17 Jul Cove@Home & Class 3 & 4 SCORA Championships

Cove SC’s Sunday was given over to this year’s iteration of the ‘Cove at Home’ Cruiser regatta and to the club’s hosting of the SCORA Class 3 and Class 4 Championships.   Both of which were impacted by the light winds that have been in place for some time now.  Whilst others were happily basking in the summer weather, Cove SC’s race teams were facing into a busy Sunday sailing schedule with the prospect of uncertain winds, and, it has to be said, uncertain fleet sizes.

The club was keeping a particularly anxious weather watch – in the vain hope of a change.  When it became obvious that such a change was not in the offing, and seeking to give the SCORA Class 3 and Class 4 Championships the space to run as many races as possible, Cove SC decided to separate the class fleets out and to run two race areas.  Adrian Tyler/Romany took charge of the Cobh at Home Regatta – Class 1, ‘2’ and ‘White Sail’ fleets, whilst Jay watched over the SCORA Class 3 and Class 4 Championship fleets (incorporating the Cove at Home regatta, Class 3 and Class 4 races).  Things went as well as could be expected, I think.

Away on Business idling before the start of the SCORA Class 3 and Class 4 Championships

Classes 1 and 2 were started from buoy number 13, off Cuskinny.  From there, the bigger boats were sent on a broadly tri-angular course between a windward mark at buoy number 10, a gybe mark at buoy number 9 and a finish back at buoy number 13.  Vinny O’Shea’s Yanks $ ffrancs led for much of the Class 1 race.  However, Martin Darrer’s projection 35 – True Pennance  – had a storming spinnaker run to come from behind and claim line honours by about 30 seconds from the Corby 33, after circa 55 minutes racing.  Endgame placed in third on the water, with Exhale in fourth, some way back.  Clem and Wendy McElligot’s Sigma 33 – SeaHawk – took line honours in the makey-uppy ‘Class 2’ race, ahead of Leonard Donnery’s Nicholson Half-tonner – No Gnomes.

The White sail fleet were sent on a similar course, but were asked to beat only as far as buoy number 14, instead of buoy number 10.   John Doyle’s La Chanteuse took line honours in this division.  Jim Buckley’s Wader crossed in second.

The SCORA Class 3 and Class 4 Championship fleets were started a little further south than the others, from the vicinity of buoy number 11.   This fleet raced on a windward-leeward course between a windward mark at buoy number 9 and a leeward mark at buoy number 11.  After a postponement of 1 hr, the SCORA ODs aboard Jay were happily able to squeeze two races of two rounds in, on a generally light South-South-Westerly breeze, justifying we think, Cove SC’s decision to split the day’s fleets.

Whilst fleet positions see-sawed back and forth over the two races, David Lane and Sinead Enright’s – An T’Oileanach  – sailed very well in both and dominated the Class 3 championships.  The Royal Cork based J24 led the fleet off the line and took line honours on both occasions.   Cove SC’s Gaelic Kiwi had a similarly strong championship outing, to take line honours in Class 4 ahead of the single-handed Peter Webster aboard Thistle.

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All in all, albeit in a season of frustrations, Cove SC’s organisational effort seems well worth celebrating tonight.  And in that, perhaps, we can suggest that Cove SC may just have started to rediscover its mojo.  All we need now is for more Cove SC members to appreciate that fact and engage more regularly.

(Thanks go to Liam Coakley once again for his comments and to read more of his views from the water check out the Jay Weekly. I’d also just like to take the opportunity on behalf of Cove SC to thank “Jay” and “Romany” for their support on Sunday.)