The Club caters for a vibrant and active cruiser/racer fleet. The large fleet is split into Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3, as well as the rapidly expanding Whitesail Class, which race without the use of spinnakers. This Class may be familiar to those from outside the club as the gentlemen’s class, which is often seen at regattas worldwide.
The Whitesail Class, currently sponsored by House Works, race as in all-in fleet on Friday evenings after which a barbeque and social evening is held in the Club.
The Clubs other cruiser/racer Classes race predominantly on Thursday evenings and on Saturdays. The Thursday evening racing, which runs from May until September inclusive, usually sees an attendance of 20-25 boats, whose crews enjoy competitive racing followed by a prize giving and dinner or drinks in the Clubhouse.
Weekend racing generally takes place on Saturdays, but may also take place on a Sunday depending on the event. The Club’s weekend calendar is worked out in conjunction with the other clubs in the area and where possible the Royal Cork seeks to support the weekend racing of its neighbouring clubs. Of course the Club also hosts its own weekend racing, and many events throughout the season.
The highlights of these weekend events usually take place in late August or early September with the two-day Royal Cork At Home Regatta followed by the Annual Naval Race from the Club to the home of the Irish Naval Service on Haulbowline island.
The Club’s Autumn League is a series which is run over a number of weekends, with racing usually held on Sundays. The League is generally seen as the main Autumn League for the clubs of the South Coast and attracts a very large attendance. This series is usually concluded with racing on a Saturday and a prizegiving dinner in the Club.
Racing continues for the cruiser/racer fleet into November and December with a six week League, run on all-in basis.
In 2007 the Club was chosen by the Irish Cruiser Racing Association to hold the ICRA Saab Cruiser Nationals, which attracted 75 competitive boats from the throughout the country.
The Royal Cork Yacht Club has developed a reputation over the years as providing race management of the highest calibre and is regarded throughout Europe as a Club which can be counted on to hold such events.
Of course much of this reputation is based on the biennial Cork Week, which is now regarded by many as one of the finest cruiser racing regattas in the world. This event of course remains the focal point for the Club’s cruiser/racer fleet.
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