Cork Week Day 5 - The Aussie View

'Blackheart on her last kite run, Cork Week Day 5 - Cork Week 08' Ingrid Abery &copy Copyright

What a bl**dy great week to go sailing! We've just finished our final day at Cork Week 08 and before we even sailed across the finish line we had all vowed to come back in 2010.

A stunning day at Cork was had today, the sun finally came out and we felt like we had gotten to Hammo early. We were on the harbour course today which is the closest thing this regatta has to our typical Sydney Harbour races. We had a possible 30 courses ranging from 18 miles to 42. And with very fickle winds all morning it was hard to call what it was going to be.

The race committee here at Cork must have a direct line to a higher power because as we hung around the start line in a very light nor'wester waiting for the start, race control announced that we would be sailing course 7, a course for south west wind. So we set up for a kite start and just as the starting gun went, the wind swung to the south west, no kite required! These guys are very well connected!!!

We've mentioned previously that we've been towards the back of the fleet all week, (we're blaming the handicapper, definitely not the crew!)but we have been having our own race within a race against a boat call Yola (RaboBank) and have been partying with their crew so the competition has been fierce! They pipped us at the post today but kindly waited at the line for us and cheered us across the finish much to the amusement of the committee vessel!

So we are about to head off for our last nights partying, then it's an early departure to take the boat back to her home port on the south west coast of cork so at least we get a final sentimental sail in.

We are definitley coming back in two years time. The quality of the racing, the variety of the courses and of course the partying is unparalleled. We have certainly gotten ourselves noticed here in Cork and have featured in no less than three national newspapers as well as on national radio, so we think they'll remember us!

Thank you to our wonderful sponsors Blackheart and Suunto and most of all thank you Cork - see you in 2010!

We sign off with a tribute in the form of an Irish Limerick
There was a regatta in Crosshaven
About it the Aussies are ravin'
The Crew work was great
The partying was late
Now they're sad to be leavin'