With no current record time established, could the IRC record course from Pwllheli in North Wales to Dun Laoghaire in Ireland have appeal for the high-speed fledgeling Cape 31 fleets now established on both sides of the Irish Sea?
ISORA Chief Peter Ryan, a promoter of the new challenge, seems to think so. "It might be attractive for the Cape 31s if they want to have a blast! It is also handy for any Irish Sea boat attempting it as it could be done in two days, including the delivery, Ryan says.
The Cape 31s have been taking the scene by storm since their arrival in Ireland earlier in 2022, clocking up high speeds in local Dublin Bay races, as Afloat previously reported here.
Ryan reckons if a Cape could average ten knots for the voyage, a new record time could realistically be 7.5 hours or lower.
The historic course, raced by ISORA for decades as the ‘James Eadie Race’, is a coastal leg followed by open sea across to Ireland.
New challenge, old course: The 75-mile IRC record course from Pwllheli in North Wales to Dun Laoghaire on the south shore of Dublin Bay, Ireland
The new challenge is part of a new concept to the world of sailing records, ‘Corrected Time Records’, that allows boats of different shapes and sizes to compete on a level playing field.
Ryan told Afloat: "Boats attempting this record bid will have to get time and wind right as they will have to deal with the tides and sea conditions at Bardsey Sound".
ISORA's Peter Ryan - promoting Irish Sea record challenges
The aim of IRC Records is to re-create the thrill of making and breaking records. Corrected Time Records allows yacht owners to compete with their own equipment lowering the barrier to entry.
"For decades the setting of records in the world of sailing has been mainly reserved for adventurers, pioneers, designers, eccentrics and the elite, usually requiring specific boat designs optimised for a single purpose, IRC Records state
Launching with the world-renowned ‘International Rating Certificate System’ (IRC), IRCRecords.com™ provides the platform to enable Corrected Time Records, with attempts calculated from a boat’s elapsed time on the course and their measured ‘handicap’ the boat’s IRC TCC figure, say IRC Records.
"We will be able to supply the YB tracker to any boat that may consider this challenge. We may also be able to supply a starter in Pwllheli," Ryan says.
