Displaying items by tag: Cork Week
BP Boss Hayward on Cork Week Entry List
The British yacht 'Bob', co-owned by Tony Hayward, the troubled chief executive of BP, is to race in Cork Week regatta in Crosshaven from July 10. Although some UK Press reports say Hayward will not be onboard Bob for the Irish regatta his name appears on the Royal Cork Yacht Club entry list with co-owners Sam Laidlaw and Rob Gray.
The yacht hit headlines around the world when it was reported Hayward took a weekend off dealing with the enormous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico to sail the Round the Island Race in the Solent. His entry at the regatta stoked anger at the oil company as it was claimed it insulted those affected by the slick. President Obama's chief of staff, said that Hayward had committed yet another in a "long line of PR gaffes" and he was roundly vilified for the decision.
Big Boats Ready for Cork Week
Although talk that sailing numbers are down is a persistent theme in 2010, Cork Week has always attracted the big boats and Crosshaven organisers say this year is no exception. The Super Zero Class is expected to be a competition between seven magnificent hi-tech flyers. The turboed TP52, Pace was at Cork Week 2008 and since Johnny Vincent took charge, the British based crew has been in cracking form; impressing at the RORC Easter Challenge and the Vice Admiral's Cup. From the East Coast of the USA, Austin Fragomen has brought over Interlodge, the ultra-modern TP52 designed by Judel Vrojlik has been optimized for IRC and should match Pace, for pace. Several other TP52s are racing including Silver Surfer, debuting and Cork Week with an international line-up.
Richard Matthews Humphreys 42, Oystercatcher XXVI scooped up the class trophy for IRC Zero in 2008 and was a contender for boat of the week. Matthews has shipped the boat over from the Caribbean after a very competitive season. Amongst the well drilled crew is Crosshaven's own, Eddie English. Anthony O'Leary's Ker 39, Antix is in great form, winning class at the ICRA Nationals in May. However, IRC Zero is brimming with talent. Piet Vroon's Ker 46Tonnerre de Breskens is Crosshaven bound. Dave Dwyer's Mills 39, Marinerscove.ie is a proven winning race boat and Bernard Gouy's Ker 39, Inis Mor is over from France along with Jac Pelletier's Landmark 43, Qualiconsult. To be honest, this is probably the most competitive class at Cork Week and the bookies would have this one going to the wire.
Heart of the action: The Crosshaven venue for next month's Cork Week. Photo: Bob Bateman
Cork Week plays host to the J/109 Europeans and 17 one designs are entered with many from the UK. Racing is bound to be tight and expect some raised voices with crews hiking hard, jostling for position, especially at mark roundings. In a no discard series, consistency is at an optimum and it is almost impossible to pick out the favourites but of the UK boats, Robin Taunt's Jibe has a wealth of experience and Brian Morton's Juke Box was well placed in 2008. Of the Irish entries, Ian Nagle and Paul O'Malley's Jelly Baby had an excellent ICRA Nationals in Dublin and John Maybury's Joker II was the top Irish J/109 at Cork Week 2008.
Paul Kirwan's Sigma 38, Errislannan was one of the early entries. In 2008 they won the Sigma 38 Europeans at Cork Week and they are back to defend their title. From bow to stern, Errislannan is very much a family boat and they are up against some top opposition from the UK. The Sigma 38 Europeans is once again staged at Cork Week 2010.
A host of Corby Yachts are entered prompting Cowes designer, John Corby to put up some champagne prizes. Corby designed yachts competing include; Robert Davies, brand new Corby 36, Roxy 6 which will be representing Ireland in the forthcoming Rolex Commodores' Cup. In all over a dozen boats are expected to be racing at Cork Week, tuning up for the country versus country, pro-am event in August.
Cork Week attracts a huge variety of boats from all over the world and whilst the Gentleman's Class may not have the high tech gear and elite sailors competing. The seamanship in the class is very apparent. National Yacht Club member, Philip Dilworth, will be racing Grand Soleil 42, Orna. A previous class winner of the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle race, 2008 Cork Week winner and class winner at the recent ICRA Nationals, Orna is obviously well sailed.
Of course sailors go to Cork Week to compete but also they come from far and wide to have fun and enjoy the occasion. Like a great party, taking a spin on the dance floor is an excellent way to end the evening!
Crosshaven throws on quite a pageant and the local community really gets involved which gives the regatta a great atmosphere, the 'tented village' is buzzing with life. Many other regattas do not have the evening activities all in one place, Cork Week does and the 'session' to be had is more memorable by the fact that everybody is there; you keep bumping into people and having just one more.
There are a variety of tents to suit but one of the great concepts for Cork Week is the abundance of music, something that visitors really enjoy. Screaming your head off to Bon Jovi or sing along to a ballad with your mates or loved one, are truly memorable moments.
Crosshaven Gets Set for Cork Week Party
Just over five weeks to go and Peter Deasy, Chairman of Cork Week 2010, feels that preparations are well on target for what is recognised as one of the best sailing regattas in Ireland.
Every two years, the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Crosshaven hosts Cork Week, which first took place in the magnificent waters of Cork Harbour over thirty years ago.
Quickly establishing itself as a 'must do' regatta, the event attracts sailors from all over the world, and 2010 is no exception, with entries confirmed from the United States, Belgium, France, Holland the United Kingdom and from all over Ireland, north and south.
Worth more than €6 million to the local economy, many of the competitors return time after time. Richard Matthews of Oyster Marine has been competing in Cork Week since the mid 1990s and will be back in July to defend his Class Zero Title. Also from the UK, Lloyds Yacht Club will be competing in the elegant Swan 53, Lutine. Vice Commodore of Lloyds YC, Liz Lotz says "we like to enter events that are well run and above all a lot of fun and Cork Week has that in spades."
Annamarie Fegan of Cork Week Caterers, an Excellent Choice, says that most people have no idea how much planning goes into a week such as Cork Week and this is a sign of a very well run event. Preparation has been going on for months, the ordering of marquees, furniture, flowers, food and drink. The catering operation starts weeks beforehand, often with the actual building of the venue and kitchen – she promises that Cork Week 2010 will be the Best Party in Europe
Cork Week 2010 would like to acknowledge the support of Heineken Ireland, Failte Ireland, Cork County Council, Port of Cork, the members of the Royal Cork Yacht Club and, of course, the people of Crosshaven. www.corkweek.ie
Cork Week Publishes Class Bands
Cork Week has published provisional class bands for July's regatta. So far there are seven entries in IRC super zero, 15 in class IRC zero, 17 in IRC one, 14 in IRC two, 21 in IRC 3, 19 in IRC four, 18 in IRC five, 18 in IRC 6 and 36 entries in white sails, sports boats and J109s. To find out who has entered for Cork Week 2010 this year, use the links below to check out each class.
PROVISIONAL CLASSES for CORK WEEK 2010 IRC Super 0
IRC 0
IRC 1
IRC 2
IRC 3
IRC 4
IRC 5
IRC 6
White Sail / Sports Boats / J109
|
Cork Week 2010 - Three Months And Counting
It only happens every other year and that is probably a good thing, because it takes Crosshaven that long to recover! With less than three months to go, Cork Week 2010, is taking shape with a huge variety of boats and competitors making plans for the regatta.
The sailing fleet is growing on a daily basis, Cowes based Gray, Laidlaw and Heyward’s Farr 52, Bob is the latest entry over fifty feet. A sound Super Zero Class is expected. The scratch boat at present is Irvine Laidlaw’s Wally 82, Highland Fling, back in Europe after racing in the Caribbean. But several modified TP52's will also be in the running, including Johnny Vincent’s Pace, who took a memorable scalp at the RORC Easter Challenge, beating America’s Cup TEAMORIGIN in one race. Also TP52 Interlodge, owned by Austin Fragomen of New York is making the trip across the Atlantic.
So far there are no fewer than nineteen J Boats entered for Cork Week. The majority are J/109s competing for their European Championships but when it comes to long deliveries - Neal Martin’s J 133, Jammy Dodger, takes the biscuit.
Neal Martin normally keeps the boat in the Solent but Jammy Dodger is heading for the Norwegian fjords, before heading south to Cork Week. As Neal Martin explains, “It is about 2,500 miles of sailing through Kiel, Copenhagen, Gothenburg and onto Norway. On the way back we will race to Shetland from Bergen with about 40 Norwegian boats. After that we will visit the west coast of Scotland before coming to Crosshaven. The crew will alter during the voyage but both myself and my Norwegian girlfriend, Randi will be in Crosshaven. This will be my sixth Cork Week and we are all really looking forward to it.”
With nearly three months to go, fifteen Beneteau’s are already entered. Tony McBride’s First 50, Novus Arca is making the trip from Scotland and Royal Cork members, Paul and Deirdre Tingle, will be back to defend their First 31.7 title from 2008.
The number of SB3's entered for Cork Week is down on 2008, not surprising as the SB3 Worlds in Italy is attracting the majority of the fleet. However, SB3's and other sports boats are very welcome at Cork Week. A convenient ferry service, Fastnet Line runs daily crossings from Swansea to Cork. Kiwi Ben Duncan will be racing SB3 Sharkbait at Cork Week, alongside Irish match racer Ric Morris. Many Irish entries and some from overseas are expected.
Paul Kirwan’s Sigma 38, Errislannan is entered. In 2008 they won the Sigma 38 Europeans at Cork Week and they are back to defend their title. From bow to stern, Errislannan is very much a family boat and they are up against some top opposition from the UK.
Ten Corby Yachts are entered and more are expected including Robert Davies, brand new Corby 36, Roxy 6 which will be representing Ireland in the forthcoming Rolex Commodores’ Cup. Over a dozen boats are expected to be racing at Cork Week, tuning up for the country versus country, pro-am event in August.
However, Cork Week has a huge variety of boats and whilst the Gentleman’s Class may not have the high tech gear and elite sailors competing. The seamanship in the class is very apparent. National Yacht Club member, Philip Dilworth, will be racing Grand Soleil 42, Orna. A previous class winner of the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle race and 2008 Cork Week winner, Orna is obviously well sailed.
"Entries are going well and we are pleased with the level of support, however, there is room for plenty more and we hope that more yachts and crew will be racing at Cork Week in July and enjoying the hospitality of the Royal Cork Yacht Club and the community at Crosshaven”, commented Cork Week Chairman, Peter Deasy.
This event will follow the first day of racing and it promises to be a great evening. All competitors will have the opportunity to discuss the days “thrills and spills” in a friendly and social setting, followed by music and craic in our tented village until the early hours.
For further information see our website www.corkweek.ie or contact Aileen, Event Secretary at +353 21 483 1179 or [email protected]
Dinner and dance at the RCYC
Since 1978, Cork Week has welcomed sailors and boats from all over the globe. It is difficult to think of any other regatta worldwide that has had held such universal appeal, for so long. Producing a successful regatta can be compared to throwing a dinner party and to do either you need the right ingredients. The most important raw material for any regatta is the sailing and Cork Week is blessed with a marvelous stretch of water with excellent breeze. The natural harbour creates a great inshore racecourse, there is truly spectacular coastal racing and high octane action in the ocean swell, out in the Atlantic. The scenery just adds to the overall concept. From the stark beauty of West Cork, to the view from the sea of Cobh and Great Island and the welcoming sight of Crosshaven, after a day’s racing.
Like a great dinner party, Cork Week serves up fine food in memorable surroundings. There is seldom a day when racing isn’t possible at Cork Week, something you can’t say about every major regatta. Flying under spinnaker passed Queenstown , surfing in the Atlantic and the beautiful bays of West Cork. The area around Crosshaven is a wonderful place to get out on the water.
Of course sailors go to Cork Week to compete but also they come from far and wide to have fun and enjoy the occasion. Like a great dinner party, taking a spin on the dance floor is an excellent way to end the evening.
Crosshaven throws on quite a pageant and the local community really gets involved which gives the regatta a great atmosphere, the ‘tented village’ is buzzing with life. Many other regattas do not have the evening activities all in one place, Cork Week does and the ‘session’ to be had is more memorable by the fact that everybody is there; you keep bumping into people and having just one more.
There are a variety of tents to suit but one of the great concepts for Cork Week is the abundance of live music, something that visitors really enjoy. Screaming your head off to Bon Jovi or sing along to a ballad with your mates or loved one, are truly memorable moments.
The Flaws, just one of the top bands that perform live at Cork Week.
Another reason that Cork Week is so popular with visitors from overseas is that the Irish are there! It might sound patronising but take it from a non-Irishman. Just about any sailor knows a few Irish mates who like to party, who like to enjoy life. As a foreigner coming to Ireland, your eyes light up because you know you are heading to a regatta, hell bent on having a good time.
See you in July,
Coiler.
Cork Week: Cork Revealed, with Eddie English
Cork Week Revealed
with Eddie English (reprinted from Afloat 2006)
Eddie English stands high on Cobh’s historic waterfront and looks out across Cork Harbour, south towards Roche’s Point lighthouse and the entrance to the natural sailing sanctuary. Immediately below, a huge Brittany Ferries ship heads slowly out to sea; it’s not even close in size to a previous visitor to the former Queenstown, but then again, the RMS Titanic belonged to a different era.
To his left, the inshore waters north of the Whitegate oil refinery hide the channel to East Ferry where the Marlogue Inn stands over its marina and just opposite, the legendary Murphs on the mainland shore.
On his right, the channel between Spike and Haulbowline Islands and Cobh is the main shipping route for the Port of Cork for ferries, commercial shipping and the Irish Naval Service base.
But it’s the view straight out to sea that confirms one of the magic ingredients that have made Cork Week an international regatta of worldwide repute: vast tracts of open, unobstructed water and all within easy reach of the shoreside facilities of the hosts at the Royal Cork Marina at Crosshaven.
When it comes to local knowledge, few are as expert as English. Not only is he a former chairman of the event's racing committee, not only does he run a long-established sailing school in the harbour, but when you are offered an insight from someone who takes his dog for a walk on notorious mud banks at low water springs, they tend to be nuggets of the golden variety.
"The harbour course is the key to Cork Week," says English. "It's the decider where the event is won or lost and has the most variables involved." So this, then, is the Eddie English step-by-step guide to gaining an edge for that course, plus the coastal, wind/leeward and Olympic-type courses at Cork Week.
COPYRIGHT – AFLOAT MAGAZINE 2006
Cork Week, How Rocketships work
Jargon – How the Cork Week Rocketships Work
Sailing fast is all about converting the wind’s energy into boat speed and these big ocean racers generate more horsepower and speed for their size than any single-hull craft that has ever sailed the seven seas.
When the wind blows over 20 knots they leave pursuing powerboats wallowing in their wake. Photographers have to resort to helicopters.
The secret to the success of these high-tech speedsters is their weight-saving, super-strong, carbon fibre construction and their radical underwater design.
Gone are the keel and rudder combinations of conventional sailboats where the shape and weight of the keel counteracts the heeling effect of the wind and helps prevent the boat making leeway (slipping sideways).
In place of the keel is a slender strut with a nine-ton ballast bulb at its tip. Swung out (canted) sideways under the boat by a hydraulic ram, the bulb provides extra stability, standing the boat up straighter and making the sails more efficient.
The twin rudders, one ahead of the strut and one behind it, perform a double duty. They provide the foil shape and area to minimise leeway while also improving maneuverability.
Tacking calls for no more than the touch of a button to swing the keel into a new direction.
Disney and Plattner, the CEO of Germany’s SAP software empire, were fellow competitors in a previous class of lightweight 75-foot ocean racers, worked together to create the new class.
"To have a bunch of boats where we can go out and actually have boat races instead of designer races seems to me to be really good idea,‰ Disney said. „That's what I hope for with this project – that it will attract people who want to go racing on the same terms. Not that we all don't like to go a little bit faster than the next guy, but it's a lot more fun when it’s a boat race."
Cork Week Uncovered: Who Will Be There
Cork Week Uncovered: Who Will Be There
From Afloat, July 2006
Cork Week's not all about rubbing shoulders with serious money but, having that said, there will be more millionaires on the banks of the Currabinny river between July 10 and 16 than sails in the harbour. Crosshaven will teem with sailors and supporters for a festival of sailing that’s more like Galway Races on water than a regular sailing regatta.
And that's the reason it’s become so popular with foreigners, attracting 80 per cent of its competitors from overseas.
Pyewacket and Morning Glory may be the big glamour boats but the entry list has 499 other boats as well, the bulk of which are from the UK visitors. Up to 7,000 competitors will take to the water each morning, bringing an estimated 10 million euro into the local economy. That may be small beer to the likes of Roy Disney but in sporting terms it's like having the commercial return of an international rugby fixture in an otherwise sleepy fishing village.
Seven bars, three restaurants, 50 bands, 400 performers and 180 hours of entertainment are ready to serve competitors from as far away as the US, Hong Kong, Australia, France, Germany and Belgium along with a huge representation from England, Scotland and Wales.
On the water the fleets are split over eight different courses according to size of boat. Sailors are categorised too and part of the charm of the race week is that the majority of racing classes prohibit sailing professionals as crew.
Cork Week and the Roy Disney Connection
Cork Week and Roy Disney
By David O'Brien
Reproduced from Afloat Magazine, July 2006.
If sailing faster than the wind sounds like something out a Disney fantasy, then that’s because it was. And now, as Roy Disney - the 73-year-old nephew of the legendary Walt - prepares to hit the water in Cork today, (July 10) that fantasy has become reality for the first time in Europe.
Disney has temporarily left boardroom battles behind him to pitch his stunning yacht against the competition around Cork harbour. His 86-foot, space-age boat, Pyewacket, was fast tracked across the Atlantic on top of a cargo ship directly from Bermuda just to be here in time for the first race of Cork Week, an Irish regatta with a global reputation for fun and great racing, and one which Disney claims he wouldn’t miss for the world.
Depending on how you look at it, the international regatta circuit that has taken him to St Maarten, Tortola, Antiqua and Bermuda this year is either a logistical nightmare or a gorgeous extravagance.
Whichever it is - and Disney reckons it’s probably a bit of both - it's an infatuation that keeps him burning with enthusiasm when sailing is at the top of the agenda. For 50 years he has followed a fantasy to see his boats go faster than all the others - and now he’s living that dream.
This year he has come in for international acclaim, not for his company's movie work, but in yachting circles, for bringing racing to a new level by creating the Maxi big Z86, a yacht that’s capable of sailing faster than the speed of the wind.
Already nicknamed 'the rocketship' by jealous competitors, Pyewacket is one of two such designs built to demolish the world's sailing speed records for monohull boats.
And if they’re untouchable when it comes to straight line racing, the new designs are proving equally superior in around-the-buoys events too. At Antigua Race Week this spring, they left their competition behind in showers of spray and they threaten to repeat that feat at Cork today.
The secret to the success of these high-tech speedsters is a weight-saving, super-strong, carbon fibre construction and radical underwater keel designs.
“Sailing in just 3.5 knots of true wind, we were slipping effortlessly through the water at almost three times that speed during the race to Bermuda. There are not many times when we can't sail faster than the wind,” Disney enthuses. “If we get 15 knots winds, we can sail at 20 knots easily thanks to this design.”
But all these things come at a price and no one is forthcoming - not event the two billionaires owners - on the total development costs thus far.
Ted Heath once said that sailing was like standing in the shower tearing up £5 notes. It's an oft-used quotation but it still draws a giggle from Disney who adds "yeah...and most of the time it’s in the dark too!"
According to insiders, sailing campaigns at this cutting-edge level cost up to $5m a year - and this excludes the capital cost of the boat.
"It's like Rockefeller said: "If you have to ask how much it costs, you can't afford it. And I can afford it," says Disney.
He readily admits that some people ask him if he's mad, to which he replies "We're all crazy, so why not have some fun? When it stops being fun, then that will be my last race."
Joking aside, Disney reckons that he’s now sailing at a level where he can't afford to do it badly.
"I need skilled people to crew this yacht, he explains. “When you sail at 27 knots, the loads involved are huge. I need to sign on the bottom line to have it sailed professionally. Otherwise people could get hurt or lost overboard."
Today's Cork Week race follows Disney's defeat by Hasso Plattner's Morning Glory, Pyewacket's sistership, in a race from Newport, Rhode Island to Bermuda in the last week of June. Plattner, who took a 30-mile lead on Disney in a race the Hollywood giant previously called his own, smashed the elapsed time record previously held by Disney since 2001.
Cork Week therefore represents the first opportunity to avenge this defeat. Royal Cork, not surprisingly, is trying its best to facilitate a pitched battle between the two space-age craft, designing courses that are sure to set the two pitching against one another until the finishing line.
"They could have chosen Cowes or Sardinia to unveil this next generation of racing yacht but they didn't, says Donal McClement of the host yacht club, the Royal Cork. “They chose Cork and that's a big honour for us. McClement has sailed with Disney in previous Cork weeks and will sail again as a local tactician this time.
The fact the world’s big guns are coming to Cork is, of course, a compliment to the organisation for the Crosshaven event, but in Disney’s case it also has something to do with the fact that he’s a member at Royal Cork, and a patron of its junior sailors. He’s had a second home in Ireland - in Kilbrittain in West Cork - for the past 15 years, where he spends up to three months of the year.
Neither Roy's father nor his uncle - the company’s founder, Walt - were sailors, yet they always encouraged his sporting passion for diving and swimming as a teenager.
It's sounds twee to describe Roy’s sailing career as a 'race into paradise' but it’s still an accurate description of the movie-maker's 50-year journey from weekend family sailor of the Fifties to globe-trotting regatta racer of the new millennium.
In the immediate aftermath of World War II, aged just 16, he flew a prototype aircraft - with the full support of his family. It was the unrestrained joy of playing tag in the clouds with like-minded Californian surfer kids that gave him a life-long love of freedom, and speed.
It's more than likely, he concludes, that this later translated into a love of the sea, a passion he was able to share with wife Patty and four young children on weekend trips.
That buzz still drives him on but as his business pressures have increased over the years, the Disney director, listed by Forbes as the 552nd richest man in the world, finds it increasingly difficult to make a complete break from the office.
The introduction of the on-board satellite phone has, ironically, not helped matters, leading instead to a further diminution of his precious freedom.
On more than one occasion on Pacific yacht races he has been interrupted - a thousand miles from land - by the Disney corporation who want him back for a meeting
"Sorry you can’t have me, I'm half way to Honolou," he recalls telling executives who were insisting on his return recently.
As a nephew of Walt, he worked at Mouse Factory for 24 years as a film editor, writer and producer. He left in 1977 but returned seven years later as vice chairman. Credited with rekindling Disney’s love of the animated film - scoring huge success with The Lion King and Little Mermaid - he became chairman of the Feature Animation Division.
However, it hasn’t been his yachting exploits that have raised his public profile so dramatically in the past year. Instead, Disney has become better known - at least among land-lubbers - for his bitter and very public battle with Disney Chairman and CEO Michael Eisner.
On 30 November last year, he resigned from the company, denouncing Eisner for (among other things) the loss of company morale through micro-management, building newer theme parks "on the cheap", changing the company's public image as "always looking for the 'quick buck'", the defection of creative talent to other companies, failure to establish lasting relationships with creative partners and not establishing a management succession plan. Eisner was then stripped of his role as chairman by the Disney board in March - being replaced by Northern Ireland peacemaker George Mitchell - but survived as CEO. It was a half victory for Roy Disney, then, and he has vowed to continue the fight. “ I’m competitive of the water too, you know” he says.
Sailing, he says, releases him from this tension and provides the breaks he needs from the bruising and protracted battle for the right to control Disney’s future.
"Pretty soon you'll be able to read about my success over Eisner,‰ he says, „but in the meantime you might like to have a look at www.savedisney.com.‰ The comment may look innocent enough on paper, but the way in which it is delivered provides an insight into his gritty determination both on and off the water.
"The guy who is running the company for us for the past 20 years is trying to get me out and I'm not taking that lying down," he vows.
Next week the corporate battle stops for Disney. Satellite phone or no, he’ll need to have all hands on deck to fight off the challenge from Morning Glory. If you want to see the technological marvels at first hand, before the circus moves on to Sardinia, head down to Roche's Point and look out over Cork harbour to see an American billionaire sailing faster than the wind. For once in his life, Disney won’t be steering a Mickey Mouse operation.