Displaying items by tag: Lough Rynn Regatta

9th May 2017

Big Entry for Lough Rynn Regatta

#Rowing: The second annual Lough Rynn Regatta will be held on the lake (Lough Rinn) near Mohill, Co. Leitrim on Saturday. The event is hosted by the Connacht Branch of Rowing Ireland.

The 2,000 metre course has eight lanes and is at top class facility. It was developed by Leitrim County Council. It is very accessible from the North, South and East of Ireland. It has a 1,000 metre area above the start where crews can warm up and a north-south orientation, which should minimise the effect of windy conditions.

This year’s entry is double that of last year: over 1700 competitors from 40 clubs will take to the water between 8am to 6pm in 107 races.

Free parking will be available at the Lough Rynn Hotel Golf Course Site. The carpark is 1.2km away from the enclosure and two shuttle buses will be provided throughout the day free of charge.

Members of the general public who wish to view this event are very welcome, entrance is free of charge.

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About Conor O'Brien, Irish Circumnavigator

In 1923-25, Conor O'Brien became the first amateur skipper to circle the world south of the Great Capes. O'Brien's boat Saoirse was reputedly the first small boat (42-foot, 13 metres long) to sail around the world since Joshua Slocum completed his voyage in the 'Spray' during 1895 to 1898. It is a journey that O' Brien documented in his book Across Three Oceans. O'Brien's voyage began and ended at the Port of Foynes, County Limerick, Ireland, where he lived.

Saoirse, under O'Brien's command and with three crew, was the first yacht to circumnavigate the world by way of the three great capes: Cape Horn, Cape of Good Hope and Cape Leeuwin; and was the first boat flying the Irish tri-colour to enter many of the world's ports and harbours. He ran down his easting in the Roaring Forties and Furious Fifties between the years 1923 to 1925.

Up until O'Brien's circumnavigation, this route was the preserve of square-rigged grain ships taking part in the grain race from Australia to England via Cape Horn (also known as the clipper route).

At a Glance - Conor O'Brien's Circumnavigation

In June 1923, Limerick man Conor O’Brien set off on his yacht, the Saoirse — named after the then newly created Irish Free State — on the two-year voyage from Dun Laoghaire Harbour that was to make him the first Irish amateur to sail around the world.

June 1923 - Saoirse’s arrival in Madeira after her maiden passage out from Dublin Bay

2nd December 1924 - Saoirse crossed the longitude of Cape Horn

June 20th 1925 - O’Brien’s return to Dun Laoghaire Harbour