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WIORA
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…
The Shannon Estuary in the perfect mood for racing – WIORA Class 1 IRC competitors Jaguar (left, J/92 S, Gary Fort, Tralee Bay SC), with overall runner up Stonehaven Racing (foreground, Corby 25, Glynn/Griffin/Callanan, Royal Western of Ireland YC), chasing the J/109 Joie de Vie (Glen Cahill, Galway Bay SC)
With the full programme of nine races for the IRC Classes and seven for the two White Sail Divisions very comprehensively completed in the four day 28-boat WIORA Championship 2019 hosted by Foynes Yacht Club, the word in the west…
WIORA presentation - After thirteen years leading the association, Simon Mc Gibney stepped down as Commodore
The Annual General Meeting of the West of Ireland Offshore Racing Association (WIORA) took place at the Inn at Dromoland in Co. Clare earlier this week. Among the usual formalities of an AGM there included a vote for the venue…
The 54-boat ICRA fleet berthed at Galway Docks
There was a disappointing start to today's WIORA sailing championships with the postponement of the much-anticipated races due to strong winds on Galway Bay. A 54-boat fleet was scheduled to race two races this morning but the Skippers Briefing at the…
After twelve years in his role as Honorary Secretary of WIORA, Thomas Whelan from the Royal Western Yacht Club of Ireland, stepped down at the AGM
The Annual General Meeting of the 2017 West of Ireland Offshore Racing Association (WIORA) took place at the Dromoland Inn in Co. Clare earlier this week. Among the items discussed on the night was the combined 2018 WIORA ICRA Championships which…
Liam Burke’s Farr 31 Tribal crew are 2017 WIORA champions with five straight wins
The WIORA Championships concluded yesterday in the Aran Islands. First gun time was delayed on the final day to 1155 to allow competitors to see the Lions match before heading out racing. The forecasted light winds thankfully didn’t materialise and…
WIORA 'Round Aran' Class Two start
Day three of the Volvo WIORA Coast Championships continued off the Aran Island of Inís Mór with the Coastal Race with racing taking place around the spectacular cliffs of the Aran Islands, in fantastic conditions, through the Gregory Sound and…
The WIORA fleet assembled in the Aran Islands this week
#WIORA - With the forecast of light winds looming over the weekend, PRO Alan Crosbie opted to run three races on the second day of the Volvo WIORA Championships.  Racing started at a steady 10 knots which built to a…
Kilronan on the Aran Islands is hosting the WIORA Championships for the first time
Day one of the Volvo WIORA Championships dawned with a final entry of thirty nine boats and was to begin with one race and an afternoon start to facilitate crews arriving to the island of Inishmore on the morning ferries.…
The first 33 boats have already gathered at Cill Ronan in the Aran Islands for tomorrow’s four day WIORA Championship, and a further 12 are expected by the time racing gets under way.
The first annual championship ever to be staged in the Aran Islands in the forty year history of the West of Ireland Offshore Racing Association gets under way tomorrow at Cill Ronan on Inish Mor. There’s a busy programme afloat…
A truly unique venue. The Aran Islands are the location for the staging of the four-day West of Ireland Offshore Racing Championship in July
Cormac MacDonnacha describes himself as “one of the busiest men” in Galway this week as he strives to bring traditional boats and the modern GRP racing variety together in a major sailing event at a fledging club, writes Tom MacSweeney.…
WIORA Racing on the Shannon Estuary
Class two yacht Ibaraki skippered by John Collins from Galway Bay Sailing Club has been declared overall winner of the 2016 WIORA Championships after a six race series at Kilrush Marina on the Shannon Estuary. Download results below. Collins continued…

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.

WIORA Championships

WIORA 2024 will be held at Foynes Yacht Club on the Shannon Estuary from June 12th-15th 2024

WIORA Championships

WIORA 2022 will run over three days, from Friday 24th to Sunday 26th June at the Royal Western Yacht Club of Ireland on the Shannon Estuary

WIORA 2023 will be held at Kilronan on the Aran Islands

WIORA 2024 will be held at Foynes Yacht Club on the Shannon Estuary

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