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

A new race entry system 'SailRaceHQ' has been launched by RORC

Race Entry System 'SailRaceHQ' Launched by RORC

22nd December 2022 RORC

The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) has launched a new race entry system SailRaceHQ, replacing the old Sailgate system with immediate effect. 'Following a three-year study and build programme, SailRaceHQ is a totally new system that has many advantages and…

Wicklow Sailing Club Commodore Karen Kissane

Wicklow Sailing Club Elects New Lady Commodore Karen Kissane

9th December 2022 Round Ireland

Wicklow Sailing Club members elected Karen Kissane as Commodore at their recent AGM. Kissane has been hon secretary of the east coast club for the last few years and moves into her new role with immediate effect. She has spent…

Volvo's David Thomas (right) & Round Ireland Race Kyran O’Grady (left) presenting the keys of a new Volvo XC40 to Round Ireland Race winner Michael Boyd

Boyd Finally Claims Volvo Car Prize for Round Ireland Race Results Over Three Races

27th July 2022 Round Ireland

Royal Irish Yacht Club skipper Michael Boyd finally got his hands on the Volvo car prize after accumulating the best overall points’ results on corrected time in the biennial Round Ireland races 2016, 2018 and 2022. To add to the drama,…

Shindig skipper Tony Kingston,(left) Artful Dodjer skipper Finbarr O'Regan (centre) and Cinnamon Girl skipper Cian McCarthy were applauded by Kinsale Yacht Club for their 2022 Round Ireland Race achievements in June

Kinsale Yacht Club Celebrates its Round Ireland Race Achievements

4th July 2022 Kinsale

Kinsale Yacht Club's long tradition with the Round Ireland Yacht Race was celebrated again at the weekend when the West Cork Club marked the achievement of their three boats in the 21st race. June saw one of the longest and…

The J121 Darkwood at the start of the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race from Wicklow on June 18th

Reviewing the Offshore Racing Academy's Round Ireland Race on Darkwood and Support of the U25 Figaro Team

3rd July 2022 INSS

After the Allmer Cup in Le Havre, France it was supposed to be somewhat of a rest after an intense few months of Figaro training and racing, however as previously reported, not so... The Offshore Racing Academy was supporting the…

Mike & Richie Evans J/99 Snapshot was top Irish boat in the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race 2022, missing first overall by just five minutes

Mike and Richie Evans are Sailors of the Month (Offshore) for June

30th June 2022 Sailor of the Month

June saw the staging of a truly vintage SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race from Wicklow. But for those who think that success in events like this 704-mile marathon is only for seasoned sailors with many comparable races logged, the top…

Ultra-golden oldies - Hiroshi Nakajima (Cruising Club of America, fourth left) and his crew with the Maybird Mast Trophy after their 51-year-old Hiro Maru had become the oldest boat to complete the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race. As it happens, they also beat the three other boats of almost-comparable age on handicap

Round Ireland Oldest Boat Award Goes To American Classic In Cruising Club of America’s Centenary Year

27th June 2022 Round Ireland

The Cruising Club of America is celebrating its Centenary this year, and while the actual birth date may not fall until September, the Club is already in the midst of a busy special season which saw its recent biennial Newport-Bermuda…

Volvo 70 Green Dragon's entry in the Round Ireland Race marked the ten year anniversary of the Volvo Ocean Race in Ireland

Green Dragon Galway Youth Crew Take Line Honours Runners Up Prize in Round Ireland Race

27th June 2022 Round Ireland

Ten young sailors from Galway Bay who were part of the crew that sailed the Green Dragon in last week's Round Ireland Race from Wicklow finished as Line Honours runners-up and second in Class Zero in the biennial 700-mile race. …

'No rule broken' - Michael Boyd's J121 Darkwood was protested for allegedly sailing in a Traffic Separation Scheme TSS but a Round Ireland Protest Committee found boats are permitted to enter the south-going lane of a TSS under race rules.

Round Ireland Race Protest 'Dismissed' as 'No Rule Broken'

25th June 2022 Round Ireland

Two protests lodged over competing boats allegedly sailing in Traffic Separation Schemes (TSS), an area in the sea where navigation of ships is highly regulated, in this week's Round Ireland Race were dismissed or deemed invalid following hearings. As Afloat…

A long way from the Swiss lakes…..SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race Line Honours Winner Kuka3 (Franco Niggeler, Switzerland) is a Cookson 50, a classic Bruce Farr design which has been at the forefront of the top offshore races for twenty years

Round Ireland Detail Results As Sailing in Ireland heads For High Stool Days

25th June 2022 W M Nixon

We can only be wishing this morning that the traditional-type low pressure areas which march across the Atlantic from New England towards Old Ireland could take aboard some of the strict Sabbatarianism of the regions they’re passing through in their…

Mike and Richie Evans in the J/99 Snapshot - a case of oh so very near, but oh so very far in Round Ireland 2022

Round Ireland - the Race that Breaks Boats In The West, and Hearts In The East

24th June 2022 Round Ireland

Round Ireland Race Day Six (Thursday) 1700 hrs - In the end, it was just about two miles of the Wicklow coast that did for them. Mike and Richie Evans with the J/99 Snapshot knew they’d to be at the finish…

Darkwood skipper Michael Boyd is in the Wicklow clubhouse, waiting anxiously for three rivals to complete the Round Ireland race to find out if he was won the prize of the car determined over the last three Round Ireland races

Race for Round Ireland Volvo Car Prize Lies in the Wind and a Protest Committee

23rd June 2022 Round Ireland

Following perhaps the longest drawn-out race for a prize in Irish sport, and perhaps the most valuable prize ever in Irish sailing, it is coming down to a matter of minutes and seconds in today's SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race…

JPK 10.80 Rockabill VI (Paul O'Higgins, RIYC) must meet a lunchtime (12.26) deadline to beat Round Ireland Yacht Race Clubhouse Leader SL Energies Groupe Fastwave for overall IRC rating honours

Finish Times Required to Beat Round Ireland Race Clubhouse Leader SL Energies Groupe Fastwave

23rd June 2022 Round Ireland

As more boats cross the finish line at Wicklow and celebrations of completing the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Yacht Race's 700-mile course get underway, the clubhouse leaders – the French crew of the J111 SL energies Groupe Fastwave – are watching…

IRC 2 boat, the French J/111 SL Energies (Laurent Charmy) finished the 2022 SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race this Thursday morning at 0845

Final Battle Today In The Context For Supreme Position of IRC Overall Winner in Round Ireland Race at Wicklow

23rd June 2022 Round Ireland

Round Ireland Race Day Six (Thursday) 0900 hrs - Although the Swiss Cookson 50 Kuka 3 and the Volvo 70 Green Dragon took first and second in the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race 2022 in full daylight yesterday evening, an entire…

After four days five hours nine minutes and 46 seconds at sea the Cookson 50 Kuka3 (skippered by Franco Niggeler, Switzerland) and with Ireland's Tom McWilliam onboard (third from left) returned to Wicklow Sailing Club this evening to take line honours in the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race for 2022

Kuka3 Takes Line Honours in SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race

22nd June 2022 Round Ireland

Round Ireland Race Day Five (Wednesday) 1830 hrs - The Cookson 50 Kuka3 (Franco Niggeler, Switzerland) took line honours in the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race 2022 at 18:09 hrs this evening off the Wicklow pierhead, after closing in on the…

Mike & Richie Evans’ J/99 Snapshot (HYC) has been hanging in like a limpet to maintain her IRC lead

Round Ireland Race 2022 Tests Crews’ Patience and Persistence As They Struggle Towards The Finish

22nd June 2022 Round Ireland

Round Ireland Race Day Five (Wednesday) 1500 hrs - Time was when most crews thought they’d had a crisp and efficient Round Ireland Race if they were finished by the Thursday evening. But George David’s sensational circuit with Rambler 88 in…

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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