Congratulations to Aodhan Fitzgerald and crew on

Irelands West - winners of the 2008 BMW Round Ireland

WSC's John Johnson and Jacky Noonan present the

Round Ireland Overall Trophy to the Ireland West crew

(photo: David Branigan)

ICAP Leopard 3 smashed the old Round Ireland record by 10 hours, 35 minutes and 10 Seconds

• Race Postscript - For the romantics in our midst, an event of a truly romantic nature occurred on board Ocean Spirit of Carlingford as they crossed the finish line. Crew member Peter Eagleson went down on bended knee and asked his sweetheart and fellow crew member Emma Finnegan to marry him. To his (and all the watching crew's) relief, she accepted. A champagne celebration was held afterwards in the clubhouse and they were feted by fellow competitors and WSC members alike. We wish them well.

• 27th June 2008 - 2230hrs - All good things must come to an end sometime and boy, did I need to see the end of this non-stop event/party after 2 weeks. As with the best Round Ireland tradition, the biggest cheer and warmest welcome was for the last boat home - this year the honour fell to Cassiopeia, representing the Royal St George YC. They were about 5 hours outside the fastest last boat - a record still to be broken. All our returning sailors said it was a wonderful experience despite the sometimes horrendous conditions and the safety record of our biannual event remains 100% intact, despite 11 starters not completing the course. Our RORC tracker system has been a huge hit and has brought the Round Ireland to a whole new audience and hopefully interested future competitors. Our club members played a blinder in keeping the show on the road 24/7 but the real heroes are the participants themselves, who pit themselves against the elements in a truly testing offshore event that is the BMW Round Ireland Yacht Race - goodnight and thanks for checking in with us. 

  The Guess the Elapsed Time competition was won by Simon Greenwood with an estimate of 2 days & 18 mins.
  Congratulations.

• 26th June 2008 - 2100hrs - Watching the Spain v Russia European semi final (3 - 0) as I ate my dinner of spring lamb, spuds and veg washed down by a glass of red wine and followed by strawberries and cream, my thoughts went out to the Russian crew on Kingspan who provisionally are the class 0 winners - they had their post race pints and grub and headed off up the town this afternoon in the rain looking for a steak dinner - what was Matt Davis feeding the poor sods on that boat? I'm sure they'll be back to soak more of the post race atmosphere and our traditional drink of "black vodka with the white head"! It was a great boost to our event to attract sailors from St Petersburg and lets hope we see many more in the future. We wish Evelyn Noonan (wife of Dennis, mother of Jacky) well as she recovers from a turn last night.

• 26th June 2008 - 2000hrs - Having spent most of the day berthing in the spilling rain, I am finally getting around to giving our 20,000 fans an update - thank you for keeping an eye on our wonderful event - you have been a great audience. With c.18 boats finished, we have another 12 still out there, but only one of those can now possibly win the overall race - you guessed right, Cavatina. By my rudimentary calculations and they're only that, I reckon he needs to finish c.0100 hrs Fri 27th June to beat Ireland West who is the leader in the clubhouse and feeling confident as the forecasted strong winds have still not materialised. McCarthymotors.ie have lost out in the light airs having been a strong contender up to early afternoon but the old nemesis of foul tides and light airs finally frustrated them - they did remarkably well anyway - well done George and crew. Mumbo.ie has been the longtime provisional leader in the 2 hander class, but needs those strong winds immediately if he is to beat clubhouse leader Jalfrezi - as they say its not over until the fat lady sings! Back at the tailend of the fleet Casiopeia is off the Co Down coast chasing his nearest neighbour Persistence, both of whom we expect in Friday - winds will dictate and as usual, tides might have a say too. The last boat home has to be here before 1109hrs Friday 27th to claim the dubious title of fastest last boat (see table at foot of page) - come on guys and gals, we're rooting for you! From the crews we have spoken to, they have enjoyed the experience enormously despite the very tough conditions and will be back for more. Bravo.

• 25th June 2008 - 1700hrs - With the first boat home and a new record in the bag, all eyes are on the rest of the fleet to see who will succeed Cavatina (if not retained by her) as the 2008 BMW Round Ireland winner. Peter Finnegans Ocean Spirit of Carlingford has provisionally put the north east in the frame as they approach the Irish Sea, just ahead of McCarthymotors.ie and Cavatina, giving ordinary club boats a very strong hand against the cream of international high tech yachts. We expect the next 3 maxis to finish before midnight tonight and the core of the "sailaton" will be arriving over the next 24hrs after a fast and very tough 2008 race. In the 2 hander class, current leader Mumbo.ie from Malahide SC is provisionally in fourth place overall just a few places ahead of Jalfrezi, a phenomenal performance by these shorthanded crews in very testing and energy sapping conditions. Of local interest, Kelly Spillane would like you all to know that local man Alan Murphy is navigator on yacht Gallileo, which has been putting in a good performance.

Our race is about giving all sailors of competent abilities the opportunity to match their wits and sailing skills against the top professional crews and consistently they have stepped up to the mark to enhance the egalitarian nature of this wonderful event. Long may Irish and other regular club sailors give this race the thumbs up and we look forward to welcoming them every two years. The level of interest in the race is phenomenal with 12,936 visits yesterday (24/6/08) to our dedicated race website with hits from all over the world checking on progress of the yachts - not bad for a small club situated on the East coast of Ireland. Thank you our yachting public for your support and interest - maybe many of you will aspire to be on the start line in 2010.

• 25th June 2008 - 0800hrs - At last, ICAP Leopard 3 finally crossed the finish line, taking the gun from Race Organiser Dennis Noonan at c.0548hrs, watched by a good crowd including County Chairman, Cllr Derek Mitchell and Wicklow Town Mayor, Cllr. Denis Teevan. Needless to say, owner Mike Slade was delighted to have achieved the record, taking less than 11 hrs off Jeep Cherokees 1998 record and setting a new standard for future campaigns to aim at - expect more mega yachts in the future trying to further reduce this new benchmark. He came ashore with 15 of his crew for the traditional post race photocall, trophy presentation, champagne reception, breakfast and a few well earned pints. Back at the end of the fleet, classic S&S 36 yacht, Sarnia, has had a casualty due to a maintrack accident causing rib damage to one of their crew, who is being evacuated to Galway. We wish him/her a speedy recovery. The rest of the fleet are being whooshed along by strong winds, which is bad news for most of the big boats out near the front who never got far enough ahead to establish time in hand to give them handicap advantage - mid-fleet is the place to be, despite all the expensive mega yachts in the vanguard.

• 25th June 2008 - 0000hrs - Leopard is now in the Irish Sea and charging towards the finish, ETA Wicklow 0600hrs. The record is within his grasp now and we expect a good turn out for the finish. The real race is taking place mid-fleet where Cavatina, McCarthymotors.ie and Ireland West are in a dog fight for the overall honours and it looks as if these will be dicing it out right down to the wire.

• 24th June 2008 - 1350hrs - Sorry for the delay in update catching up on sleep deprivation and had to clear the memory to allow more inputs. Looks like Leopard will definitely break the record barring some disaster but the strong winds behind favour the smaller boats for the handicap overall winner. More retirals are WSI, Lascar, Star Dancer and we think First of September and Ruffian, both of whom are stopped but not declared retired. From the tracker, most of the boats are past Inish Tearacht but very few have been recorded by Valencia Radio on mandatory call-ins.

• 23rd June 2008 - 2100hrs - All but one of the Super Zero and Zero class boats are now around the Fastnet, with White Tiger the odd one out. Leopard is now about half way around, making 13kts but still no sign of the promised gale to drive him onwards to glory - another 27hrs to the finish at this average speed. At the back of the fleet Lascar, Sarnia and Cassiopea are in lightish airs but hopefully will get a morale boosting lift shortly - if the forecast pans out, they will enjoy a fast trip up the West coast.

• 23rd June 2008 - 1600hrs - Now off Dingle Peninsula, the Mega Cat is doing 15 knots at which speed we would expect them in Wicklow in 30 hours time, but this forecasted gale could shorten that time considerably - possibly even lunchtime Tuesday. The chasing fleet are all moving well and if they keep these winds all round, the small boats will be in the hunt for glory again. Its anyones guess who will win but if ICAP Leopard stays sound he will win line honours and trounce the old record - with several other boats likely to be inside the old 1998 mark also.

• 23rd June 2008 - 1330hrs - ICAP Leopard is half way up the Kerry coast, Formidable 3 is chasing hard having rounded the Fastnet and Lee Overlay Partners is just off our SW turning point as I type. With S-SE winds due to strenghten over the day bringing possible gales tonight, the whole fleet will be well positioned to make this the fastest Round Ireland for both first and last boats home - another record to be broken, we hope. Out of our 46 entrants, we still have 39 racing and its fingers crossed all will make it home in one piece.

• 23rd June 2008 - 1030hrs - ICAP Leopard 3 is now doing 13 knots abeam of Mizen Head, having rounded the Fastnet Rock at 0808hrs (must have got a big wind shift to lift them), with Formidable 3 and Lee Overlay Partners his nearest pursuers. But now that almost all the boats are switched on, we can see the wily Cork duo of Cavatina and MccarthyMotors.ie are in hot pursuit to win the overall trophy, as both are well placed and moving in the "sailaton". We can confirm 3 retirals at this stage - Legally Brunette, Inis Mor and Mighty Max 2 all with gear failure of one sort or other and the Race Office are trying to contact Joker and Aqualina to ascertain their position, as their trackers do not seem to be functioning. The tailenders seem to have found a deadwind hole while the leaders are enjoying a fresh breeze - ces't la vie in your average Round Ireland - you win some, lose some. Watch this space for further updates. Can anyone send us a few photos from the start of the race boats please? info@wicklowsailingclub.com

• 23rd June 2008 - 0435hrs - Manning the Race office this morning watching the dawn come up we have our dedicated Junior crew of Sean Doyle, Jonathon Flood and Liam Knight - who I guess will all be on the next Wicklow boat to do the race. All our Race boats are on the South coast and making a beeline for the Fastnet Rock into a decreasing Westerly headwind - ICAP Leopard is just about favourite to get there first (in about 7 hours time at present speed) but hot on his heels are Formidable 3 and Lee Overlay Partners. In the 2 handers, Cheetah Cub is absolutely flying and if he keeps up his present form, they could be challenging seriously for the handicap overall honours. First of September had a leak problem and some sail damage which they took time out to repair at Cahore and are now catching up fast on the tail enders, boosted by the ebbing tide no doubt around Tuskar Rock. Winds are starting to slacken but another weather system in the Atlantic should arrive overnight to help shoot the fleet up the West coast. Check out the full list of Entries and Teams here.

          We welcome Tom Mc Sweeney and his Seascapes programme to WSC this evening - tune in to RTE1 at 2230hrs. Enter Race competition for €100 Sail Training Voucher - follow this link http://www.sailsoutheast.com/SECS%20files/seascapes_competition%20RI08.htm

• 22nd June 2008 - 1530hrs - we expect ICAP Leopard to round the Tuskar Rock in the next 15 minutes or so - he is on track to smash the 10 year record of Jeep Cherokee by up to 24 hours, a phenomenal achievement if they can manage it. Big winds are boosting all of the fleet down the Irish Sea and we would hope all the fleet will be around the first mark by nightfall. Safe sailing to all our sailors.

• 22nd June 2008 - BMW Round Ireland got under way at last at 1200hrs, started by Race Organiser Dennis Noonan from the LE Eithne. All boats made a clear start but unfortunately without 5 entered yachts - Mc Connells Chieftain, Alegre, Uluha, IRL 107L and Voador. You can follow the yachts progress on our tracker on the Race website www.roundirelandyachtrace.ie - unfortunately, due to an administrative error by RORC agents, not all of the trackers have been switched on - all will be rectified on Monday morning.

• 21st June 2008 - Due to a Gale force 8 to strong Gale 9 S-SW forecast, the Race Director, Dennis Noonan, has taken advice and has delayed the Race start until 1000hrs Sun 22nd June, when the worst of the weather should have gone through. Our sailors are tucked up nicely in Wicklow Harbour and Dun Laoghaire waiting for the off in miserably wet conditions which are soon to have strong winds also. The pre-race atmosphere was wonderful at the Sailors reception on Fri evening with live music and complimentary drinks and food. Lets hope all will be well and our sailors have a safe and enjoyable race.

• 18th June 2008 - Our Official Launch of the 2008 BMW Round Ireland by Wicklow Town Mayor Cllr. Denis Teevan took place in the Pavilion to a full house this evening followed by other dignatories speeches and a wonderful cultural evening featuring our Commodores daughter Darina Johnson and friends, with historical and witty interludes from other erudite contributors. Also present was local resident and former Junior member of WSC, Mark Mills, the exciting young Yacht designer, whose boats have featured at many of the worlds top regattas over the last decade or so, including a brand new state of the art one off 68' racing machine "Alegre" which is doing the 2008 BMW Round Ireland.

• 17th June 2008 - Down to 4 days now - the race boats are starting to dribble in to Wicklow Harbour, the excitement is building as the club dusts itself off for the week of festivities before the off. Our main bar area has been redecorated and will be unveiled to our members, visiting sailors and public on Wednesday 18th to compliment the improvements to our Round Ireland room. Thanks to David Branigan of Oceansport it now has all the previous winners photographs and a wonderful map of Ireland with all the lighthouses around our coast complete with flashing lights and the race call in points (sponsored by JBS Ashford Ltd). The map was designed and created by Latitude Kinsale.

          Anyone wishing to get out to the start line should contact Arklow Sea Tours, who have a fully licenced for 7 passengers RIB available for hire.

• 16th June 2008 - Only 5 days to go, we now have 47 entries, most of whom will be in Wicklow Harbour from Wed/Thur creating a wonderful pre-race spectacle for interested observers to drool over and interact with the sailors before the off on Sat 21st. Our Social Programme has something for everyone, with entertainment running from Weds til Sunday - check the link.

          Entries range from a 9.2m Ker yacht up to a state of the art 30m Farr OD "ICAP Leopard 3" and all sizes in between, with eleven 2 handed boats, a particularly tough task taking on the unpredictable weather around this little island of ours. The excitement is building as the off approaches and our visitors and townsfolk will be treated to a wonderful spectacle on Saturday afternoon as the boats jockey for position before the off and on out past Wicklow Head as they leave Ireland and all its islands to starboard - next stop Wicklow.

• 10th June 2008 -  We now have 46 entries with possibly another 4 due before the final deadline of Thurs 17th June. There is a real international flavour to this race including Kingspan, a shared entry between Howth YC and St Petersburg Sailing Union, with love from Russia in this wonderful race.

  Race day will see a feast of boats large and small (>100' - 30') all jockeying for position on our start line and as always, we won't be sure of the winner until the last boat is in - could Cavatina be the first to win 3 races, might ICAP Leopard 3 carry the favourites tag around in record time, is there a surprise package waiting in the wings, will a 2 hander embarrass the fully crewed boats? There are loads of possibilities and a few surprise entrants still have to show their hands.

  Mumbo.ie is doing the race for a good cause - check out this website for details - www.childfund.ie .

  See below for Team Entry Form

•  28th May 2008 - 24 Entries and rising

•  24th May 2008 - Entries to date

•  21st May 2008 - Press Release

                          - All Skippers/Owners - please see below for Sailing Instructions, Crew Next of Kin list and Tim's Top Tips

• 13th May 2008 - interest is hotting up with 17 fully confirmed entries and another 20 or so in the works - looks like the 2008 BMW Round Ireland will be a bumper race with between 40 and 50 boats expected to start. ICAP Leopard will have stiff competition with a strong possibility of at least one Volvo 70, another state of the art 80 footer as well as a few other biggies talking about entering. See entries so far - 2 handers entries are very strong:-

• March 2008  Round Ireland 2008 Update -There is already great interest in this year’s race with entries from France, the UK and Ireland.  The Two Handed class is also looking very interesting with many enquiries but as usual a lot of people are playing their cards very close to their chest.  Good news is that past winners George Radley and Eric Lisson (who is looking for a third win in Cavatina) are both entered.  We also have four Prima 38s from the UK.  If there are any more Primas out there, do come along.  We will give class prizes if we get enough entries of any class as the Sigma entries have been getting less each year.  To all you sailors out there that missed out or had to retire from the Fastnet race in 2007 come to Wicklow and take part in the Round Ireland.  It’s a great race.

•     Colm Barrington’s race record will yet again be under threat as Mike Slade who broke the Fastnet record in ICAP Leopard 3 is coming to do the race.  ICAP Leopard 3 will then be returning to the UK to do the Round the Island race. 

•     For entry forms fax or phone Denis Noonan at  00 353 1 2819459 or email Jacky Breathnach  at jackyb@eircom.net

• 7th December 2007 - venue Wicklow Sailing Club - Dennis Noonan launches 2008 BMW Round Ireland Yacht Race - also, David Branigan of Oceansport officially opens the Round Ireland Wall of Fame (all previous winners).

Round Ireland