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Close calls expected on final day
By David Branigan
Today’s finale of Cork Week 2012 neatly splits into two parts: the haves and the have nots — those that have everything to sail for and those that simply need to turn up as all the hard yards were done and dusted yesterday.
Firstly, the classes that are still open to a few outcomes.In IRC Class 1, Richard Fildes Impetuous from Wales is on top after another race win yesterday in the 16 boat class but has nothing guaranteed as Conor Phelan’s Jump Juice from the Royal Cork YC is in consistent form and delivered another second place to hold second overall and within striking distance of the Welsh boat.
Richard Goransson’s Inga from Sweden was also on form and popped in a third place to hold third while Christine Murrary’s Elf Too is probably just outside the hunt for the lead.
So the class will hinge on the single race final day which will be around Cork’s Inner Harbour mostly, plus some short legs outside Roches Point. With the flood tide and light airs forecast, local knowledge is likely to play it’s part so Phelan’s local team may have a tactical advantage.
Monkstown-born Maurice “Prof” O’Connell of North Sails Ireland and tactician on Impetuous could even out this advantage but either, a close final is certain.
The class was one of three that had their programme shortened yesterday outside the harbour when the easterly breeze died after a front pushed through leaving just a sloppy seaway and misty rain.
It was a different story inside Roches Point where the smaller boat fleet was moved to for comfort’s sake.
The move may have given Ian Nagle and Paul O’Malley’s Jelly baby from the Royal Cork YC some home waters advantage but either way they rose to the top of IRC Class 2, overtaking John Hall’s Something Else from the National YC in Dun Laoghaire that had its worst day of the regatta with a discarded ninth place and a third.
The visitor drops to third in the class after tie-break with Gilles Caminade from France on Chenapan. Just two points split the top three boats with one race remaining.
RCYC Admiral Peter Deasy on Bad Company tops the IRC Class 3 fleet going into today’s final and with four wins from seven races counted appears unbeatable. Or is he?
Tim Cunliffe’s Insatiable is capable of winning the class but must beat the Crosshaven boat by eight places while still keeping an eye on Diarmuid Foley’s Anchor Challenge in third who is a threat for second place.
Of the classes already decided, paralympian John Twomey served up a second place and a race win yesterday to comfortably win IRC Class 4 with eleven points to spare.
Fellow wheelcahir user Finbarr Dorgan is tied for second place with Toby Claridge’s Sigma 33 Excelle so today’s race will decide that content unless Jimmy Nyhan gets back into the podium game on Outrigger as he only trails in fourth place by one point.
All top three places in the six boat 1720 Sporstboat class sealed Cork Week for Denis Murphy’s Aquatack with a race to spare over Robin and Ben O’Mahony who are safe in second place leaving just third to be decided between Finbarr Jeffers on Whaoo and Bryan Hassett’s Dark Side, both tied on 19 points apiece.
And in Class Zero, as expected, Piet Vroon on Tonnerre de Breskens delivered consecutive race wins all week and wins IRC Class Zero, though he fully intends to race today. Michael Bartholomew’s South African entry Tokoloshe has second place secured while Irish ex-pat Jamie McWilliam is defending third from the RCYC’s Kieran Twomey on Gloves Off.