BLT's Perfect Eight Seals Cork Week 2026 Overall Win
by Louay Habib 11 Jul 08:19 UTC
6-10 July 2026
Sam Laidlaw's Royal Yacht Squadron Quarter Tonner BLT completed a perfect Cork Week, winning all eight races sailed in IRC Three to win the overall prize for Cork Week, the Kinsale Kettle.
BLT was also awarded the Cork Week Trophy as the best overseas entry.
The Kinsale Kettle is far more than the trophy awarded to Cork Week's overall winner. Steeped in the history and traditions of the Royal Cork Yacht Club, it represents one of the regatta's most prestigious honours.
For Cork Week 2026, the silver Kettle was lifted by Sam Laidlaw and the crew of the Quarter Tonner BLT, whose outstanding performance in one of Cork Week's most competitive classes earned them the overall title. Holding the magnificent trophy at the prize-giving, Laidlaw paid tribute to the racing, the organisers and the celebrated Cork welcome.
“The racing has been absolutely extraordinary. How you managed to get in so many races for so many classes was remarkable, and of course we all come to Cork Harbour for the Harbour Race, which is always one of the most exciting races of the week.
Cork is a place where the racing is not only very competitive, but also enormously good fun, with tremendous hospitality. We are honoured to win this magnificent trophy, which certainly would not have happened without Brett, Ed, Rupert and Nick keeping me out of trouble around the racecourse. Thank you all for a fabulous week.”
Beaufort Cup
Baltimore RNLI rounded off a perfect Beaufort Cup scorecard by winning the final race of the series to lift the trophy for the first time. Brian Mathews’ Defence Forces SC team came from behind to take runner-up spot in the final race, with Simon Coveney’s Waterfront team third.
The vast majority of the Baltimore RNLI crew are active members of the lifeboat station, responding to emergencies along the coast of West Cork, including skipper Robert O’Leary.
“A massive thank you to the Royal Cork Yacht Club and to Brian Mathews for organising such a fantastic event. The racing has been brilliant, and racing around the Fastnet Rock is always a very special part of the Beaufort Cup. We are incredibly grateful to Pat Kelly for lending us the boat and to the crew of Storm for giving us the opportunity to compete this week.
I also want to thank Secretary General for Defence Ms Jacqui McCrum for her support and for meeting us on the dock. Thank you to Jackie and Pat who are past commodores of Rush Sailing Club. Most of all, thank you to my crew, our fellow competitors and everyone involved in the regatta. We have had an unforgettable week and look forward to coming back again.”
Etchells European Championship 2026
Chris Hampton's Tango from Royal Brighton YC (AUS) completed an outstanding Cork Week to win the Etchells Open European Championship, counting six race victories from eight starts. Andrew Crosbie’s Royal Cork YC Knot on Call finished fourth overall and collected both the Best Corinthian and Best Irish Boat awards.
Reflecting on the championship, Chris Hampton highlighted Tango’s resilience and the quality of the Cork Week experience:
“We have had to come from behind a couple of times. When we haven’t started well, we’ve managed to claw our way back through good boat speed, positioning and consistency. We’ve had the full range of conditions, from stronger breeze to light-air sailing, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Being part of Cork Week has worked extremely well because it creates an atmosphere that we simply would not have had racing on our own. The race committee produced very even courses, with genuine tactical choices both upwind and downwind. The hospitality has been fantastic, Crosshaven is a beautiful place, and these are some of the best sailing conditions we have experienced for years.”
As racing at Cork Week 2026 concluded, Principal Race Officer Con Murphy reflected on the clear objective shared by the regatta’s race management team: to deliver fair, straightforward racing that competitors could understand and enjoy.
For Murphy and the Cork Week race officers start the process well before the first start, and follow that up with daily meetings to assess the weather, shipping movements and the most suitable racing areas. Once afloat, the emphasis was on square start lines, clearly defined courses and reducing delays between starts.
“The key is not to make it complicated,” Murphy explained. “Keep the communications clear, do the basics properly and be ready to take the opportunity when the breeze appears. Good race management should allow the sailors to concentrate entirely on their racing.”
IRC 0 & IRC 1
In IRC 0, Michael and Richard Evans’ Howth YC J/112e The Big Picture completed an outstanding Cork Week by winning IRC 0 with six race victories from eight starts. Nick Southward’s RYS/RHKYC J/122 Whiskey Jack won the last race and finished second overall. Simon Britten’s Portishead CC One Tonner Hero completed the podium in third, just one point behind.
In IRC 1, Barry Cunningham’s RCYC / RIYC J/109 Chimaera delivered a commanding performance to win IRC 1, scoring seven race victories from eight starts. Second was John Maybury’s RIYC J/109 Joker 2. Third was Andy Williams’ Portishead CC J/109 Ctrl-J, completing an all-J/109 podium. Chimaera was also awarded the Prince of Wales Cup for the best IRC performance in the Cork Harbour Race.
IRC 2 & IRC 3
In IRC 2, James Dwyer’s Royal Cork YC Half Tonner Swuzzlebubble dominated IRC 2, winning seven of the eight races. Ronan Downing’s Royal Cork YC Half Tonner Miss Whiplash finished second. Just one point decided a fierce battle for third with David Eddowes’ South Caernarvonshire YC Beneteau First 31.7 Quattro, holding off Levins, Foley & Twomey’s Alig8r from the Royal St George YC.
In IRC 3, Sam Laidlaw’s BLT was the winner. Anton Korshunov’s Howth YC Quarter Tonner Symmetry finished second and was the overall winner for the ICRA Nationals, while James Waugh’s County Antrim YC Quarter Tonner Hellaby Puffin completed the podium in third.
Coastal 1 & Coastal 2
In Coastal 1, Robin Young’s Royal Northern & Clyde YC J/109 Jings secured the Coastal 1 title yesterday but the final podium places went down to the final race. Jings had built a strong position with three consecutive victories, including the Cork Harbour Race, but the class remained finely balanced heading into Friday.
Frank Whelan’s Greystones SC Sydney 43 GTS El Syd kept the pressure on by winning the last race. Jings finished third, but with the discard applied, Young’s team held on to win the class by a single point. The battle for third was equally tight. John Treanor’s RIYC/NYC NMD 43 Cristina finished second in the final race, a result that lifted the team onto the podium. Cristina and Tim McCarthy and Wan Waterman’s Royal Cork YC J/111 Joyride ended the series tied on points, with Cristina taking third on countback.
In Coastal 2, George Radley Jnr and Snr’s Cove SC Sun Fast 32 Tuco completed a remarkably consistent series to win Coastal 2. After opening with a fourth, Tuco never finished outside the top two again, scoring second on Tuesday, winning the Cork Harbour Race and then adding two more second places. That consistency proved decisive, giving the Radley team the class title by five points. Tuco’s performance also earned the Radley team the Sisk Corinthian Cup as the regatta’s best Corinthian entry.
The fight behind them remained open until the final race. Pat Tanner’s Royal Cork YC Castro 3/4 Tonner Bateleur88 had moved firmly into contention with second in the Harbour Race and victory on Thursday. Third place in Friday’s finale was enough to secure second overall. Paddy Kyne’s Howth YC X-302 Maximus had started the week in commanding fashion with back-to-back victories. A third in the Harbour Race kept the team in the hunt, but a discarded tenth on Thursday and eighth in the final race left Maximus third overall, just one point behind Bateleur88. Andy Jenkins’ Royal Cork YC S&S 34 Morning After finished Cork Week on a high by winning the final race, lifting the team to fourth overall.
Non-Spinnaker 1 & 2
In Non-Spinnaker 1, The McGrath family’s Royal Cork YC Dehler 34 Big Mac delivered the defining performance in Non-Spinnaker 1, winning five consecutive races from Monday’s second contest through to the Cork Harbour Race. That run gave Big Mac a commanding grip on the class before Thursday’s windless race resulted in a DNF, which became the team’s discard. A second place in Friday’s final race completed the series and secured the title. Big Mac was also awarded the Coveney Wave Trophy as the best-performing Royal Cork Yacht Club boat.
Kieran O’Brien’s Royal Cork YC MG335 Magnet was the most consistent challenger. Magnet finished in the top three in every counting race and won Thursday’s contest but could not overturn Big Mac’s earlier sequence of victories. O’Brien’s team finished second .Aidan Heffernan’s RCYC/SHSC Dehler 36 Indulgence secured third.
In Non-Spinnaker 2, Ian Hickey’s Royal Cork YC Granada 38 Cavatina won through consistency across the full eight-race series. Cavatina opened Cork Week with victory and then counted five further podium finishes, including second places on Tuesday, Thursday and in Friday’s final race. With the discard applied, Hickey’s team finished on 16 points to take the class title by four.
John Twomey’s Kinsale YC Blazer 23 Shillelagh was the standout race winner, scoring five victories, including the Cork Harbour Race and the final race of the series. However, a non-scoring result on Tuesday and a DNC on Thursday left the team with too much ground to recover, despite their exceptional winning record. Shillelagh finished second overall.. Sean Hanley’s Royal Cork YC HB31 Luas secured third overall.
Sportsboat Cup
In the Sportsboat Fleet, Trevor D’Arcy’s Carrickfergus SC VX One Sheep Dawg completed a commanding Cork Week victory. Sheep Dawg won the opening seven races in succession, including the Harbour Race, and discarded a second place from Friday’s opening contest to finish with just nine points. The margin of victory was an emphatic 15 points.
Ian Patterson’s East Antrim BC Viper 640 Sid secured second overall on 24 points after a consistent series that included four runner-up finishes. David McFarland’s Carrickfergus SC VX One Vixen took third on countback from Matthew McClernon’s Blur, with both boats finishing on 28.5 points. Vixen’s two race victories proved decisive in the tie-break.
Among the regatta’s special awards, Niall McPhillips’ Guapa received the Hugh Loane Trophy for the Concours d’Élégance, recognising the boat’s outstanding presentation and appearance throughout Cork Week.
Chairman of Cork Week, Ross Deasy confirmed that the 2028 edition of Cork Week will mark the 50th anniversary of the world famous regatta and will be held in early July 2028.
For more information about Cork Week visit www.corkweek.ie