Two young Irish sailors are set to play leading parts in this year’s running of the biennial Newport to Bermuda Race.
Luke Galvin and Eoin McKeon - both ‘graduates’ of the Irish National Sailing School in Dun Laoghaire – will compete in the prestigious offshore from June 21st.
The duo will sail under the burgee of Oakcliff Sailing, the Long Island, NY-based sailing centre where Luke has worked for the last three years and is now shore manager.
“I learned to sail in Dun Laoghaire, initially at the INSS and later on the Royal Irish Yacht Club Mills 31, Raptor,” explained Luke (20). “When my family was moving back to the US in 2022, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to continue sailing in New York City. Luckily for me, one of the Raptor crew, Paddy Boyd, introduced me to the head of Oakcliff Sailing and that initial connection has allowed me to make a career in the sport.”
Founded in 2010 as a non-profit sail training centre, Oakcliff is now the official training hub of the US Sailing Team, 11th Hour Racing, NYYC American Magic, IYRS and the World Match Racing Tour.
“We’ll have a fleet of boats competing in the run down to Bermuda,” said Luke, “the largest of which will be the OC86 and JV66. I’ll be running bow on the maxi.” Oakcliff executive director Dawn Reilly, the first American to sail in three America’s Cups and two Whitbread Round the World races, will be at the helm of OC86.
Oakcliff's OC86 on which Luke Galvin is bowman in the 2024 Newport to Bermuda Race Photo: Oakcliff Sailing
Over on the JV66, Eoin will be competing in his second Bermuda race, having crewed on the 86 in the 2022 event. “I’m really looking forward to this event,” said Eoin. “Last time out, it was a baptism of fire but I’ve spent the last few weeks with the JV66 and feel much more comfortable about the challenge this time.”
Eoin will be competing in his second Bermuda race on Oakcliff's JV66 Photo: Photo: Oakcliff Sailing
The 636-mile biennial Newport Bermuda Race is the world’s oldest regularly-scheduled ocean race, and one of just two of the world’s regularly scheduled races held almost entirely out of sight of land, the second being the Transpac. Founded in 1906, this is the 53rd running of the event and has attracted 163 entries.
The Irish sailors are quick to point to their days in the Coal Harbour in Dun Laoghaire as key to their entry to the sport. “I think it’s fair to say that neither of us comes from what you might describe as a traditional sailing background,” said Luke. “Our parents weren’t sailors and nobody we knew owned a boat, but we were allowed to learn the ropes at the INSS and develop out from there. The next chapter of our sailing story might be the race to Bermuda but I think it’s fair to say that none of us would be here if it wasn’t for the start we got in the sport from the Rumball family at the INSS.”
Racing on Dublin Bay as part of the crew on the Mills 31 Raptor under skipper Fintan Cairns Photo: Afloat
“I also owe a great debt to Fintan Cairns and the entire Raptor crew,” he added. “They gave me a slot on their bow for two summers and the lessons I learned there were foundational for everything that’s followed.”
For more about Oakcliff sailing click here and more about the INSS here
