Volvo Cork Week Regatta came to a close in Crosshaven on Friday evening. 192 boats took part in the biggest Week for many years, which incorporated the ICRA National Championships.
As Afloat reported this week, racing was held on five different courses for 14 different classes. The 2022 edition of Volvo Cork Week lived up to its billing as a huge celebration of Royal Cork Yacht Club’s signature regatta to celebrate their tricentenary.
See all of Afloat's coverage in one handy Cork Week link here and scroll down for the prizegiving gallery below.
Close to two thousand sailors took part and the Royal Cork’s clubhouse in Crosshaven was buzzing after racing and into the evening.
As predicted, British visitors took their fair share of the IRC silverware, winning Coastal, IRC One and IRC Three divisions. Irish crews, however, topped the podium in IRC Two. Crosshaven RNLI won the Beaufort Cup Inter-Services Cup and there were local victories too in the Dragons, 1720 Europeans and inaugural Cape 31 National Championships.
The Volvo Cork Week Prize Giving was opened by Royal Cork Admiral Kieran O’Connell who commented to huge applause: “On behalf of the Royal Cork Yacht Club and our sponsors and partners, I would like to extend the biggest thanks to every single competitor from near and far that gave their time money and effort to attend one of the most iconic sailing events of 2022. As a competitor, I would offer thanks to all of the seasoned race officers and their teams on all five race courses, which in difficult conditions pulled off an outstanding display of race management.”
The prizegiving had a number of important speakers not least Una May, the new CEO of Sport Ireland and ICRA Commodore Dave Cullen as well as sponsor David Thomas of Volvo Car Ireland.
Teams from Ireland, France, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, and the United States enjoyed a full five-day programme of racing both inside and outside of Cork Harbour. Established in 1720, the Royal Cork Yacht Club has an enthralling history as the oldest yacht club in the world.