Prima 38 Nationals at Cork Week

Shaking off the potential handicap of sailing a chartered boat following the damage to Longbow in the St Peterport Race, the Army Sailing Association sailed Don Kennedy’s Oz Privateer temporarily renamed Wight Link to win the Prima 38 class championship, which combined the class results in the RORC St Malo Race with Cork Week.

The offshore leg was a wash-out, with a depleted entry and torn sails resulting in no Prima 38 finishers making it to St Malo. But with ten boats on the start-line, the Prima 38s enjoyed some of the tightest racing among all the big boat classes within Cork Week and demonstating the attractiveness of one design over handicap racing.

Fresh from winning the IRC Class 1 Championship, Plymouth based Bare Knuckles set the pace in the the first race in Cork Week, starting in the harbour entrance, then reaching around the bay before racing up the harbour to Cobh. Solent boats Kylidh and Mostly Harmless, along with Liverpool based Mad Max 2 broke clear of the rest of the fleet. As the wind died approaching Cobh before the sea breeze filled in, Kylidh pulled through to first, to take the first place from Bare Knuckles and Mostly Harmless.

Sailing with IRC 0, IRM and IRC 1, the Prima 38s were made to sail a windward-leeward course designed for Maxis in race 2 and in light airs were shortened at the end of the first lap. Kylidh was first again, from Mostly Harmless and Liverpool based newcomers Another Nods.

Races 3 and 4 were sailed over an old-style Olympic triangle in a force 4. The Army Sailing Association sailing Wight Link was on form, coming home first in the morning and in the afternoon achieving a sixth despite a broken guardrail resulting in four crew members going over the side. Kylidh achieved a second in the morning ahead of Bare Knuckles. Another Nods won the afternoon race, from Bare Knuckles and White Knuckles, but Bare Knuckles took a 25% place points penalty following an infringement against Another Nods.

It was back to windward-leeward courses with a bit more wind and some very Irish rain for races 5 and 6. Retirements were the order of the day with Closing Time suffering minor gear failure, Talisman a terminal spinnaker wrap and Mostly Harmless collision damage in the morning, joined by Kylidh after terminally tangling with the windward mark in the afternoon. Wight Link had the bit between her teeth winning both races from Bare Knuckles, with Another Nods and White Knuckles taking the third places.

In the final race, up the coast to Kinsale and back in a force 2, Another Nods had a cracking start and led the inshore contingent to lead at the first mark, ahead of Mostly Harmless who had found wind further offshore. But Kylidh hoisted her new 0.5 oz kite and found overdrive on the slow run back, finishing ahead of Another Nods and Mad Max 2. Wight Link only managed fifth and Bare Knuckles only managed eighth, but their overall performances were good enough to retain first and second overall. Another Nods second was enough to hold onto a one point lead overall and finish third ahead of Kylidh, who had to count a DNF as well as three first places.

Overall Results: