The Aghada race for cruisers was sailed on Saturday from Royal Cork Yacht Club writes Claire Bateman. It was an all in start and first off the line and, sailing in a purposeful way, was the Deasy/Ivers/Desmond Bad Company followed by Derry Good's Exhale.

SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTO GALLERY BY BOB BATEMAN

There was a west/north west wind and a lovely clear day with blue skies.The trouble was thunder showers could be seen right around the harbour but more about that later.

The course was a start using Cork Beg, No. 8 starboard, EF2 to port, No. 20 starboard, No. 14 starboard and a finish off Aghada Pier between A2 and and RIB anchored north of Aghada Pier.

Having reached the first weather mark, No. 8, the boats set off on a fetch to EF2 and it was here that the race got interesting. Following that the course effectively took in two windward/leeward rounds. It is said that sailing is not a spectator sport but it was most interesting to watch how the yachtsmen managed these legs. What they had was a tide and fresh water coming from an easterly direction and meeting the tide coming down from the city before joining together and running out the harbour in a southerly sweep. To add to this the wind could be quite light at times and then a gust of 16 or 17 kts would come and it led to crews jumping inboard and then back onto the weather rail in an attempt to keep the boats on their feet. This was very obvious in the case of David Lane and Sinéad Enright's An tOileánach and the same can be said of Kieron O'Connell and Graham Marron's Bandit on the upwind legs.

The final leg was a run to the finish where the hapless Bandit was hit by a shower accompanied by loud peals of thunder with torrential rain that came virtually out of the blue and the crew struggled to get the kite in.

And so on to Aghada where the pier has been closed for quite some time while repairs were being carried out to the stonework, the steps, and to the slipway. Now all is in order again and the pontoons are back in location. Lower Aghada is justifiably proud of its amenities and with a location in the south eastern section of Cork Harbour is available for all seafarers to use and enjoy.

Following a visit to the local hostelry, the finish times having been worked on remotely, the Admiral presented the prizes and Bad Company's endeavours were enough for his own consortium to receive the overall trophy.

#ISAF YOUTH WORLDS – Irish debutantes are off to an explosive start at the ISAF Youth World Championship on home waters this afternoon, with two Irish crews in the top five overall after the first two races of the week-long Dublin Bay series.

Royal Cork's Patrick Crosbie and Grattan Roberts are third overall after two races in the Boys' 420 class, counting a 15th and second placing in their 30–boat fleet.

“It was pretty good - better than we expected,” said 15-year-old sailor Crosbie.

In today’s second race they had managed to get into second on the first upwind leg. “It is hard to tell,” Crosbie admitted of where he expected them to be at this early stage of the regatta. “We didn’t know a lot of the boats or what the level was. We are very happy today.”

The good news for the Irish youth sailing team continues with Dun Laoghaire's Finn Lynch posting fourth overall from 45 starters in the Laser Radial class, a second top class result for the host nation.

Conditions were ideal for the start of the championships off Dun Laoghaire with moderate north-westerly winds, if a little chilly.

The international event kicked off last night with an opening ceremony that has drawn 61 nations to Ireland for the 42nd staging of the world class event.

The balance of the three boat Irish team also took top ten results, except for the Dun Laoghaire based 29er boys Sean and Tadgh Donnelly who lie 11th from 24.

The buoyant Irish results bode well for the young Irish squad. Both Lynch and the Cork 420 pairing are making their international debut this week.

Previous ISAF Youth Worlds competitor Sophie Murphy, who hails from Strangford Lough, also got off to a strong start and lies tenth overall in a fleet of 42 in the Laser Radial Girls division.

Murphy said she was “happy enough with today. With the Youth Worlds the points are so high - last year if you averaged a tenth you would have won overall.”

But this early into the competition, she won’t speculate on the ultimate outcome.

“I'm literally going to take each race as it comes - there's no point not looking at the end result; I really don't want to jinx anything.”

Meanwile, Dublin Bay's Alexander Rumball and Rory McStay are 10th from 15 in the SL16 catamaran class.

“We did better in the first race," said Rumball of their performance. "The second race was really gusty and shifty, as all these gusts kept coming down. We got on the right side of one on the last beat of that race and it brought us up a load.”

The competition continues tomorrow, when more wind is forecast with 15-16 knots from the west. Full results from today are posted HERE.

#corkweek – The penultimate day of Cork Week will be remembered for some seriously feisty weather, torrential rain overnight continued through the morning and a thick sea fog and a building sea state produced what the Crosshaven locals call 'proper weather'. With 20 knots of breeze and Atlantic swell, Cork Week's Race Committee had the option of racing inside Cork Harbour and took it.

All classes bar IRC Zero and One were set a windward leeward course inside the safe confines of Cork Harbour but the visibility around the Moonduster mark ensured a tight course. Outside the harbour the big boat fleet managed to get one race in before the front drove through to leave a sloppy sea state and no wind, scuppering any chance of a second race today.

In IRC Zero, Piet Vroon's Ker 46, Tonnerre de Breskens proved unstoppable again today, blasting through the surf to score yet another bullet. "I should buy a lottery ticket today!" Admitted mainsheet trimmer, Dave Lenz. "We had excellent breeze down the run and it literally shut down behind us, stopping all of our competition. The phrase rich get richer certainly applied to today's race." Piet Vroon and his team don't even need to race tomorrow's Harbour Course to win the class but Vroon insisted that Tonnerre de Breskens would be racing tomorrow. Michael Bartholomew's Mills 40, Tokoloshe could only score a fifth today but is still second overall, whilst Jamie McWilliam's Ker 40, Peninsula Signal 8 is third.

In IRC One, Richard Fildes' Corby 37, Impetuous won Race 7 to stamp their authority on the class. Conor Phelan's Ker 37, Jump Juice got the better of Richard Goransson's Corby 36, Inga of Sweden today to leapfrog into second place. However, barring a shocker in tomorrow last race, Impetuous look to have won their class.

Getting IRC 2 away for the first race was not easy, there were hooters a plenty as two general recalls resulted in a third re-start with a black flag. Ian Nagle's, J/109 Jelly Baby nailed the pin end and extended in clear air at the top mark to win the first race of the day with Gilles Caminade's French A 35, Chenapan taking second. However, Hall & McDonnell's J/109, Something Else got buried into the pack and scored a lowly ninth. Donal O'Leary's X-35, D-Tox won the second race of the day but the big story in IRC 2 is that Something Else who have led from the start of the regatta have dropped to third place on countback from Chenapan and local Cork boat Jelly Baby are now top of the class. However, Something Else still leads the J/109s for the Irish title by just a point from Jelly Baby.

In IRC 3, Royal Cork's Admiral Peter Deasy with Bad Company has opened up a seven-point lead after scoring two podium finishes today. Tim Cunliffe's Half Tonner, Insatiable has their best day of the regatta. The Cornish team were spotted 'fuelling up' at the Royal Cork Yacht Club bar last night, obviously with the desired effect! However, Diarmuid Foley's Quarter Tonner was out-gunned by the displacement yachts in today's heavier conditions and drops to third. Brian Goggin's Corby 25, Allure finished the day on a high, winning the last race of the day but by just two seconds.

John Twomey's Sonar Baileen Ban has virtually sealed the win in IRC 4 with a second and first place today, but a battle is raging for second place. Finbarr Dorgan's No Half Measures and Claridge and Fox's Sigma 33, Excelle are on equal points and Nyhan & Buwalda's Hunter 707, Outrigger is just a point behind.

The 1720's were racing outside the Harbour today, which was a full on experience. However, some very experienced crews race the pocket rockets and all was well. Denis Murphy's Aquatack won today's race from close rivals Robin & Ben O'Mahony but there was only 7 seconds between them. Aquatack now have a four-point cushion virtually sealing the class win.

Take That, The Prodigy, Vengaboys, MC Hammer and House of Pain are just some of the top 90s bands that won't be on the main stage tonight but Irish tribute band, Smash Hits will. Delivering a high-energy set to a packed crowd that will be looking to stretch some tired limbs after four days of hard racing at Cork Week.

Full results and much more can be found at www.corkweek.ie

Results:

IRC0:

1 TONNERRE DE BRESKENS 3 Peter Vroon

2 TOKOLOSHE Michael Bartholomew

3 PENINSULA SIGNAL 8 Jamie McWilliam

IRC1:

1 IMPETUOUS Richard Fildes

2 JUMP JUICE Conor Phelan

3 INGA II FROM SWEDEN Richard Goransson

IRC2:

1 JELLY BABY Ian Nagle & Paul O'Malley

2 CHENAPAN Gilles Caminade

3 SOMETHING ELSE J Hall, S McDonnell & B Hall

IRC3:

1 BAD COMPANY Desmond/Ivers/Deasy

2 INSATIABLE Tim Cunliffe

3 ANCHOR CHALLENGE Diarmuid Foley

IRC4:

1 BAILEEN BAN John Twomey

2 NO HALF MEASURES Finbarr Dorgan

3 EXCELLE Toby Claridge & J. Fox

J109:

1 SOMETHING ELSE J Hall, S McDonnell & B Hall

2 JELLY BABY Ian Nagle

3 JALAPENO Baker et al

1720:

1 AQUATACK Denis Murphy

2 IRL1760 Robin & Ben O'Mahony

3 WAHOO Finbarr Jeffers

IRC Non Spinnaker 1:

1 SOMETHING Mike Bailey & Andy Roy

2 XERXES Dan O'Neill

3 DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER Anne O'Sullivan

IRC Non Spinnaker 2:

1 MINX III Tom NcNeice

2 XTENSION Conor O'Donovan

3 AISLING Bryan Heffernan

#corkweek2012 – Last night's Upbeat Opening to Cork Week 2012 took place in a mood of palpable optimism and with the expectancy of a wonderful week ahead writes Claire Bateman. SCROLL DOWN THE PAGE FOR MORE PHOTOS! The buoyant mood had been set and the expectancy raised to even greater heights by the huge success of the Saturday and Sunday All Aboard @ Cork Week open days at the Royal Cork Yacht Club that far exceeded all expectations and resulted in the club being visited by over a thousand members of the public over the two days. It was a phenomenal experience for all involved and great credit must go to all concerned and in particular to the Cork Week Chairman, Pat Lyons, who mustn't have slept for six months at least.

The Official Opening that nearly didn't happen, but that's a story for the end of this paragraph, was performed by one of our own members, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney, who received a rapturous welcome. The Minister did indeed deliver a splendid speech that was both uplifting and encouraging. He told us what it felt like to remember being in the club as a child of five years of age and never would have thought in his wildest dreams he would be coming back as Minister for the Marine. He referred to the importance of the loyal sponsors who have remained with the event and named them all, in particular he spoke of the importance of the support from Fáilte Ireland with the publicity garnered by the event. He told of the huge work put in by Pat Lyons, Cork Week Chairman and Admiral Peter Deasy, and was full of admiration for the effort put in by the staff and particular attention was paid to the volunteer input by the club members. He also thanked the efforts put in by the overseas visitors who had travelled to attend and the huge home support. The Minister was so enthused and obviously so much at home in his own club he was utterly relaxed and the enthusiastic audience responded with their applause. In fact, he was so relaxed he was about to leave the podium when he suddenly remembered he had come to open Cork Week and hadn't officially done so and returned again to the podium to loud cheers from the assembled throng as he declared the event officially open.

It was very pleasing to note the attendance of so many Royal Cork former Admirals at the Official Opening Amongst these were Bill Walsh, who sailed Coral in the first ever Cork week in 1978, Tony O'Connor, Paddy McGlade, Anthony O'Leary, Bill O'Mahony and last but certainly not least former Admiral T.E. Crosbie, who, while we were waiting for the Official Opening to take place, regaled your scribe in his own inimitable style with wonderful tales going back to 1938 when the club was the Royal Munster Yacht Club. Now in his eighty second year former Admiral Crosbie will tomorrow (Monday) compete in Cork Week helming his well known 'No Excuse'.

So on that note I return to Cork Week 2012 and wish all competitors and officials an enjoyable week with safe sailing and great competition.

#corkweek – Royal Cork Yacht Club is bracing itself for the arrival of well over a thousand competitors in the next few days and over the past few weeks, local sailors have been working hard preparing their yachts moored in the safe confines of the marina. A steady stream of yachts from overseas has begun to arrive in Crosshaven to get ready for the big event, with many more expected to over the coming days.

Whilst the courses for Cork Week remain in the same likeable format, Cork Week Racing Chairman, Anthony O'Leary has revealed that there are some enterprising changes to the Harbour Course Race. "For the last day of racing, we intend to have the whole fleet in Cork Harbour, which should be a fantastic spectacle," commented O'Leary. "The Race Committee has also decided to award a long standing and very prestigious trophy at this year's event. The Carroll Cup dates back to 1858 and this year it will be the prize for a Harbour Race Time Trial. The Moonduster Mark – Cobh Mark –No.18 buoy section is a distance of 1.8nm and it is our intention to time each boat in the Harbour Race over this distance and apply their IRC handicap, to find the winner of the Carroll Cup 2012. The particular part of the course passes an area known as The Holy Ground and is featured in song and verse and is very much part of the folklore of Cork Harbour."

The Royal Cork is the oldest yacht club in the world and a glittering array of silverware will be awarded at Cork Week. In addition, for 2012 all class winners will also go home with a fine keepsake. The Belleek Group has been making fine china in Ireland for well over a century and overall class winners will receive a Belleek Living Trophy as a memento of their success.

Over one hundred yachts will be competing at Cork Week and the fun-factor looks like it could be at an all time high. Dermot Cronin from the Malahide Yacht Club will be racing his First 40.7, Encore and this is not the first venture to Cork Week for Dermot and his crew, as he explains; "We enjoyed 2010 so much, even though we suffered a badly cracked mast with my old J/35. We did a pub-crawl to 'wake' our lost mast and loved the barbecued cod and black pudding served up by the local pubs. We'll definitely be setting out in search of that this year. I particularly like a smaller regatta at Cork. After top class racing on the water, shoreside has a more laid back feel than past years. In the days of 600+ boats, getting to the bar was like wrestling through rush hour on the London underground!"

The ½ tonner "Insatiable" was built in 1985 and beautifully restored with the help of the Pendennis Shipyard in Falmouth. The crew are all friends from Cornwall and include a National and European Laser 4000 champion, Jon Wilson. Skipper Tim Cunliffe explains why the team have decided to bring "Insatiable" to Cork Week for the first time. "Most of the crew have been to Cork Week before and what makes us come back is good racing and on shore entertainment, some provided by our own crew! All of us have sailed to a very high level and we see Cork Week as a major regatta that we hope to do well in and hopefully win.

From the Clyde, Christine and Robin Murray's First 40, "Elf Too" will be competing at Cork Week, "Elf Too" arrived safely in Crosshaven on the 24th June and Christine is really looking forward to Cork Week. "This is the fourth time, I have come for the regatta and I just love it, Crosshaven is where my husband and I confessed our undying love for each other. The racing is so well managed and we all just have such a great laugh. We are also looking for a crewmember for Cork Week to cover for maternity leave for our pit-girl, if you apply you will definitely need a sense of humour." For more information visit: www.corkweek.ie

#CORKWEEK – It's all hands on deck for the crew of AllAboard@Cork Week, as they get ready to bring visitors to Cork Week for a weekend of free family fun at the Royal Cork Yacht Club (RCYC) in Crosshaven on July 7th and 8th.

All Aboard is a new, interactive, weekend for Cork Week 2012, featuring water-based attractions and shoreside entertainment, all designed to bring out the child in everyone.

Royal Cork Yacht Club Admiral Peter Deasy says: "Cork Week and the Royal Cork Yacht Club have never seen anything like it. We have exhibits travelling from near and far - life sized whales, dolphins and turtles are traveling over from the UK for the weekend, Oceanworld Aquarium are sending their touch pool creatures from Dingle, the Star Dome is coming to bring the wonders of the solar system to life, and that's before we even mention high speed rib-trips and Dragon Boat racing. A lot of hard work has gone into creating a unique event. We really are delivering something for everyone, and we're looking forward to an exciting weekend."

Visitors hitting the shoreline in Crosshaven for All Aboard can float away in the Under the Sea Marquee with life-sized replicas of dolphins, whales and turtles. Meet real, live tiny sea creatures in touchpools.

There will be Dragon Boat Races, run by the maritime cultural organisation Meitheal Mara, which will give visitors the chance to race these spectacular boats to the beat of the Dragon Boat drum. Grab a paddle, or shout from the shoreline to be part of this unique event. You can Follow the stars in night sky in the Star Dome in the Sun Sea & Stars Marquee, or walk the plank with Captain Jack.

High-speed rib rides, (extra charge) will give visitors the chance to experience the exhilaration of bouncing off the crest of a wave at full throttle, with a chance to see a dolphin or even a basking shark, but one thing's for certain – everyone will have a blast!

Try spinnaker packing races, bubble workshops and many more hands-on activities, enjoy the wandering musicians, magical entertainers and face-painting, or just unwind, enjoy Coffee and Cake in the Clubhouse, casual lunch in the Food Court or a little retail therapy in the extensive selection of shops in the Cork Week Village.

For family fun for all get to All Aboard @ Cork Week on July 7th and 8th, from 11-5 daily. Admission is FREE & with hundreds of FREE Parking Spaces

#CORK HARBOUR – The world's second largest natural harbour in the world (after Sydney, Australia) sprang to life yesterday with a variety of sailing and boating activity from Crosshaven, Monkstown and Cobh writes Claire Bateman.

Sunshine, breeze and a harbour alive with boats 'twas like old times. A forecasted promise of a warm day after our long spell of winter like weather brought many boats out on the water yesterday.

Whether it was currachs getting in some practice for the ocean to City Race or 1720s getting in time on the water with some of the more experienced 1720 top notchers sailing on other boats to spread the expertise in handling these lively ladies.

Indeed it seemed like 1720 yesterday that we were watching the very first trials of the 1720 in Cork Harbour in 1994 and the excitement engendered and that now appears to be making a strong return. Details of the 1720 debut were written up in Afloat's Mid April edition of 1994.

Also on the water were Optimists receiving training including sailing downwind heeling to leeward like old pros despite the fact that maybe even six months ago they hadn't even sat in a boat on their own.

Frank Doyle's End Game leading the fleet at the start of CSC Titanic Race. Picture Robert Bateman

To top it all off Cove Sailing Club had organised The Titanic Race and the excellent fleet was joined by members from the Royal Cork Cruiser fleet and they made a splendid sight starting off Cuskinny at the Number 13 buoy under, Race Officer Adrian Tyler, on a flood tide and a sea breeze of about 10 knots.

Not to be forgotten were the boats motoring and sailing for the sheer pleasure of being on the water with a bit of heat in the sun and the many angling boats whose occupants were also enjoying the bonus of the fine weather.

Last but not least was the beautiful seal that popped up in front of the boat enjoying a fine meal of fresh fish but proved to be rather uncooperative when the camera was produced and didn't appear to like the sound of the diesel approaching.

Hopefully the forecast will prove correct for the fine warm weather we are to enjoy for the near future and will tempt sailors to get in their entries for forthcoming events and in particular Cork Week 2012 which is rapidly approaching and has such a variety of racing combined with a whole new look for shoreside family entertainment.

More Cork Harbour photos from yesterday below

#ROYAL CORK - It was "uncharted waters" for the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Crosshaven last night as it hosted its first ever film screening, a showing of the John Huston classic Moby Dick.

The epic adventure, starring Gregory Peck, was shot on location in nearby Youghal, and tells the story of the obsessed Captain Ahab's pursuit of the titular whale.

Joleen Cronin of the Crosshaven Film Club told the Irish Examiner: "There are lots of people throughout Cork who were involved in the making of the film and it’s a real celebration of movie making and special effects for its time."

The screening is hoped to be the first of many special events at the world's oldest yacht club, which will be hosting the biennial Cork Week regatta from 7-13 July.

#NORTH SAILS SEMINAR – US Sailmaker Bill Gladstone of North Sails returns to these shores for a nine stop lecture tour of Ireland starting this Saturday at the country's biggest club, the Royal St George YC in Dun Laoghaire. Gladstone was last here in 2009 and the series proved popular. From Dun Laoghaire the North Sails seminar heads West to Galway Bay. The full schedule is below.

Gladstone has been teaching sailing and racing for over 30 years. Topics this week, for the €20 pay at the door event, include starting tactics, upwind trim, wind shift Strategy to spinnaker trim and handling.

For more information, contact the club, Maurice O'Connell ([email protected] / 086 2364200) or Nigel Young ([email protected] / 087 2514434)

2012 SEMINAR SCHEDULE

Royal St George Yacht Club.....28 January 2012
9:30 am - 1:30 pm
National Yacht Club..................30 January 2012
7 pm - 11 pm
Galway Bay Sailing Club...........31 January 2012
7 pm - 11 pm
Tralee Bay Sailing Club...........01 February 2012
7pm - 11pm
Royal Cork Yacht Club.............02 February 2012
7pm - 11pm
Kinsale Yacht Club...................03 February 2012
7pm - 11pm
Royal Irish Yacht Club.............04 February 2012
10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Howth Yacht Club....................06 February 2012
7pm - 11pm
Royal Ulster Yacht Club*......... 07 February 2012
7pm - 11pm

Pay at the door. €20 per person. *RUYC £18 per person.

#CORK WEEK - Pat Lyons of Royal Cork Yacht Club has spoken to website The Cork News about the city's hopes for the 2012 Cork Week regatta.

Crosshaven in Cork Harbour will host the club's biggest regatta - which takes place every two years - from 7-13 July this summer.

“Sailing in Ireland and Cork is in great shape,” says Lyons, who is expecting more than 250 boats to pack the harbour for racing and more.

The event is also perfectly timed just two weeks ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games in London, where Royal Cork Yacht Clubman Peter O’Leary will vie for gold with Dublin yachtsman David Burrows in their two-man keelboat.

Though the economic downturn has had a serious effect, costs have been cut across the board and some rules have been relaxed to allow for the widest possible level of participation.

“There are three factors that make Cork special," says Lyons. "Firstly, there is the number of boats and the various fleets. Secondly, there are 10 races planned. While that doesn’t always pan out due to the weather, we have pretty settled weather conditions and an excellent coastline in Cork, with hills running down to the sea.

"And finally, there is the harbour, which, if the weather impacts, provides excellent shelter. We’ve always been able to achieve a higher level of competition than a lot of other regattas, with at least one or two races per day.”

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, preparations for the event have already kicked off with the launch of a dedicated new website.

The Cork News has more on the story HERE.