#VOR – Thousands will be given an opportunity to learn to sail during the spectacular finale of the Volvo Ocean Race on Galway Bay next month say Galway organisers who have lined up 42 separate on-water events which will take place on Galway Bay during the course of the Volvo festival.
Details were announced at a briefing by Galway Bay Sailing Club and The Irish Sailing Association in the House Hotel last Friday night.
As part of a nine day seafaring festival built around the race finale sailing clubs want to get a record breaking number of people onto the water between June 30th and July 8th.
The arrival of the Volvo fleet will put the city at the centre of a global media spotlight, the briefing was told, but for many local sailors the highlight of the festival will be an opportunity to take part in one or other of the highly competitive sailing regattas on the Bay or to have a go on one of the high speed Volvo tri sailboats.
The events being organised by Galway Bay Sailing Club include the Irish Multihull National Championships which has attracted an entry of over 40 boats. These high speed craft will be seen off Salthill on Sat 30th June & Sun 1st July.
The club is also hosting GB12 cruiser racing series and 50 yachts are lining up for this three-day event, attracting boats from Westport, Limerick, Clifden, Sligo, Galway and the UK.
Galway is also taking a leading role in the dramatic round Rockall Race, which starts from the city on Sunday 24th, the same day as the Round Ireland race from Wicklow.
One of the biggest gathering of boats ever to happen will take place on Sunday 1st July at Galway docks and will be organised by GBSC member Pierce Purcell, who is expecting up to 200 boats to take part in the colourful parade of sail. Weather permitting, the fleet will meet at Salthill and join a junior parade of sail off Mutton Island.
Pierce wants all water users to join this parade of sail including yachts, sailing dinghies, traditional boats, power boats, ribs, fishing boats, scout groups windsurfers and canoes. A reviewing vessel will anchor off the channel to the docks and a band will welcome the armada into the marina to add to the shore festival just a day before the Volvo 70s arrive.
One of the highlights will be the Irish Disabled Sailing Association regatta. Over 100 sailors who have physical disabilities have already applied for the accessible sailing series.
This joint event is designed to encourage people with disablities to take to the water.
GBSC are also running a schools team-racing event. John Killeen, President of Let's Do it Global said he was delighted with the enthusiasm of the sailing clubs and of the 2,000 volunteers from all over Ireland who will assist in running the biggest sailing event of the year.
The Mayor of Galway Hildegarde Naughton said this 'event was huge for not only Galway, but all of Ireland' and would attract massive media coverage as well as visitors to Galway city.
Over twenty sailing clubs and training centres including power boating, windsurfing, scouting, the RNLI, the Harbour Company and Irish Water Safety were represented at the House Hotel in Galway at the weekend.
