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

Now here’s a lotta boat……the 26-metre (86ft) Neptune 3 from Malta is currently the largest of the 23 confirmed entries for the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race from Wicklow on June 20th

Round Ireland Yacht Race Entries Already Going Big On Size & Variety

12th February 2020 Round Ireland

It may be only mid-February, but entries for the 704-mile 40th Anniversary 21st edition SSE Renewables Round Ireland Yacht Race from Wicklow on June 20th are already on the two dozen mark, and the fleet is remarkable for its variety…

George David’s mighty Rambler 88 somehow finds a way through a motley yet representative group at the Naval vessel at the start of the Round Ireland 2016. Included are Class 40s, the J/109 and class winner Euro Carparks (on port), multiple winner Cavatina and Eric de Turkheim’ Teasing Machine from France, while beyond is an MOD 70 waiting for the Multi-hull start

International Interest as Wicklow’s Round Ireland Race Comes of Age

31st January 2020 Round Ireland

This year, with the fresh sponsorship of SSE Renewables, the Round Ireland Race from Wicklow comes of age. The 21st staging of the biennial classic – now an international event, included in the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s programme and an…

Round Ireland Race organiser and Wicklow Sailing Club Commodore Kyran O'Grady addresses the UNCL in Paris

Round Ireland Yacht Race Promoted at UNCL Prizegiving in Paris

11th January 2020 Round Ireland

SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race organiser Kyran O'Grady led a Wicklow Sailing Club delegation to France in December to address the Union Nationale pour la Course au Large (UNCL) prizegiving in Paris. Keen to encourage French and international numbers for this…

The 1937-built classic Maybird becoming the oldest boat to complete the Round Ireland Race as she finishes at Wicklow in July 2018.

Historic New Trophy for SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race

9th January 2020 Round Ireland

The SSE Renewables Round Ireland Yacht Race from Wicklow on June 20th 2020 will attract some of the hottest new offshore racers to be seen in Irish and European waters. But there will be some more senior and even classic…

Michael Boyd (facing aft) onboard Jedi at the start of the 2018 race is the lead skipper for the Round Ireland Volvo Car prize

Royal Irish Skipper Michael Boyd Leads Round Ireland Race for Volvo Car Prize

9th January 2020 Round Ireland

Royal Irish Yacht Club skipper Michael Boyd leads the race for a Volvo Car prize in this year's edition of the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race but only three points separate the top four skippers overall. The prize will be…

The start of the 2018 Round Ireland Race from Wicklow

Round Ireland Race Aims for 60 Boats as New Sponsor Announced at Wicklow

7th November 2019 Round Ireland

As Afloat's WMN Nixon reported at the weekend, Wicklow Sailing Club has confirmed that SSE Renewables will be the new title sponsor for the 704-mile Round Ireland Race that gets underway on Saturday 20th June 2020. The biennial race is…

Jedi starts the 2018 Round Ireland race just days prior to the man overboard incident that’s the subject of Kenneth Rumball and John White’s talk

Rumball & White Bring Jedi Man Overboard Lecture To RORC In London Tonight

16th May 2019 Round Ireland

Kenneth Rumball and John White are taking the Irish National Sailing and Powerboat School’s popular ‘man overboard’ lecture to the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s London clubhouse this evening (Thursday 16 May). On 29 June 2018, the J109 yacht Jedi started…

New Date for Golden Oldie Round Ireland Show in Dublin

27th March 2019 Round Ireland

The unavoidably-postponed show in March by owner-skipper (and restorer) Darryl Hughes, of the classic 1937 43ft Tyrrell of Arklow ketch Maybird’s remarkable achievement in becoming (in 2018) the first gaff-rigged (and oldest) boat to complete the Round Ireland Race, has…

The 81-year-old gaff ketch Maybird on the finish line of the Volvo Round Ireland Race 2018

Maybird Round Ireland show on Tuesday at DBOGA Poolbeg Cancelled

10th March 2019 Round Ireland

The talk by Darryl Hughes of his veteran gaff ketch Maybird’s much-celebrated participation in the Volvo Round Ireland Race 2018, to be hosted by the Dublin Bay Old Gaffers Association at Poolbeg Yacht & Boat Club on Tuesday 12th March,…

Smoothly away. The Defence Forces’ crew in the J/109 Joker II going well at the start of the Volvo Round Ireland Race 2018 at Wicklow. But in order to be there, they’d to use military principles to fit their preparations into a very tight time-frame. Photo: Afloat.ie/David O’Brien

How Military Principles Helped the Defence Forces Win in Sailing in 2018

25th January 2019 W M Nixon

It was while crossing the Atlantic on the Sail Training Brigantine Asgard II during a celestial navigation module of his Naval Service education in 1999 that Barry Byrne had something of an epiphany writes W M Nixon. He’d been introduced…

Eighth IMOCA in Build as Nicolas Troussel Announces New Boat

16th January 2019 Vendee Globe

An eighth new IMOCA being built, 2018 Round Ireland Race competitor Nicolas Troussel has confirmed. There will be at least eight new generation IMOCAs lining up at the start of the 2020 Vendée Globe. The latest announcement comes from Nicolas…

The INSS Jedi team pictured shortly after the Round Ireland start off Wicklow

Wicklow Sailing Set for Round Ireland Man Overboard Lecture on Saturday

10th January 2019 Round Ireland

Anticipation is building ahead of Saturday’s talk in Wicklow Sailing Club about the Lesson learnt on board Jedi in the Round Ireland Yacht Race. As Afloat.ie reported previously, the INSS Jedi team have been meeting frequently to ensure no detail…

The J109 Jedi starts the 2018 Round Ireland race prior to a man overboard during the 700-mile race

Round Ireland Crewman Swept Overboard Lecture: Lessons Learned on J109 Jedi

4th January 2019 Round Ireland

On the 29th of June 2018, Jedi, the highly competitive J109, started the Round Ireland Yacht Race in stunning sunshine and a fresh northerly breeze propelling her down the East coast of Ireland. Little did her seasoned crew comprising of…

Home again – solo sailor Richard Hayes in his Ireland-circumnavigating Laser is welcomed back to Rinville and Galway Bay Sailing Club

The Smallest Boats To Sail Round Ireland – A Story of Courage & Character

22nd September 2018 Round Ireland

The contrast could not have been greater writes W M Nixon. On Friday, September 14th on Ireland’s relatively sheltered East Coast, 302 Laser dinghies came in from Dublin Bay to Dun Laoghaire’s elegant and busy harbour to conclude the penultimate day’s…

Corum, a French entry in the 2018 Round Ireland race. Wicklow Sailing Club has announced dates for the 2020 race this month

Round Ireland Yacht Race 2020 Date is June 20

14th September 2018 Round Ireland

Wicklow Sailing Club has written to competitors and supporters alike to fix the date of the 2020 Round Ireland race as Saturday, June 20 2020. Ireland's classic 700-mile offshore race has been buoyed up by some bumper fleets over the…

A grand fair wind drives the 80-year-old classic gaff ketch Maybird across the Wicklow finish line to set an extended Volvo Round Ireland Race record of 9 days 22 hours and 35 minutes

Golden Oldie Maybird’s Round Ireland Race Achievement to be Celebrated at her Arklow Birthplace

19th July 2018 Round Ireland

When the 1937-vintage Tyrrell of Arklow-built 43ft gaff ketch Maybird (Darryl Hughes) finally crossed the line at Wicklow last week to record the longest-ever time for a Volvo Round Ireland Race, little did her crew of eight expect that their…

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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