The Cork Business Association along with main sponsor Heineken Ireland announced this past week that their prestigious Merit Award is going to the Royal Cork Yacht Club.

This is only the second time the Cork Business Association have made such an award, the last one went to Joe Gavin, City Manager in 2005. The Royal Cork Yacht Club are the organizers of the biennial Cork Week, which is widely regarded as Europe's premier sailing event.

Cork Week is now the biggest regatta in the world and is estimated to contribute between €18 and €20 million to the local economy. For this economic contribution and the worldwide media coverage the event generates to the benefit of Cork, the judging committee deemed the club to be worthy winners of this prestigious award.

Mike McCarthy, Admiral RCYC, said that what started as a small regatta in 1978 has grown year on year with entries now topping 500. It is a huge achievement which is down in main to the hard work of the organizing committee which this year is chaired by Tony Donworth and to the generosity of the event sponsors.

The original Race Week was held at Crosshaven in 1978. Small events were held in 1980, 82, 84 and 85. In 1986 Beamish & Crawford became the first sponsors of the New Cork Week at which 86 entries were received. Heineken came on board as sponsors in 1988 and entries were up to 104.

After 1988 the event really started to grow and Ford became the Title Sponsor until 2002 by which time the entries topped 500. ACC Bank were the Title Sponsor for 2008. The event is now as big an event on land as sea and draws visitors from all over the world even those who are not sailors for some of the world's best sailing and on-shore entertainment.

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