Cork Week is not just a sailing regatta, it is a celebration of sailing in one of the most fantastic venues anywhere in the world. Apart from the superb and varied sailing conditions, there is the traditional welcome that Cork Week is famous for. Veterans of Cork Week or people visiting for the first time are welcomed with open arms by Crosshaven and the Royal Cork Yacht Club.
Lloyds Yacht Club will be bringing the elegant Swan 53, Lutine to Cork Week. The club has over 700 members and Cork Week is a great opportunity to get many of the members involved in sailing as Vice Commodore, Liz Lotz explains.
“Ten delivery crew will sail Lutine to Crosshaven from Portsmouth, up to sixteen crew will be racing at the event and ten more will deliver the yacht back to the UK, in all 36 members have the opportunity of sailing in conjunction with Cork Week. The Club likes to enter events which are well run and above all a lot of fun and Cork Week has that in spades.”
One of the crew will Andrew Jameson who has competed in several Rolex Fastnets and the last two RORC Caribbean 600’s but he has never been to Cork Week before.
“Everybody I speak to says it’s an event you must do. The racing takes place most of the time in the open Atlantic so there is a good chance of breeze which is often lacking at other events. Also the craic is legendary, I am looking forward to tasting a real pint of the black stuff, this will be my first trip to Ireland.”
Richard Matthews has been coming to Cork Week for years and will be back again this year to defend the Class Zero title, emphatically won in 2008.
Richard commented; “We have taken part in every Cork Week for 15 years or more in 12m Crusader, 42 Corby Barlo Plastics, Corby 50 Flirt, Rob Humphreys 72ft Oystercatcher XXV and last time, when we topped all the IRC classes in my Tom Humphreys designed Oystercatcher XXVI in which we will return this year.
For me, the best thing about Cork Week is that it’s a biannual event. I don’t think we could stand the pace doing this every year!.
We have made some great friends in Cork including Donal McClement, Harold Cudmore and Eddie English who sails with us every time. For me, while the racing is first class, the social scene is equally important – FUN is the name of the game. We love the RCYC (I’m now a member), the local pubs and as a golfer (in company with several of my crew) the Old Head of Kinsale course just freaks me out.
Win or lose Cork Week is special, never mind the prizes, just being there and being part of it all is reward enough. We travel the world to race but I can honestly say if we only ever did one event every two years it would be Cork Week.”
For more information visit http://corkweek.ie/
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