Australian crew competes at Cork Week 08

by Anne Hogan on 10 Jul 2008 An Australian Crew led by Chris Stockdale and Anne Hogan of Manly Sailing, Sydney will compete at Cork Week which starts this weekend in Ireland. The crew will represent their home club Manly Yacht Club, Sydney at the regatta which is hosted by the oldest yacht club in the world, RCYC.

Irishwoman Anne Hogan, took up a contract in Australia with a telecoms company in 2000. Her intention was to stay for two years and then return to Ireland. But things did not quite work out as planned, because shortly after Anne arrived in Sydney she decided to take sailing lessons and quickly developed a passion for the sport and for Australia which has since led to her becoming an Australian citizen and opening a business; Manly Sailing, with her partner Chris Stockdale.

The company, which is based at Manly on Sydney Harbour, enables individual sailors to join crews competing at international and local regattas, organises corporate regattas, yacht delivery and race preparation.

In 2006, they returned to Ireland to visit family. While there, they had the good fortune to be invited to compete at Cork Week 06 on local boat Blue Belle. Chris, who has competed at a considerable number of regattas around the world, immediately voted Cork Week as the best ever and could hardly wait to get back to Sydney to tell all of their yachting mates about it.

Well, they must have talked it up because this year they are returning to Ireland with a team of eight friends to compete at Cork Week 08.

They have chartered a yacht from Con Minihane of Baltimore Yacht Charters and plan to race as hard as they can. The crew are representing their home club; Manly Yacht Club in Sydney and is made up of crew from both Manly Yacht Club and Middle Harbour Yacht Club in Sydney.

They have secured two wonderful sponsors, Suunto and Blackheart Adventure Industries and the days are being ticked off calendars.

The crew is made up of Australian nationals and expats, like Anne, who have made Australia their home. While the crew have never raced together as a team before, many of them have sailed on the same boats on Sydney Harbour and in the Australian Offshore races.

All of the crew are experienced amateur sailors who, between them, have over fifty years of yacht racing experience ranging from the Sydney to Hobart races to International Regattas to Club Racing.

Most of the crew fly into Ireland this weekend, the advance team is there already and while relaxing over a guinness at Kinsale Yacht Club this afternoon who did they bump into but the Australian Paralympic Sailing Team, who are competing in Kinsale this weekend, go the aussies!!

It’s an exciting time of year for the crew as once Cork Week is finished they disperse to sail at a number of other events. Some go on to Cowes week, some fly straight back to Australia to compete in the Gold Coast Race and the remainder fly back in time to race at Hamilton Island Race Week; this is one busy crew!

A full bio of each crew member and further details of our campaign can be found on www.manlysailing.com.au/racing and we will be providing regular updates on our progress.

So watch out Cork – the Aussies are coming….

Read more about the crew on www.manlysailing.com.au

Check out the sponsors at www.blackheart.com.au and www.suuntowatches.com