O’Leary sails D-Tox to victory in Cobh to Blackrock village race

DESPITE light and variable winds and early tides, 85 boats raced in the Cove SC John McCarthy Motorpoint annual race from Cobh to Blackrock village on the outskirts of Cork City.

In the conditions, it was a slow race, with only a handful of boats getting to the line before the turn of the tide, but overall, it was one of the best turnouts for a number of years.

Entries were boosted by the carrot of the inaugural Moonduster Perpetual Trophy in honour of the late Denis Doyle, who always competed in this race.

Donal O’Leary from Royal Cork sailed D-Tox to victory in both Class One handicaps and duly won the trophy, as well as the Lipton Cup.

Frank Clarke on Sapphire stretched the fleet, led most of the way and took line honours, but was relegated on handicap to be second in both handicaps. Round Ireland winner, Eric Lisson, on Cavatine was third in IRC and Dave O’Connell’s Canterbury was third in Echo. Class Two brought IRC victory to Dave Hennessy’s Luas with Kieran Collins second in Half Cut, while in Echo, Pat Barrett and Cathal Conlon on Y-Knot took the win and the Commodores Cup, with Luas second.

In Class Three, both handicaps were won by Richard Marshall’s Woody to take the Murphy Cup.

Kevin O’Regan’s Hobo recovered from a struggling start to take second in IRC with Rom Hyde’s Nightowl second in Echo. The Class Four winner was Seán O’Regan on Drumson and he took the Donegan Cup with Douglas Black second on Blue Jay.

The Kinsale YC domestic season was wound up at the weekend, but of course, the Scora Class One Championships will be held there this weekend with the Class Two Championships at the Royal Cork.

The final Kinsale race of the Brideview Developments Autumn Midweek League was one of the most hotly contested of the season with overall positions up for grabs. It was particularly tense in Class Three, where the all-female crew on Ann Body’s Tiger Bay clinched Echo victory on the night from Saoirse and duly won the overall to collect Dave O’Sullivan’s Cimarron Trophy. But there were celebrations too for the O’Brien-Hanley team on Saoirse, for they won the IRC race and clinched the overall in this handicap. Class One saw John Godkin’s Elixir win both handicaps on the night, giving him the overall in IRC from the Carrolls on Highland Dancer. In Echo Highland Dancer triumphed overall with Freya second. In Class Two, MacMagic concluded a great series for the McCarthy Brothers by winning the overall in both handicaps. On the night they won in IRC, while Pádraig O’Donovan’s Chameleon won in Echo.

Kinsale also concluded the Robert Acton Autumn weekend League with a great day’s racing as the wins filled in. The O’Riordan-Murphy partnership on X-Dream won both Class One handicaps on the day and took the IRC overall, beating Gary Horgan’s Lobster into second.

Horgan turned the tables in Echo, however, winning the overall from X-Dream. In Class Two Clem McElligott’s Sea Hawk maintained dominance, won both handicaps on the day and won both overalls, Patrick O’Donovan’s Chamleon second in both. In Class Three the O’Brien-Hanley team on Saoirse wrapped everything up too, winning both handicaps on the night and taking both overalls as well.

Monkstown Bay SC hosted the Irish National 18s Championships and the eighteen entries had very close Cuskinny racing in light south westerlies, although the final race had to be abandoned because of lack of wind. There were four different winners in the five races sailed and eventually overall victory in this Mediasatellite sponsored event went to Tom Crosbie, Peter O’Donovan and Richard Leonard on Sellulite, with Nick Walsh, Mark O’Donovan and Rob Brownlow second on Three Blind Mice.

The Royal Cork had their Collins-Waterman race, the final evening cruiser race of the season, and not for the first time this year the Crosbie’s on Excuse Me proved best in IRC with Tim and Mark Ring taking Echo. The top twenty junior helms from all over Ireland, including eight from the RCYC, had their national championships at Crosshaven and overall victory was stolen by visitors.

In the single-handed Firefly Ballyholme’s Robert Espey took the win, with RCYC’s Revelin Minihane second. In the double-handed Laser Radials Bobby Collins from national YC was winner, with RCYC’s Andrew Woodward and Catherine Forristal second.

There were four old, restored Cork Harbour One Designs racing each other in the Cove-Blackrock race last weekend, with Mark Bushe’s continuing on his great run by winning. The newly restored old Jap was out in style too, but taking part in the Italian Riviera Classic Boats regatta where Clayton Love jnr., Donal McClement and Chris Tibbs sailed her to second in her class. Next Jap goes to compete in other Classic Boats regatta in the South of France.

Two Irish Sonar teams head for Holland this week for the Dutch Open and then the Worlds immediately after that. Paul McCarthy, Paul Ryan and Chris Doe form one team, John Twomey, Seán McGrath and Brian O’Mahony the other, and they will all be hoping to qualify for the Athens Paralympics in 2004. Twenty-five boats from 16 countries will take part in the worlds, and the top seven will qualify, the remaining eight places to be allocated after the Worlds next year.