Despite the grey day, a party atmosphere prevailed both on land & sea for the traditional 'Admiral's Chace' in the Royal Cork Yacht Club yesterday afternoon.

The Chace is about spending some fun time on the water and was led by Admiral Colin Morehead around beautiful Cork Harbour. This family fun day is for all members and all boats are encouraged to join (motor & sail).

Scroll down for a photo gallery of the event below by Bob Bateman.

Admiral Colin Morehead on board RCYC club launch, Adriele Photo: Bob Bateman

Admiral Morehead headed off with his entourage in high spirits followed by a fleet of mixed yachts and motorboats in pursuit on Saturday afternoon.

First Gun was at 15.00 The Admiral directed the fleet by flag and sound signal, the latter provided by the club cannon which was onboard for the day.

Two five gun salutes were given by the Admiral to recognise two former clubhouses of the Royal Cork Yacht Club, one at the Sirius Building in Cobh and the second at Haulbowline now home to the Irish Naval Service but the location of the first Club House of the Club in 1720.

Firing the RCYC gun at Haulbowline, now the base of the Naval Service but the first home of the Royal Cork Yacht Club in 1720 Photo: Bob Bateman

Finishing off the evening, a Midsummer BBQ was held on the lawn of the club. Enjoyed by all.

Royal Cork Yacht Club was the venue for the Admiral's Chace midsummer's BBQ

See the 2021 Admiral's Chace photo gallery below by Bob Bateman

After the second race of Royal Cork Yacht Club's June League 2021, Michael McCann's Etchells 22 leads the Spinnaker IRC division of 22 boats with a perfect scoreline of two wins so far.

Last night's combined club race featured breezy sailing conditions as cruiser-racing returns to strength in Cork Habour.

McCann also leads the ECHO division. 

In the 13-boat IRC White Sails division, Kieran O'Brien's MG335 Magnet leads. 

Full results are here and Bob Bateman's photo gallery of the second race in the series is below.

The Weather Gods were smiling on the Royal Cork Yacht Club on Monday evening in Cork Harbour as members gave a triumphant welcome home to the Murphy family's Nieulargo, the overall winner of last week's Dun Laoghaire Dingle Race.

Denis and Annamarie Murphy's successful Grand Soleil 44, was the winner of the 2020 inaugural Fastnet 450 Race (from Dun Laoghaire to Cork) and this year adds the D2D title. 

RCYC Admiral Colin Morehead welcomed the victorious boat and crew back to the club with a special Royal Cork five gun salute and a reception on the lawn at Crosshaven, in accordance with the club's ancient rules as Afloat's WM Nixon described last Saturday here

After an epic 14th edition of the D2D that attracted a 38-boat fleet for last Wednesday's spectacular start on Dublin Bay, the Murphy's lifted the trophy at Saturday's prizegiving in Dingle, County Kerry.

As Afloat previously reported, Crosshaven & Kinsale yachts shared the spoils. 

The Murphy family’s consistently successful campaign reached Dingle on Friday morning at 09:27 hrs and immediately corrected into an overall lead in the D2D which she never lost.

All of Afloat's D2D coverage in one handy link is here

Cruiser racing has returned with a strong turn-out at the RCYC in Crosshaven for the start of evening racing.
.
Eighteen boats came to the start line for the first Thursday evening cruiser league race.

Despite rain, mist and fog, which had gripped the South Coast in unpleasant weather for the past few days, the pent-up demand for the return of competition was shown in tight racing.

For RCYC Rear Admiral for Keelboat Racing, Daragh Connolly, it was the end of a long wait for the racing fleet to get back on the water competitively and the sailors took the opportunity.

Racing results on the RCYC website here

The National 18 dinghy class has been "training" for the last three weeks but last night marked an official return to racing at Royal Cork Yacht Club with the lifting of COVID-restrictions.

Colin Barry officiated as Race Officer over three races to mark the start of the 2021 summer sailing season with the final course shortened.

29er youth skiffs were also out from Royal Cork 

See Bob Bateman's photo gallery below 

Four Royal Cork boats are contesting Wednesday's Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race including two noted offshore performers who have previously won big in Irish races. 

The RCYC foursome includes the Murphy family's Grand Soleil 40 Nieulargo, last year's winner of the inaugural Fastnet 450 Race over a similar course from Dun Laoghaire to Cork Harbour. 

The Crosshaven flotilla also includes the former double Round Ireland Yacht Race winner Cavatina, a vintage 1978 Granada 38 skippered by Ian Hickey, that is a proven giant-killer.

Murphy sisters Molly and Mia are the drivers on the Grand Soleil Nieulargo in the 2021 Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race Photo: Bob Bateman

Also competing is Paul Tingle's X-34 Alpaca and David Coleman's Blue Oyster.

Paul and Deirdre Tingle's X34 Alpaca Photo: Bob Bateman

 Royal Cork Yacht Club boats in the 2021 D2D Race

• Alpaca X-Yachts X-34, IRL35221, Skipper: Paul and Deirdre Tingle, Class: IRC Racing, Rating: 0.994
• Blue Oyster Oyster 37, IRL3852, Skipper: David Coleman, Class: IRC Racing, Rating: 0.932
• Cavatina Granada 38, IRL3861, Skipper: Ian Hickey, Class: IRC Racing, Rating: 0.928
• Nieulargo Grand Soleil 40, IRL 2129 Skipper: Denis & Annamarie Murphy, Class: IRC Racing, Rating: 1.023

As Afloat reported, the race is shaping up to be a highlight of the sailing season and has attracted a formidable line-up of Irish offshore sailing talent.

David Coleman's Oyster 37 Blue Oyster Photo: Bob Bateman

38 boats are lined up for Wednesday's start at 2 pm, a date that Afloat's WM Nixon is calling a Clarion Call for Ireland's 2021 Sailing Season.

Also racing from Royal Cork are pro sailors Mark Mansfield on the Dublin Sunfast 3600 Hot Cookie from the National Yacht Club and Maurice O'Connell on Pete Smyth's Sunfast 3600, Searcher from Howth.

Following weeks of waiting for Covid 19 travel restrictions to be relaxed, extensive research of all options and agonising over the decision, the Royal Cork Yacht Club says it has been left with no option but to cancel its staging of the 2021 Topper World Championships in Cork Harbour.

Due to the ongoing uncertainty of when overseas travel restrictions on non-EU countries in Ireland may be lifted, the club said it 'sadly had no option but to cancel' the July event.

The club came to the decision jointly with the International Topper class.

Up to 200 young sailors from around the world planned to come to the event that was scheduled to dovetail with the UK National Championships, following on two days later at Ballyholme YC in Northern Ireland, from the 2nd to 6th August – providing sailors with a fortnight of top-quality racing.

In a joint statement from ITCA World and Royal Cork Yacht Club said: 

"The decision was taken with the safety of sailors and their families, club members and the wider local community at its heart. We also appreciate that sailors and their families need certainty now in order to make their bookings for the event, or to plan alternative activities. Additionally, the lack of clarity on when non-essential overseas travel would be allowed into Ireland and the need to commit significant sums now to prepare for the event that has so much uncertainty around it, has left the organisers with little choice but to cancel the event.

The proposed travel restrictions into Ireland from 19th July will enable EU visitors to travel under the Digital COVID Certificate which will not require self-quarantining based on vaccination or a negative PCR test. However, those travelling from outside of the EU, including from the UK, will have to present a pre-travel PCR test, self-quarantine on arrival and undergo post arrival testing. Considering the strong representation expected from GBR, this has been deemed too restrictive to expect visitors to travel.

ITCA World President Andy Millington said, 'We have exhausted every avenue in an effort to see how it might be possible to run the World Championships with the continued travel restrictions on competitors being able to travel to Cork without quarantining and the added uncertainty over the new variant of Covid 19. In discussions with the RCYC we both agreed that cancelling the 2021 championship in time for families to make alternative holiday or sailing plans was sadly the right thing to do. We would like to thank our partners Ronstan, Rooster and Topper International who had undertaken to generously support the event."

The event was to form part of the continued Tricentenary celebrations of the Royal Cork Yacht Club which mark it's founding in 1720, making it the oldest yacht club in the world. The club is committed to hosting a Topper World championship and have requested to bid for the International Topper 2023 World Championships.

Commenting, Admiral of the Royal Cork Yacht Club, Colin Morehead said, "It is with considerable regret and sadness that we have to cancel the International Topper Class World Championships. While the vaccine rollout is progressing and restrictions are lifting, the health of our members, our visitors and country continues to be the main priority. I look forward to working with the International Topper Class Association on the possibility of hosting the event in Cork in the near future."

A full refund of entry fees will shortly be processed in line with the Notice of Race.

ITCA World will now focus on its plans for the 2022 International Topper World Championship at Fraglia Della Vela Riva, Garda, where we look forward to welcoming back Topper sailors from across the globe. There are plans to include an inaugural Topper 6.4 championship for those who may by then have outgrown the 5.2 rig and lost the chance to race a world championship but don't want to miss a once in a lifetime opportunity to race on the majestic Lake Garda.

We look forward to seeing you at Riva 2022!" 

Royal Cork Yacht Club Keelboat training has been cancelled for this evening due to severe weather conditions on the South Coast.

The Keelboat Committee are planning a training session this Sunday 23rd May First Gun at 10.25 am. 

It is proposed to run a coastal training course for both White Sailors and Spinnaker Sailors.

Tonight is a big night for the Royal Cork at Crosshaven, where the Rear Admiral for Keelboats is looking forward to firing the starting gun again this evening.

It's not for racing, but for keelboat training, as a prelude to getting back to the racing mode.

More boats are being launched daily in Cork Harbour as the pent-up demand for a return to competition is being released.

"We are glad to be getting back on the water. It will be exciting to blow the start gun for training on Thursday night and even better to sound the racing start in June," says Daragh Connolly, Keelboats Rear Admiral, at the RCYC as preparations are finalised for getting yachts into racing mode again.

Daragh Connolly, Keelboats Rear Admiral at Royal Cork Yacht Club

Racing itself won't resume until after June 7, so the training sessions will be used to get racers prepared and up to speed for events like the Sovereigns Cup and the resumption of evening cruiser racing next month.

"The situation is improving, but we are clearly not out of the woods yet," club Admiral Colin Morehead has told members, announcing that facilities are gradually re-opening.

As well as the plan for keelboats, other adult sailors, including National 18s and Lasers, are being told by their Class Captains about restarting racing.

Youth sailors are already back on the water and training in pods of 15.

Daragh Connolly is my guest on this week's Afloat Podcast (below), where he outlined the plans for a return to racing and how club members were welcoming it.

Clubs are hoping to get young sailors back into activity with the easing of restrictions on training. However, as in all sports, there is some concern about the effects of the lengthy restrictions on youth's interest in sport.

Principal Coach at the Royal Cork in Crosshaven, Ben Fusco, says: "We are looking forward to the return to Junior Coaching on the May weekend. Preparations are well underway to get all of our junior and youth sailors back on the water and shaking off the cobwebs of an extended off-season. We have a robust training plan in place for each of the Classes."

With the easing of restrictions for junior training, Monkstown Bay SC in Cork Harbour says that it will be starting its Sunday morning coaching sessions for Optimists. It has also opened applications for this year's sailing courses. 

Applications will close at the end of May, the club says.