By Tara Maher
The RCYC was full of glitz and glamour on the Wednesday of Volvo Cork Week as the ladies stepped out in their best frocks to celebrate the annual Ladies Day Lunch. This year's event was to honour and raise funds for the RNLI, which celebrated 200 years of service in Ireland and the UK, and 24 years in Crosshaven. Its station on the lower road is only a stone's throw from the Yacht Club, where the lunch took place.
The RNLI was established in 1824 in London by Sir William Hillary and quickly became a British institution. At the time, Ireland was part of the Union and saw its first RNLI station set up in Arklow, Co. Wicklow. By the time the Free State was established in 1922, 24 stations were up and running around the island, all crewed by local volunteers.
Crosshaven RNLI was established in 2000 and sits proudly on the Hugh Coveney Pier. Lifeboat Operation Manager Patsy Fegan currently leads 64 RNLI volunteers stationed in Crosshaven, spread across crew, onshore crew, operations, fundraising, and water safety.
This year marked history for the RCYC as they saw their first-ever female Admiral in Annamarie Fegan, which coincided with the RNLI's bicentennial year, whom she has strong familial ties with. Annamarie herself was the chairperson of fundraising, her brother Patsy is the current LOM, and her daughter Molly is a crew volunteer.
In a touching speech, Ms. Fegan spoke about the importance of the RNLI and the dedication and courage undertaken by its volunteers daily and acknowledged all the women at the lunch associated with the organisation, and thanked them for their service. To date, the RNLI has saved over 146,000 lives. The voluntary body is primarily funded through legacies and donations, and events like the VOLVO Cork Week Ladies Lunch are highly important for its success.
Under the guidance of organisers Amy Hyde of the RCYC, Aoife Dinan, a former RNLI volunteer, and the day's MC, RedFm's KC, the event was a delightful affair. Annamarie welcomed 180 guests, including host of RTE's Room to Improve Dermot Bannon and Suzie McAdams from Interior Design Studio, to a four-course dinner prepared by Chef Grizz. The evening was filled with entertainment, including a raffle and a fashion show that showcased the latest trends from Stitch' n Design, Panama & Pearl Millinery, and Totally L Clothing.
The event was kindly sponsored by an array of local businesses, including Balloon Buddies, Ayu, Here's Health, Phelans Pharmacy, La Bougie, Hidden Hearing, Barry & Fitzwilliam, Alfaparf, Mediglow, Levis Luxuries, Volvo, The Pavillion, Run with Ros Mason Wealth Management, Kinsale Leather, Cork Harbour Cruises, Carrigaline Court Hotel, The Oar Bar and Deaf Entrepries who generously provided towards spot prizes, the raffle, goodie bags and decorations.
Following the lunch, the ladies danced into the night and some into the early hours of the morning…
The Ladies Lunch was one of many onshore highlights, which also included the Family Fun Day, drinks promotions, prize giving, and the highly anticipated closing party.
This year, organisers at Royal Cork Yacht Club were committed to making the regatta a green event by taking significant steps to conserve the ocean habitat of Cork Harbour. They introduced several sustainability measures to preserve the maritime health of important local waters. They hope their efforts will be awarded with the gold standard 'Clean Regatta' certification from Sailors for the Sea, the world's leading ocean conservation organisation that educates and activates the sailing and boating community toward restoring ocean health.
Commenting at the Volvo Cork Week prize-giving, Admiral, Royal Cork Yacht Club and co-chair of Volvo Cork Week, Annamarie Fegan, said, "On behalf of the Royal Cork Yacht Club and our sponsors and partners, I would like to extend my thanks to all of our competitors from Ireland and around the world who put in so much effort to be part of Volvo Cork Week 2024. This week's racing has been a fantastic showcase for the incredible sport of sailing, and I hope that this will encourage more people of all ages to get out on the water. I would also like to thank the race officers and their teams for their outstanding race management and our Green Committee for working so hard to ensure our event protected our treasured waters. And finally, to Volvo and Johnson and Perrott for their incredible support, as well as Cork County Council, Port of Cork, Musto, Heineken, Barry & Fitzwilliam, John Paul Construction, Smart Club Solutions, and media partner Cork's Red FM.
To find out more about becoming a volunteer, fundraising and legacy gifts please see rnli.org
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