#roundirelandrecord – A 60-foot MOD 70 trimaran with Ireland's top offshore sailor Damian Foxall and an international crew on board is to attempt to break the Round Ireland speed record this week.
French sailor Sidney Gavignet will skipper Oman Sail, a MOD 70 that was last in Irish waters for the MOD70 European tour last September. As well as Foxall, Neal McDonald, Jean Francois Cuzon and Fahad Al Hasni are listed as crew.
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The bid is sponsored by the Tourism ministry of Oman.
World Speed Sailing Record Commissioner Chris Moore, who is also the vice-commodore of Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) will officiate this latest attempt, possibly on March 20th but subject to weather. The plan, according to Moore, is to start and finish at the Kish lighthouse at the entrance to Dublin Bay using DBSC's new starting vessel Freebird.
This latest record attempt at the 700–mile course is 20 years since Steve Fossett's Lakota set the inaugural Round Ireland record. Back then Irish sailors Con Murphy and Cathy MacAleavey of the National Yacht Club were on board the catamaran.
The National Yacht Club is the keepr of records of Round Ireland speed record attempts for solo, monohull and multihull records.
In Early Sept 1993, the 60ft. trimaran 'Lakota' shattered the previous record for the fastest circumnavigation of Ireland by almost one full day.
Sailing with a crew of 5 – American co-skippers Steve Fossett and David Scully, English yachtsman Brian Thompson and Irish husband and wife team, Con Murphy and Cathy Mac Aleavey from the National Yacht Club – "Lakota" crossed the start line at the Kish in Dublin Bay on Wednesday, 8th September 1993 and headed North East, finishing at 09.12 on Friday 10th September, completing the course in 44 hours, 42 mins and 20 seconds, averaging 15.84 knots.
David Andrews, T.D., Minister for Defence and the Marine, presented the Cork Dry Gin Perpetual Challenge trophy for the record to Steve Fossett at a presentation dinner in the National Yacht Club on the 18th November 1993. The trophy remains with the National Yacht Club until there is a successful challenge to beat "Lakota's" time through some other sailing club or national authority.
More details on the current record attempt as we have it. Below some footage of Oman Sail at speed.
