There is a hectic weekend ahead in Cork Harbour with four events scheduled.

Cobh People's Regatta, the 1720 National Championships, the SB20 Southerns and the National 18's Lowflo Trophy are to be sailed.

Cobh People's Regatta will be held at Cove Sailing Club with racing for cruisers and dinghies. The packed schedule includes a commemorative event for the revived Rankin dinghy fleet on Saturday, for which the First Gun is at 1245.

Cruisers racing for the Titanic Trophy on Friday night are the first regatta event, with First Gun at 7 p.m. The Rankin dinghies will begin the racing on Saturday with their commemorative event for the Rankin Brothers Cup.

This will be followed by the Optimist Spit Bank Challenge starting at 1300 and followed by the Fast Dinghies fleet racing at 1330 and the Lower Handicap Dinghies at 1400. Cruiser Racing involving other harbour clubs will be on Sunday, with First Gun at 1330.

National 18's are racing for the Lowflo Trophy at Royal Cork Yacht Club Photo: Bob Bateman

As Afloat reported previously, the 1720 National Championships, organised by the RCYC and the Sportsboat Class Association, start this Friday afternoon with two races. Four are scheduled for Saturday and three on Sunday.

The SB20s, also to be raced out of the Crosshaven club, have three races planned for Saturday and the same number on Sunday.

Colin Galavan and Richard Hayes from the Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire are sailing their SB20 Carpe Diem in the Southern class Championships at Royal Cork

An ESB partnership aims to develop large scale storage for “green hydrogen” off the Cork coast which could meet up to ten per cent of current annual electricity consumption in Ireland.

Up to three terawatt-hours (TWh) of “green hydrogen” and hydrogen carriers could be stored if the project is licensed and given planning approval, ESB and dCarbonX have said.

“Green hydrogen” is produced by using renewable electricity such as wind to split water into its basic elements of hydrogen and oxygen.

“Green hydrogen” is described as a carbon-free gas that can be safely stored and used as a replacement fuel for heavy transport, shipping, industry and backup power generation.

“Decarbonising the electricity network and achieving Ireland’s goal of net-zero carbon by 2050 requires the large-scale development of green hydrogen from renewable sources,” the two companies have said.

This new project off Kinsale, Co Cork, with dCarbonX is one of several to identify and develop subseas energy storage offshore opportunities in Ireland.

Several months ago, the ESB announced plans to invest in a hydrogen facility as part of its redevelopment of the Moneypoint site in Clare into a renewable energy hub.

The companies have also proposed the development of a new “green hydrogen valley” around the Poolbeg peninsula in Dublin

The ESB says a proprietary evaluation of the depleted gas field reservoir around Kinsale took place earlier this year to identify the potential for large-scale storage of green hydrogen.

“Since then, a comprehensive work programme has begun, comprising subsurface analysis, mineralogy, capacity modelling, injection and withdrawal rates, compression, drilling evaluation, well design, retention assurance, monitoring, electrolysis and infrastructure tie-in,” the ESB says.

“Mirroring developments across Europe and globally, ESB recognises the role hydrogen will play in enabling a low carbon future,” ESB strategy manager for generation and trading Padraig O’Hiceadha said.

“Transforming sites – such as the recently decommissioned gas reservoirs at Kinsale Head – and repurposing reservoirs for green hydrogen can deliver large-scale sustainable energy storage for homes and businesses in the future,” he said.

“The Kinsale Head reservoirs hosted safe, secure and reliable offshore natural gas subsurface energy storage for many years, underpinning Ireland’s security of gas supply,” Dr John O’Sullivan, chief operating officer of dCarbonX, said

“Kinsale Head is the third Irish offshore location that we are assessing with ESB for green hydrogen storage and we look forward to providing further updates as appropriate,” O’Sullivan said.

The two companies said that the county Cork region is “ideally placed to be a renewable energy hub, having one of the largest natural harbours in the world”.

They have also highlighted Cork’s “excellent energy and transport connectivity, modern global manufacturing and service industries together with power stations, refinery and gas reception terminal”.

dCarbonX Ltd is a geo-energy company based in Dublin and London, which was established to develop subsurface hydrogen storage, carbon sequestration and geothermal baseload assets as part of the energy transition.

Monkstown Bay Sailing Club has cancelled its dinghy league racing tonight as the Cork Harbour village community will provide a guard-of-honour on the roadside when the body of Parish curate, Fr. Con Cronin, is taken to his native Bantry for burial tomorrow.

Fr. Cronin was killed on Tuesday in a traffic accident near the sailing club in the village. He was struck by a bus that went out of control when the driver suffered medical trauma.

Commodore Sandy Rimmington said the club will pay tribute as "Fr. Con leaves our parish for his final journey home."

Check out this timelapse video (below) as two super-structures are moved effortlessly onto the quayside at Cork Container Terminal.

In 2020 the Port of Cork took ownership of two Ship to Shore (STS) Gantry Cranes for the new state-of-the-art Port facility, Cork Container Terminal in Ringaskiddy in Cork Harbour. The cranes were built by Liebherr Container Cranes Ltd in Killarney, County Kerry and were assembled onsite under the supervision of expert Liebherr engineers.

A Ship to Shore Gantry Crane is the single most important piece of equipment in any container port, used to lift containers from ship to land and vice a versa.

These new STS cranes are fitted with the latest energy-saving Liebherr Liduro drives, power management systems and safety features available in today’s STS crane markets. The cranes will have an outreach of 45m, a back reach of 15m and a lift height over rail of 32m. With a safe working load of 54 tonnes in weight (40 tonnes under spreader) these cranes will ensure the Port has the lift and reach capacity to cater for the largest container vessels which will visit Cork Container Terminal in the coming decades.

Once operational, Cork Container Terminal will deliver the fastest, most reliable, and cost-efficient container service available to local businesses as well as Ireland’s international exporters.

Liebherr Container Cranes Ltd. is part of the Liebherr group and supplies container handling equipment to ports and rail terminals worldwide.

Where other people and places see problems, down Crosshaven way they see opportunities and solutions. Thus although the sailing world generally may be getting increasingly agitated about the fact that fibreglass boats seem to last forever and eventually present a serious disposal problem, around Cork Harbour, they're increasingly showing that the fast fibreglass boats of forty and more years ago are still fast, and with some shrewd selections and skilful re-spray work, bingo! - you've got an interesting racing proposition at a fraction of the cost of a new boat.

People have been quietly doing this for some years now, but it's during the past week with the re-appearance of the very classic refurbished Bruce Farr 727 Farrocious of 1977 vintage that the trend has come centre stage to show that Crosser is the coolest place for classics. Farrocious had been resting ashore for some years down Kinsale way, but a carefully-calculated re-spray brought her into the equation when the hyper-light mast of the Half Tonner Miss Whiplash fell asunder, and it seems that an instant purchase of Farrocious was the solution for the continuing season of the Whiplash equipe.

A skilled re-spray can work wonders. The newly-gleaming Farrocious makes her debut in Cork Harbour last week, a classic Bruce Farr design of 1977. Photo: Robert Bateman

Or at least that's the story as far as we can make sense out of it in a Bank Holiday weekend, with all minds increasingly directed towards Calves Week at Schull, and Cork Harbour being the place where the basic mantra has always been: "Whatever you say, say nothing".

Yet the camera does not lie, and Bob Bateman's pic from last Thursday evening's racing at RCYC indisputably shows three of the revivals together in the form of Richard Leonard's Bolero Class Bandit, Farrocious in her new gleaming glory, and the Young family's restored Albin Express North Star.

Add to that the most way-out of them all, Kieran Collins' mini Transpac sled, the Olson 30 Coracle IV which originated in Santa Cruz in California, and we begin to have a serious lineup of interesting boats that have lasted well and keep on winning.

Kieran Collins' Olson 30 Coracle IV – a mini TransPac sled - is possibly the only boat of her type in Europe, yet she won her class at the Sovereigns Cup in Kinsale in June. Photo: Robert Bateman

Coracle IV – the kinship with the 73ft Pyewacket which Roy Disney brought to Cork some years ago is very evident. Photo: Robert Bateman

It may take a while to get Farrocious up to speed, but the potential is there. She was originally brought to Ireland in 1977 by the late Jim Poole of the National YC in Dun Laoghaire, and current Dublin Bay luminaries such as Don O'Dowd and Brian Mathews can remember her getting into the groove in ISORA racing. On a tearing run, Don recalls, she'd do a horizon job on the entire fleet, and as Mad Jim drove her crazily on over the 15-knots plus and steady mark, she starts very positively to hum – it took a while to learn to live with this.

Bruce Farr classic – the Farr 727 plans from 1977.

Looking at her plans, it's obvious there's nothing to stop her being a flyer downwind in big breeze, but it may take a bit of doing to keep her competitive going upwind in a light breeze with a lumpy sea. Nevertheless, she's a worthy addition to the Crosshaven Classics, and it will be particularly interesting to see how she shapes up to the Albin Express North Star.

In the late 1970s, Swedish designer Peter Norlin reckoned he could produce a competitive improvement on the already all-conquering J/24 from America, and the Albin Express was the result. But by the time the production line was up and running, the J/24 had acquired cult status. Nevertheless, there were those who believed that the Albin Express did have enough little improvements to add up to a better all-around package. But though there were many of them in Scandinavia, in Ireland, the Albin Express was and is about as rare as hen's teeth. Yet the attractive Express does have her devoted aficionados, and Fiona Young with the stylishly-presented North Star is one of them, and she has just won the July League at RCYC under every handicap system in a confident style that reflects the boat's excellent handling characteristics. But with Farrocious now being added to a fascinating little fleet, future results will be of interest.

Meanwhile, those trying to make a living by selling new boats have very mixed feelings about this developing trend. Indeed, it has been suggested that every classic in this rather special group should be made exclusively eligible for a new award - the Landfill Trophy.

Steady as she goes…the Albin Express North Star runs straight and true towards overall success in the RCYC July League. Photo: Robert Bateman

Round the world sailor Damian Foxall has expressed support for Ireland’s attempt to host the prestigious America’s Cup yacht race in Cork harbour.

The Kerry-born professional sailor who has competed in six Volvo ocean races and won one, says any America’s Cup bid would have to be pursued with “eyes wide open” due to the high cost involved.

"The America's Cup is the pinnacle of match racing, and the boats are out of this world in terms of technology," Foxall said.

"To have in Cork would be such a great venue - if we can host Volvo Ocean Races as we did in Galway, and sail in the Olympics and have Tom Dolan competing in La Solitaire du Figaro, then why not have the America's Cup here in Ireland," he added.

Round the world sailor Damian Foxall - advises of high costs involved in staging an America's Cup in Ireland

“It is not too far fetched for Ireland to host an event like this, given that Galway hosted two Volvo ocean races - and fair dues to anyone trying to bring it here,” Foxall said.

“It would be wonderful for Ireland to host it, but the stakes are a lot higher, the risk is a lot higher and I’m not sure if the benefit is a lot higher,” Foxall said.

As Afloat has reported, Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has confirmed that a team has been working on Ireland’s bid since January of this year.

The world’s biggest and oldest sailing event is ranked third only to the Olympics and a Football World Cup in sporting value for a host country.

The current cup holders Team New Zealand, have not yet decided if the 37th such event in 2024 will take place again in Auckland, Coveney said.

Spectator boats watch the 36th match racing in Auckland in March Photo: Studio Borlenghi

It was recently reported that Team New Zealand began discussions abroad on alternative venues after turning down a bid from their home nation’s government worth NZ$99 million, or some €58.3 million.

Ireland has been among several venues explored for the New Zealanders by global sports investment group Origin Sports, headed by Cork-based Stewart Hosford.

Coveney confirmed that Belfast and Dublin had also been assessed initially, but Cork won out in terms of infrastructure and international links – and the fact the city is built on one of the world’s finest natural harbours.

The former Cork dockyard, a 44-acre site in Cobh, could provide a race village, and owners Doyle Shipping Group have been very supportive, Coveney said.

“We have made the case that we can replicate a home here in Cork harbour for Team New Zealand which has many similarities to Auckland,” he said.

Racing at the America's Cup in Auckland - New Zealand’s business ministry estimated the America's Cup would be worth between 355 million euros to 592 million euros to the economy between 2018 and 2021 Photo: Studio Borlenghi

Coveney declined to comment on a figure for hosting the event, but said that Ernst and Young were liaising with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on a detailed cost-benefit analysis.

“How we fund it, whether it is through a combination of urban renewal and other funds, has to be worked out, but it won’t happen if we don’t show the economic benefit”, he said.

In 2017, New Zealand’s business ministry estimated the America's Cup would be worth between 355 million euros to 592 million euros to the economy between 2018 and 2021 and hosting the event would create between 4700 and 8300 jobs.

However, New Zealand recorded heavy losses on hosting the event due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

A spokesman for New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment confirmed to Afloat that a total of NZ$348.4 million (205 million euro) was spent by State authorities on America’s Cup-related capital and operating expenditure over four years.

The current cup holders Team New Zealand, have not yet decided if the 37th such event in 2024 will take place again in Auckland

“ A cost-benefit analysis identified that, when considering financial returns only, New Zealand got 48 cents back for every dollar put in," the spokesman said.

" The overall economic return of hosting the America’s Cup was lower than forecast due to the lower-than-expected number of Challengers, the impacts of Covid-19 and costs being higher than forecast,” the spokesman said.

Coveney has said that a successful bid to host the America’s Cup yacht race would establish Ireland as a “leader of the blue economy within the EU” and would also be a significant expression of the Government’s “Global Ireland” initiative”.

“Some 2.5 million people came to see it when it was last in Europe, and we have taken a lot of learning from the Valencia experience,” Coveney said.

Tea merchant Sir Thomas Lipton, the Aga Khan and media and business tycoons Ted Turner and Alan Bond are among those associated with supporting the sailing event.

The match racing between a “defender” and a “challenger” was first won by a syndicate from the New York Yacht Club in a race against Britain around the Isle of Wight in 1851.

The US successfully defended the trophy 24 times until 1983 when Australia secured it, and it was last hosted in Europe by the Spanish port of Valencia.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has confirmed that a team has been working on Ireland’s bid for the America’s Cup since January of this year.

The world’s biggest and oldest sailing event is ranked third only to the Olympics and a Football World Cup in sporting value for a host country.

Global viewership for the race in New Zealand this year was 940 million.

The current holders of the America’s Cup, Team New Zealand, have been exploring alternative venues after reportedly turning down a bid from their home nation’s government worth NZ$99 million, or some €58.3 million.

Ireland is on a shortlist, with Cork harbour as venue, and a final decision will be made in mid-September, Coveney said.

Coveney confirmed that Belfast and Dublin had also been assessed initially, but Cork won out in terms of infrastructure and international links – and the fact the city is built on one of the world’s finest natural harbours.

Galway was not considered due to lack of sufficient infrastructure and international connectivity, he said.

“Galway did host two Volvo Ocean Races and a lot of New Zealand sailors regard it as one of the most successful sporting events of all time,” Coveney said.

“There were some financial issues after the second Volvo ocean race, but that is a separate issue,” he said.

As an Irish port, Cork Harbour won out in terms of its infrastructure and international links says Minister Coveney Photo: Bob Bateman

“We had New Zealanders asking us about Galway, but essentially it was down to infrastructure and international aviation links,” he said.

Global sports investment group Origin Sports, headed by Cork-based Stewart Hosford, recently led a fact-finding visit to Cork for Team New Zealand’s assessment team.

The former Cork dockyard, a 44-acre site in Cobh, could provide a race village, and owners Doyle Shipping Group have been very supportive, Coveney said.

Team New Zealand is the holder of the America's Cup Photo: Studio Borlenghi

“We have made the case that we can replicate a home here in Cork harbour for Team New Zealand which has many similarities to Auckland,” he said.

Coveney declined to comment on a figure for hosting the event but said that Ernst and Young were liaising with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on a detailed cost-benefit analysis.

“How we fund it, whether it is through a combination of urban renewal and other funds, has to be worked out, but it won’t happen if we don’t show the economic benefit”, he said.

In 2017, New Zealand’s business ministry estimated the America's Cup would be worth between 355 million euros to 592 million euros to the economy between 2018 and 2021 and hosting the event would create between 4700 and 8300 jobs.

The 2021 America's Cup was the most watched

However, New Zealand recorded heavy losses on hosting the event due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Coveney has said that a successful bid to host the America’s Cup yacht race would establish Ireland as a “leader of the blue economy within the EU” and would also be a significant expression of the Government’s “Global Ireland” initiative”.

Race Day 3 and spectator boats watch the action in Auckland Harbour during the 36th America's Cup in March 2021

Auckland's Dockside Race Village with Rock The Dock with Rod Stewart in full swing in March

“Some 2.5 million people came to see it when it was last in Europe, and we have taken a lot of learning from the Valencia experience,” Coveney said.

He said a successful bid would “fast-track Project Ireland 2040 investment in Cork, in particular Cork harbour’s ambition in becoming Ireland’s offshore renewable energy hub by supporting €5bn capital deployment in wind projects, creating 10,000 jobs over the next decade.”

Dr Val Cummins of Simply Blue Energy said that hosting an event like the America’s Cup would focus attention on Ireland’s island potential and its blue economy.

Professor sailor Maurice “Prof” O’Connell said that Ireland was in a very strong position to win the bid if it moves from New Zealand, and the proposed race hub at Cobh would be “tailor-made” for 60 to 70 superyachts.

“This is not just a weekend of sport, but a two year plus boost, with six or eight sailing teams basing themselves in the host country from 2022, along with designers, engineers, sports scientists, managers and so on,” O’Connell said.

Port of Galway harbourmaster Capt Brian Sheridan – who first proposed publicly that Ireland should consider holding the America’s Cup - said that Galway had much expertise to offer, having hosted two Volvo ocean races.

“These new foiling boats we have seen in America’s Cup races don’t have keels, so don’t require depth of water – and Galway Bay is a natural amphitheatre for spectators,” Sheridan said.

After eight races sailed and with two discards applied, Oisin Pierse is the leader of Royal Cork Yacht Club's Optimist dinghy July Main fleet Series. 

With for race wins on his scorecard, Pierse has a six-point margin over Isha Duggan on 16 points. In thid place is Dougie Venner.

Provisional results are here

Royal Cork Yacht Club's Optimist Photo Gallery By Bob Bateman

Cobh had a Tall Ship visitor this week and the sight of her in Cork Harbour last night evoked memories of times past when brigantines such as Tres Hombres were common place in the harbour in the 1800s.

The visiting Tres Hombres is reviving this tradition and pointing the way towards a more sustainable future. She has no engine and travels the world's oceans exclusively under sail power, bringing non-perishable commercial cargos between ports.

As Cork Beo reports this is her second visit - and her second time picking up a delivery of several tonnes of Irish-brewed craft beers for delivery to Les Sables-d'Olonne on the northern Atlantic coast of France.

The ship is part of the Fair Transport Shipping and Trading Line which uses sail power - both classic and modern - to transport cargoes in a carbon-neutral, sustainable fashion.

Bob Bateman captured the ship on its departure from Cork last night for Afloat

The revived Rankin fleet dominates Cove Sailing Club's Wednesday night dinghy league in Cork Harbour, taking the top three positions of 22-boats entered. Owen O’Connell has pushed Maurice Kidney out of first and leads on 10 points after six races sailed, a point ahead of Kidney. Gary Mills has brought his Rankin into third position, on 22 points.

Changing his Rankin for a cruiser, Mills leads the Friday Night white sail league in the Shipman 28, Tonga; from Nick O’Rourke’s First 32, Bright Wings; with Brian Curtis in the Sun Odyssey 37, Déjà Vu, third.

Meanwhile, as Afloat reported earlier, Cove Sailing Club will run the annual Ballinacurra Race, in conjunction with the National 18 Class, this Saturday. First Gun 3 p.m. in the Spit Bank area. The race is for Class 1 and 2 dinghies and Rankins.