O'Leary Insurance Group Sovereign's Cup at Kinsale Yacht Club - Day 2
by Michele Kennelly 25 Jun 2021 07:21 NZST
23-26 June 2021
More light breezes and sunshine saw changes across most leaderboards at the O'Leary Insurance Group Sovereign's Cup at Kinsale leaving the outcome of the regatta in the balance at the halfway stage.
A second place and then a race win for Mike and Ritchie Evans' Snapshot bounced the Howth Yacht Club crew back into the lead of Division 1 under IRC. The J99 crew had an opening race win penalised on Wednesday and followed with an eighth place but their form is now being rewarded with a healthy points margin in the 14 strong class.
Conor Phelan's Jump Juice from the Royal Cork YC has taken over the lead in the largest fleet of the event thanks to a race win on the second day coming after a second place on Wednesday. The result displaces Bob Rendell's Samatom from Howth YC as class leader.
"It was a 'Snakes and ladders' type day with quite difficult wind shifts, even up to 180 degrees at times," commented Mark Mansfield, tactician on Samatom. "We're looking forward to the next few days when the wind will be a bit stronger and coming from the north so a bit more normal."
The Coastal course enjoyed a scenic tour de force beneath the cliffs of the Old Head Golf Links and close to the lighthouse to dodge the worst effects of the flooding tide. After rounding the Black Tom buoy in Courtmacsherry Bay, the course led back to the famous Sovereigns Rocks that gives the event its name.
Also enjoying a scenic coastal route, albeit of a shorter distance and close to Kinsale Harbour were the two White Sails fleets that have 19 boats between them.
On ECHO handicap, Paralympic veteran and former Kinsale YC Commodore John Twomey had a seventh place for the day on Shillelagh which handed the White Sails 2 lead over to Sam Cohen on Gunsmoke. David Riome and Mark Leonards' Sigma 33 Valfreya took over from Frank Caul's Prince of Tides in White Sails 1.
Meanwhile, the two smallest class turnouts are enjoying some of the closest battles once again in Classes 2 and 3. After four races, David Kelly's King One from Howth has moved one point ahead of Kieran Collins' Coracle VI while a Royal Cork battle for supremacy of Class 3 sees David Lane's Ya Gotta Wanna tied with Supernova owned by Dave O'Regan with Denise Phelan and Tony Donworth.
Friday's forecast is for cooler and fresher conditions including more wind from the north and the prospect of further 'champagne sailing' conditions for the remainder of the event that concludes on Saturday.
www.sovereignscup.com