Flag Officers Dinner 2025

The annual Royal Cork Yacht Club Flag Officers’ Dinner took place in the Club dining room on Friday 25 April 2025. It was hosted by Admiral Annamarie Fegan, and attended by current Flag Officers, Executive Committee members, former Admirals, former Flag Officers and invited guests. A wonderful evening of delectable fare of local seafood and seasonal produce was prepared by in-house chef Graham Donovan and the catering team, led by Amy Hyde. A special thanks was given to the staff for the continuing, consistent excellence in catering and presentation of the wonderful occasion. 

The toasts of the evening were commenced by one to the President of Ireland, Micheal D. Higgins by Flag Officer, Rear-Admiral Yvonne Durcan, preceded by grace by Cathy O’Sullivan, both introduced by MC Brenda O’Donovan. 

A toast to the members was made by Phil Vaughan, with particular emphasis on the inclusion and diversity element of the club, noting how welcoming it has become. A heartfelt response was given by Louise O’Keeffe. Louise gave an example of how a curious interest in the club when her family of three boys were young, has blown into a fully fledged family passion of active involvement in sailing and volunteering, surpassing all ideas of how it would go when they first dipped their toes in the water.  

Chairperson of Communications and Membership Gwen Roche proposed a toast the Royal Cork Yacht Club celebrating the achievements of the club by mentioning its strong, thriving membership of 1,900 members, at home and abroad, the continual engagement of a committed social media drive to maintain a steady flow of communication and to further enhance the work of the archives team of volunteers curating, archiving, storing, restoring and maintaining our world-class collections of bequests and donated nautical items and artefacts. It’s no mean feat, ably led by Kevin Lane and Sally O’Leary, but helped by a team of members, keen to uncover records of the past, to pass on to the members of the future. 

The lively evening of 60 or so guests was rounded off by a speech by Admiral Annamarie Fegan, updating all on the current, healthy state of the club. Junior sailing continues to grow in popularity and is a large element of the yearly offering. Adult sailing has a new following as the community of Crosshaven grows and the club continues to draw on the local aspect of growth, prosperity and community. Club racing is as lively as ever, showcasing all the club has to offer on and off the water in a friendly, modern club

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