SAILING:A CORK Institute of Technology (CIT) protest over supplied equipment at this week's Student Yachting World Cup in France has fallen on deaf ears, leaving George Kenefick and his eight crew struggling to keep pace with the front runners in an international Sailing Federation (ISAF) event the Crosshaven skipper and CIT previously won in 2008.
“We have a shocking boat compared to the rest of the fleet. I struggle to hold our lane at the starts. We have complained continuously about the boat but the organisers say they can’t do anything,” a despondent Kenefick revealed last night from Brittany.
It is Kenefick’s fourth appearance at the Cup, his second as skipper. The crew includes Joe Bruen, Kevin Goulding, Aidan MacLaverty, Donagh Good, Maria Connolly, Gemma Twohig and Judy O’Brien.
After two days of postponement at the French port of La Trinité-sur-Mer due to strong winds, CIT were fourth overall after a combination of four windward leeward heats and an overnight race on Wednesday but they have found the going tough due to the lack of boat speed.
French team Euromed Arthur Loyd lead on 11 points, defenders Solent University, England, are on 14 and EPF Lausanne, Switzerland, third on 29. CIT dropped one place to fifth on 43 points, two ahead of Canada’s University of Dalhousie.
Kenefick’s complaint is Norway, Spain, Scotland and Ireland are all sailing in 2004 vintage Grand Surprise keelboats while the rest of the 15-boat fleet are sailing in the 2007-2009 versions of the 9.5 metre yachts. Boats for the event were drawn by lottery.
Kenefick, who became one of the youngest All-Ireland sailing champions at the beginning of this month, has also requested to change or tune the rig but the French organisers have warned CIT not to touch it. “We are starting at the pin (end of the starting line) most of the time as we can’t point,” Kenefick said.
As something of a consolation, however, the Cork boat appears very quick downwind, which the crew have been trying to exploit.
The competition ends today but the light winds forecast will not suit the boat, according to Kenefick, but, he said, “We’re staying positive and doing everything possible.”
A Galway Hooker is en route to the Middle East arising out of the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR). The traditional Irish sailing boat is on the way to Abu Dhabi in a swap that will also see six Arabian dhows on Galway Bay for the finish of the race next summer.
The first of the VOR in-port races start tomorrow in Alicante, Spain, with top Irish sailors competing; Kerry’s Damian Foxall is a watch leader on Groupama, Wexford’s Justin Slattery is on Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing. Discover Ireland is putting up to 25 per cent of the sponsorship for the Chinese Sanya entry and a delegation from Galway is heading to Spain for a week of events that begins tomorrow ahead of the start of the race proper on November 5th.
Visitors to Cork Harbour are dominating the Royal Cork Autumn Regatta, sponsored by O’Flynn Exham Solicitors. They lead six of the 15 divisions going into tomorrow’s final round.
Kinsale boats lead Class Zero on Echo handicap, with Conor Doyle’s Freya, Class 1 IRC is dominated by David Scott’s Eos, Class 2 IRC by Brian Goggin’s Allure, Class 2 Echo by Pat Salter’s Gemini, Class 3 IRC by Ian Travers’ Bandit, and Class 4 IRC by Alan Mulcahy’s Sundancer.
With one Sunday abandoned for lack of wind and the last day a blow-out, the WD 40 League was, for the first time in years, reduced to half of its schedule of races.
There were nevertheless enough races sailed at the WD 40 league in Dublin to award overall prizes. In Class One, Storm (Pat Kelly) and Tiger (Harris/Hughes) had treble successes on IRC and ECHO respectively, so were clear winners in those categories, while Anthony Gore-Grimes’ Dux had the same score-sheet on IRC in Class Two.
An innovative new RS dinghy event took place inside Dún Laoghaire harbour using parallelogram courses. Roy van Maanen and Glen Reid won the RS 200 sprint and Simon Herriott and new crew Shane McCarthy won the 400 division. The National Yacht Club’s frostbite series also sailed and in the Flying Fifteen division Alan Greene and Chris Doorly still hold the lead.
At the same venue, Galway Sail Sports crew Fionn Delahunty (16), Ciarán Jordan (14) and Eamonn Murphy (12) won a new powerboat valued at €12,500 in the final of the ISA Yachtsman euromarine Rib Challenge.
