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

Round Ireland Race: Pam Lee of Greystones takes RI:26 entries through 50 mark

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.

Round Ireland Race: Pam Lee of Greystones takes RI:26 entries through 50 mark

18th May 2026

WM Nixon

Pamela Lee’s #Empowher, winner of the international female title in the Class40 championship in 2025, has brought the round Ireland entry lineup through th 50 mark

While there is a distinct possibility of some top level crew-juggling resulting in two Grand Prix boats racing as one in the Round Ireland Race from Wicklow on June 20th, the entry list has now gone through the totemic 50 mark with French-based Greystones sailor Pamela Lee confirming the participation of her Class40 #Empowher,

She has also come good on her hopes of persuading a strong entry from Class40, in which she was the winning female skipper over the 2025 season. There are now eight of this potent ingredient in the Wicklow pot, though it has to be conceded that the newest one – a Marc Lombard design for Fastnet and Sydney-Hobart Races overall winner Alexis Loison - is still so much work-in-progress that the Round Ireland is shaping up to be the maiden race.

Either way, the fleet on the start line down Wicklow way on June 20th is going to be an eloquent confirmation that the scow bow has arrived big time in top level offshore racing.

Round Ireland Entry List at May 18th 2026

No.	Boat Name	Entered By	Design	Length (m)	Home Port / Club / Affiliation
1	HIRO MARU	Hiroshi Nakajima	S & S 49 (71)	15.05	Stamford YC, RORC, Cruising Club of America, NYYC, Storm Trysail Club
2	FINALLY	Paul Kitteringham	ELAN 350/360/E4 2.35	10.60	Pwllheli Sailing Club
3	J’OUVERT	Simon Harris	J 112 E 2.12	11.00	RORC
4	PRIME SUSPECT	Keith Miller	MILLS 36 Custom	10.99	Kilmore Quay Boat Club
5	CRISTINA	John Treanor	NMD 43 2.99	13.07	RIYC/NYC
6	Leonard	Benjamin Owens	JPK 1010	10.00	Lake Lanier Sailing Club
7	La Veuve Noire	Mark Wilson	Beneteau First 40	12.24	Galway Bay Sailing Club
8	PURPLE MIST	Kate Cope	SUN FAST 3200 R2 1.90	9.78	RORC / UKDHOS
9	POLISHED MANX 2	Kuba Szymański	FIRST 40.7 2.40	11.92	Douglas Bay Yacht Club
10	Promise 3	Steve Robinson	FIRST 47.7 2.80	14.50	RORC
11	Whiskey Jack	Nick Southward	J 122 2.20 MOD rudder	12.19	Royal Yacht Squadron, Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, RORC
12	Bellino	Rob Craigie	SUN FAST 3600 2.20 Fin6	10.80	RORC
13	MZUNGU!	Sam White	JPK 10.80 2.15 fin6	10.84	RORC/RNSA
14	Qualia	Rolf van Beek	Jeanneau SO 44DS	13.41
15	VENOMOUS	Graeme Lewis	CARROLL MARINE 60 3.99	18.33	RORC
16	Long Courrier	Gery Trentesaux	SYDNEY GTS 43	13.10	RORC
17	Sky Business – Game On	Ian Hoddle & Willow Bland	SUN FAST 3300 1.95	9.99
18	SYD	Frank Whelan	SYDNEY GTS 43	13.10	Greystones Sailing Club
19	Pillaban	David Townend	Archambault A35	10.59	RIYC, Baltimore SC
20	IOALLA V	Marin CATOIRE	SUN FAST 3200 1.90	9.78
21	AURELIA	Chris Power Smith	J 122	12.19	RSGYC RORC
22	DJANGO JPK	Trevor Middleton	JPK 11.80 2.28 Mod KTC8	11.79
23	Elixir	Ryan Wilson	MAT 1010 2.10	10.15	Quoile Yacht Club / Carrickfergus Sailing Club
24	LIGHTNING	Paul Sutton	FARR X2 WB	9.20	Holyhead Sailing Club and CHPSC
25	Aruba	Bouroullec Tanguy	POGO RC 2.25 WB	10.25
26	CINNAMON GIRL	Sam Hunt & Cian Mc Carthy	SUN FAST 3300 1.95	9.99	Kinsale Yacht Club
27	OUTRAJEOUS	John Murphy	J 109 2.10	10.74	Howth Yacht Club
28	BLUE OYSTER	Noel Coleman	OYSTER 37	11.26	RCYC
29	Maccaferri Futura	Luca Rosetti	Class40	12.19	Club Nautico Rimini
30	Magenta	Djemila Tassin	Class40	12.19
31	PARADOX	Tom Murphy & Ronan Considine	SUN FAST 3300 1.95 WB	9.99
32	The Big Picture	Michael Evans	J112e	11.20	Howth
33	Katanca	Barry O’Connor	ELAN 31 1.85	9.16	RIYC
34	RORC Griffin	Jim Driver	SUN FAST 3600 2.20 Fin6	10.80	Royal Ocean Racing Club
35	MARCO POLO	Stephen Berry	SUN FAST 3600 2.20 Fin6	10.80	Cardiff Bay Yacht Club
36	Swift	Greg Leonard	Class 40	12.19	RORC
37	VSF SPORTS	Pep Costa	Class 40	12.19	C N LORIENT
38	DIABLO	Nicholas Martin	SUN FAST 3600 2.20 Fin6	10.80	RORC
39	Maat	Sophie Delannoy	Class40	12.19
40	CV9 – Courageous	Clipper Events	CLIPPER 68	20.77
41	JACKKNIFE	Sam Hall & Andrew Hall	J 125 2.48 #01 custom	12.53	CHPSC
42	KHUMBU	Guy Gillon	BOTIN 56 Custom	17.10
43	Solano	Robin Follin	Class 40	12.19	Club Nautique Sainte Maxime
44	NEPTUNE	Stephane GRAS	PROTOTYPE	18.60	SNLB
45	GROUPE REEL	Alexis Loison	CLASS 40	12.19
46	STATE O’CHASSIS	Michael Murphy	SIGMA 38 2.08	11.55	Royal Irish Yacht Club
47	Spirit of Shackleton CV31	Enda O’Coineen / Bobby Beggs	Clipper 70	21.33	Royal Irish Yacht Club
48	Gambit	Jonathan Tyrrell	Pogo S4	12.10
49	WARRIOR	Simon Farren	A 40 RC 2.48	11.95	Colne Yacht Club
50	SHINDIG	Anthony Kingston	SWAN 40 2.05	11.98	Kinsale
51	#EMPOWHER	Pamela Lee	Class40	12.19

Work in progress. Multiple top level international winner Alexis Loison in the under-construction Class40 Groupe Reel, which will be the very newest boat in the Round Ireland Race from Wicklow next month.

Published in Round Ireland, Pamela Lee

Published in Round Ireland

Tagged under

Pamela Lee

About The Author

WM Nixon

Email The Author

William M Nixon has been writing about sailing in Ireland for many years in print and online, and his work has appeared internationally in magazines and books. His own experience ranges from club sailing to international offshore events, and he has cruised extensively under sail, often in his own boats which have ranged in size from an 11ft dinghy to a 35ft cruiser-racer. He has also been involved in the administration of several sailing organisations.

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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