Cork Week 2010 - Australia's Lulu Belle Uncorked

by Anne Stockdale on 14 Jul 2010 Day One – Cork Week 2010.

The good crew of Lulu Belle Uncorked arrived in Crosshaven on Sunday evening; keen, happy, optimistic, but most importantly enthusiastic, to represent Australia at Cork Week 2010.

Wilson, their mascot, (escaping a rumored indiscretion in Australia) was found in the pub talking to Sean a local. During their conversation, Sean was asked by the barman to leave the bar because he was on a curfew.(i.e not allowed to drink after a 8pm or the cops would throw him in the lock up) and Sean comes back with ' you look after the beers and I'll look after the Gardai!'.

And so the week starts…… with copious quantities of medicine, quaintly sold as red wine in Cork. The crew arose to a sunny (foggy, wet, sunny foggy, wet) day, to find that their engine would not engage into forward on their Elan 340. So, unable to leave the berth they were lucky to find Chris and Anne from Manly Sailing who offered to help them out and off we went (backwards).

Two races later, two lost headsail halyards, one lost spinnaker halyard, a broken headsail drum, a torn spinnaker, three bowmen down and a very unhappy Wilson we returned (backwards).

Luckily six bottles of Chianti Reservi 2006 were discovered in the bilge. Wilson opened the first one – which was a challenge because he has no arms, but bless him he managed it and soon the traumas of the day were forgotten, as the crew retired to the bar. As the sun set (actually tried to set and never set, this country is weird)

So, at 5am, the crew were seen discussing tactics for the following day, in Gaelic.( God bless Chianti and Guinness!)

Day 2 - Tues 13th
Sunshine, rain, fog, mist, but guess what no wind….. finally it fills in and we are off to the harbour race (backwards).

Now the thing about motoring backwards when you have a 12.5 ft flood tide is that you actually look like you are going forwards, so we didn't feel too foolish.

Anyway, we got to the start line by all means we could and would you believe it, just at the start line were Anne and Chris from Manly Sailing who offered to help us out again. Wilson told them the crew were revolting but Anne decided that they weren't that bad and off we went .

And guess what, we had a great day, no broken halyards, no torn kite thanks to North Sails brilliant repair we had a fabulous day. What a different day to the day before, yesterday it was pressure and no time to eat lunch, today was not only lunch close enough to lunch time, but Irish Coffees on the down wind leg.

Wilson who had taped the previous day to show us how sad we were could not believe the new attitude as the crew were singing, dancing and generally having a ball as they crossed the finish.

Wilson and his crew are currently lying in 14th place overall, we have had every possible breakage, mistake and misfortune already, the rest of the week has to be ours, surely – watch this space.