Rory Fekkes revels in ‘best week ever’

By David Branigan

Despite fears of no wind for the final day, Volvo Cork Week ended with a full programme of races that delivered impressive results across the 11 classes and 120-strong event at Crosshaven yesterday.

The overall event trophy was lifted by Rory Fekkes from Carrickfergus after his all-Black quarter-tonner Fn’Gr8 was the runaway leader in Class 4 IRC, after six wins from nine races.

“Best week ever! It’s the closest racing we’ve ever had,” said Fekkes even before learning of his overall event win.

“We were hoping to get the overall win so we kept going to the end even though we only had sixth place to discard.”

The 19-year-old helm is a former Laser dinghy sailor but who “doesn’t like getting wet” — hence the switch to Fn’Gr8 with a full crew.

The team has plans to compete in the Irish Cruiser Racing Association national championships in Galway next month.

As for the 300th anniversary of the Royal Cork Yacht Club in 2020, Fekkes reckons “It’s a class event so we’ll be back!”

Meanwhile, in other results from Volvo Cork Week,

Commandant Barry Byrne on John Maybury’s loaned J109 Joker 2 successfully defended the Beaufort Cup for military and rescue service crews, retaining the trophy for the Irish Defence Forces.

“We’re over the moon, it’s more than we ever dreamed of,” said Byrne. “It’s a tough event to win, especially against the calibre of people we were up against — Olympians, All-Ireland champions, and people like Tim Goodbody and other great sailors.”

It so nearly didn’t happen for Byrne as the series was so close that the final, bonus scored race was crucial.

Youen Jacob’s Baltimore RNLI lifeboat crew were within touching distance of first place.

With ex-Olympian Peter O’Leary calling tactics, they won yesterday’s opening race. Byrne came second as the gap closed. In race two, Jacob placed fourth while Byrne won; the gap opened. It all hinged on the final race.

“We were determined to be conservative and not get into trouble,” said Byrne. “But that’s exactly what happened.”

Another boat took them too close to the starting-line and Joker 2 was over early at the starting-signal.

“It was a brave call by a crew-member even before hearing (the infringement) on the radio so we turned back,” said the Army Commandant.

“It was a really tense, hard-fought race. Even after finishing, we weren’t certain that we’d done it.”

Jacob’s team on Andrew Algeo’s loaned J109 Juggerknot could only manage third to Byrne’s sixth and the result mirrored the inaugural Beaufort Cup in 2016.

Elsewhere in the 120-boat fleet, Class 1 IRC was turned on its head by the switch from coastal racing to inshore courses for the final two days.

After scoring sixth, third, and fifth places on the coastal courses for the first part of the week, Frank Whelan’s Greystones yacht Eleuthera astounded the other eight big boats of the event by delivering five consecutive victories on the inshore courses.

Jay Colville’s much-fancied First 40 footer Forty Licks from East Down Yacht Club became dislodged from the overall class lead, eventually placing second by three points after Whelan’s remarkable change in form.

There was another comeback in Class 2 IRC when Peter Dunlop and Vicky Cox, on Welsh entry Mojito, won by a single point after scoring a second and two firsts yesterday as the battle between three J109’s at the front of the 11-boat class went their way.

Ronan and John Downings’ Miss Whiplash from Royal Cork YC edged ahead of Johnny Swan’s Harmony from Howth YC on the final with a well-fought comeback to win Class 3 IRC by a single point when the visiting half-tonner was disqualified for early-starting the first race of the day.

Meanwhile, Denis Hewitt’s Mills 36-footer Raptor from the Royal Irish YC in Dun Laoghaire was the clear winner of the IRC Coastal class with a comfortable ten-point lead despite their worst place of the series — fourth.

Among the White Sails divisions, Cork boats won both classes with Indulgence, owned by Aidan Heffernan from Schull Harbour, and Pat Vaughan’s Aramis, RCYC, taking their classes.

Although the official Volvo Cork Week ended last night, racing at Crosshaven continues today for the finals in the 1720 Sportsboat and Dragon South Coast Championships.