9 September 2024 – Kinsale, Ireland – After the previous day’s strong winds, day two of the Kinsale Dragon Gold Cup 2024 supported by Astra Construction Services Ltd produced fabulous conditions, allowing races one and two of the six race series to be completed. The sun shone and race one got underway in a lovely 10-12 knots from the northwest. By race two the wind was round to the west and building into the high teens ensuring there was something to please everyone. With the long Gold Cup courses, where each leg is typically 2.5 miles and races can take several hours, it was exhausting but rewarding sailing for the 62 strong fleet.
Peter Cooke of the Royal Forth Yacht Club claimed first blood, and the prestigious Borge Boressen Trophy, from Portugal’s Pedro Rebelo de Andrade, with Germany’s Stephan Link third and Britain’s Lawrie Smith, the defending Gold Cup champion, in fourth.
In the second race it was Australia’s Peter Gilmour, sailing for Japan, who shone with a comfortable victory over the current Dragon World Champion, Switzerland’s Wolf Waschkuhn, with Portugal’s Michael Zankel third and Britain’s Grant Gordon fourth.
In the overall standings Peter Gilmour and JPN56 YRed now lead the fleet having taken a seventh in race one prior to their race two victory. Lawrie Smith’s GBR815 Alfie is in second overall by a four-point delta, with Peter Cooke in GBR402 Meteor a single point behind in third and on equal points with Wolf Washkuhn’s SUI318 1quick1 and Bo Sejr Johansen’s DEN423 Déjà vu ver. 2.0.
The Corinthian, all amateur, Divison races were won by Mark Dicker sailing GBR GBR610 Rackham and Hannes Hollaender in GER1075 Grace. In the overall Corinthian standings Hollaender is tied on points with Guss de Groot in NED309 Furie, with local hero Cameron Good in IRL211 Little Fella third.
Victory in the first race for Peter Cooke was particularly sweet and made up for the slight disappointment of a twelfth in the second. After racing he explained, “We had a lovely day. The Sun’s been shining and the temperature’s a bit warmer. We got a nice start in race one, we avoided a kerfuffle out at the pin end, so it was nice to avoid that. Then basically we just tacked on some shifts and stayed nearish the middle. We rounded the top mark in sixth, so that was fine and then as we headed downwind it seemed to be going well. We were just concentrating on sailing our own race and then we went round onto the last run in close second to Pedro and just managed to get past him. Then, of course, there was a shorten course, so in that situation you’re pleased to be finishing early. It was nice that we had some good distance on the other boats so a good day. Our second race was not so good, but overall, we’re still very happy.”
The first race for Michael Zankel, sailing POR80, got off to a tricky start, hitting the pin and then having a boat on boat shortly after the start, which meant that had to take two separate penalty turns in rapid succession, putting him well down the fleet. Despite this he came back strongly to take places on every leg and finish the opener in thirteenth. A clean race two saw him take a third, putting him in sixth overall. Speaking about the second race Zankel noted, “That was a very good race, and we are very happy in the strong conditions. And it was a good decision to shorten the race because it was very strong wind and we are a big Fleet and some can do these strong conditions and some not, so it’s every time good to shorten the race.”
With tide taking the fleet over the line it took three attempts to get race two underway with the U Flag penalty system in operation. After the benign conditions of race one this was to be a much tougher affair with the wind and sea state building throughout. The recall delays meant time was now short and with the wind forecast to build well into the twenties in the late afternoon the Race Committee made the wise decision to finish the race after the second beat.
Second race winner Peter Gilmour talked us through his day. “We had a lovely day out, there was good breeze and, you know, maybe we had the wrong genoa up for the first race, but it was the right genoa for the second race, and I think a few others were vice versa. In race two we got a better start at the boat end, and we were in the top group coming into the top mark. And then there were about five boats in a line abreast going down wind and we got the left-hand gate at the bottom mark and, as we were coming back up upwind, we were leading at that point and we got a left-hand shift, which really jump jumped us out from the rest of the fleet. We’d been open mind about both gates, but the left looked a little bit better, and the other thing was that we knew that that by coming out on port we wouldn’t be turning straight back into the fleet, there was wind against waves, so it was pretty lumpy out there.”
In the Corinthian Division for all amateur crews the opening race was won by Mark Dicker with Guus de Groot second and Neil Hegarty of IRL225 Phantom third. Corinthian Division race two went to Hannes Hollaender, who was followed home by Jono Brown in GBR753 Fit Chick, with Martin Byrne’s IRL201 Jaguar Sailing Team third.
A great start was Dicker’s secret to success, “The first race, it was pretty much down to the start and getting left up that first beat, so we sort of had a plan to try and only pin end, and it was pretty tight down the pin end, but yeah, we flew off the left-hand side of the racecourse and came out good. I think we just got slightly out of phase on the second beat with a couple of shifts, and they just got a bit of a jump on us, but first Corinthian is pleasing.”
The top performing Irish boat today was Cameron Good’s Little Fella who lies in seventeenth overall and is third Corinthian. Based in Kinsale Good has also been a key member of the event’s organising committee, so was pleased to put the years of planning behind him and focus on racing at last. “Today was exciting. We had two average starts. On the second beat we went hard left and that got us back into it. In the second race, we probably sailed too much up the middle, until the last beat when we push out further left and I think we have maybe the teens overall, but yeah, it was full on in the second race and it was enjoyable.”
After racing the exhausted but happy crews repaired to the courtyard of the Kinsale Yacht Club where once again the club’s hospitality team were ready and waiting to welcome them with drinks and delicious hot snacks at the Yanmar Après Sailing Party and daily prize giving.
The forecast for day three of the championship is for more strong winds so the Race Committee has advised the competitors that the committee boat will leave the harbour at 10.45 to inspect the conditions. The competitors are to be prepared to race on time, but to remain in the harbour and await an update from the committee before leaving the dock.
Four races remain to be sailed in the six race no discard series, which continues until Friday 13 September.
PROVISIONAL OVERALL TOP FIVE AFTER TWO RACES
1st – JPN56 – Yred – Peter Gilmour – 7, 1 = 8
2nd – GBR815 – Alfie – Lawrie Smith – 4, 8 = 12
3rd – GBR402 – Meteor – Peter Cooke – 1, 12 = 13
4th – SUI318 – 1quick1 – Wolf Waschkuhn – 11, 2 = 13
5th – DEN423 – Déjà vu ver 2.0 – Bo Sejr Johansen – 8, 5 = 13
PROVISIONAL CORINTHIAN TOP FIVE AFTER TWO RACES
1st – GER1075 – Grace – Hannes Hollaender – 26, 9 = 35
2nd – NED309 – Furie – Guus de Groot – 10, 25 = 35
3rd – IRL211 – Little Fella – Cameron Good – 20, 17 = 37
4th – IRL219 – TBD – James Matthews – 26, 16 = 45
5th – FRA401 – Grinta – Herve Chauvin – 18, 28 = 46
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