#isora – The 2014 Round Ireland race brings more interest to a burgeoning Irish Sea offshore scene (ISORA) next June and while ISORA commodore Peter Ryan of the National Yacht Club (NYC) is not proposing to include this 704–mile offshore race in the ISORA schedule there are plans afoot to widen ISORA's traditional reach and move some races at least away from the traditional Dun Laoghaire – Pwllheli race axis.
Conwy in North Wales are keen to host a race start on the 10th May for the up to 30–boat fleet and the response to the Isle of Man (IOM) race last year was huge.
The first May Bank Holiday is the annual Round the IOM race completed during an extended weekend and there is a suggestion this could be accommodated within the trip to and from the Island.
On the Irish east coast Arklow is also a keen location and the new marina at Greystones is also a new venue. In Dublin Bay there are four weekends of regatta races scheduled in 2014. Skerries in North Dublin have expressed an interest and regular ISORA venues at Dun Laoghaire, Howth and Wicklow are all still keen to maintain links across the Irish Sea as are the Welsh ports of Holyhead, Pwllheli and Abersoch. An IRC event is being hosted in August for Abersoch and Pwllheli.
Discussions on featuring the new ports will be a main part of ISORA's agm this month with suggestions already being made that Carlingford in County Lough or Ardglass, Co. Down, situated just south of Strangford, and other Northern Irish Sea ports be considered too.
The annual ISORA AGM will be held in the NYC at 15.00 on Saturday 16th November, same day as the dinner.
