31 August 2010

September - plenty of action afloat!

          On Saturday next we have the annual pilgrimage from Cobh to Cork. Most dinghies and cruisers will be taking part in the Cobh to Blackrock race and there will be a fleet of spectators also joining in the fun. The boats will start in Cobh from Midday on  and weave their way 7 miles up the river Lee past Monkstown, Passage and Little Island before eventually arriving at Blackrock to finish this great race. It is an amazing spectacle with up to 100 boats taking part and it brings a special life to the River Lee - the sight is good from the shore but even better if you are taking part!

The boats will then make their to the new Cork City Marina where the fun should begin there from two o clock with crews berthing and arriving ashore. The Port of Cork Ciry Marina was opened earlier this summer and has proved a fantastic hit with boating enthusiasts. SailCork have always been regular visitors to Cork aboard cruising yachts and powerboats. We intend to run several autumn cruises to Cork this year.The "Blackrock Race" is a classic and SailCork is offering places on dinghies, cruisers and powerboats to enjoy this great day out! 

 

        Cove Sailing Club will be running cruiser races on Sunday afternoons in September. SailCork will be afloat aboard our cruiser "Holy Grounder" - she will be doing day sails and competing in the Blackrock Race on Sep 4 and the Navy race on Sat 18. She will do her last weeklong cruise to West Cork and back, visiting Oysterhaven, Glandore, Baltimore and the Fastnet, from Sun 5 to Fri 10. The "Navy Race" began as just a visit by yachtsmen to the birthplace of the Royal Cork Yacht Club in 1720 - Haulbowline. It turned into a fully fledged race 20 years ago is is a great day afloat - racing begins in Crosshaven and a course is set around Cork Harbour finishing at Haulbowline Island opposite Cobh. It is a great opportunity to see the home of the Irish Naval Service and the history is palpable on the island. SailCork will be taking part aboard the "Holy Grounder".

        Sat 18 also sees a very important dinghy race taking place. This is the "Ballinacurra Cup" which was presented by the Irish Naval Service to Cove Sailing Club in 1947. It is be competed for by dinghies racing from Cobh to the eastern end of the harbour and then up the Owenacurra River to Ballinacurra village. Ballinacurra was a very important port for exporting malting barley - now it is a quiet backwater on the north eastern corner of Cork Harbour. It is a very scenic trip with the upper reaches of Cork Harbour looking their prettiest at this time of year. SailCork will be competing aboard the Raider 18 "Yomkon" with a crew of adults and the junior sailors will compete on "Kanko" and our "Vision".  All the crews moor up at the historic quays and make their way to "Jacko's" "Brooklands Bar" - called after the last schooner to trade out of Cork Harbour. There is always a great party ashore where everybody is made feel very welcome by the hosts Pat and Nina.

 

The Ballinacurra Cup is one of the oldest "all in" dinghy handicap trophies. There is also a race to Ballinacurra in the late spring and there is no better place to retire to on a high water in a winters day when it is cold afloat! SailCork visit Ballinacurra on a regular basis with their junior sailors on a day trip and with adult kayakers.

         For us in SailCork September is a major crossroads as the juniors all go back to school. We run Saturday Sailing and this year we are offering short sessions on Wednesday afternoons. We also have a programme for transition year pupils. We will be running our last weeklong cruise to West Cork and back on Sunday 5th. Our cruiser will be busy with Day sails and racing at weekends as well as some special courses including TY programmes, Day Skipper, Coastal Skipper, Yachtmaster and ICC assessments. We begin our theory classes with a one day VHF course on Monday 20 Sept and our evening navigation classes begin at the middle of the month. Some of our more comprehensive navigation courses run right through until the end of February but we will be kept busy at weekends with Powerboat Courses, Instructor Courses, Cruiser Courses and Navigation Courses.

         We get a chance to broaden our horizons and meet our customers and potential customers at the Adult Education Exhibition in Cork City Hall from 7-9 Sept .  The week after we attend Southampton Boat Show. Of course the highlight is when we have our annual Sunshine Cruise to Croatia before we are run off our feet with classes ashore and afloat. We also have to find time for our maintenance programme which is ongoing and a very crucial part of our operation! During the autumn we will also be involved in training professionals afloat running powerboat courses for industrial plants which have water frontage, training and getting qualifications for angling and workboat drivers, naval personnel, yacht club boat drivers and a host of others.

Please call Jo or Rebecca if you want any information on booking onto any of the courses mentioned above - 021 4811237 

 

Eddie English Blog