Covestone Asset Management Sovereigns Cup - Overall
by Mike Walsh 1 Jul 2013 08:21 BST
26-29 June 2013
Baltimore Sailing Club's Spiced Beef and Peter O'Leary win Sovereign's Cup Trophy
The final day of the 2013 Covestone Asset Management Sovereign's Cup in served up a day of magnificent sailing with Caribbean like conditions in 14-16 kts of wind, flat seas and blazing sunshine. The idyllic conditions provided the battleground for all classes who after three days racing remained very tight at the top with all to play for.
In front of a packed club house, Regatta Director Mike Walsh thanked all competitors for taking part in this year's event. 'You, the sailors, make the event and for that, we here in Kinsale Yacht Club are most appreciative.' Mike thanked the army of volunteers and Yacht Club staff who made the event work so well and making his job very easy. Before getting into the overall prize-giving, Mike made a small presentation to Denis Kiely, who twenty years ago had the vision to establish a regatta in Kinsale on the alternate year to Royal Cork's Cork Week. He thanked Denis for his ongoing support since his brave decision to put Sovereign's Cup on the sailing calendar so many years ago.
Class Zero and One blasted around the bay on the round the cans course on the final day of racing. Andy William's team on-board Keromino stretched their legs in impressive style displaying awesome power under her A-sail on the downwind legs to finish her regatta with two bullets and the class Zero overall trophy. Royal Cork Yacht Club's Corby 39 Gloves Off came home in second with club mate Conor Phelan's Jump Juice pipping Richard Fildes Impetuous into third by a mere half a point.
Class one proved a battleground between the J109's and A-35's for all podium positions. John Maybury's Joker II with North Sails Ireland Nigel Young calling shots took the laurels on 15 points with HYC's Storm coming second on 18 points. Third was the Rob McConnell's Fools Gold on 26 points. A mere 3 points separated third from fifth, making Class One one of the closes fought classes of the regatta.
Sovereign's Cup veteran and former overall trophy winner, Anthony Gore-Grimes and his team on Dux proved consistency is the name of the game. Discarding a sixth, the team on Dux neer finished outside of the top four to win the class. WHSC's Slack Alice took second on twenty points with the evergreen Cavatina filling the final podium position on twenty two points.
KYC's paralympian, John Twomey made class three his own winning all races in his Blazer 23, Shillelagh. John showed a masterclass performance in both the heavy and light airs at the regatta firmly beating the Foley/Bergin/Byrne J-24 on JAWS Seachange Now into second. Sistersh An T'Oileanach took third with both J24's clearly enjoying the planning conditions on offer over the regatta.
The 1720 European Championships was a very closely fought event. Going into the final day, the leader board remained wide open demanding consistency in performance in the last two races. Grasping the opportunity was Peter O'Leary and his RCYC/BSC team on Spiced Beef who along with her four bullets from earlier in the regatta, scored a third and fifth to take the overall title ahead of Tom Forrester-Coles on Ricochet. Third was the Duran/O'Sea team with Nicholas O'Leary at the helm who despite winning the final two races were unable to recover from dropping their rig on windy Friday. Great credit is due to this team who worked well into the Friday night to ensure they made the last two races.
The Quarter Tonners had their fair share of excitement over the regatta. Getting these boats downwind in big breeze and rolling seas with the rig pointing in roughly the right direction is no mean feat with Sam Laidlaw's Aguila displaying excellent crew work and skill to take the class win. Tony Hayward on Backfun was second with Rob Gray on Cote third on count back from Willie McNeill's Illegal Immigrant.
The White Sail classes enjoyed four great races over the course of the regatta. The Chales Fort line provides an alternative experience for sailors and was deemed a great success by visiting competitors. In White Sails Class 1 the Elan 333 Bite the Bullet took the honours from the Hanse 311 Loch Greine with Emir Herr third.
White Sails Class 2 proved an all Kinsale affair with Ger and Fiona Grant, with Billy Joyce calling the shots taking the class win, with Ray Bowes Calero second and Kinsale YC stalwart Richie Hanley third in his GK 24.
Before going into the business end of the prize-giving, Mike Walsh made a special presentation to recognise the efforts of the young team on the 1720 'Merlin'. A last minute entry, the average age on-board was a mere 17. Although not in the chocolates, Mike was thrilled to see such enthusiasm from such a young group of sailors. Congratulating them all, Mike noted they are sailors to watch out for in the future.
With all but the overall Trophies remaining on the prize table, Mike called Andy William's Keronimo as the winner of the Michelle Dunne Prix d'Elegance for the best turned out boat and crew. Michelle's sister Carrie presented the beautiful trophy to Andy Williams to unanimous approval from all in attendance.
The Overall White Sail Trophy awarded to the competitor with the lowest points in the White Class went to ecstatic Ger and Fiona Grant on Loa Zour.
The Portcullis Trophy, awarded to the boat, who in the option of the Regatta Director has given the best performance under ECHO of all competitors at the event went to the ever popular local boy John Godkin on his Dufour Godot. This long established and loyal crew, with more than a few bus passes onboard, were applauded for their win by a roaring crowd.
Before presenting the overall Trophy, the Sovereign's Cup, awarded to the boat who in the opinion of the Regatta Director gave the best performance at the regatta, Mike outlined how difficult it was for him to make his decision. Anyone of four boats gave a performance worthy of the overall win making my job of selecting an overall winner extremely difficult. In choosing Olympian Peter O'Leary on his 1720 Spiced Beef, Mike outlined the consistency of his performance in what was a very competitive and closely fought class singled the team on Spiced Beef out from the crowd. In accepting he Sovereign's Cup, Peter thanked Kinsale Yacht Club for such a well organised event, with great racing afloat and great craic ashore. He went on to thank his crew, made up of brother Robert, Royal Cork's Jamie Donegan and Balitmore Sailing clubs' Cathal Cottrell and Youen Jacob.
Closing the prize-giving, Mike thanks all competitors, volunteers and Club staff once again for making the regatta what it is and welcomed all back to the Sovereign's Cup 2015 regatta which is scheduled to run from 24th to 27th June. With party mood firmly in the air, all that was left to do was to party Sovereign's Cup style into the early hours.
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