J/Teams Sweep Major Divisions at Cork Week
(Cork, Ireland)- The biennial CORK Week was hosted by the Royal Cork Yacht Club and was blessed with their usual eclectic weather conditions; from the morning fog, to rain and heavy winds, to beautiful sunny benign weather for the week! In addition to the racing in and around Cork Harbor, the event also featured the Fastnet Rock Offshore Race. Here is what’s happened off the picturesque harbor of Cork, Ireland.
Beaufort Cup
The J/109 BALTIMORE RNLI rounded off a perfect Beaufort Cup scorecard by winning the final race of the series to lift the trophy for the first time. Brian Mathews’ J/109 DEFENCE FORCES SC team came from behind to take runner-up spot in the final race.
The vast majority of the BALTIMORE RNLI crew are active members of the lifeboat station, responding to emergencies along the coast of West Cork, including skipper Robert O’Leary.
“A massive thank you to the Royal Cork Yacht Club and to Brian Mathews for organizing such a fantastic event. The racing has been brilliant, and racing around the Fastnet Rock is always a very special part of the Beaufort Cup. We are incredibly grateful to Pat Kelly for lending us the boat and to the crew of Storm for giving us the opportunity to compete this week.
I also want to thank the Secretary General for Defense, Ms Jacqui McCrum, for her support and for meeting us on the dock. Thank you to Jackie and Pat, who are past commodores of Rush Sailing Club. Most of all, thank you to my crew, our fellow competitors and everyone involved in the regatta. We have had an unforgettable week and look forward to coming back again.”
IRC 0 Division
Michael and Richard Evans’ Howth YC J/112e THE BIG PICTURE completed an outstanding Cork Week by winning IRC 0 with six race victories from eight starts. Nick Southward’s RYS/RHKYC J/122 WHISKEY JACK won the last race and finished second overall.
IRC 1 Division
Barry Cunningham’s RCYC/ RIYC J/109 CHIMAERA delivered a commanding performance to win IRC 1, scoring seven race victories from eight starts. Second was John Maybury’s RIYC J/109 JOKER 2. Third was Andy Williams’ Portishead CC J/109 CTRL-J, completing an all-J/109 podium. CHIMAERA was also awarded the Prince of Wales Cup for the best IRC performance in the Cork Harbor Race.
Coastal 1 Division
Robin Young’s Royal Northern & Clyde YC J/109 JINGS secured the Coastal 1 fleet title by the penultimate race, but the final podium places went down to the final race. JINGS had built a strong position with three consecutive victories, including the Cork Harbor Race, but the class remained finely balanced heading into Friday. Just off the podium in fourth place was Tim McCarthy and Wan Waterman’s Royal Cork YC J/111 JOYRIDE.
Sailing photo credits: Rick Tomlinson/ Royal Cork YC
For more CORK Week sailing information
https://www.corkweek.ie/