Tributes to sailors after race success

THE commodore of Kinsale Yacht Club Antony Scannell has paid tribute to two club members who achieved remarkable results in the 2023 Rolex Sydney to Hobart Race.

The event, now in its 78th year, attracts crews from all over the world, and amongst them were Cian McCarthy and Sam Hunt from West Cork.

They participated in the two-handed class, which means that two sailors have to sail, navigate, feed themselves, and make repairs and tactical decisions, along the 630-nautical mile course while, at the same time, attempting to snatch some sleep.

Their boat, Cinnamon Girl – Eden Capital, was borrowed locally for the race and made to feel like Cian’s own boat, Cinnamon Girl, a Sunfast 3300, which is berthed at Kinsale Yacht Club’s marina.

This involved bringing their own sails and ropes, as well as the customised bowsprit – which is the long extrusion from the bow of the boat – that Cian had designed to enhance the boat’s performance when sailing downwind.

Cian, his wife Catherine, and their five children, including identical triplet boys, as well as Sam, his wife Sarah, and three children, headed for Sydney in early December.

They needed the extra time to familiarise themselves with the new boat. When they arrived, they had to fit their own sails and ropes, to make sure that in the middle of the night, while thundering along in mountainous seas, they would release the correct rope to sail the boat as conditions required.

The two men are no strangers to two-handed sailing, or indeed hardship, Anthony Scannell told The Southern Star, having previously won the inaugural Inistearaght Race from Kinsale to the Blaskets and back again.

Anthony, who was elected Commodore of Kinsale Yacht Club in December after Matthias Hellstern’s term, paid tribute to the sailors. He said conditions during this year’s Hobart Race were atrocious at times, with wind speeds from near calm to over 50kts, or 93km per hour.

Cian and Sam finished in second place in the Corinthian IRC (non-professional) class, and fourth overall in the two-handed IRC class.

Local FG Cllr Marie O’Sullivan described Kinsale Yacht Club as ‘a pioneer in so many ways’ and she praised Cian and Sam for making such an impact.

She said the Kinsale club leads by example in that it promotes inclusivity in all sectors, whether it is gender-based or with their Sailability Scheme in conjunction with Cork Sports Partnership.