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

ICRA Conference: Pamela Lee Seeks French Entries for Round Ireland Race

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.

ICRA Conference: Pamela Lee Seeks French Entries for Round Ireland Race

5th February 2026

Afloat.ie Team

Pamela Lee speaking at the ICRA Conference in Dun Laoghaire

Irish Class 40 sailor Pamela Lee, from Co Wicklow, will address the ICRA Conference in Dun Laoghaire on recruiting French Class 40 entries for the Round Ireland Race and her Route du Rhum ambition.

Irish International Class 40 sailor Pamela Lee will tell the 2026 Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) Conference how she is working to attract French Class 40 entries to this year’s Round Ireland Race.

Lee will outline efforts to encourage French offshore sailors to race around Ireland in June, starting from her home county of Wicklow.

Her talk will take place at the ICRA Conference on Saturday, 7 February 2026.

The event will be hosted by the Royal Saint George Yacht Club at Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

Lee will also describe how she has integrated into the French offshore racing scene and the networks supporting that work.

She will share the background to her #EmpowHer Class40 racing project.

Fresh from the 2025 championship season, Lee will look ahead to her 2026 ambition of becoming the first Irish sailor to compete solo in the Route du Rhum.

The conference begins at 10.30 am and will be followed by the ICRA AGM, which concludes at lunchtime. Both sessions may be recorded.

The AGM will include a financial update and the election of a new committee.

ICRA Commodore Denis Byrne has invited all members to attend.

As Afloat previously reported, Wicklow Sailing Club is inviting Class40 teams back to Irish waters for the 2026 Round Ireland Yacht Race, which starts on Saturday 20 June.

Race organisers say they are keen to see a strong turnout from the high-performance offshore class, which has previously made a strong impression on the event.

In 2018, French Class40 Corum**, a Mach 40 design, drew attention with a powerful departure from Wicklow.

By 2022, the Round Ireland Race secured a place on the official Class40 calendar, boosting international interest in the 704-nautical-mile course.

Race director Kyran O’Grady has continued to promote the event internationally.

“The Round Ireland is an iconic challenge that suits the Class40 ethos,” he previously told Afloat.ie.

The Notice of Race confirms a dedicated Class40 division for 2026, subject to a minimum of four entries and compliance with current class rules.

Online entry opens on 14 January, with early-bird discounts available until 31 March. Entries close on 31 May.

Published in Round Ireland, Pamela Lee, Class40, La Route du Rhum Race, ICRA

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