Just as the 2022 Round Ireland Race concludes at the end of June, a new Irish biennial offshore racing fixture between Dublin and Cork has launched with a start in five days' time, and a 'novel set up' to provide two races in one.
The long-established Dun Laoghaire to Cork offshore race – reintroduced in Covid as the 'Fastnet 450' in 2020 – has been further developed as the 'Kingstown to Queenstown Race' or 'K2Q' race.
The Dublin-Cork promoters say it will facilitate all offshore sailors by providing a medium-length offshore race and a long offshore race by having two races in one, with all boats completing the shorter race.
The new race echoes the first-ever ocean yacht race on Irish waters in 1860 held from Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) to Queenstown (now Cobh), a story told here by Afloat's WM Nixon.
Nigel Biggs and Dave Cullen's First 50 Checkmate XX from Howth missed the Round Ireland Race due to COVID but will race the K2Q Photo: Afloat
The race has attracted an initial entry of up to 15, with entry still open for the July 1 fixture. The entrants to date comprise Welsh, Dublin Bay, and Howth boats from the ISORA ranks but also include top Cork Harbour yacht Nieulargo.
ISORA boss Peter Ryan of the National Yacht Club, who has developed the race in conjunction with SCORA's Daragh Connolly and the Royal Cork Yacht Club, says in the following years, the race aims to incorporate a "rally class", too.
The race is aimed to run in alternate years to the popular Dun Laoghaire Dingle or 'D2D race'.
The K2Q will consist of two combined events:
The primary race for the "The Breffni McGovern cup" will be approximately 260 miles, starting in Dun Laoghaire, passing through a virtual gate at the Cork Buoy, rounding the Fastnet Rock and finishing at Roches Point.
The "restricted" race for a still-to-be-announced trophy will start with the primary fleet in Dun Laoghaire but finish at the same virtual finish gate at Cork Buoy – approximately 150 miles.
All boats starting will be included in the "restricted" race. Boats passing through the finish gate at Cork Buoy and continuing to round the Fastnet and finish at Roches Point would also qualify for the primary K2Q event. Yachts can only win prizes in one of the events.
The race for the ISORA points will be the primary race – 260 miles.
Peter Dunlop and Victoria Cox's champion J109 Mojito from Pwllheli Sailing Club Photo: Afloat
UK Entrants so far include Nigel Ingram's RORC flagged Farr 30 Wild Haggis, Paul Sutton's Holyhead SC J109, Jaydreamer, Peter Dunlop, and Victoria Cox's champion J109 Mojito from Pwllheli Sailing Club, the Sunfast 3200i of Mark and Jo Thompson Jac y Do from Pwllheli Sailing Club. Andrew Halls' J125 Jackknife is also sailing.
Mark and Jo Thompson's Sunfast 3200i Jac y Do from Pwllheli Sailing Club Photo: Afloat
Magic Touch will be racing from Ireland Steve Hayes's Beneteau First 34.7 from Bray Sailing Club. George Sisk and Tim Kane's new Reichel/Pugh design "X-Treme 37", WOW is also confirmed.
The customised Mills 36 Prime Suspect is sailing, and so is Joe Conway's Sigma 33 Elandra from the Royal Irish Yacht Club, Elandra.
The customised Mills 36 Prime Suspect Photo: Afloat
Nigel Biggs and Dave Cullen's First 50 Checkmate XX will compete from Howth.
Cork yacht of the year, the Grand Soleil 40 Nieulargo (Denis and Annamarie Murphy), John Conlan's Sunfast 37 Humdinger and Noel Coleman's Oyster 37 Blue Oyster will also race.
Noel Coleman's Oyster 37 Blue Oyster Photo: Afloat
Ryan also says some top ISORA performers, such as the J122 Aurelia (Chris Power Smith) and Robert Rendell's Grand Soleil 44 Samatom, are currently 'maybe but unlikely' to race, given the boats also competed in the 700-mile Round Ireland.
The plan is for both 'K2Q races' to finish at the old RCYC clubhouse on the Cobh seafront, which will require a tweak to the ISORA YB trackers.
The Sirius Arts Centre in Cobh. Originally the 1854-completed Royal Cork YC clubhouse, it was here that the first Dublin Bay to Cork Harbour Race of 1860 finished, and where the new K2Q race will finish this July
This year, the winning boat will be awarded the first prize of a cheque for €15 mounted and framed and a special trophy provided by the Royal Cork Yacht Club, the oldest yacht club in the world.
Download the Notice of Race details below
