 26th November

Results can be found here

There was another super race in the O'Leary Insurances sponsored Winter Sailing League at Royal Cork Yacht Club today writes Bob Bateman.

Sunny (most of the time) with wind 20 to 25 knots from north north west was a scenario where some skippers felt better sailing without spinnakers.

Course was 65 on RCYC course card. Following a Boat start the course was no 13s, no 11s, no10p, Corkbeg s, cage p, w4 s, finish at cage.

The Grand Soleil 40 Nieulargo skippered by Denis Murphy led the fleet and looked majestic upwind but had difficulty holding off the Durcan/O'Shea 1720 sportsboat off the wind but neverthelss won today's all-in IRC race.

Tom Crosbie in No Excuses again got a good start was very steady and did enought to finish second and hold the overall IRC lead. 

Coracle Kieran Collins with son Mel on helm put in a virtuoso performance (full on) enough to finish third in the all in IRC division.

Given the number of white sail boats competing there are now two White Sail classes in the all-in start.

Scroll down for photo gallery of today's race.

Royal Cork Yacht Club had a great turnout for the opening race of its O'Leary Insurances Winter League for sailing cruisers in Cork Harbour today writes Bob Bateman.

Race officers Clem and Wendy Mc Elligott got the 32 boats – up 50% up on last year– away in W/NW winds from 11 to 14 knots but only at the second attempt at a start and also under an X flag.

The boats sailed were to sail a full course of: Corkbeg no10p, E2s, 8s, 5s, Cage p, E4s and a Cage finish but the course was shortened at Cage mark after the first round.

Coracle skipperd by Kieran Collins led at the weather mark but lost lead to three 1720s sportsboats on the run downwind. The J109 Jelly Baby helmed by Brian Jones also broke through.

The cruisers returned to RCYC marina with Laser and Topper Leagues also starting today, providing a great winter sailing spectacle.

As the debate rumbles on as to how we can engage more young people in the sport of sailing, the Royal Cork Yacht Club has witnessed 'tremendous growth' in junior dinghy sailing activity across every level over the last eighteen months writes RCYC Rear Admiral, Stephen O'Shaugnessy. 

The club currently boasts some of the largest active dinghy fleets in the country; The Optimist class for example, has in excess of seventy sailors right across an age range from 8 -15 years old. Equally, the club Laser and Topper fleets have also seen rapid growth in numbers participating on a consistent basis at both club and regional level.

In tandem to all this single–handed dinghy activity, there is a growing fleet of RS boats being purchased by members and this appears to be filling a gap to ensure that junior members in their late teenage years keep sailing. While this is very much work in progress, the signs are positive for further growth for two handed sailing across a number of classes, including a possible 29er class.

Signs are positive for further double–handed dinghy growth in classes such as the youth 29er skiff. Photo: Bob Bateman

The result of all this is an average of ninety dinghies currently taking to the water at weekends to take part in club league racing a coaching programmes.

So what is driving this growth? A very focused junior dinghy committee ensures that every base is covered when it comes to our junior activity in the club. Underlying all our activity is the fundamental belief that every junior member is a fantastic asset to the club, irrespective of their age, ability or ambition. All our club coaching programmes and courses are structured in such a manner that the sailors within each fleet feel a strong sense of identity of being part of a larger team even though they each may well have different goals or objectives in terms of competing at various levels or simply sailing for the love of sailing'.

The spin off from all this activity has also helped towards a substantial increase in those participating in their club summer sailing courses. This, coupled with the fact that a growing number of family members are encouraging their children to be more involved in healthy outdoor activity during the summer months has led to one of the largest summer programmes in the country this year with in excess of hundred and seventy participants.

Looking to the future, the hope is to further build on the philosophy that as a sport, sailing is a skill for life that can be enjoyed at any stage and at any age and whatever ability.

There is clearly a growing demand across Ireland for dinghy sailing at every level and the club looks forward to continued growth in the build up to its 300th anniversary in 2020.

There was an interesting anniversary on Sunday at Royal Cork Yacht Club for Maurice 'Prof' O'Connell, the sailing professional, aboard Conor Phelan's all winning class one entry, Jump Juice. The Ker 37 won the CH Marine Autumn League with nine race wins from ten races but it wasn't this succesful teams only win on Cork Harbour waters. Far from it!

The weekend marked exactly ten years to the day for the Prof since winning the exact same event. How time flies! 

Prof O'Connell trimming the kite on Jump, on their way to victory in the 2007 RCYC League Photo: Bob Bateman

Prof took the 30–second video below as Jump gybed at the wing mark in the second race on Sunday. Nice bit of audio too!

Last night's Royal Cork Yacht Club prizegiving for the ten–race CH Marine Autumn League Series was officiated by RCYC Rear Admiral Keelboats Kieran O'Connell with Martin O'Donovan of CH Marine in attendance.

Scroll down the page for a gallery of prizewinners by Bob Bateman.