Blessington SC and Galway City SC Take Honours in Cong-Galway Race

4th September 2024

Light southerly winds last Saturday resulted in a delayed start to the 2024 Cong-Galway Race, as the fleet of 38 boats was becalmed at the start at Lisloughrey for at least 90 mins Credit: Billy Keady

Sailors with Blessington Sailing Club (SC) and Galway City Sailing Club (GCSC) won the cruiser and dinghy classes in this year’s Cong-Galway race.

Conal and Aoibheann McGuire of Blessington SC led the cruiser fleet in their Hawk 20, finishing in a corrected time of 3 hours 17:14.

Cathal Clarke and Debbie Guinnane of GCSC sailed their Wayfarer into first place in the dinghy class in a corrected time of 4 hours 30:33.

Competitors gather before the 2024 Cong-Galway Race Photo: Aoife Lyons

Second in the cruiser class were Stuart Nelson and Ruairí O hAilín, also of Blessington SC and third were Daniel Concannon and Micheal Breathnach of Port of Galway Sea Scouts – both crews also sailing Hawk 20s.

Second in the dinghy fleet were IDRA 14 sailors Alan Carr and Orlaith Connolly of Sutton Dinghy Club, and third in a Fireball were Thomas Chaix and Ben and Alayna Chaix of NYC/TBSC.

A Galway Hooker at Menlo during the Cong-Galway Race 2024 Photo: Patrick Hernon

Light southerly winds last Saturday resulted in a delayed start, as the fleet of 38 boats was becalmed at the start at Lisloughrey for at least 90 mins.

Race officer Aoife Lyons was able to start the race around 12 noon when the wind picked up, but most boats didn’t make it to the “narrows” at Kilbeg till around 1500 hours.

The finish was also later than anticipated at Corrib Rowing and Yacht Club (CRYC), after the obligatory capsize to navigate under the Quincentennial bridge.

Five Galway clubs - CRYC, GCSC, Galway Bay Sailing Club, Galway Hooker Sailing Club, and Cumann Seoltóireachta an Spidéil (Spiddal Sailing Club) - hosted the race over a 30 nautical mile course from Lisloughrey pier, near Cong at the north end of lough Corrib to Galway city.

Three Galway hookers sailed by the Galway Hooker Sailing Club were among the cruiser fleet of nine boats, and 26 of a fleet of 28 dinghies finished the course.

Club commodores and representatives in the photo are (L to R) Pat Irwin (GBSC), Tiernan O'Brien (CSS), Debbie Guinnane and Cathal Clarke (GCSC - overall winners), Dave Flynn (CRYC) and Martin Roe (GCSC) Photo: Niall O'Flaherty

Race Results

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Published in Cong-Galway Race

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The Cong-Galway: Ireland’s oldest inland sailing race

The annual Cong – Galway Sailing Race is Europe’s oldest and longest inland water sailing race.

The original Cong-Galway Race started at the Royal Galway Yachting Club in Galway City and travelled to Ashford Castle in Cong before returning to Galway City, a race distance of 61.5 nautical miles.

The 2020 race is the 137th such race.

The Cong-Galway Race was a huge social event in Galway until 1914. It never recovered after the First World War and was last held in its old format in 1931. The race was later revived in 1972. Now half the original length, the race starts at Lisloughrey pier, near Ashford Castle, and ends just past the Quincentennial Bridge in Galway City.

Cong Galway Race Course

The Cong to Galway Race start is from Lisloughrey Pier in Cong, Co. Mayo and is typically scheduled for 10.30 a.m. on a course through Upper and Lower Lough Corrib to the finish line at Corrib Village on the River Corrib in Galway. The race makes a stop for lunch at Kilbeg Pier, approximately half way, where timings will be taken for the restart.