#ribchallenge – 10000hrs Sunday – Afloat.ie just received news from ribber Derek Shaw on Nyzod, a Zodia Pro Open 650, on the RIB Challenge that the fleet is en route to Royal Cork Yacht Club and has just passed the Mizen and estimate possible arrival somewhere between 1pm and 3pm.
Nyzod is the only Irish entry in the challenge and has on board John Garvey an RNLI Cox, Walker Shaw, Richie Cunningham, Donal O'Connor and Paul Lydon.
The Challenge started out with twenty five RIBS and one motor cruiser ranging in size from 4.7m up to 11.5m, a week ago. The fleet met bad weather coming down the west coast and have been stormbound in Dingle, Co. Kerry for the past two days.
RIBs ran into difficulty last Thursday in County Kerry prompting Fenit lifeboat to issue a reminder about how important it is to get an up to date forecast and plan your journey carefully and stay in regular contact with the Coastguard. Fenit ALB launched to assist three ribs which got into difficulty in Brandon bay. Fenit lifeboat took one vessel in tow, and escorted the other two ribs to Fenit harbour.
Organiser of the event Hugo Montgomery-Swan, gave a most graphic description of the conditions encountered by some of the boats approaching Brandon Bay. Seas of ferocious ferocity were encountered with winds whipping and twisting enormous sheets of white water some 300 to 400 feet long and with twisters clearly seen.
The Irish Coastguard were advising and Fenit life boat was tasked and took a RIB that had lost power and was being towed by a fellow challenger, under tow back to Fenit marina. Three boats spent the night there and the second three boats of this party were advised by the Coastguard to make for the safety of a beach inside Brandon where they spent the night on the beach, according to local reports.
