Yacht race plays host to the sun, sea and sailors
At least that's what it looked like from the heights of Camden in Crosshaven yesterday, gazing down on the majestic splendour of a flotilla of yachts, sails billowing in a north westerly breeze as they raced for glory at the start of Cork Week.
The biennial event seemed to have everything going for it sun, sea and sailors but the wind was doing a disappearing act. In fact, the only bit of wind seemed to be coming from shore.
"It's lovely and warm now that the wind has dropped," remarked one landlubber, much to the surprise of a seasoned race-goer nearby.
"Oh, don't say that, boy," said the sailor, sporting serious yachting gear and an America's Cup baseball cap. "We'll be knackered completely without the bit of puff, you know. It'll hold everything up and if the wind drops more, we'll be crucified." The wind finally decided to behave and the race got underway. Better late than never.
As far as size was concerned, punters and gawkers alike were on the lookout for Le Grande Bleu, the 300-foot €90 million boat owned by Roman Abramovich, the Russian capitalist with a taste for western decadance.
Would he turn up? Nobody seemed to know.
With Crosshaven already awash with yachts of all sizes and descriptions le Grande Bleu would just about double the real estate value of the Royal Cork Yacht Club's marina.
With over 500 boats there, and most costing a multiple of thousands, the RCYC has already been considerably enhanced if only for the week that's in it. The assembled boats are reckoned to be worth almost €100 million in total.
The champagne on offer in the tented village would be no bother to Mr Abramovich either. The champagne tent offered 'snipes' of the good stuff for €20 for those of us with shallower pockets. But a seriously big bottle, called a Methuselah, would set you back €420.
Cork Week has always been a heady mixture of racing at sea and frenzied fun ashore. The massive tented village in Crosshaven plays host to 5,000 competitors and spectators. That means serious racing by day and even more serious partying at night.
The RCYC is transformed into a tented village for the week and, with four restaurants and 10 bars, there are plenty of opportunities for over-indulging. One lithe and winsome young woman was nursing a sore head that even a trip around the harbour couldn't cure.
"I'll have to go for a bit of a kip for an hour or so," she moaned. "Otherwise I won't be up to another night on the tiles."
She was especially looking forward to The Ultimate Tribute to Robbie Williams.
Perhaps that's why Cork Week only comes around every two years. After a week of days at sea and nights on the tear, it would take most ordinary mortals at least two years to recover.
