Royal Cork Yacht Club
Cork, Ireland
RCYC stands out as one of the five yacht clubs to compete in every edition of the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup since the competition first began in 2009. RCYC's best finish was fourth place in 2013.
RCYC is the oldest yacht club in the world; it was established in 1720 and now boasts a total membership of approximately 1,800. Past members include Prince Ferdinand Maximilian of Austria, later Emperor of Mexico, and Sir Thomas Lipton. The club's facilities are unparalleled in Ireland and continue to expand. Major world, European, and Irish Championships are regularly hosted at the club. The biennial Cork Week regatta is regarded as one of Europe's premier regattas, attracting participants from all over the world.
Team Profile
The RCYC team for the 2019 IC will be headed by an impressive father-son duo, Anthony and Robert O’Leary. Skippering for the team will be Anthony O'Leary (left), who began sailing in 1970 and started his sailing career in Cadets and J/24s. Over the years, he has managed to secure National titles in the Cadet, J/24, National 18, and 1720 sportboat classes, along with various IRC divisions. He also proudly captained the victorious Irish Teams at Rolex Commodores Cup in 2010 and 2014, and on the administrative side, he has spent many years chairing the Race Committee during Cork Week.
Doing the tactics for RCYC will be Robert O'Leary (pictured right, situated on the left), Anthony's son. Robert began sailing at a young age, and quickly moved on to yacht racing in his mid-teens on a variety of IRC boats and One-Design classes such as the 1720. He has campaigned two successful Commodores Cup campaigns in both 2010 and 2014 and won his class in the Royal Yacht Squadron Bicentennial Regatta. A snapshot of his varied accomplishments on the water are winning the J/109 Nationals, 1720 Nationals, and the Wave Regatta as a tactician.
Photo: Martina Orsini/afloat.ie
