The final race of the O’Leary Insurance Winter League went ahead on Sunday morning with sunshine and a light northerly breeze in Cork Harbour. 18 boats gathered at the cage start line for a course that was to send them to No. 3 mark with spinnakers against a filling tide. The forecast was for the wind to die away during the race.
The upwind beat back to the cage mark and onto No. 14 proved to be a huge challenge, with competitors seeking to make gains from one side or other of the harbour. An added difficulty in the beat, turned out to be the huge volume of fresh water leaving the harbour due to the heavy rains of Storm Desmond, almost negating the effect of the filling tide.
Having persevered on the eastern shore, the first boat to round No. 14 was Martin Darrer’s True Penance, closely followed by Derry Good’s Maestro and Ria Lyden’s Ellida.
Spinnakers were hoisted once again to the No 10 mark where the race officer, Clem McElligott, had taken the opportunity to set up the shortened course finish line.
It was a great achievement that every competitor finished the race, and the series ended with prize giving in the club bar with prizes and hampers galore.
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