Mansfield delivers speedy performance to win IRC handicap
On board Shane Murphy’s Dinghy Supplies, he was exceptionally fast on the off wind legs and was a clear winner of the IRC handicap. But the ever consistent Donal O’Leary’s D-Tex was right up there in second place while Scora Commodore Jim Donegan showed his form with third on Mischief.
Echo handicap was a different matter and the issue was so tight that only 90 seconds separated the first four boats. Charles Pritchard on Lorelie obviously enjoyed the fresh conditions and had 17 seconds win over Derry Good on Genevieve. However, Aidan Heffernan on Argus again demonstrated his staying power with a third.
The weekend threw up autumnal style sunshine with a breeze of 18 to 25 knots and overall more than eighty boats were on the water.
The flat seas and stiff cool breeze gave excellent racing for the Glaxo SmithKline league race. Race Officer, Peter Webster, and his team got the fleet off to a clean start with a fast run to the Corkbeg mark followed by a short beat to the Number 8 buoy. In the freshening conditions and Skinnaker’s run to the east Ferry, number four mark was a lively affair.
The wind then dropped and the beat up to number 20 off Cobh promenade is what decided the outcome of the race. Those who stayed on the right hand of the beat gained significantly and reached the windward mark ahead of the boats that favoured the other side.
Strong winds and generally tough conditions had caused the cancellation of the first races in the Laser Frostbite series at the Royal Cork. But that did not deter the fleet of 25 boats enjoying some excellent laser racing this time out under race officers, Kevin Lane and Fred Cudmore.
There was some superb racing on the day and in the full laser rig it was Nick Walsh who dominated with three wins. George Kingston had a great day i the Radials with two wins out of three and Katie Dolan made a clean sweep of the 4.7 rigs with three straight wins.
The Laser Class AGM will be on Sunday at the RCYC 5pm with all laser sailors and parents welcome.
Third level students from all over Ireland raced in the Inter University Team Racing Championships at Crosshaven with race officer, David O’Brien, completing the two day programme on schedule despite the fresh conditions on the second day. The local team from Cork Institute of Technology skippered by David Rose took the honours.
Eyes are already on the 2003 Sovereigns Cup Regatta to be staged at Kinsale June 25-28 inclusive. The hard work of preparation is already well in hand and former club Commodore Pat Pyne has been appointed Regatta Director, a job in which he will be joined by his wife, Maureen, who was such a pillar during his term as Club Commodore.
In his term Kinsale won the 1998 Mitsubishi Club of the Year Award. He takes over from Tony Kingston who remains involved with the organising committee after giving two great years as its leader.
The Annual General Meeting of Scora takes place at the Marlboro House Hotel in Cork on Monday, November 18.
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