Uptide Girl is the 2000 Cork Small Boats Festival Champion, completing and terrific “double” with the Rosslare Festival and going back home to North Wales with £ 2,000 prize money.
Skipper Gordon Thornes, his wife Wendy and Mike Roberts, were always among the favourites and their homework paid off in gale force conditions as the 35 boats were restricted to fishing within Cork Harbour for three of the four days.
During the four days fishing in the Stena Line Ferries sponsored event – now in its fifteenth year – the boat included bass to 9-8-0 and flounders to 2-0-0 in the haul on the two “Specimen Hunt” days.
The Rosslare Small Boats took place the previous week and Uptide Girl took the title with 21 species and won £ 700.
THE RESULTS
Stena Line Cork Small Boat Festival (two days)
1. Uptide Girl (Connahs Quay) 14 species; 2. Goldilocks (Colwyn Bay) 12 species; 3. Wave Hopper (Limerick) 12 species; 4. Bass Hunter (Colwyn Bay) 11 species; 5. Beastmaster (Blackpool) 11; 6. Rosea (Colwyn Bay) 10 species.
Leisure Angling Specimen Hunt (one day)
Best Bass: Highlander (Wirral Boats) 7.96lb ; Best Pollack: Vixen (Guileen) 7.17lb ; Best Ray: Spoilsport (Guileen) 7.87lb.
Trabolgan Specimen Hunt (one day)
Best Bass: Uptide Girl (Connhas Quay) 9.08lb; Best Flounder: Uptide Girl (Connahs Quay) 1.8lb; Best Dab: Atlantic Raider (Limerick) 0.92lb.
Heaviest Fish: Rosea (Colwyn Bay conger 28.9lb.
