#VOLVO OCEAN RACE - Some 40 sailboats from Galway Bay Sailing Club converged in Galway on Saturday for a dress rehearsal of the sail parade that will take place as part of the city's Volvo Ocean Race events.
As Galway Bay FM reports, the Galway Afloat parade was set to follow a course from Salthill along the promenade, around Mutton Island and onward to the city docks.
Charged with firing a welcoming shot from a ceremonial canon at the parade's end was Galway City Mayor Hildegarde Naughton, back in the City of the Tribes after her recent visit to Miami ahead of the sixth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race.
According to Pierce Purcell of the GBSC and director of the Irish Sailing Association (ISA), the parade rehearsal was the largest ever number of boats from the club to converge in the city for one event.
As many as 150 sailboats are expected to take part in the race finale parade, marking the end of an eight-day festival of sport, culture, entertainment and the arts.
Just four weeks remain till the Galway stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race, which commences on 30 June.
