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Round Ireland Yacht 2024 Race Updates from Wicklow Sailing Club
#roundireland14 – In a dramatic change of fortune for the long time Round Ireland Race favourite Cavatina, Liam Shanhan's Ruth, a J/109 class yacht from the National Yacht Club, has taken over as the main contender for the overall prize in…
round ireland monster VO70
#roundireland14 – There were homecoming celebrations tonight for 2014 Round Ireland Race line honours winner David Ryan and his chartered Monster Projects Volvo 70 when they crossed the Wicklow finish. His clubhouse lead will, however, be shortlived, as light winds since last Saturday's…
#roundireland14 – Once again the smaller boats in the Round Ireland race are benefitting from the variations in weather along our coastline and those positioned on the north Donegal coast are enjoying a wild ride in near gale conditions.  Too…
#roundireland14 – Amazing Grace, the comeback kids of Round Ireland 2014, have retired following a broken boom sustained this morning off the County Donegal Coast. The 2013 Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Champions under County Kerry skipper Brian O'Sullivan had climbed…
#roundireland14 – The 2014 Round Ireland Race is approaching endgame as Monster Project enters the North Channel with less than 150 miles to go.  Half a country away to the west, the prospect of an increasing and following breeze overnight…
For the first time since the Round Ireland Race start on Saturday, Cavatina does not feature on the leaderboard. Not that Ian Hickey and his team have eased the pressure on his competitors, but it appears that a combination of…
#roundireland14 – The Yellowbrick race trackers installed on the Round Ireland fleet afford the armchair viewers the luxury of slow motion replays. As the wind headed the boats on the approach to the Galway coast some made the decision to…
It is rare enough that the west coast portion of the Round Ireland Race becomes an uphill slog but this year’s race seems set to be unusual in more ways than one.  As naviticians, or should that be tactigators, are…
ruth j109 round ireland
The bulk of the Round Ireland race fleet is fairly tightly bunched to the west of Loop Head in 10 to 12 knots of breeze from abaft the beam. Ian Hickey's Cavatina still leads IRC overall, but only four hours…
#roundireland – The leading yacht in the Round Ireland Yacht Race has just reached the halfway point and the fleet is now experiencing a modest east to southeast breeze. As has been the trend in this slow race, the larger…
round ireland fleet day 3
#roundireland – After an almost windless night on the southwest coast, dawn on day three finds the 2014 Round Ireland Race fleet occupying a relatively small portion of the ocean between the Fastnet and the Blasket Islands.  The slow progress…
#roundireland14 – 24 hours into the Round Ireland race 2014, the fleet is unusually compacted with only 70 miles separating the on the water leader from the second to last boat.  Amazing Grace, following her return to Wicklow to resolve…
#roundireland - As the sun sets on the first day of the 2014 Round Ireland Yacht Race, the bulk of the fleet have cleared the Tuskar in time to avoid the worst of the building flood tide, although the smaller…
round ireland wicklow harbour
#roundIreland – Wicklow Harbour was looking its very best in sunshine as the start time of the 18th Round Ireland Race approached, but then the sky clouded over as the serious business of getting cleanly over the line came swiftly…
Amazing Grace skipper makes repairs
#RoundIreland - The 18th Round Ireland Yacht Race got off to a dramatic start under a tight fetch from Wicklow today (28 June), with the local Volvo 70 entry outdone by the Teng Tools/Kilculllen Kapital Open 60 streaking into a…
Round Ireland Circus 2014 Provides Arena for Veteran Boats & Seasoned Performers
#roundireland – Since 1980, the biennial 704-mile Round Ireland Race has been a cornerstone of Ireland's sailing programme. This year's fleet of 36 boats is good for the times that are in it, though it's still a far cry from…

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

At A Glance – Round Ireland Yacht Race 2024

Race start: Off Wicklow Harbour on Saturday, June 22 2024

There will be separate starts for monohulls and multihulls.

Race course:  leave Ireland and all its islands (excluding Rockall) to starboard.

Race distance: is approximately 704 nautical miles or 1304 kilometres.

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