The course will leave all islands and rock to starboard and competitors should experience a trilling encounter, off the Kerry coast, with the Volvo round the world fleet, who depart from Galway on Saturday afternoon. This fleet will be closely followed out of Galway, by the WIORA 100 mile race fleet, competing for the O Sullivan Marine Trophy, who will finish off the pier in Fenit, to join their southern colleagues in the ICRA national championships on Thursday the 11th, which overlaps the WIORA championships, which starts on the previous day.
The latest high profile entry is Dave Dwyer’s “Marinerscove”, who is one of the few Irish yachts competing in this years IRC championships in the UK, and who has the unenviable task of returning to Fenit in the brief three day gap between events He will compete with a strong fleet from last years Commodores Cup teams, which include Eamon Rohans “Blondie and Tim Costello’s “Tiamat”.
Activity also warms up on the east coast on Saturday the 6th, where an impressive fleet of up to thirty yachts will come to the start line in the Skellig Hotel, Dun Laoghaire /Dingle race. A large contingence of these competitors will continue to Fenit after their prizegiving function in Dingle on Tuesday evening.
Entries close on Friday 29th May, with a current entry list of over seventy, comprising many of the top Irish racing talent though boats such as Conor Phelan's Jump, skippered by former Olympian Mark Mansfield, have already indicated they will not be sailing.