The Port of Cork Company has appointed Eoin McGettigan to the role of Chief Executive of the company. Eoin replaces Brendan Keating who retired recently after 18 years of service as CEO.

The Chairman of the Port of Cork Company, John Mullins stated that ‘Brendan Keating made an outstanding contribution to the Port as Chief Executive since 2002. Brendan has seen the Port’s Strategic Development Plan fully recognised: the acquisition of Belvelly Port Facility (formerly Marino Point), the Inner Harbour Development at Bantry Bay Port Company, the marked increase in cruise business and the commencement of construction of the €86 million Cork Container Terminal in Ringaskiddy which will future proof the port. I have no doubt that Eoin will now take these projects and the business forward to further enable our growing economy.’

Eoin has spent the last decade providing strategic advice to a wide variety of companies. He has thirty years’ experience as a Senior Executive in Retail, Wholesale and Property businesses. He has held senior board positions in Musgrave PLC as Chief Executive of Supervalu Centra, Director of Dunnes Stores and Director of Reox Holdings PLC. Eoin and his family have lived in Cork for over 30 years.

John Mullins said: ‘Eoin brings with him a wealth of Senior Executive experience, excellent leadership skills and an integral knowledge of modern supply chains and logistics. He joins the Port at a strategic and exciting time for the company and the Southern region. The board and all in the Port company wish him every success.’

He added “Eoin will steward the company from the River to the Sea through the commissioning of key infrastructure in the lower harbour whilst making available former assets for critical residential and commercial development. Eoin’s property experience will be instrumental in ensuring that Tivoli will be one of the most exciting projects in the future for the company and for the City of Cork.’

Eoin McGettigan takes up the position as Chief Executive on 1st October 2020 for a term of five years.

As Afloat reported in July, the new public recreation area at Paddy's Point in Cork Harbour now has a new floating pontoon added to the existing marine leisure facilities at Ringaskiddy.

As it turns out, the new facilities were about to be put to championship use in August to handle a fleet at the Laser National Championships until the event had to be cancelled by Royal Cork Yacht Club due to COVID concerns. 

The pier and slipway, that opened in May 2019 is located adjacent to the Beaufort Building in Ringaskiddy and is managed and maintained by the Port of Cork.

The substantial new facilities replace the existing Ringaskiddy slipway and pier and were completed as part of the Cork container terminal development.

This new marine leisure facility is free for the public to use and includes a pontoon to launch leisure craft Photo: Bob Bateman

These latest photos of Paddy's Point further illustrate what a fine structure is now in situ and what a welcome addition it is to Cork Harbour's marine infrastructure. 

Cove Sailing Club's 2020 Cobh to Blackrock Race will start earlier than normal this Saturday due to Cork Harbour tide times. A first gun at 1130 will see two separate starts for a combined fleet of 36 sailing cruisers (numbers restricted due to COVID) race on the flood off Cobh up to Blackrock Castle.

There is little doubting Kieran Dorgan's mastery of this race with wins for his yacht, the First 36.7 Altair, in both 2016 and 2018. It means he is the helmsman to watch even though this year there will be some interesting challenges to the Cobh Commodore. Form boat Denis and Annamarie Murphy's Nieulargo, a Grand Soleil 40, is also entered in Class One IRC Spinnaker division. The Murphy's have been big offshore this season winning both SCORA's Fastnet 450 and Kinsale's Fastnet Race but navigating the back eddies off Monkstown may yet be a different matter. 

Nieulargo (Grand Soleil 40) IRL2129, Denis & Annamarie Murphy

Both Kieran Collins, Olson 30, Coracle and Ronan Downing's Half Tonner, Miss Whiplash are also entered in this crack nine boat division.

Coracle (Olson 30) 1883 Kieran Collins

Miss Whiplash (Half Tonner) GBR5435R Ronan Downing

Two separate starts are planned for the 2020 race with IRC spinnaker divisions going first.

Although the race is sailed on a flood tide boats still go aground if they stray too far from the channel, so local knowledge for navigating this course is a prerequisite for success.

Don't Dilly Dally (Etchells) 952 Michael McCann

IRC Two

IRC Two has just four boats competing and based on results from August club leagues, it is hard to ignore the threat of Michael McCann's well-sailed Etchells 22, Don't Dilly Dally. In a division that also contains the double Round Ireland Race winner Cavatina, A Granada 38, there will be no quarter given especially if Denis Byrne's Trapper 250, Cracker is sporting its new larger roached mainsail.

Jap (Cork Harbour One Design) C4 Clayton Love

White Sails

The biggest division in the 10-km race is the 23-boat white sail ECHO division where pride of place will surely go to the immaculately restored Jap racing on a generous handicap of .795. As Afloat previously reported Jap is now a special Royal Cork project boat and the 1897-built boat will be sailing past her shipyard of origin when she passes Carriagaloe going upriver this Saturday.

Ré Eile (Moody 31) IRL731 Damian Ahern

Prince of Tides (Grand Soleil 37B) IRL14544 Frank Caul

Robert O'Leary will be going for a hat-trick of 2020 1720 sportsboats victories later this month but not as originally scheduled, as the 1720 National Championships moves venue from Baltimore Sailing Club in West Cork to Monkstown Bay Sailing Club in Cork Harbour. 

O'Leary won the 2020 Baltimore Cup a month ago and in the last weekend of August he won the Southern Championships at Royal Cork Yacht Club, so he and his Dutch Gold crew will quite rightly see the defence of the 1720 title as a crowning glory of the 2020 season.

However, he won't have it all his own way with a potent Ross McDonald crew of Howth biting at his heels. McDonald lost on countback at the Cup and was tied on points overnight after day one of the Southerns. 

In a notice to competitors issued this month, Baltimore's Committee told competitors that 'after reviewing the current government guidelines and seeking guidance from the local businesses in Baltimore, we as a committee feel that we cannot provide the same level of racing and entertainment as experienced in the Baltimore Cup this year'.

1720s return to Cork Harbour on September 25th Photo: Bob Bateman

The West Cork club hopes to welcome the fleet back to Baltimore in 2021.

After discussions with Monkstown Bay Sailing Club, the 1720s have agreed to run the event in Cork Harbour on the same dates - 25th, 26th, 27th September 2020.

It will be a combined effort between the two clubs as both are of the opinion that the event should not be cancelled this year provided it can run it in line with the Covid-19 government guidelines.

It is the intention to launch, berth and recover boats in the Crosshaven River, with the primary race area being South East of the Harbour.

A motion has been put before Cork City Council seeking a ban on 'dangerous' inflatable craft.

It has been lodged by Cllr. Ted Tynan on behalf of the Workers Party: "In light of the recent rescue by fisherman Gus O'Donovan and crew member Mathew Byrne of two men on an inflatable craft in Crosshaven, I want to bring to the attention of the Council the dangers of such craft on our shores. This is just one of several water-related recent incidents that could have resulted in tragedy. I welcome the call by Chief executive of Water Safety Ireland, John Leech, for a ban on inflatable craft, in order to prevent a tragic outcome in our waters.

"Referring to 'supermarket inflatables', Hugh Mockler, Deputy, Launch Authority at Crosshaven RNLI, where Gus has been a crew member, described these craft as “downright dangerous”.

"I, therefore, call on Cork City Council to introduce the necessary by-laws to ban the use of inflatable craft on our shores and beaches".

Alex Barry, Sandy Rimmington and Richard Leonard sailing Aquadisiacs were the overall winners of an 11-boat National 18 Southern Championships at Royal Cork Yacht Club last weekend.

The Royal Cork/Monkstown Bay trio won by a margin of three points over Barry's older brother Ewen steering FOMO crewed by Stanley Brown and Dion Barrett on 14 points. Two points back was third overall, Fifty Shades sailed by Laser ace Nick Walsh, Rob Brownlow and Eddie Rice. 

The  Aquadisiacs crew sailed a consistent seven-race series on Cork Harbour dipping only once out of the top three in a scoreline that included two race wins.

National 18 Southern Championships 2020 Results

National 18 Southern Championships 2020 Results

See National 18 Southerns photo slideshow by Bob Bateman below

Robert O'Leary's Dutch Gold Baltimore Sailing Club crew add the AIB Southern Championship title to their 1720 sportsboat trophy haul after an emphatic six-point win at Cork Harbour today. 

O'Leary counted a tally of eight results inside the top four to win the Royal Cork Yacht Club hosted event. The Cork ace had one poor result scored in race eight today where he finished 12th, a result that he later discarded.

The winds for the 14-boat championships came in like a lion for the opening races on Friday with some big breeze but then went out like a lamb as forecast today with the final two races sailed in light airs. O'Leary however, managed to prove himself across the wind range by making a strong recovery in today's final race nine to win it, his fourth race win of the weekend.

Second overall was Royal Cork's T-Bone (Durcan/O'Shea). Third was the Royal Cork and Howth Yacht Club entry Ropedock/Atara (Ross McDonald/English) who held second place throughout the championships until a disqualification from the final race.

1720 Southern Championships Results Overall

1720 Southern Championships at Royal Cork Yacht Club Day Three Slideshow

Sailing in Cork took a hammering in the past week, from Storm Ellen and COVID 19, the combined effects of which destroyed a lot of work by four of the major clubs on the South Coast.

Disheartening for the sport and for club members who voluntarily put many hours of work into keeping within Government guidelines while preserving major events in the sailing calendar, but all of which effort came to naught.

Sailing Event Cancellations

Two Cork Harbour clubs, the Royal Cork Yacht Club at Crosshaven and Monkstown Bay Sailing Club, with the support of Cork Port at its new leisure boat launching facility at Ringaskiddy, made late changes to running the Laser Nationals, which were brought to an end when the Government imposed further restrictions. Those also stopped the RCYC Tricentenary Parade salute to the club's history and its planned 'At Home' this coming weekend. The RCYC had already suffered several wipe-outs of its 300th celebration plans that will now take place in 2021.

That was followed by the cancellation of Dragon Week at Kinsale which had been arranged to replace the previously cancelled international Gold Cup.

The village of Crosshaven in Cork Harbour where so many plans to celebrate Royal Cork's 300th birthday have been postponed unttil 2021. Photo: Bob Bateman

Diligent Sailing Clubs

The three clubs stayed diligently within new Government restrictions though my question to Government about the contradiction in allowing more people to congregate internally than at outdoor events, a contradiction which challenges the benefits of sport and outdoor activity, goes unanswered so far. The anger expressed privately when the Golfgate scandal was revealed, was considerable and justified, in my view.

Added to this was the situation for Cove Sailing Club, hit hard by Storm Ellen causing considerable damage to its recently-opened marina.

West Cork Whale 'Boomerang'

A bad week for sailing on the South coast, so I was looking for something to lift spirits, which came when the best-known whale in Irish waters was discovered back in West Cork. This is Boomerang, pictured here in a stunning photograph by Ronan McLaughlin, provided by courtesy of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group.

Boomerang is back in Irish waters Photo: Ronan McLaughlin, courtesy IWDG

Boomerang likes the waters of Cork and Waterford, but seemingly not Kerry! Identified by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, he is an adult male humpback whale, first seen off the West Cork coast nineteen years ago this month - in August of 2001.

"He is by far the best-known whale in Irish waters and his annual return most years to our local waters, is the strongest evidence we have of the importance of our inshore waters for these gentle giants," Padraig Whooley, Sightings Officer of IWDG reported on my radio programme, THIS ISLAND NATION. "Interestingly," Padraig said, "Boomerang, despite over 53 sightings in almost 20 years has never once been recorded in Kerry, only Cork and Waterford."

Maybe, I wonder, he doesn't want to challenge Fungi in Dingle?

Padraig Whooley of IWDG has more about Boomerang on the Podcast below

The volunteers of Crosshaven RNLI lifeboat were tasked this evening to a report of a person in the water in the Ringabella/Fountainstown area.

The crew received the pager alert at 7.32 pm and were en route when information was received that two persons were in the water and clinging to a marker buoy near the back strand at Fountainstown.

On arrival, one adult had been taken from the water by a RIB which responded to the Coast Guard PAN PAN radio call and was handing the casualty into the care of Crosshaven Coast Guard at Fountainstown beach. A local kayaker was first on scene and rescued the child before handing the casualty over to Crosshaven Coast Guard before returning to the adult male. The RIB with the five teenagers arrived on scene and removed the adult from the water to the RIB and took the casualty ashore to be cared for by the Coast Guard. Rescue 117 helicopter transported the two casualties to Cork University Hospital for a check-up.

The crew on tonight's service were Helm Ian Venner with Aoife Dinan, Susanne Deane and Jon Bermingham. Launch crew was Gary Heslin and Richie Leonard.

The RIB which responded was crewed by five 16-year-olds who were fishing in White Bay when they heard the PAN PAN call and responded immediately to the incident.

Coincidentally, three of the RIB crew have RNLI connections. Jamie Venner is the son of Ian Venner who was also the Helm on tonight's service, Cillian Foster is a brother to Caomhe Foster who is also Crosshaven RNLI crew and Richard McSweeney is the son of former Baltimore RNLI crew member Ciaran McSweeney. The other crew on board were Kate Horgan and Harry Pritchard.

This article was updated on Monday, August 24th 2020

Storm Ellen has damaged boats and the facility at the new Cobh Marina that opened earlier this summer in Cork Harbour. 

Storm force easterlies are rare in Cork Harbour, and there’s only a very narrow window through which the waterfront at Cobh is exposed to the long fetch from Rostellan, which in turn has little in the way of high ground between it and the open sea northeast of Ballycotton. Thus as Storm Ellen thundered in from the Atlantic through last night, the easterly winds along the Cobh waterfront were hitting the same 75 knots-plus which were being recorded at Roche’s Point, and at spring tides high water the new Cobh SC Marina at Whitepoint was enduring maximum exposure with freakishly high tides.

Cork's 96FM Radio station has published photos via Twitter of the new facility this morning with damage to boats visible.

Thanks to Karen Histon for these images of the new marina at Cove Sailing Club this morning #Cobh #StormEllen pic.twitter.com/WuHMusbZgP

— 96fm Opinion Line (@OpinionLine96) August 20, 2020

Meanwhile, conditions were such that a Naval Service vessel heading for her berth at Haubowline was instructed to anchor off, but for the marina, there was no escape, and damage was sustained. A Hallberg Rassy cruiser fetched up against the concrete shore structure and became so damaged she sank, but although an Oyster 52 broke free and went up the beach, in the high water since she has been refloated and safely taken to the Naval Squadron marina in Haulbowline. With new surges of the storm in the offing, the potential for further damage is still a very live issue.

As Afloat reported previously, Cove Saling Club’s brand new marina pontoons were put to immediate use with yachts and motorboats occupying the new berths since the opening up of sailing activity on 8th June. 

A yacht battered by Storm Ellen in Cork Harbour Photo: via Whatsapp

The new facility also staged its first event in July when the Squib keelboat class Southern Championships sailed from the pontoons.

A spokesman for Cove Sailing Club declined to comment.

Update: Statement by Cove Sailing Club –

Issued at 09:30 on 20th August 2020

Due to the impact of Storm Ellen between 21:00 and 00:00 yesterday, a number of boats at the Marina Facility at Whitepoint Cobh suffered damage. The Coastguard conducted an initial assessment at 07:45 and upon their advice, the facility has been closed. Forecast conditions today are not favourable to allow a fuller inspection. The office at Cove Sailing Club will be open today to facilitate further information updates.

As a club of volunteers, we are saddened that individual boat owners have suffered damage and loss to their boats but we are grateful that there has been no injury to anyone as a result of the impact of storm Ellen.

We will issue further updates when we are in a position to carry out a more comprehensive inspection.

Cove Sailing Club. [email protected] 087-0574481