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 Yacht 2024 Race Updates from Wicklow Sailing Club

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 Yacht 2024 Race Updates from Wicklow Sailing Club

Fleet leader Baraka GP was last seen somewhere off the north coast of far Mayo

Round Ireland Day 3. 7pm: Making Sense Of Racing On The Wild Atlantic Way Is Explaining The Inexplicable

2nd July 2018 Round Ireland

If you wanted an object lesson in why it is sometimes very difficult to explain sailing – and particularly offshore racing – to some goodwill-filled stranger to the sport, then the current state of play in the Volvo Round Ireland…

The French double–handed entry, Jasaap, a JPK 10.10, is lying third in IRC overall

Round Ireland Day 3. 2.30pm. Fleet in Long Haul Northwards Along the Wild Atlantic Way

2nd July 2018 Round Ireland

It’s big country out west writes W M Nixon. And big country can have big effects on summer winds. So although the main part of the Volvo Round Ireland 2018 fleet is plugging doggedly along to windward out in the…

Cavatina’s appearance in the top three in IRC in the Volvo Round Ireland Race 2018 seemed inevitable with the conditions that were developing, but it has already happened this morning off the Blaskets even earlier than expected

Round Ireland Race Day 3. 10am: 'Lambay Rules' of Howth Holds Lead

2nd July 2018 Round Ireland

The IRC overall lead is being tightly contested this morning in the Volvo Round Ireland race 2018 with the bulk of the fleet now to the west of County Clare, slugging to windward in a north to northeast breeze writes…

French entry Classe 40 Sensation has retired into Castletownbere

More Retirals From Round Ireland Race

1st July 2018 Round Ireland

Despite the relatively benign sailing conditions, 24 hours into the Volvo Round Ireland race and three boats have now retired from the 700-mile race. As Afloat.ie reported earlier, the Cookson 50-footer Riff Raff experienced 'engine problems' (earlier described as gear failure) and…

In second place is Paul O’Higgins’ JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI, hoping for some nice and breezy windward work to show her true potential.

Round Ireland Update Day 2 9pm: Wind Pattern Gives Fleet Leaders a Raw Deal

1st July 2018 Round Ireland

Close north of the Blaskets at 1900hrs Sunday, the Volvo Round Ireland fleet leaders on the water - the Class 40 Corum and the Ker 43 Baraka GP - are sailing a textbook race in terms of handling the vagaries…

The Cookson 50 Riff Raff (Brian McMaster) is out of the Round Ireland Race

Gear Failure Forces Cookson 50 'Riff Raff' Out of Round Ireland Race

1st July 2018 Round Ireland

A Round Ireland Race favourite, Riff Raff, the canting keel Cookson 50, has retired 'due to gear failure'. All on board are safe and the British entry is heading for port in Cork Harbour. Racing for the 55 boats continues…

The new Class 40 Corum is approaching Skellig Michael off the County Kerry coast

Round Ireland Day 2. 2pm: Record Speeds Confound Weather Predictions

1st July 2018 Round Ireland

In the days leading up to the Volvo Round Ireland Race start at Wicklow yesterday, there were predictions of boats being delayed by calms, struggling for sea breezes by day and land breezes by night writes W M Nixon. But…

Niall Dowling’s Ker 43 Baraka GP (Royal Irish YC) has put in a tremendous performance all the way down the south coast

Round Ireland Race Day 2: Drag Race Along South Coast

1st July 2018 Round Ireland

Day 2 of the Volvo Round Ireland Race 2018 finds the fleet enjoying freshening offshore breezes along the south coast to provide drag racing conditions and good speeds writes W M Nixon. But enjoyment is muted by the knowledge that…

The French Mach 40 has three French sailing stars onboard Nicolas Troussel, Ian Lipinski and Aymeric Belloir for the Round Ireland Race

Mach 40 Corum Took the Round Ireland Start With Style

30th June 2018 Round Ireland

It’s said that the boat which has made the best start is not always the one which seems first over the line, but rather it’s the boat which is in the lead five minutes after the kick-off writes W M…

The Round Ireland Race start where Niall Dowling's Baraka GP makes a perfect start then shreds her spinnaker....

Spectacular Round Ireland Race Start from Wicklow Harbour

29th June 2018 Round Ireland

There was a stunning start to the 20th Round Ireland Yacht Race today when the Volvo race favourite blew a spinnaker moments after the 700–mile race began off Wicklow Harbour. See Race tracker here. It only added to the drama of…

Chris Power Smith’s optimized J/122 Aurelia (RStGYC) is one of many contenders in with a good chance in the 20th staging of the biennial Volvo Round Ireland Race, which starts today off Wicklow at 2.0pm

Wicklow Sailing Club Pushes The Boat Out for Volvo Round Ireland Race 2018

29th June 2018 Round Ireland

It was the dogged determination of Wicklow Sailing Club 38 years ago that brought about the beginnings of an event which has since become an internationally-recognised cornerstone in the complex structure of the Irish sailing programme writes W M Nixon.…

The INSS J109 Jedi (Kenny Rumball) has been chartered by Michael Boyd for tomorrow's Round Ireland Race from Wicklow. Forecasted light winds may favour the J109 design in the week long race

ISORA Champions 'Mojito' Pull Out of Round Ireland Race

29th June 2018 Round Ireland

Last minute changes to the Round Ireland Race fleet means ISORA Champion Mojito (Vicky Cox and Peter Dunlop), a pre-race favourite, are out of tomorrow's race. David O'Brien predicts in today's Irish Times Sailing Column that the light winds will favour the proven…

Mini Transat Winner Ian Lipinksi To Contest Round Ireland Race with Nicolas Troussel on Mach 40 'Corum'

24th June 2018 Round Ireland

Ireland's varied sailing waters are proving a popular testing ground for the international Class 40 fleet and a burgeoning Irish Mini class too. Further evidence of this is in next Saturday's Round Ireland Race fleet where a top French double-handed…

Wicklow Sailing Club Table Quiz Tonight In Aid Of RNLI

31st May 2018 Round Ireland

#WicklowSC - With a month to go before the start of the 20th Round Ireland Race, hosts Wicklow Sailing Club are holding a table quiz at The Old Forge tonight, Thursday 31 May. The night kicks off at 8pm with…

The start of the Volvo Round Ireland Race 2016 in an offshore breeze, with the fleet tending to bunch towards the Guardship at the outer end of the line. It has been suggested that in similar conditions, it might be useful to give the line a slight bias in favour of the inner end of the line, bringing the fleet close in off the Wicklow pierhead

Round Ireland Yacht Race 2018 is Taking Final Shape

24th May 2018 Round Ireland

For most of the Irish sailors who have committed to this year’s 20th staging of the biennial 704-mile Volvo Round Ireland Race on 30th June, it will be the central focus, the core pillar of their 2018 programme. And even…

Paul Egan's Platinum Blonde, a First 35 Carbon, from the Royal St. George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire is one of 54 entries for this year's Volvo Round Ireland Race from Wicklow

54 Entries as 20th Round Ireland Race Launches at Royal Irish Yacht Club

23rd May 2018 Round Ireland

A wide field of international entries from the United States, Finland, Norway, France as well as Irish and British crews are amongst the 54 entries to date for the Volvo Round Ireland Race 2018 that was launched this evening. Additional…

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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