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WIORA
Duncan Kerin of the Royal Western YC of Kilrush accepting the First 40 Ariel's Prize For Third In Class 4 In The Sydney-Hobart Race
It's seventeen years since the Royal Western of Ireland YC of Kilrush on the Shannon Estuary was represented on the Sydney-Hobart Race Prizewinners Podium. Back in 2005, Ger O'Rourke with his then-new Cookson 50 Chieftain RWIYC took an impressive first…
Big country. The MOD 70 Phaedo 3 (Lloyd Thornburg) flys past Inishtearaght in the Blasket islands during her record-breaking round Ireland circuit in 2016
When you sail west past Mizen Head in the deep south, or Malin Head in the far north, you know you’re getting into the real Atlantic territory, where they do things differently afloat and ashore. For although the hundreds of…
The crew of Tribal celebrate their victory in WIORA 2022
Quantum Sails Ireland congratulate their clients on their successes in the 2022 WIORA Championships. Eight of the 24 boats in the fleet were powered by Quantum Sails — with five boats fully equipped. Between them they racked up five podiums…
 The Tribal crew (from left) Liam Burke, Orla Conneely, Niall Thornton, Ally O'Sullivan, Ryan Mill and Yannick Lemonnier, missing from photo are crew Tom Murphy and Seàn Lemonnier
Galway Bay Sailing Club is celebrating an overall win for its Tribal crew at the WIORA championships hosted by the Royal Western Yacht Club on the Shannon Estuary last weekend.  The well campaigned Farr 31 took home first place in Class One…
Fergus Kelliher’s J24 Jibe from Tralee Bay Sailing Club
The final day of racing in the WIORA West Coast Championships in Kilrush, Principal Race Officer, John Leech, postponed the start of racing by one hour to allow a front to pass through. When racing did get underway on the…
The J24 sinking at WIORA regatta on the Shannon Estuary at Kilrush. The three mark boats on the water were quickly on the scene to take the crew of the yacht on board the safety boat and quickly brought them ashore all in good spirits. Efforts was made to recover the boat but unfortunately, the boat later sank; all relevant authorities were informed, according to an event spokesperson
There has been a dramatic start to the WIORA Championships at Kilrush on the Shannon Estuary with one boat sinking and the second day of racing cancelled due to strong winds. This year has a bumper numbers of entries for the…
Some of the Attendees at the WIORA AGM with Outgoing Commodore Gary Fort 2nd from the left, Third from left Rachael Conway (Hon Sec) and Ray McGibney Commodore elect pictured centre.
The main area of discussion at this month's WIORA AGM, revolved around rejuvenating the fleet numbers at the annual West Coast Championships and on the west coast in general. WIORA numbers have been falling in recent years and the Pandemic…
WIORA sailing
The 2021 West of Ireland Offshore Racing Association (WIORA) AGM was held in Dromoland Inn in County Clare last Thursday evening. The meeting was well attended with representatives from a number of clubs on the western seaboard. Prior to the…
Cruiser racing on the Shannon Estuary
The Notice of Race and Entry Form for June's West Coast of Ireland (WIORA) Championship being hosted by the Royal Western Yacht Club of Ireland has been published. This year will see a change to the usual format as the…
“Sailing School With a Difference” - the WIORA-winning Tribal Youth Initiative at Fenit on Tralee Bay with (left to right) David Carberry, Cormac Donnelly, Justin Mitchel Ward, Jack Nolan, Liam Burke (Skipper), Ronan Shepard and Olivia Cure.
When Liam Burke’s interesting Farr 31 Tribal from Galway Bay SC became the new West of Ireland champion in racing the WIORA series with Tralee Bay SC at Fenit recently, it marked the latest successful stage in the Tribal Youth…
The Farr 31 Tribal from GBSC with Liam Burke at the helm
The Bon Secours WIORA West Coast Championship was held in Tralee Bay Sailing Club from Aug 25-28 with light breezes and glorious sunshine on three days out of four.  PRO John Leech did an amazing job to get nine races…
WIORA racing at the Aran Islands first ever staging of the championships in 2017
The 2023 West of Ireland Offshore Racing (WIORA) Championships will be sailed at Kilronan Harbour on Inismor, following a vote at the WIORA AGM last week. Galway Bay Sailing Club with Cuman Seoltoireacht Kilronan as well as Foynes Yacht Club…
Cian McCarthy's Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl from Kinsale (with article author Mark Mansfield pictured second from right) at the start of the Fastnet 450 Race
Mark Mansfield, Olympian and Professional sailor and a member of this year's Fastnet 450 Race organising committee reckons lessons learned in this COVID-hit 2020 sailing season means there can still be good compliant big boat racing even in these strange…
Tralee Bay Sailing Club has cancelled its stagiing of the 2020 WIORA Championships
Tralee Bay Sailing Club (TBSC) in Fenit, County Kerry and WIORA have jointly announced that the WIORA Championships scheduled for September at the most westerly port in Europe have been cancelled. TBSC Commodore Liam Lynch told Afloat 'With the current coronavirus…
Mullaghmore Regatta this Weekend Celebrates Great Irish Tradition
They’ve been holding annual regattas at breezy Mullaghmore on Sligo’s northwest coast for a very long time. Probably way beyond 1885, but that’s the oldest regatta poster they’ve managed to unearth. And though it’s just about possible to decipher it,…
Cruiser Racing on Tralee Bay
Tralee Bay Sailing Club and the West of Ireland Offshore Racing Association (WIORA) have announced its staging of the 2020 WIORA Championships at Fenit in County Kerry has been postponed until September. TBSC Commodore Liam Lynch and WIORA Commodore Gary…

West Coast of Ireland Offshore Racing Association (WIORA)

The West Coast of Ireland Offshore Racing Association (WIORA) objective is to promote an annual programme of yacht racing for the West Coast of Ireland.

WIORA aims to encourage and promote participation in and knowledge of racing and seamanship. It does this by developing yacht racing between yacht clubs on the west coast and hosting an annual regatta known as the West Coast Championships. The championships are rotated between west coast clubs. 

WIORA was formed in 1976. WIORA is affiliated with the Irish Cruiser Racing Association.

The association burgee is a pennant with a background of St. Patrick's Blue and overlaid with an emblem of St. Brendan's Cross, which is of saffron colour. 

WIORA is open to members of yachts clubs located on the west coast of Ireland, from Mizen Head to Malin Head and the waters of Lough Derg and Lough Ree, and sailors outside thee areas who may wish to participate at the WIORA annual regatta.

The membership association has a Commodore and committee.

Annual membership is €10.