Irish Duo Join Bellino for Round Britain & Ireland Race

26th July 2026

Afloat.ie Team

On Course – Dublin sailor Nicole Hemeryck helms during offshore racing. Hemeryck joins Cork's Joe Griffiths aboard Bellino for the 2026 RORC Round Britain & Ireland Race Credit: Afloat

Two young Irish offshore sailors will race aboard one of the favourites for this year's Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) Round Britain & Ireland Race after joining the championship-winning Bellino campaign.

Dublin's Nicole Hemeryck and Cork's Joe Griffiths are among the four sailors registered aboard Rob Craigie's Sun Fast 3600 for the 1,805-nautical-mile offshore classic, which starts from Cowes next month.

Hemeryck earned her place after winning the Felix Scheder-Bieschin Memorial Trophy as Best Female Griffin Sailor at the 2025 RORC Annual Awards. Griffiths is also a graduate of the RORC Griffin Pathway programme, which develops young offshore racing talent.

Proven Partnership – Rob Craigie (left) and RORC Commodore Deb Fish sail Bellino double-handed during Junre's Round Ireland Race. The pair reunite for the 2026 Round Britain & Ireland Race with Irish sailors Nicole Hemeryck and Joe Griffiths joining the crew Photo: Afloat

Bellino arrives with an impressive pedigree. The Sun Fast 3600 won the 2025 RORC Season's Points Championship, recognising consistent performances across the club's offshore racing calendar.

The yacht also has a strong Round Britain & Ireland record. In the 2022 race, Bellino won the IRC Two division and finished second overall on corrected time after an intense battle around Britain and Ireland.

Owner and skipper Rob Craigie brings extensive offshore experience, including multiple Rolex Fastnet Races, OSTAR, AZAB and previous Round Britain campaigns. Much of his racing has been in short-handed competition.

He is joined by Deb Fish, Commodore of the Royal Ocean Racing Club and an accomplished offshore sailor with extensive RORC experience.

The addition of Hemeryck and Griffiths strengthens Bellino's challenge as the experienced campaign returns aiming to add another major result to an already distinguished offshore record.

Published in Rd Britain & Ireland, Youth Sailing

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THE RACE:

The 2022 Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race is organised by The Royal Ocean Racing Club in association with The Royal Yacht Squadron. It is run every four years

There have been nine editions of the Round Britain and Ireland Race which started in 1976
Sevenstar has sponsored the race four times - 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and has committed to a longterm partnership with the RORC

The 2022 Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race is a fully crewed non-stop race covering 1,805 nautical miles and is open to IRC, IRC Two Handed, IMOCA 60s, Class40s, Volvo 65s and Multihulls that will race around Britain and Ireland, starting from the Royal Yacht Squadron line in Cowes on the Isle of Wight starting after Cowes Week on Sunday 7 August 2022

The last edition of the race in 2018 attracted 28 teams with crews from 18 nations. Giles Redpath's British Lombard 46 saw over victory and Phil Sharp's Class40 Imerys Clean Energy established a new world record for 40ft and under, completing the course in 8 days 4 hrs 14 mins 49 secs.

The 1,805nm course will take competitors around some of the busiest and most tactically challenging sailing waters in the world. It attracts a diverse range of yachts and crew, most of which are enticed by the challenge it offers as well as the diversity and beauty of the route around Britain and Ireland with spectacular scenery and wildlife. Most sailors agree that this race is one of the toughest tests as it is nearly as long as an Atlantic crossing, but the changes of direction at headlands will mean constant breaks in the watch system for sail changes and sail trim

Published in Rd Britain & Ireland

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