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

2012 Round Ireland Yacht Race Riding High with British Entries

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.

2012 Round Ireland Yacht Race Riding High with British Entries

9th May 2012

Afloat.ie Team

2012 Round Ireland Yacht Race Riding High with British Entries

#RIR – Early British offshore entries account for 50% of the yachts entered so far for next month's Round Ireland Yacht Race from Wicklow, an offshore offshore fixture that for the first time counts for the same points as the Rolex Fastnet race in the international Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) season. It's an indicator the 2012 Round Ireland is quietly taking shape inspite of the recession.

16 boats are already entered say Wicklow Sailing Club, eight are subject to confirmation but another 17, including many of the Irish Sea's 18-boat ISORA fleet are highly likely, giving the 2012 race a healthy 30-40 boat turnout when it sets sail just over six weeks time from Wicklow Bay. In particularly Welsh and Dublin Bay J109 yachts are setting the pace in the first two Irish Sea races to Wicklow and Holyhead respectively.

Although event chairman Dennis Noonan would not reveal the identity of an Open 60 today it is expected the boat and skipper will be confirmed at tomorrow night's official launch in Wicklow town. It will add spice to a fleet that has among its number the Round Ireland defending champion, Dutch entry Tonerre de Breskens skippered by Piet Vroon.

No official entry list has yet been published for the 2012 race but notable entries include a woman's double-hander for the first time. A New York based Open 40 Wild Goose is also debuting on the 704-mile course. Other boats include a regular Round Ireland entry that has been so close to an overall win but never won it; Laurent Gouy's Inismor. Simon Costain's Fortitude, a Pogo Class 40 is in as well as the British Army Sailing Association 40 footer Fujitsu; Paul Egan's Legally Blonde from Dun Laoghaire is sailing again. Nigel Colley's Fastrak VIII, a new Jeanneau Sun Fast 3200 is also entered. Another UK entry is Round Ireland veteran Mike Jacques of Nunatak.

One of the earliest campaigns to declare was a crew of NUI Galway students and graduates who are campaigning a 38-foot yacht in the non–stop race. The student's first training session, around the Aran Islands is carried as a youtube clip above.

This year, the Round Ireland start gun goes at 12:00 on Sunday, 24 June.

Published in Round Ireland

Round Ireland Yacht Race Live Tracker 2022

Track the progress of the 2022 Wicklow Sailing Club Round Ireland Race fleet on the live tracker above and see all Afloat's Round Ireland Race coverage in one handy link here

Published in Round Ireland

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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