Action stations as all classes compete

THE real action started at Ford Cork Week Ireland yesterday with all classes on the water and with an entry of 547 boats, the careful administration of the racing was an absolute imperative for the organisers.

The day started with all fleets paying close attention to the weather conditions which started dull with very little breeze. Just before 11am a light southerly breeze filled in and allowed racing to start on time. The breeze gradually built in strength and provided some excellent tight racing for fleets.

At this stage of the week a pattern has not yet started to emerge but, after today, a trend may become apparent and the gathering of the skippers and crews at the results room will become more intense as results are compared and points calculated. From tomorrow the question of possible discards will start to emerge and the excitement will intensify even more.

In the Hunter 707 Class, after two races, Derek Blancke’s Censored is leading with 6 points, followed by Nick Roberts’ 3 Little Pigs with 11 points. In the IRC Gentlemens Class Brian McCafferty’s Niamh has 1 point and Lynn Johnston’s Signita has 2 points. In ECHO Dermot O’Sullivan’s Milverton leads with 1 point followed by Michael and Siobhan O’Donovan’s Java on 2 points.

In the Mixed Sports Boats Michael Homes White Lightning leads with 5 points and Zulu follows on 7 points. In the 1720 Class John Rickard’s Babbalaas Bach has 6 points with John Stamp’s Jacob on 7 points.

In the X332 Class Edouard Wylleman’s Carabistouilles 2 has 1 point and Donald Sharp’s Tundra has two points. In the Prima 38 Class Paul King’s Serendipity leads with 1 point followed by Robert Gateshill’s Bare Knuckles on 2 points.

In IRC 7 John Hughes Swara has 1 point with Brian O’Neill’s Wild Mustard on 2. IR6 has Niall Quinn’s Finesse on 1 point and Frank Desmond's Animal on 2 points. IRC 5 sees Eamon Crosbie’s Humphrey Go Kart on 1 point with Stuart Edmundson’s Kit Off on 2.

IRC 4 is led by Dardot Didier’s Sibelius on 1 followed by Geoff Lynch’s The Red Dragon on 2. In IRC 2 Cunara leads on 1 point with Geoffrey West’s Lightning Reflex on 2. In IRC 1 Pierre Blayau’s Cajou has 1 point with Ger O’Rourke’s Chieftain on 2. IRC 0 sees the Hong Kong entry of Paul Winklemann with Island Fling in first place followed by Robert Boulter’s Thunder 2. In the High Performance (IRM) Class Chris Thorne’s Mumm 30 Tigger leads followed by Nickaigh’s Farr 40 Too Steany and in the new Class of Salcombe Yawls Paul Ellis leads with Tease followed by Rum Tum Tigger.

In organisational terms the fleet is broken down into various classes, the entries to which are governed by each individual boat’s size, type and speed potential. Most of the boats compete in handicap racing, the handicap figures are calculated by computer. The intention of the various classes is to group similarly handicapped boats so that racing is tight and competitive for each boat and the fact that the fleet remains so large is testament to the accuracy with which Ford Cork Week has got the balance of classes correct.

The classes sailing are divided up on a daily basis and sent out to a variety of courses on different days which test the sailors and their boats to the full extent of their ability. The courses sailed are broken down as follows: Sportsboat Division which sail 1.5 nautical miles east south east of Roches Point, the Cork Harbour Course which brings the respective fleets around the harbour area and is a boon for spectators, the coastal course which takes the fleet along the coast and gives the boats an opportunity to show their navigational capabilities. The Olympic course which is sailed 3 nautical miles south of Roches Point, the windward/leeward course sailed 3 nautical miles south west of Roches Point and the newly introduced tight reach Olympic triangle sailed 3 nautical miles south east of Roches Point.

On the Cork Harbour Course yesterday were the Prima 38s IRC 2 and IRC 3 classes. The coastal course had the X332s and IRC4. The Olympic course had the newly created High performance class, IRC 0 and IRC 1.

On the windward/leeward were IRC 7, ECHO and the Gentlemans racing class. On the tight reach Olympic course were IRC 5 and IRC 6. The Sportsboats made their way to their own race area with three starts, 1720s, mixed sportsboats and Hunter 707s who are holding their class championships during the week.

Yesterday the harbour was treated to a delighful sight as, for the first time, Ford Cork Week Ireland played host to the Salcombe Yawl racing fleet. They made an pretty picture under tow from Ringaskiddy to Crosshaven before their race started. Ford Cork Week Ireland has introduced a classic fleet section for the first time at this event. An item of note is that both the Salcombe Yawls and the Classic Fleet sail one race per day as against the two races per day for the other fleets.