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2014 Round Ireland Yacht Race. The 35–Boat Fleet Is Here!

19th June 2014

#rdirl –To date, 35 yachts from France, England, Wales, the Isle of Man and of course the host country are set to compete in the 18th Round Ireland Yacht Race. Approximately half the boats are from Ireland and the remainder from further afield. This reflects the trend in recent races. The Round Ireland is scheduled to start in just over a week at 2.00 pm on Saturday 28th June. There are 3 class CK yachts and one class Z yacht lined up to keep each other company as they race around Ireland: Monster Project entered by David Ryan, local Wicklow Sailing Club member, Libertaliafrom Team Jolokia in Lorient, Newstalk for Adrenalin from National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire and Voodoo Kilcullen, also from Dun Laoghaire, Royal Irish and National YC. In class 1, Laurent Gouy is back once again in Inis Mór a Ker 39, this time to defend his overall win last time out in 2012.

Several other boats are returning for another go at this challenging race, including 2-hander Ocean Tango with another Wicklow club member on board, Christiana Norton.

Long range forecast is for light winds, but let's wait and see. One thing for sure: the boats and crew will get a wonderful welcome in Wicklow.

Boat Name

Entrant / Skipper

Boat Type

Club

Arwen

Austen Clark

Akilaria Class 40

Royal Berkshire Yacht Club

Inis Mor

Laurent Gouy

Ker 39

TBC

May Contain Nuts

Kevin Rolfe

Class 40

Cardiff Bay Yacht Club

Phosphorus

Mark Emerson

Rodman JV42

RORC

Arthur Logic

Sailing Logic/ Nick Martin

First 40

RORC

Fujitsu

P A Caswell

J111

Army Sailing Association

Tanit

Richard Harris

Sydney 36

Serpent Yacht Club

Lynx Clipper

Martin Breen/Nigel Moss

Reflex 38

Galway

Endgame

Frank Doyle

A 35

Royal Cork Yacht Club

Jet Dream

Philip Bourke

J105

Yacht Club de Roscoff / Mayo YC

Mojito

Peter Dunlop & Vicky Cox

J109

CH Pwllheli SC

Ruth

Liam Shanahan

J 109

National Yacht Club

Wildwood

Ian Patterson

North Channel 9m

East Antrim Boat Club

Amazing Grace

Brian O’Sullivan/Frances Clifford

Oyster 37

Tralee Bay Sailing Club

Cavatina

Ian Hickey

Granada 38

Royal Cork Yacht Club

McGregor IV

Peter Ward

MG38

Marconi Sailing Club

State O’Chassis

Kevin Buckley

Sigma 38

Royal Irish Yacht Club

Big Deal

Derek & Conor Dillon

Dehler 34

Foynes Yacht Club

Dreamcatcher

James Mansell

Sun Odyssey 37

TBC

Ocean Tango

Robert Floate/Chris Norton

Dehler 34 Nova Top

Isle of Man YC / Wicklow SC

Cosmic Dancer III

Russell Walker

Baltic 37

Haven Ports Yacht Club

I O S – Desert Star

Irish Offshore Sailing

Sunfast 37

DMYC

I O S – Sherkin

Irish Offshore Sailing

Sunfast 37

DMYC

Muskox

Neville Devonport

X362S

Saltash Sailing Club

Persistance

Jerry Collins

Sigma 38

Royal St. George YC

Polished Manx

Kuba Szymanski

Sigma 33

Douglas Bay Yacht Club

Pyxis

Kirsteen Donaldson

X332

RORC

Wild Spirit

Paul Jackson

Jeanneau 40

RORC JOG

Bow Waves Racing

Finbarr O’Regan

Nautor Swan 57

Galway Sailing & Powerboat School

Leopard Clipper

Mark Osborn

Reflex 38

Sovereign Harbour YC

Libertalia

Team Jolokia/Pierre Meisel

Volvo Ocean

Lorient

Monster Project

David Ryan

Volvo 70

Wicklow Sailing Club

NewsTalk For Adrenalin

Joe McDonald

Farr 60

National Yacht Club

Voodoo Kilcullen

Alan Crosbie

Open 60

RIYC & NYC

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

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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

704 nautical miles, 810 miles or 1304 kilometres

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

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

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

Off Wicklow Harbour on Saturday, August 22nd 2020

Monohulls 1300 hrs and Multihulls 13.10 hrs

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

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.

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

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

 

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.

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.

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

 

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

© Afloat 2020