Thursday saw the last race of the UK Halsey / McWilliams Sailmakers May League. The fleets were sent off on course 95 in a light northeasterly breeze on what seemed like an optimistic beat up to No 20 at Cobh against the failing tide. Uptide tactics were critical with several boats touching the edges of the Spit Bank in an effort to stay out of the current. In the end however it proved an enjoyable nights sailing.
For the second week in a row the light conditions suited the X332s with IRC1 and ECHO going to Ria Lyden’s Ellida ahead of Mary O’Keefe’s Tux with Michael Wallace on Felix in third in IRC. In ECHO it Aidan Heffernan’s Indulgence took second ahead of Frank Doyle’s Endgame. IRC2 went to Ted Crosbie on No Excuse with Len Donnery’s No Gnomes second and Frank Desmond’s Bad Company third. ECHO 2 saw joint first shared by No Gnomes and Seamus Gilroy’s Split Point with No Excuse third. Class 3 saw their biggest fleet with seven boats out. IRC went to Kieran O’Connnell and Graham Marron’s Bandit ahead of Jimmy Nyhan’s Outrigger with Aidan McSweeney’s Maximus in third but taking ECHO ahead of Dave Lane and Sinead Enright’s An t’Oileánach with Bandit third. The 1720s class went to Ben and Rob O’Mahony’s Let the Good Times Roll ahead of Finbarr Jeffer’s Wahoo with Denis Murphy’s Aquatak third. White sail saw Kieran Collins on Tambourine make it three wins in a row with Micheal Lynch’s Lady T second in both classes. In IRC Peter Webster’s Thistle was third with Micheal and Siobhan O’Donovan’s Swift third in ECHO
Friday saw Derry Good’s Exhale and Batt O’Leary’s Sweet Dreams set off on a hastily rescheduled race to Bere Island. The light conditions meant that it took almost 8 hours to reach the Old Head with Batt taking the inshore route and coming out on top. As darkness fell and wind finally built and brought with it heavy rain and mist it was Exhale which took advantage of the blustery conditions arriving in at Lawrence Cove marina ahead of Sweet Dreams. The crews set out for the return journey on Sunday morning with strong southwesterlies and a large swell providing exhilarating sailing conditions only to get half way home and have the wind change direction to north easterlies …. never a dull moment.
Back at Royal Cork Race officer Roy Dennehy sent the whitesail fleet out for race 5 of the O’Learys Insurance Summer League series in the light conditions making it a testing time for all the crews. Making the best of the conditions was Maximus finishing ahead of Billy Duane’s Expression with Conor O’Donovan’s X-Tension in third.
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