All-star cast

We get the low down about this year's ACC Bank Cork Week from Chairman of the Race Committee David Meagher

What's going on? ACC Bank Cork Week this year is lining up to ressemble Porto Cervo with many of the top boats coming across from the States including George David's super-maxi Rambler, Dan Meyers' new Judel-Vrolijk 66 Numbers (read about her here), Moneypenny, plus possibly Roger Sturgeon's STP65 Rosebud, in addition to a healthy group of Farr 45s and turboed TP 52s. This represents one of the strongest fleets of large race boats to grace northern Europe in recent years.

David Meagher, Chairman of the Race Committee and Director of Racing for ACC Bank COrk Week, is ecstatic about the line-up. "It is brilliant. Over the years there has been a good relationship with American boats coming over here. Roy Disney and some of the guys who have sailed with him are on some of these boats. So we have good links. I knew about Numbers and Moneypenny about a year ago. The Rambler boat came out of the blue. But there is an Irish guy from Dublin involved with the baot, so it all helps."

Roy Disney, before he semi-retired from racing, has been a keen supporter of the regatta for a number of years and has a house in Cork. Certainly his attendance may have made other owners in the States take notice of the biennial regatta. Then of course the area is known for its natural beauty as well as for being one of sailing's most hospitable regattas.

Added to this mix will hopefully be some good racing. Meagher, who personnally has a considerable international racing CV behind him - he currently is navigator on board the Ker 37 Jump Juice - and is soon to become an international judge, was brought in after the 2004 regatta which he admits suffered from "shocking race management". (We concurr - see our report here).

Being an active racer, Meagher feels, is essential to be able to run a regatta such as Cork. "It gives you a different perspective. At some events, not all events, some of the organisers, the people on the race committee or the race officers are a bit out of touch or a bit aloof. So what I bring to it is - with everything, all the different groups that I work with, the agenda is the sailor. If it is right for the sailor, it is right for the event. That is how I steer people in the right direction.

"I’ve done a lot of judging for team racing as well, so its given me a broad knowledge of the sport. I think you couldn’t possibly be looking after sailing at a regatta, if you didn’t. You have to be in touch with what sailors want and with that perspective it is going to help you, because if you are detached from it you are going to be on the pig’s back and its just not going to work for you." (Don't you just love Irish...)

So what's new for 2008? Aside from the impressive big boat turn-out, 60 strong Laser SB3 and 40 strong J/109 fleets are expected while the X-35s are holding their UK Nationals there and the X-322s have their Championship of Ireland and Great Britain as part of the regatta.

As to the race management side, Meagher says that for 2006 he beefed it up, bringing in better quality race officers, improving standards and equipment too. "The last event was acknowledged to be the best one ever on the water, so to continue that I have further beefed up the race officers."

Unlike Skandia Cowes Week, they typically hold two races a day at Cork, but in 2004 there was a long wait between races. For 2006 that changed and the start and finish areas were separated so that the first to finish race one could be underway on race two before the final classes still on their first race had arrived home.

"My idea was to ensure we get people into their second race as soon as possible and that happened in the main 50-60% of the time which was fine, but by doing that it was putting an extra strain on the Chief Race Office for each course. So now there will probably be two Chief Race Officers on each course and they will do it jointly. Now you will have a race officer in charge of starting and a race officer in charge of finishing, who work together. It divies out the responsibilities a bit more and puts more support on to each race course. It is not rocket science."

A unique aspect of racing at Cork Week, aside from the steady diet of black liquid once back ashore, is the variety of the race courses. "We don’t have weather, but what we do have is variety," says Meagher. There are six courses, classes sailing a different course each day. In 2006 one of the windward-leewards was replaced by a trapezoid. This year the coastal race is out. "That has been trouble for many years, because of the length of legs, the breeze always goes because it is further out to sea. So I’ve got ride of that." In its place will be a slalom course that Meagher says will put a premium on boat handling with a lot of reaching legs. "It will be along the lines of the old America’s Cup Z-course. You could have a spinnaker reach on one or an A-sail reach on another."

So now the variety of courses will include on in the harbour, a windward-leeward, a modified Olypmic course, the trapezoid and the slalom.

"There’s a fine line between the type of clientele we get to Cork Week. Some are serious and some not so serious, so you have to strike the right sort of balance. So two races a day is enough. Then you get back in at a reasonable time," says Meagher.

As to how the big boats will be divided up, it remains to be seen. Clearly there is going to be a Class Super Zero, and if enough modified TP52s turn up and Farr 45s then they may race together (although they will be scored separately) or they will race in Class Zero. The TPs will be racing for their own trophy, the Carroll Challenge Cup. This has nothing to do with Barry Carroll - according to Meagher it was presented to the Royal Cork YC back in the 1800s.

At present around 200 boats have registered and they are expecting close to 500 in total, numbers having dropped from 450-500 in 2004 to 420 in 2006, which Meagher believes was due to the poor race management two years' previously.

With the top boats will come some world class sailors. On Numbers there is always a healthy posse of Alinghi top guns and we can expect to see Brad Butterworth arriving with his golf clubs. Numbers owner Dan Meyers will also have in tow his support ship, the ???ft Meteor.