Local Knowledge

I'll Take Seven Races, 400 Pints of Black and a Large Disco Please

From the 16 aboard Disco Inferno2 (First 47.7).

What a party Cork is! I've only just recovered enough to recall the memories of the week (lots still seem to be missing) and write a brief report for this fine website. The power of rehydration salts cannot be recommended highly enough as an aid to hangover recovery.

The social after racing is just first class 'till 2am every night. Bed by 3am. The Disco rent-a-party carried on hard every night bringing each tent alive with bright red Hawaiian shirts and winning two magnums of champagne for 'best dressed crew'. What great taste those judges have. The party highlights included kicking the beamish Irish bar into action as the 'Gay Australian Sailing Team' on Tuesday night and stripping the willow with the other crews to the tunes played by Natural Gas. Our Mast and Foredeck ran a very successful week long battle to see who could dance with the most ladies, much to he bemusement of some local lasses, and our Main Sheet introduced Cork to the subtle art of tree jumping, performed at 2.30am, which comprises a 20 yard run up and jump into the potted ferns. He also takes the accolade for the 'Jack Mihov' tannoy announcement, which seemed to be appreciated by the 5000+ crowed on the last afternoon. I don't remember laughing so much in years.

Unfortunately, it has to be said that some of the race organisation left something to be desired. I think every boat on the water erupted with laughter when the race committee instructed the IMS fleet to stop motoring and resume racing after Mini the Moocha pointed out the SI's excluded that fleet from the timed out rule. Never the less the crew of Disco Inferno over came all obstacles, well the mother of all hangovers, to join in the long windless harbour race on Monday, and the equally uncomfortable 'double the stated distance' windward/leeward 1 on Tuesday, from which Disco, and others, were timed out. The Olympic triangle course on Wednesday gave us our best result of the week, which was remarkable considering the enormity of the crew wide hangover. Thursday was a struggle it has to be said with more wind to aggravate the increasing hangovers (by now the mother and father of all), and ended with a retirement from the second race due to slight damage to the luff of the No.3. By Friday the body had stopped reacting to the sleep deprivation and enormous quantity of alcohol sloshing around the system just in time to enjoy the final the coastal race, held in moderate breeze, and from which Solliel III graciously provided the mighty Disco with the prize of a magnum of Champagne for beating them.

Some of the high lights of the racing include the awe-inspiring behemoths Morning Glory and Pyewacket racing around the courses. The Disco crew had the great pleasure of being sandwiched between the pair of them on the Tuesday start line providing a fantastic spectacle of team work. Some interesting gossip from the camp of Morning 'I'm not playing coz you went back on the pre-regatta agreement of no match racing' Glory kept the 5000 strong bunch of sailors talking, and Full Pelt twatting Flirt leaving a 10 foot rip in her main and getting flicked from the protest, was also a hoot, not to mention her rather slow performance. Disco's attempt to make the windward mark on the port layline was unnerving with Chipewa bearing down on us 5 feet away under kite. Our trimmer, to leeward at the time with a good view, nearly fouled his foulies, so he did. To make up for it he did get to call starboard on Pyewacket, although it was the quietest call I've ever heard him make, barely a whisper, and the priceless double take from our tactician as Full Pelt passed our stern by all of 2 inches was also rather amusing.

Cant wait for 2006