Royal Cork To Host Classic Yacht Regatta as Part of Cork Week

5th July 2022

The restored Cork Harbour One Design Jap will compete at Royal Cork's first Classic Boat Regatta being staged as part of Volvo Cork Week Credit: Bob Bateman

Royal Cork Yacht Club will host a Classic Yacht Regatta for the first time this year as part of Volvo Cork Week Regatta starting next Monday.

The 37-foot classic yacht Persephone, the 1919 classic Erin, the famous Opposition (Ex Morning Cloud), and Cork Harbour One Designs Jap and Elsie are among the famous classic racing yachts making their way to Cork Harbour.

The first yacht to step up to the plate to join Cork Week's Classic Division was Opposition, the gold standard classic 40ft S & S design which Ted Heath raced to outstanding all-round success in 1971.

It’s the first year that a dedicated Classic Yacht Regatta will be hosted by the Club, and it will be a fantastic viewing spectacle for shoreline onlookers over the week (Monday-Friday).

The 37-foot classic yacht Persephone

Recommended viewing points include Camden and the Church Bay in Crosshaven, the new Haulbowline Island Amenity Park, Ringaskddy as well as the promenade in Cobh. Classic French boats will also arrive as part of the Bastille Day celebrations.

The 1919 classic Erin

Yachtsmen and women from around the globe are expected in Cork next week to enjoy both the on and off-the-water events, as they plan to celebrate the tricentenary of the oldest yacht club in the world, after events were cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Cork Harbour One Designs Jap and Elsie. Photo: Bob Bateman

Yves Lambert from the Atlantic Yacht Club in France, who will be participating in his yacht Persephone, a 37-foot Tina designed by Dick Carter, said, “In 2020 we had plans to attend and help the Royal Cork Yacht Club celebrate its Tricentenary, enjoy some Irish beers with our Irish friends and everything else Cork has to offer. Sadly, Covid put stop to our plans in 2020 and indeed the Royal Cork’s Tricentenary celebrations. When we were advised of a classic class at Volvo Cork Week in 2022, we had to come. A 302-year-old birthday does not happen so often I guess, so if we were looking for a good reason to come, it arrived just in time!”

The regatta will incorporate four championship events - the 1720 European Championships which will include over 40 1720 boats that were designed in Cork, the Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) National Championships, the Dragon South Coast Championships, and the SB20 Nationals– in addition to the renowned Beaufort Cup for international uniformed service personnel, which encompasses a race around the Fastnet Rock and back to Cork.

Published in Cork Week, Royal Cork YC, Cork300, Historic Boats, Cork Harbour

Published in Cork Week

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