What is the date and time of the 2020 Round Ireland Yacht Race?

August 22nd. Starting times: Monohulls 1300 hrs and Multihulls 13.10 hrs.

What is the Round Ireland Yacht Race distance?

Approximately 704 nautical miles or 1304 kilometres

Round Ireland Yacht 2026 Race Updates from Wicklow Sailing Club

Q: What is the Round Ireland Race speed record?

The Round Ireland race record of 38 h 37 min 7s is held by MOD-70 trimaran Musandam-Oman Sail and was set in June 2016.

Round Ireland Yacht 2026 Race Updates from Wicklow Sailing Club

Debut Challenger: Géry Trentesaux's Pogo RC Courrier powers along the Irish coast during the 2026 Round Ireland Race after just four hours of crew training before the start.

Trentesaux Reveals Courrier Pogo RC Had Just Four Hours' Training Before Round Ireland

6th July 2026 Round Ireland

French offshore racing legend Géry Trentesaux has revealed that his new Pogo RC, Courrier, had just four hours of crew training before taking on this year's Round Ireland Race – making the yacht's remarkable runner-up finish on corrected time all…

Offshore Honour — Johnny and Suzie Murphy's J/109 Outrajeous races off Wicklow Head during the 2026 Round Ireland Race, where she finished third overall and won the Corinthian Division and Class 4.

Johnny Murphy of Howth YC is June’s “Sailor of the Month (Offshore)”

1st July 2026 Sailor of the Month

In what was probably the most competitive Round Ireland Race from Wicklow in the event’s 46-year history, Johnny & Suzie Murphy’s immaculately prepared and presented J/109 Outrajeous from Howth lived up to her name by spending an outrageous amount of…

Round Ireland Race 26 Concludes With A Flourish

26th June 2026 Round Ireland

Friday 15:30hrs – An entire week’s wind and a southerly, and all of it crammed into one Friday afternoon. That’s how it has felt as the bulk of the fleet slugged their way towards the finish of the Round Ireland…

Quiet Progress — Mike Evans' J/112E The Big Picture makes steady progress in light airs during the 2026 Round Ireland Race. The Howth Yacht Club yacht remained locked in a close contest with clubmates Outrajeous as the fleet worked south through the Irish Sea. Photo: Afloat.

It’s Now A Fleet Of Four Parts In Round Ireland Race

26th June 2026 Round Ireland

Friday 07:30hrs – The 43 boats in the open IRC division of the Round Ireland Race 2026 from Wicklow now find themselves in four groups. The tail-enders are in the North Channel, about 15 boats in total, extending all the…

French Flair — Courrier Pogo powers away from the start of the 2026 Round Ireland Race. Skipper Gery Trentesaux and his Franco-Irish crew produced one of the standout performances of the race, finishing second overall behind Khumbu. Photo: Afloat

Round Ireland 26: Khumbu May Have Won, But Courrier’s Performance Is Sensational

25th June 2026 Round Ireland

Thursday 19:30hrs – Superficially, Gery Trentesaux’s Pogo RC Courrier Pogo may seem like one of the smaller boats in the Round Ireland Race 2026 from Wicklow. Yet her IRC rating of 1.082 (as against, for instance, the 1.002 of the…

This Scowling Is Different - Successful Scow Show In Round Ireland Race

25th June 2026 Round Ireland

Thursday 13:30 hrs - More than a clear day after Guy Gillon’s Botin 56 Khumbu swept in to the Round Ireland finish line at 12 knots yesterday (Wednesday), there’s been action again down Wicklow way with the very scow-bowed Class40…

Tidal Winner — Gery Trentesau and Tom Dolan aboard Courrier Pogo, whose overnight escape through the North Channel tidal gate lifted the Pogo RC to second overall on IRC in the 2026 Round Ireland Race. Photo: Afloat

France’s Courrier Pogo Flies Through The Night In Round Ireland

25th June 2026 Round Ireland

Thursday 07:30 hrs – Veteran French skipper Gery Trentesaux on his newly-acquired Pogo RC Courrier Pogo, with his crew including Ireland’s Figaro-winning Tom Dolan, has had a real night on the tiles in the 2026 Round Ireland Race, zapping through…

Lead Again — Outrajeous drives hard through the waves during the 2026 Round Ireland Race. The Howth Yacht Club J/109 of Johnny and Suzie Murphy regained the provisional overall IRC lead as the fleet closed on the finish.

Crazy Tides Of Rathlin Foster Wild Hopes In Round Ireland Race

24th June 2026 Round Ireland

Wednesday 19:30 hrs – With the on-water leader, the Botin 56 Khumbu, long since across the finish line in Wicklow, a fixed target is now set for the prowling Round Ireland fleet to aim for, and perhaps dream a little.…

Black Magic — The striking Botin 56 Khumbu powers along the coast under her towering black sails. Skippered by Guy Gillon, the 56-footer claimed Line Honours in the 2026 Round Ireland Race and later moved to the top of the IRC corrected-time leaderboard.

Round Ireland: Khumbu Back On Top After Outrajeous Hour Of Glory

24th June 2026 Round Ireland

Wednesday 13:30hrs - Guy Gillon’s Botin 56 Khumbu took line honours at Wicklow in the 2026 Round Ireland Race with extraordinary precision at 09:26 hrs, extraordinary” as our 07:30 update had reported that she was right on target with 23…

Line Honours — Round Ireland Race organiser Kyran O'Grady presents the Line Honours trophy to Guy Gillon and the crew of the Botin 56 Khumbu after their winning finish in Wicklow. The international crew completed the 704-nautical-mile circumnavigation as first yacht home in the 2026 Round Ireland Race.

Khumbu Claims Line Honours In Round Ireland Race

24th June 2026 Round Ireland

The Botin 56 Khumbu, skippered by Guy Gillon, secured Line Honours in the 2026 Round Ireland Race after completing the 704-nautical-mile course and finishing in Wicklow on Wednesday morning. The powerful offshore racer rounded Ireland ahead of the fleet to…

Khumbu On Track For Round Ireland Finish This Morning

24th June 2026 Round Ireland

Wednesday 07:30hrs – The new Botin 56 Khumbu (Guy Gillon) is on track to finish the Round Ireland Race at Wicklow this morning, coming in from the northeast, and currently making 12 knots on track to the line with 23…

Black Threat — Khumbu powers away from the start of Round Ireland 2026. By Tuesday evening, Guy Gillon's Botin 56 had surged from deep in the fleet to become one of the strongest contenders for overall honours.

Round Ireland Chips Are Falling Khumbu’s Way

23rd June 2026 Round Ireland

Tuesday 19:30 hrs – Although Guy Gillon’s Botin 56 Khumbu is now past Rathlin and seemingly on a different planet to the rest of the fleet - where the front-runners are closing in on passing Tory Island at the other…

Northern Charge — Khumbu heads south shortly after the Round Ireland Race start. The Botin 56 later surged through the fleet standings and rounded Malin Head with a commanding lead on the water. Photo: Afloat

Khumbu Charges North As Fog Threatens Round Ireland Fleet

23rd June 2026 Round Ireland

Tuesday 15:15hrs - There’s been sparkling sailing off Ireland’s northwest coast tiday to brighten life up for a fleet shaking off the ill-effects of prolonged calm. But unfortunately the current stream of extremely humid air may mean that fog will…

French Connection — Gery Trentesaux and Ireland's Tom Dolan aboard Courrier Pogo RC, now leading overall in the 2026 Round Ireland Race after making the most of the returning southwesterly breeze.

Courrier Pogo In Overall Lead In Round Ireland 26

23rd June 2026 Round Ireland

Tuesday 08:00: France’s offshore racing veteran legend Gery Trentesaux and Ireland’s Figaro winner Tom Dolan are proving to be a potent mix aboard the scow-bowed Courrier Pogo, as they picked up best as an overnight sou’west airstream spread slowly east…

Red Tie Tribute — Outrajeous slips along Ireland’s Atlantic coast during the 2026 Round Ireland Race. The J/109 was leading on IRC corrected time while carrying a crew campaign in memory of Skerries sailor Matt Davis. Photo: Afloat

Avoid Ireland If You Want To Win Round Ireland 2026

22nd June 2026 Round Ireland

Monday 20:30hrs - Back in the days of sail, the guidance for shipmasters trying to get unwieldy old square riggers safely out of the stormy west end of the English Channel bluntly stated: “Ushant Should Not Be Sighted”. In other…

Purple Exit — Kate Cope's Sun Fast 3200 Purple Mist races in brighter conditions earlier in the season. The RORC entry was one of two boats to retire from the 2026 Round Ireland Race after 48 hours of competition.

Two Retire As Round Ireland Fleet Faces Third Night

22nd June 2026 Round Ireland

Two boats have retired from the 2026 Round Ireland Race as the fleet prepares for a challenging third night at sea in persistent light winds. After 48 hours of racing, organisers confirmed the withdrawal via the tracker app of Polished…

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Round Ireland Yacht Race Information

The Round Ireland Yacht Race is Ireland's classic offshore yacht race starts from Wicklow Sailing Club (WSC) and is organised jointly with the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) and the Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC). This page details the very latest updates from the 2008 race onwards including the race schedule, yacht entries and the all-important race updates from around the 704-mile course. Keep up to date with the Round Ireland Yacht Race here on this one handy reference page.

2020 Round Ireland Race

The 2020 race, the 21st edition, was the first race to be rescheduled then cancelled.

Following Government restrictions over COVID-19, a decision on the whether or not the 2020 race can be held was made on April 9 2020 to reschedule the race to Saturday, August 22nd. On July 27th, the race was regrettably cancelled due to ongoing concerns about COVID-19.

Because of COVID-19, the race had to have a virtual launch party at the Royal Irish Yacht Club for its 21st edition.

In spite of the pandemic, however, a record entry was in prospect for 2020 with 50 boats entered with four weeks to go to the race start. The race was also going big on size and variety to make good on a pre-race prediction that the fleet could reach 60. An Irish offshore selection trial also looked set to be a component part of the 2020 race.

The rescheduling of the race to a news date emphasises the race's national significance, according to Afloat here

FAQs

How many miles duration is the Round Ireland Yacht Race?

704 nautical miles, 810 miles or 1304 kilometres

What is the distance around Ireland's coastline?

3171 kilometres is the estimate of Ireland's coastline by the Ordnance Survey of Ireland.

Who is the sponsor of the 2020 Round Ireland Yacht Race?

SSE Renewables are the sponsors of the 2020 Round Ireland Race.

Who organises the Round Ireland Yacht Race?

Wicklow Sailing Club in association with the Royal Ocean Racing Club in London and The Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dublin.

Where is the Round Ireland Race Start?

Off Wicklow Harbour on Saturday, August 22nd 2020

What is the Round Ireland Race Start time?

Monohulls 1300 hrs and Multihulls 13.10 hrs

What is the Round Ireland Race course?

Leave Ireland and all its islands (excluding Rockall) to starboard.

How long does it take to sail Round Ireland?

It depends on the boat. The elapsed record time for the race is under 40 hours but most boats take five or six days to complete the course.

Is there a Round Ireland Race Tracker?

The Race Tracker is https://afloat.ie/sail/events/round-ireland/item/25789-round-ireland-yacht-race-tracker-2016-here.

What is the history of the Round Ireland Race?

The idea of a race around Ireland began in 1975 with a double-handed race starting and finishing in Bangor organised by Ballyholme Yacht Club with stopovers in Crosshaven and Killybegs. That race only had four entries. In 1980 Michael Jones put forward the idea of a non-stop race and was held in that year from Wicklow Sailing Club. Sixteen pioneers entered that race with Brian Coad’s Raasay of Melfort returning home after six days at sea to win the inaugural race. Read the first Round Ireland Yacht Race 1980 Sailing Instructions here

What is the Round Ireland Race speed record?

The Round Ireland race record of 38 h 37 min 7 s is held by MOD-70 trimaran Musandam-Oman Sail and was set in June 2016.

What is the Round Ireland Race Monohull Speed record?

George David’s Rambler 88 (USA) holds the fastest monohull race time of two days two hours 24 minutes and 9 seconds set in the 2016 race.

What was the first round Ireland voyage?

William Power's 45ft Olivia undertook a round Ireland cruise in September 1860

What is the Smallest Boat To Sail Round Ireland?

Richard Hayes completed his solo epic round Ireland voyage in September 2018 in a 14-foot Laser dinghy. The voyage had seen him log a total of 1,324 sea miles (2,452 kilometres) in 54 sailing days. in 1961, the Belfast Lough Waverly Durward crewed by Kevin and Colm MacLaverty and Mick Clarke went around Ireland in three-and-a-half weeks becoming the smallest keelboat ever to go round. While neither of these achievements occurred as part of the race they are part of Round Ireland sailing history