Dwyer makes up the difference

CORK WEEK finished on a high yesterday afternoon, despite attempts by the weather to scupper the race programme and Irish crews won nine out of the 13 classes despite comprising just over half the turn-out of 193 boats.

The Kinsale Kettle trophy for overall boat of the week was jointly awarded to a combination of the Commodore’s Cup level Class Zero and club sailed Class 4 as Dave Dwyer’s marinerscove.ie and Paul Kirwan’s Errislannan won their respective classes.

Yesterday saw a more westerly breeze than the onshore winds that dominated the week but rainy downpours threatened to disrupt proceedings from late-morning. After the first race was held in all classes, some managed to start a second race, while others such as the big boats on the trapezoid course were obliged to wait for the wind direction to settle.

In the end, it didn’t and so the weather settled the outstanding results across all classes, including some of the finely balanced contests.

Dwyer’s win came at the end of a week of hard work, day by day chipping into Class Zero leader Nemo of Cowes’ lead that had been established early on when the Cork boat opened the week poorly.

A slip for the visitor yesterday and a win for Dwyer sealed the overall win of the class.

A second place in the single race for Class Two was enough to deliver Paul O’Higgins the series on Rockabill V, adding the class Cork Week title to his IRC national championship in May.

In Class 6, Neil Kennefick and Joxer O’Brien on Tiger finished as they had started – with a bullet, their eighth of the week and a record as the only unbeaten boat of the series.

Similarly close results were scored in several other classes, including White Sails 1, where Philip Dilworth’s Orna scored all race wins and discarded a second place.

Meanwhile, a close contest in Class Zero for third place ended on a tie-break, with event race director Anthony O’Leary’s Antix regaining a podium place in third overall.

“We had an in-between, in and out start to the week, we didn’t have our entire Commodore’s Cup team on board,” he said last night. “It was nice to do our local event – its been eight years since I’ve sailed in it.”

Commenting on the standard of the IRC-handicapped event this week, a standard had been achieved.

“Class Zero here and Class One here were certainly the highest standard we’ve seen in 2010, between the IRC nationals in Dublin or the IRC nationals in the UK,” said Anthony O’Leary.

“Both of those fleets were a higher standard here in Cork Week.”