The McGrath family’s Royal Cork YC Dehler 34 Big Mac had a Cork Week to remember, finishing the regatta with the ICRA National Championship, the Coveney Wave Trophy for best-performing Royal Cork Yacht Club boat, and the overall win in Non-Spinnaker Division 1.
Big Mac’s class win came on the back of a dominant run through the middle of the week, taking five consecutive races from Monday’s second race through to the Cork Harbour Race. That streak built a commanding lead in the class well before the series was decided. A windless Thursday brought the team’s only blemish, a DNF that became their discard, and a solid second place in Friday’s final race was more than enough to seal the title.
“We had a fantastic week at Cork Week,” said skipper Tom McGrath. “We won a number of trophies, including the ICRA National Championship and Best Host Club (RCYC) Boat.”
For Tom and his family crew, the highlight of the week came in the All in Harbour Race, the regatta’s marquee event with 100 boats on the start line. “The highlight for us all was winning our class in the feature race, the All in Harbour Race, which had 100 boats on the start line,” Tom said. “We finished five minutes ahead of the nearest competitor in our division on corrected time, and beat every boat in our class on the water, which was a big achievement as the third-lowest-rated boat on IRC. We also managed to beat some much higher-rated spinnaker boats across the line.”
Across the whole week Big Mac posted five firsts and two seconds under IRC. “We never anticipated doing so well, especially in the light winds where we’ve tended to struggle in the past,” Tom said.
Much of that turnaround came down to a sail and rig update completed in the weeks before the event. “We’ve had the boat for five or six years now, and the sails were getting a little old and tired,” Tom explained. “Working with Barry to update our headsails was really easy and straightforward, and the service we received was excellent.” The team originally planned to order just a new #1 genoa, but five weeks out from Cork Week they decided to add a new #2 as well. “He was able to deliver on time, something we’re really grateful for at such short notice,” Tom said.
Barry Hayes of UK Sailmakers Ireland also joined the team on the water for a shakedown sail with the new headsails, following behind in a RIB and recommending changes to the boat’s rig, including new tuning and a replacement backstay. “Both made a big impact, and the boat seemed to travel really well upwind with the new sails, pointing much higher and faster than we’d ever experienced before,” Tom said.
Looking back on the week, Tom put the result down to more than just the equipment. “We really put it down to the new headsails and rig modifications suggested by Barry, as well as sailing with a consistently great crew throughout the week,” he said. The team sails mainly as a family, with a few friends filling out the last spots.
Congratulations to the McGrath family and everyone aboard Big Mac on a brilliant Cork Week, and great to see so many UK Sailmakers customers on the water making waves of their own.
This year’s Cork Week was well-attended by UK Sailmakers Ireland customers. Regatta photos © Rick Tomlinson.
Full Cork Race Week results available here.
