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Displaying items by tag: Round Ireland by Slow Boat

Richard and Rita Kennedy’s sailing trip around Ireland was meant to be a 10-week journey. It ended up an odyssey spread over two summers.

But the time was more than well spent, as their leisurely sail became an exploration of an Ireland rarely experienced.

And now the voyage is recounted in a new book which launches in Birr, Co Offaly this Friday (6 September).

Round Ireland by Slow Boat is based on a detailed diary kept by Richard Kennedy as he and his wife set out on their sailing boat Seachrán on what was intended to be a “dream sailing journey” — and eventually became much more than that.

“It is also the story of the landscapes and seascapes we encountered, our adventures and misadventures, and the people we met in the many coastal communities around our shores,” he says.

“It was an unhurried journey, taking five months in total, and in that time we experienced, almost universally, the often unseen kindness of people.”

The charming story also recounts the “formidable challenges mingled with moments of wonder and serendipity” as they followed the island’s meandering coastline, taking in its varied environments and people.

Round Ireland by Slowboat is published by Throughthechair Publishing, priced €15, available from RoundIrelabdBySlowBoat.net

Round Ireland by Slow Boat

Published in Book Review

About the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race

The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is undoubtedly one of the greatest ocean adventures on the planet, also regarded as one of its toughest endurance challenges. Taking almost a year to complete, it consists of eleven teams competing against each other on the world’s largest matched fleet of 70-foot ocean racing yachts.

The Clipper Race was established in 1996 by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail solo, non-stop, around the world in 1968-69. His aim was to allow anyone, regardless of previous sailing experience, the chance to embrace the thrill of ocean racing; it is the only event of its kind for amateur sailors. Around 40 per cent of crew are novices and have never sailed before starting a comprehensive training programme ahead of their adventure.

This unique challenge brings together everyone from chief executives to train drivers, nurses and firefighters, farmers, airline pilots and students, from age 18 upwards, to take on Mother Nature’s toughest and most remote conditions. There is no upper age limit, the oldest competitor to date is 76.

Now in its twelfth edition, the Clipper 2019-20 Race started from London, UK, on 02 September 2019.