SailingBright sunshine brought winds of change to the 500-boat Cork Week fleet yesterday as organisers breathed a sigh of relief that happier faces were once more coming ashore.
The conditions also brought casualties, ranging from man-overboard incidents to collisions and a dismasting in the lumpy seas off Roche's Point.
Predictably, the giant maxi 86-footer Pyewacket and Morning Glory have taken the ascendancy in Class Zero where their size easily outpaces their smaller rivals - there is simply no contest.
Still, Roy Disney's winning streak continues, beating Hasso Plattner in both Windward-Olympic races yesterday and he tops the 27-boat class.
There's an argument for a Super Class Zero and even Disney echoed support for separating the big boats. "I've been in those kind of boats too and cribbed about it, we just need another big boat to do it (have the new class in Cork Week)," said the 73-year old skipper who is a veteran of 14 Trans-Pacific races.
So, with Disney now overall class leader, second place is held by Plattner and the pair now move into private battle territory for the final outcome tomorrow afternoon. Effectively, Class Super Zero is unofficially created.
This leaves Colm Barrington and his tussle on board Flying Glove against Robert Elliott's Erivale in third and second places respectively after the tie-break. This pair must now contend with more usual big boat opponents in their class, as cruiser-racers are closer matched on IRC handicap.
Yesterday saw the 86-foot maxis pursued by Swan 62-footer Constanter from the New York Yacht Club in third place in race four. In spite of pre-event predictions and a mighty handicap to prove it, Stephen Fein's Full Pelt, the radical 36-footer, has failed to make an impression and lies second last in the class.
The changes across the fleets also saw Eamon Crosbie's Calyx Voice & Data slip from form after two bad races in Class Two where Nick Jones' Tarka, a Beneteau 40.7, has taken over the lead.
Class One is also turning into an open competition with Christopher Sharples on Maverick 2 leading overall, but George Sisk on Wow from Dun Laoghaire is now second by just three points. Galway yacht Dark Angel skippered by Eamon Connelly took race three to move into fifth place in the class.
In Class Three, Yeomantix skippered by Robin Aisher still leads but a second place for Ireland's Aztec 2 brings the Dublin crew up to sixth place..
The MacCarthy brothers on Checkmate hold second overall.
Class Five has two Dun Laoghaire crews chasing Nick Fullagher's British yacht Fixation at the front of this 42-boat fleet. Enda Connellan's Blue Berret Pi and Barry Cunningham's Dick Dastardly, second and third respectively, must overcome a seven-point gap first with two days remaining.
Irish Paralympic sailor John Twomey led for the third consecutive day in Class Seven.
