At 22, Eimer McMorrow-Moriarty is exactly the kind of young offshore sailor the RORC Griffin Offshore Pathway was created to support.

Lifeboat Roots: Fenit RNLI volunteer Eimer McMorrow-Moriarty with her father and uncles at Fenit Lifeboat Station. Growing up in a fishing and lifesaving family helped shape her respect for the sea and offshore sailing. Photo: RORC

From Fenit on the rugged southwest coast of Ireland, Eimer has logged more than 20,000 offshore miles, raced for Team Ireland, served as Fenit RNLI crew and is now building a season of more than 4,000 miles of RORC racing. She is part of the RORC Griffin youth team for the Round Britain and Ireland Race and has also been selected for the Round Ireland Race on Sam and Andrew Hall's Lombard 46 Pata Negra. For RORC Members, her story is about opportunity, trust and structured support.

Eimer started sailing close to home. "I started sailing when I was 10 years old. I live right by the sea in Fenit, County Kerry. My dad is a fisherman, so I grew up by the sea and around boats. As a child, I sailed at Tralee Bay Sailing Club, we bought an Optimist, I went halves with my parents, using my communion money." From that Optimist came Lasers, 29ers and Team Ireland squads. At 12, a local Kerry family, the Lynches, invited Eimer onto their keelboat. "They gave me the opportunity to go on mainsail because I was a dinghy sailor. I look back at 12-year-old me getting that opportunity, and I am very grateful."

Ocean Opportunity: Eimer McMorrow-Moriarty sailed more than 20,000 miles around the world aboard Navillus 3 with Brian O'Sullivan and Frances Clifford after joining the World ARC Rally during her university studies. Photo: RORC

While studying Social Science at University College Cork, Eimer flew alone from Ireland to Bora Bora to join the World ARC Rally aboard Brian O’Sullivan & Frances Clifford’s boat. "Along the way, they asked if I wanted to continue and complete the circumnavigation with them. I ended up taking a gap year from college and sailing 20,000 miles around the world. I am extremely grateful for that opportunity."

Those miles gave her independence and respect for long passages, but also a question. "I loved that feeling of being at one with the sea and nature. Then I realised, I love this, but how can I merge it with my competitive racing side?" A friend then showed her the Griffin WhatsApp group. "My mind started going crazy. I thought, What is this? Whatever this is, I need to get myself involved. I just knew this was the next step."

For a sailor with serious ocean miles, Griffin offered more than distance in a logbook. "My miles have given me such a solid foundation, but Griffin was like a golden nugget. I could see this was how I progress, how I get into offshore racing. It was the pathway." The attraction was the environment. "The level of coaching and mentorship is amazing. It is the opportunity to sail with all these cool and talented young sailors. We all learn from each other. Everyone is constantly talking about how we can improve. It is also about the contacts and the networking. You know that if you want to get into something else, there is someone you can ask." For RORC Members, that is the value of Griffin: a practical bridge into offshore racing.

Learning Curve: The RORC Griffin youth team trains and races aboard the Sun Fast 3600, gaining hands-on offshore racing experience ahead of major events including the Round Britain and Ireland Race. Photo: Rick Tomlinson

The programme has also changed the way Eimer sails. A three-person ocean cruising watch is very different from racing, the Sun Fast 3600 RORC Griffin, with a youth team of eight. "It is definitely busier. I used to do solo watches. Now we are a big team, but the same values still stand. The responsibility of your watch, managing fatigue, keeping a positive mentality, and always trying to get the best out of the boat." The RORC season is central to that development, with the Cervantes Trophy, Myth of Malham, Morgan Cup and Channel Race building towards the Round Britain and Ireland Race. "The RORC series is the most important preparation. We are getting hands-on experience, racing against competitors who will be there as well, and debriefing afterwards."

Eimer's story speaks directly about RORC values of seamanship, teamwork and responsibility offshore. Her father is a fisherman and lifeboat coxswain, and she has grown up respecting the sea. "I am not naive. I know what we are taking on, especially with Round Britain and Ireland. I know how dangerous things can be and how quickly things can go wrong." That awareness makes her prepared, not hesitant. "We need plans in place, spares and backups. We always wear lifejackets; we always clip on. It is about respecting the risk and minimising it." Trust is just as important. "I have complete trust in the team. Every single person on that boat deserves to be there. When I am taking my off watch, I know the watch on deck can handle it, and if not, they will call us."

Crew Spirit: RORC Griffin sailors Rachael Cross and Eimer McMorrow-Moriarty take a break during training. The pathway combines racing, seamanship and team-building for young offshore sailors. Photo: RORC Griffin

This season carries powerful personal meaning. As the only Irish sailor on the Griffin Round Britain and Ireland team, and an Irish woman from Kerry, Eimer knows what that selection represents. "I feel super proud to be not only Irish, but an Irish girl as well. I am really excited and grateful to have been selected for the biggest race. Of course, it is going to be tough, but I am really excited." "It will be really cool to see the coastline from afar. I will definitely be waving in at home. I am super proud of where I come from. I love where I live."

Her message to other young sailors is equally clear. "After dinghy racing, I hit a gap. You are too old for youth racing, and you start questioning what is next. Offshore racing is a pathway, but not enough people know about it. I want to show that other people can do it." It is access, structure, coaching, peer learning and the confidence to take the next step.

Eimer's gratitude is heartfelt. "I feel extreme gratitude for this opportunity and for everyone behind it who makes it happen. Many people put significant support and effort into the RORC Griffin Pathway. I really see how lucky I am to be part of it and what it will do for my sailing career. This campaign would not be possible for an under-25 team without all the support we receive." Offshore racing, for Eimer, is not just a result sheet. "It is a whole story. It is the people, the experiences, the things you share afterwards. It is stimulating and exciting."

Race Ready: The RORC Griffin Sun Fast 3600 in action during training. The programme provides young sailors with structured coaching, offshore miles and a route into top-level offshore racing. Photo: Rick Tomlinson

Through Griffin, Eimer is racing hard, learning fast and along with her Griffin team. They are realising that offshore racing is not a closed world. It is a pathway. For more information about getting involved with the RORC Griffin Offshore Pathway for applicants and supporters, click here.

Article credit: RORC