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

International stars French Nicolas Troussel and Mini Transat Winner Ian Lipinski off Wicklow Head in the 2018 Round Ireland Race

International Fleet Eyes Round Ireland Race as Wicklow Classic Makes Class40 2022 Calendar

20th December 2021 Class40

The Round Ireland Race is one of 25 world-class offshore fixtures to make it onto the 2022 International Class40 calendar. Class 40 is a type of monohull sailboat primarily used for short-handed offshore and coastal racing. It may well be…

Round Ireland Yacht Race Organiser Kyran O'Grady (left) on stage at the UNCL Conference at the Paris Boat Show with UNCL past President Phillippe Serenon, the conference compere.

Wicklow Sailing Club Promote 2022 Round Ireland Yacht Race at France's UNCL Conference

19th December 2021 Round Ireland

Wicklow Sailing Club was in France earlier this month to promote June's SSE Renewables Round Ireland Yacht Race. Wicklow Commodore Kyran O'Grady was welcomed by The Union Nationale pour la Course au Large (UNCL) President Anne de Bagneaux-Savatier to speak to…

Entry for the 704-mile SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race opens in January

Round Ireland Race 2022: Countdown to January's Online Entry

9th December 2021 Round Ireland

Online entry for the 704-nautical miles SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race will open at midday (UTC 1200) on Monday 24th January 2022 organisers at Wicklow Sailing Club have confirmed. After cancelling the 2020 race due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the…

A Jac de Ridder-designed High Tension 36 to the One Ton Rule. The late Johnny Morris took line honours in the first Round Ireland Race in 1980, racing sister-ship Force Tension

John Morris 1933-2021

9th November 2021 ISORA

At first light on Saturday 5th July 1980 off Wicklow, Johnny Morris of Pwllheli - who has died aged 88 - secured himself a permanent place in the story of offshore racing. In command of Force Tension, a One Tonner…

WSC President Sadie Phelan (second right) with (left to right) Liam Coyne, WSC Commodore Hal Fitzgerald, and Wicklow's own Brian Flahive after the Club had conferred Honorary Membership on Liam & Brian following their overall victory in four classes in the 2014 RORC Seven Stars Round Britain & Ireland Race with the First 36.7 Lula Belle.

Sadie Phelan 1950-2021

3rd May 2021 Round Ireland

The sudden death of Sadie Phelan after a short illness has been a matter of great regret and sadness in Wicklow and beyond in Ireland, and in a wider world which shared her enthusiastically pursued interests. She was an active…

The late Sadie Phelan, long-serving President of Wicklow Sailing Club, with WSC Round Ireland Race Chairman Peter Shearer while monitoring the 2014 Race

Wicklow Sailing Club President Sadie Phelan RIP

28th April 2021 Round Ireland

With great regret we record the death today (Wednesday) of Sadie Phelan, President of Wicklow Sailing Club since 2011, and a longtime and tireless voluntary worker on behalf of WSC and sailing generally, particularly with the biennial Round Ireland Race.…

Denis Doyle’s new Crosshaven-built Moonduster makes her debut off Cork in 1981, the year after the first Round Ireland Race was sailed from Wicklow. The following year, when her owner was already 62 with a lifetime of offshore racing experience and success behind him, he brought Moonduster to Wicklow for the new biennial Round Ireland event, and remained loyal to it for the rest of his long sailing career

Round Ireland Refunds? The Doyler Would Tell Them to Keep Entry Fee for 2022’s Race

31st July 2020 W M Nixon

“What would The Doyler do?” That was the question we asked here when writing with resigned sadness on 11th April about the pandemic-induced two-month postponement - from 20th June - of the Wicklow start of the SSE Renewables Round Ireland…

The 2018 Round Ireland Race start off Wicklow. August's 2020 race has been cancelled due to Covid-19 concerns

Wicklow Sailing Club Cancels Round Ireland Yacht Race 2020

27th July 2020 Round Ireland

In a decision which will resonate with the national and international sailing community, and following intensive meetings all day, organisers Wicklow Sailing Club in concert with their many stakeholders have decided at 1845hrs today (Monday) that the circumstances of the…

Conor Fogerty and Susan Glenny will race a foiling Figaro 3 yacht in next month's Round Ireland Race from Wicklow

Fogerty & Glenny Announce 'Total Produce' Double-Handed Round Ireland Entry

26th July 2020 Round Ireland

Irish offshore sailors Conor Fogerty and Susan Glenny have announced their two-handed entry into next month's SSE Renewables Round Ireland Yacht Race from Wicklow. The 704 nautical mile Round Ireland was postponed in June due to COVID-19 and is now…

Irish JPK10.80 Rockabill VI - French sisterships have performed well in Cherbourg's 400-mile Dhream Cup, boosting hopes of more success for the design at next month's Round Ireland Race in which Rockabill VI will compete

Do France's Drheam Cup Results Provide Round Ireland Performance Insights?

23rd July 2020 Round Ireland

Looking ahead to next month's Round Ireland Yacht Race, last weekend's French Drheam Cup that proved so successful for Tom Dolan in the Figaro Duo class also provided offshore pundits with plenty of results to pore over. The Cherbourg fixture,…

MOD70 Powerplay - capable of speeds of 40 knots

Giant MOD 70 Trimaran 'Powerplay' Enters Round Ireland Yacht Race Bringing Entries to 50 So Far

23rd July 2020 Round Ireland

A new Round Ireland Race record speed time is in prospect with the entry of a MOD70 trimaran into the 21st edition of the race from Wicklow. There is no doubting the appeal of August's classic Irish offshore with the…

French Class 40s Eyeing Round Ireland To Complete Reduced European Trophy

10th July 2020 Class40

Hopes are high within the Class 40 fleet that a reduced European Trophy will be confirmed — if there is enough participation for at least two out of the three races on the calendar. Alongside the classic Normandy Channel Race…

Still hot – the 2016 Marc Lombard-designed 45 Pata Negra will carry the Howth colours in August’s SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race

Darren Wright of Howth Puts Famous Pata Negra On to Boil in the Round Ireland Yacht Race

9th July 2020 Round Ireland

When the then-new Lombard 45 Pata Negra was racing with a Dutch charter crew in the 2017 Rolex Fastnet Race and carving her way through the fleet with style and winning speed, Howth YC’s offshore team manager Kieran Jameson was…

The Golden One: Chris Power Smith's J122 Aurelia competing in 2020's opening ISORA Coastal Race is entered for next month's Round Ireland Race from Wicklow

Royal St.George's J122 'Aurelia' is Round Ireland Yacht Race's 50th Entry

5th July 2020 Round Ireland

Having come so close to overall victory in 2018, Chris Power Smith revealed the depth of his ambition when the Royal St. George skipper of J122 'Aurelia' became the Round Ireland Yacht Race's 50th entry at the weekend. Power Smith…

Corum makes a great start in the 2018 Round Ireland Race; four French Class 40s have entered for August's 2020 edition of the race off Wicklow

Two More French Class 40s Brings Round Ireland Race Entry to 49 Boats So Far

2nd July 2020 Class40

Two more international entries into August's SSE Renewables Round Ireland Yacht Race brings the fleet total to just under 50 registered entries so far. Franz Bouvet's Yoda from Caen, France and Greg Leonard's Mach 40.3, Kite brings to four the…

Another French Class 40 Yacht Brings Round Ireland Race Entry to 47

28th June 2020 Class40

Another international entry for August's SSE Renewables Round Ireland Yacht Race adds extra spice to a growing French Class 40 division with the arrival of the Lorient based Mach 40.3, Taras Boulba skippered by Charles-Louis Mourruau. Overall, it brings entries…

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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