2010 will be the
30th Anniversary of the 1st
Round Ireland and we hope the biggest event yet,
building on the success of previous races and the Volvo RTW 2009 stopover in Galway
- an historic event for Irish Sailing. A Town Festival to compliment the
race preparations will add a welcome level of fun and entertainment for all
coming down.
This is a dream event for a
discerning SPONSOR,
to follow on the commercial success enjoyed by our previous sponsors Cork Dry Gin and BMW
over most of those years.
All enquiries to:-
2010 Race Organiser
-
Dennis Noonan.
(N.B. -please
include a contact number on all e-mails/correspondence)
Wanted -
Good quality, preferably
action, photos of any Round Ireland. I will accept photos sent by e-mail
(freddrew@eircom.net)
but I would prefer the actual
photo as I can have high definition scans made. Originals will be returned to
the provider. The photos are required for a book I am writing on the history of
the race (if used, attribution will be given). Also, if anyone
has Video(s) of any race, I would appreciate getting a copy for my research,
please.
Many Thanks, Fred Drew, President WSC.
The Round Ireland is Ireland's premier offshore yacht race, and the second
longest race in the Royal Ocean Racing Club calendar. The first
race took
place in 1980 with only thirteen boats. Since then, held biannually, the fleet has grown steadily, attracting a record 60 entrants from all over Ireland
and the British Isles in 1992.
There are four classes in IRC in which boats and their crews can compete,
including a Classic Class for the Michael Jones Trophy, classes for
Sigma, ISORA, IRM, a Team Prize. 2004 saw the launch of the "Two-handed
Class" which has introduced a new level of competition for the more extreme
sailor. In the past, boats competing have ranged
from an 84-footer former "round the world" maxi, to club boats one third
the size, with all shades in between. 2006 saw the largest yacht yet to
partake - Konica Minolta Zana, a 30m (98') racing machine from New Zealand, but
light winds scuppered her chances of breaking the record or winning the race.
The bigger boats compete for top honours and for the race record, which is
held by Colm Barrington who skippered Jeep Cherokee to victory in 1998 in
a time of 76 hours 23 minutes and 57 seconds, breaking the
previous record
by a
massive eight hours. The 2004 winner was a 32' one off design built in Ireland
for Eamon Crosbie called Calyx Voice and Data ("Voodoo Chile")
and the 2006 Race was won by a previous winner, Eric Lissons' "Cavatina" (2002),
a Grenada 38 classic GRP yacht.
WICKLOW SAILING CLUB
