Irish sailors and several familiar Irish Sea offshore campaigns will be on the start line when the Royal Ocean Racing Club's 50th anniversary Round Britain & Ireland Race gets under way from Cowes on Sunday 9 August.
Fenit's Eimer McMorrow-Moriarty heads the Irish contingent aboard the RORC Griffin youth entry, while current ISORA Overall champion Sam Hall returns with Pata Negra. Round Ireland Race competitor Bellino and Isle of Man campaign Polished Manx 2, both well known on the Irish offshore circuit, also feature among the 30-strong fleet.
The 1,800-nautical-mile non-stop race has attracted entries from 11 nations and more than 140 sailors. This year's edition marks the 50th anniversary of one of offshore sailing's toughest endurance tests.
The strongest Irish human-interest story centres on McMorrow-Moriarty, who is part of the eight-strong RORC Griffin Youth Pathway crew. The 22-year-old from Fenit, County Kerry, will race past the coastline that first inspired her love of sailing.
Youth Pathway — RORC Griffin, carrying Fenit's Eimer McMorrow-Moriarty, pictured at the start of June's Round Ireland Race from Wicklow. The Griffin youth campaign returns for next month's Round Britain & Ireland Race. Photo: Afloat
"I feel super proud to be not only Irish, but an Irish girl as well," she said.
"It will be really special to race on RORC Griffin past the coastline of Kerry and the West Coast of Ireland that I call home. The Round Britain and Ireland Race is the biggest challenge I've ever taken on and I'm incredibly grateful to be doing it with the RORC Griffin team."
The race organisers say almost one-third of competitors are in their teens, twenties and early thirties, reflecting the growing appeal of offshore racing to younger sailors.
Back for More — Rob Craigie's Bellino returns to offshore action in next month's RORC Round Britain & Ireland Race after competing in June's Round Ireland Race from Wicklow. Photo: Afloat
Among the standout stories is the double-handed J/105 Mojo, raced by Richard Breese and his 19-year-old daughter Emma. A former British National Junior Optimist champion, Emma is combining her first year studying medicine at Cardiff University with an emerging offshore racing career through the RORC Griffin Pathway.
She described the Round Britain & Ireland Race as "a huge step up", having completed last year's Rolex Fastnet Race double-handed with her father.
Former competitor Ellie Driver, who raced the 2022 event with her father Jim before progressing to La Solitaire du Figaro, said the race demands patience as much as speed.
"The Round Britain and Ireland is the Fastnet Race 10 times over," Driver said.
Held every four years, the Round Britain & Ireland Race starts and finishes in Cowes, taking competitors around Britain and Ireland through some of Europe's most demanding tidal waters. Strong tides, complex navigation, unpredictable weather and the prospect of more than two weeks at sea make simply finishing a significant achievement.
The fleet is due to start from Cowes on Sunday 9 August.
