Cork Week preview

Aside from the Guinness, Ford Cork Week is panning out to be a top regatta

543 boats are currently entered in Ford Cork Week 2002, run by the Royal Cork Yacht Club with courses inside and outside Cork Harbour, from 13-19 July.

Aside from the new 'enforced' IRM class, in which 22 boats are currently entered, there are eight IRC classes, including 25 in class zero and an impressive turn out of 34 1720s. Other classes include sportsboats, Hunter 707s, Prima 38s, Impalas, X-332s, Sigma 33s and Sigma 38s along the 'Gentlemans' (no spinnaker) class, classics and Salcombe Yawls.

In Class IRC 0 fleet, there are large Swans such as Robert Condon's Serano, Paul Winklemann's Island Fling, Richard Loftus' Desperado, Peter Ogden's Spirit of Jethou and Sir Geoffrey Mulcahy's Noonmark V. In addition there are the Corby designs such as Colm Barrington's Gloves Off, who enjoyed a very successful competition at the event of two years ago and Converting Machine IV and Cracklin' Rosie.

Overseas entries in Class Zero include Kirribilli, of Lynne Flynn of the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron and the Tripp Anthem, entered by Tom Gill of the New York Yacht Club.

Leading contenders in Class IRC 1 will be the IMX 40s such as Cajou, sailed by Pierre Blayau and Jackhammer IV, a Farr 39.5, sailed by Welsh-based competitor Andrew Hall. The class time spread is only 2min:07 seconds per hour.

The HOD 35s and the IMX 38s are set to dominate Class 2. Morris Mitton, from Dublin, and his young crew, sailed his IMX 38, Exclamation, very well at the Sovereign's Cup last year and is expected to sail competitively at the Ford Cork Week. Several Swans are also grouped within this class where the class time spread is very tight at 1 minute:55 seconds per hour.

Class 3 will be very keenly contested among the Beneteau 36.7s, but class 3 contains many 35 and 36 footers including J/35s, J/105s, VAL 35, and X-36s. The J35s and X-36s in particular are very competitive and should be the overall winners. The class time spread is 2 minutes: 7 seconds per hour.

Class 4 under IRC contains a mixture of boats and there is no dominant type of boat entered. The class time spread is 2minutes: 25 seconds per hour.

One of the keenly sailed Beneteau 31.7s in Class 5 is entered by Martin Reilly of Sligo who with Joe English had chartered Mike Slade's Leopard before she was wrecked. Also in this fleet will be evergreen Humphrey Go-Kart, entered by Eamon Crosbie, Padraig Sweeney's Beneteau C'Est la Vie and local sailor Eddie Nicholson in Silver Shadow. The class time spread is 1 minute: 51 seconds per hour.

Class 6 contains two hot sub-classes, Formula 28 and the Sigma 33. Formula 28s were the highest performers last time within their fleet. One of them, Harry Edwards' Billy Whizz and his crew would have been judged Boat of the Week by our new results system. The total time spread is just 1minute:50 seconds per hour.

Class 7 contains a fleet of nine Impalas and a strong favourite within that class could be Zulu, sailed by Colman Garvey.

1720s will be sure to create their usual excitement. This class, named from the founding year of the Royal Cork Yacht Club, has consistently matched every fleet for sheer speed and competitiveness. Local interest will focus on former Admiral of the RCYC Anthony O'Leary in Ford Racing, just back from winning the Scotland trophy for Best Visiting Yacht and the 1720 Class at the Scottish Series in Tarbert.

For a full list of entries click here

See page two for more information about this year's Ford Cork Week