#roundireland – Round Ireland race organisers have confimed Ireland's former entry in the Volvo Ocean Race, 'the Green Dragon', will sail in Sunday's Round Ireland yacht race from Wicklow Sailing Club as one of the biggest entries in the race.

Wicklow SC say the 70-foot sloop will be raced by an 'amateur crew' but any other details of arrangements for the race are yet to be made public. Afloat.ie understands Green Dragon's crew are made up of a consortium of Dun Laoghaire yachtsmen.

In a post on its race website Wicklow officials say the Volvo 70 had arrived in Dun Laoghaire marina from Alicante in Spain to finalise preparations for her Round Ireland competition against an international fleet of 36 yachts, many from the UK.

The Reichel Pugh designed canting keel yacht was built in 2008 and competed in the 2008/09 Volvo Ocean Race under British skipper Ian Walker where she finished fifth out of seven starters.

Wicklow Sailing Club Commodore John Harte said: 'It will be great to have such an iconic yacht such as the Green Dragon in the Round Ireland Yacht Race. She will be a very impressive spectacle on the start line'.

The yacht has been stored in Galway since the end of the last VOR race before being moved to the continent for a number of promotional engagements including the VOR Legends Regatta.

Green Dragon is set to be involved in a number of initiatives as a youth academy boat.

Apart from the mural of the trawler (click HERE) there are a wide variety of vessels represented from general cargo-ships and the inclusion of STV Asgard II and the World's last ocean-going paddle-steamer P.S. Waverley. These vessels have too berthed alongside the adorned eastern breakwater where spectators flock to see the start of the biennial Round Ireland Yacht Race which was held last year.

The photo of the trawler was taken on a previous call at the Packet Quay, Wicklow and not Arklow as stated. The Packet Pier is the most used commercial quay in the Co. Wicklow port, where timber and scrap-metal cargoes are relatively common. For example the Arklow Rebel which loaded scrap-metal bound for Liverpool, to read more click HERE.

Round Ireland Champ Piet Vroon from Holland is in Wicklow town for Saturday night's celebration of the 30th Round Ireland. Vroon, 80, who has already picked up the Royal Ocean Racing Club's Yacht of the Year award is back in Wicklow and it is certain exploits during Ireland's offshore race in July will be relived when Vroon lifts the Round Ireland trophy at the Park Hotel in Newtownmountkennedy. The Wicklow Sailing Club prize giving includes a new Irish Cruiser Racing Association trophy (ICRA) and the inaugural winner is a local boat, Aquelina (The Tyrrell fmaily) from Arklow.

Among the attendance at the offshore night of the year is 19 crew from visiting UK competitor Malta Puma.

More on the Round Ireland Yacht Race:

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A Round up of 80 stories on the 2010 Round Ireland Yacht Race

Exactly one week after it left Wicklow, Yahttzee, the last competitor in the Round Ireland Yacht Race 2010 arrived home this morning allowing Wicklow Sailing club to publish its full overall results table (attached below). It will be a race that will be remembered for its predominantly light winds. Full Round Ireland Yacht Race overall and class results are attached below in our download section, showing the magnificent performance of overall winner Tonnerre de Breskens from Holland.

More on the Round Ireland Yacht Race:

Round Ireland Yacht Race 2010 Review

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There was no deluge of overnight finishers, no sing of meteorological miracles or surging mass of racers passing Howth and heading on to Wicklow as the final stages of the Round Ireland slowed to a crawl in the short hours of darkness. The tracker shows plenty of boats stopping, spinning, and presumably anchoring off the coast of Northern Ireland as the wind dropped to a zephyr and the tide pulled at the fleet like toy boats in a draining bath.

But, firstly, Afloat.ie offers official congratulations to Tonnerre de Breskens 3, now sitting pretty in Wicklow with the major challenges to their title punctured below the waterline. Their race was near impeccable, and they add the Round Ireland win to their recent string of RORC offshore victories. To them, the glory, and it is all well deserved. Your correspondent pegged them as favourited, despite the Water Rat's predictions that Inis Mor had more in store.

Inis Mor, as it happens, slipped quietly into harbour yesterday evening at 7.38pm to take second overall. Then an overnight lull in finishers was broken by Fujitsu coming home at ten minutes to five, followed by the impressive young crew of Pride of Wicklow at ten to six, who drew a roar of appreciation from those waiting on the quays. Visit Malta Puma were next in at 6.35, and now the long wait for the next finishers, a trio of Aquelina, Bejaysus and Daft.com.

Cavatina's hoped-for  intervention failed to materialise, and they have yet to cross the mouth of Belfast Lough, having spent the night close inshore where they could anchor against the tide.

Indeed there's a long way to go for those still out on the racecourse. A string of ten boats are crossing Dundrum Bay off Newcastle, with the rest in a cluster near Cushendall. For some of these competitors, depending on the weather, the race could last close to a full week, if they persist.

A word of congratulations to Wicklow town for making a proper festival of the race this year and showing its potential for growth. Official figures suggested 10,000 people hit Wicklow last weekend, but those involved were ebulliantly talking it up to 15,000 or more, which is no small achievement. It goes to show that despite its status as a sport that's not built for spectators, everyone loves to party with sailors.

Questions have been raised about the future of the race, however, in today's Irish Times. Article HERE.

Have your say on the racing in our forum thread HERE.

The race tracker is HERE, and the official site is HERE.

More on the Round Ireland Yacht Race:

Round Ireland Yacht Race 2010 Review

Round Ireland Yacht Race, Ireland's top offshore fixture

Markham Nolan spoke with South African Matt Trautman, boat captain of clubhouse leader Tonnerre de Breskens 3. Matt tells Afloat.ie about the crucial factors in Tonnerre's total domination of the Conway Media Round Ireland Yacht Race, which they led from start to finish.

Club house leader: Tonnerre at the start of the Race last Sunday. Photos: Bob Bateman

More on the Round Ireland Yacht Race:

Round Ireland Yacht Race 2010 Review

Round Ireland Yacht Race, Ireland's top offshore fixture

Reports from Wicklow suggest that the crew of Tonnerre de Breskens 3, the line honours winner, have decamped to their hotel for some well-deserved rest. The ease with which they sleep will be telling.

Only two boats in the Conway Media Round Ireland Yacht Race have finished, and tradition dictates that it's a race rarely decided by first-past-the-post. With 34 of the 36 boats still on the race course, a handicap finisher can always put a fly in the ointment. One boat with potential to do that is Cavatina.

Her handicap means that she has until 10.27 on Friday morning, which gives Tonnerre enough time to have a lie-in and and Irish breakfast before watching the clock count down to an assured victory.

Inis Mor's target time has come and gone so they are no longer an issue for Tonnerre, and it will take a boat with a big handicap to cause them a sleepless night. 

It will also take a lot of wind, something that's in short supply. Back-of-the-napkin calculations suggest Cavatina need to be moving at an average of 8.7 knots for the remainder of their race to win. Cavatina is currently located at Rathlin Island, says the tracker, doing exactly zero knots, with not much more than eight knots of wind forecast over the next 18 hours. Even sailing downstream in spring tides all the way, Cavatina would still need a divine intervention.

One big remaining question is whether or not Psipsina can retain her double-handed title. She's currently caught in the narrows off Strangford making just two knots while Daft.com heads into the Irish Sea at more than 7 knots. Psipsina has held the lead for the majority of the race, and the good money would back her to retain it at this stage.

Still a lot to play for, however, and tomorrow morning should see the rankings finalised in most classes.

For tracker-addicts and those with friends and relations battling in the pack, it's another evening of F5 refreshes and twitching fingers. 

Tonnerre de Bresken took line honours in the Conway Media Round Ireland Yacht Race early this morning, tying up in Wicklow harbour just after 4am. The Dutch entry held off the Open 60 Spirit of Rosslare Europort in a light airs beat down the Irish Sea, but all eyes will now scan the horizon for the main challenger for the overall title, Inis Mor. Bernard Guoy's Clifden-registered Ker 39 has until 14.13 to finish if they want to claim overall honours. This is a tall order, with the Frenchman just south of the mouth of Strangord Lough, making seven knots on a fetch to Wicklow.

Light airs and strong tides either side of midnight meant that the anchors came out for some boats off Rathlin Island.

Gloom continues to be the prevailing mood on the beleagured double-hander Daft.com, operating with no electronics or autohelm. Their latest online missive read: "Rage! Wind has disappeared and we are anchored just after Rathlin Island. Very keen for the finish now. Bruised, blistered, cut, tired, sore and ready to get moving into the finish line."

Conditions are getting to Hanna White aboard Dinah, also, who tweeted: "No sleep, rubbish food, peeing in a bucket, remind me again why I do this sport?"

Two packs of three are duelling down the Northern Irish coast behind Inis Mor. Visit Malta Puma, Pride of Wicklow and Fujitsu are all within 2.5 miles of each other, and then twelve miles back, Daft.com, Aquelina and Bejaysus are battling it out.

The fleet are stretched like a swimming cap over the head of the country in a line from Strangford Lough to Bloody Foreland.

Have your say on the racing in our forum thread HERE.

The race tracker is HERE, and the official site is HERE.

Celtic Spirit has become the first retiral in the Conway Media Round Ireland Yacht Race, with a broken pole meaning they have no effective means for sailing downwind. A report on the official race site says: "Owner Michael Holland tells us crew member, Joe, had a very lucky escape as the broken pole flew across deck and knocked him down - fortunately it was just a glancing blow and the only damage was a torn jacket. All is not lost - they are closeby Inishboffin and know a nice deep hole to anchor in to enable them drown their sorrows."

Meanwhile the hobbled Daft.com has lost ground to the chasing pack with a cracked spreader, and are being caught gradually by Pride of Wicklow, Fujistu and Visit Malta Puma as they round Malin Head. A broken alternator has resulted in no electrics aboard the double-hander, which has meant that Mick Liddy on Daft.com has had to helm non-stop. His blind co-skipper, Mark Pollock, was reliant on technology to allow him steer, and the two are suffering from sleep deprivation (see video below).

From Pride of Wicklow's shore crew via their Twitter feed: "Edging their way ahead in a game of wits...ETA 2-4 pm Thursday... but they are working hard to improve that.come on Powwwwwww"

Inis Mor still holds the lead overall and third on the water, and the tide should turn soon to suck her around into the Irish Sea. Tonnerre de Breskens continues to hold off the Open 60 at the front, with Alan McGettigan's crew having to make some slow angles in light beating conditions.

Have your say on the racing in our forum thread HERE.

The race tracker is HERE, and the official site is HERE.

The latest results in the Conway Media Round Ireland show that Inis Mor had managed to sneak back in front as the fleet began to round the north coast. A 6am report from the race office puts Tonnerre in second, with Inis Mor leading the standings and Class Zero. 

More as we have it.

FROM THE RACE OFFICE;

Race Office Update 23/06/2010 @ 06.30 hours

Provisional results for leaders of each class Wednesday 23rd at 06.00 hours.

Overall
1st Inis Mor 
2nd Tonnerre de Breskens3 
3rd Visit Malta Puma

IRC 0 Inis Mor
IRC 1 Visit Malta Puma 
IRC 2 Psipsina 
IRC 3 Alchimiste 
Class 4 Cruisers Cavatina 
Class 5 Classics Cavatina 
Class 6 Sigma 38 Persistance 
Class 7 Two Handed Psipsina

“Pride of Wicklow “ currently lying 6th in overall fleet and 3rd in Class 0.

The lead boat “Tonnerre de Breskens3” is approx 150 miles from the finish.