Galway Sea Festival Sets Sail with Galway Bay Sailing Club Annual Regatta

21st May 2013

The flagship event of the Galway Sea Festival is the Galway Bay Sailing Club Annual Regatta. The regatta which takes place from Friday evening through to Monday afternoon involves three days racing in Galway Bay. Founded in 1969 the Galway Bay Sailing Club is moving into the centre of Galway from its Rinville base for the Regatta which has been renamed the Galway Sea Festival Regatta in honour of the inaugural Galway Sea Festival. Galway Harbour and Marina will be awash with colour as they host the fleets of the Galway Bay Sailing Club and the Headquarters and Club House for the Regatta will be located in the Harbour Hotel for race registration, post race refreshments and the venue for prize giving ceremonies each evening.

The Galway Sea Festival Regatta is a significant event in the sailing calendar and the first major sailing competition of the 2013 season. An open competition boats from Clifden, Westport, Sligo and Kilrush are expected to take part with crews arriving from all over the country.

Prior to the start of racing on Friday evening 31st May the boats will be blessed at 6pm by Fr. Dick Lyng and the Rev Gary Hastings. After the blessing the first race of the regatta is a short coastal raced named the Harbour Hotel Coastal Race in honour of the new Club House for the Regatta. The race start will be off Mutton Island finishing at the Leverets and can be viewable from Salthill.

Following the conclusion of the Race the boats will congregate in the area of the Leverets before commencing what will be a colourful Parade of Sail into Galway Docks at approximately 8-9pm.

There are three races on Saturday 11am, 1pm and 3pm and two races on Sunday at 12pm and 2pm. The Galway Bay Sailing Club Junior and Accessible Sailing fleets take to the water on Sunday afternoon to welcome the racing fleets ashore and on Monday it's the turn of Dinghies with their regatta which will include the Galway Bay Sailing Club DART catamaran fleet which is the largest in Ireland.

Galway Bay Sailing Club Commodore Dave Vinnell says "Galway Bay Sailing Club is pleased to be an enthusiastic supporter of this the first Galway Sea Festival. As the main sailing club on the bay and one of the most active on the whole of the West Coast, GBSC has from the inception of the Galway Sea Festival, whole heartedly supported it as one of its partners."

The members, committee and Flag Officers of GBSC wish Galway Sea Festival a successful event, we are proud to be involved and intend having an exciting, enjoyable and entertaining Festival both on and off the water. It is our hope and expectation that the Festival becomes an annual event and continues to grow from year to year."

Prize giving will take place each night in the Harbour Hotel at approximately 10.30pm on Friday evening, 8,30pm on Saturday evening and 6.30pm on Monday evening. Regatta registration commences from 2pm on Friday 31st May.

General Manager of the Harbour Hotel Stefan Lundstrom said "It is great to have an event back in the harbour area after the huge success of the Volvo Ocean Race. We are delighted to be Headquarters of the Galway Bay Sailing Club Regatta and we look forward to welcoming all the sailors, skippers and public alike through our doors for great food, great craic and entertainment over the June Bank Holiday Weekend.'"

Published in Galway Harbour

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Galway Harbour

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Galway Port & Harbour

Galway Bay is a large bay on the west coast of Ireland, between County Galway in the province of Connacht to the north and the Burren in County Clare in the province of Munster to the south. Galway city and port is located on the northeast side of the bay. The bay is about 50 kilometres (31 miles) long and from 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) to 30 kilometres (19 miles) in breadth.

The Aran Islands are to the west across the entrance and there are numerous small islands within the bay.

Galway Port FAQs

How old is Galway port?

Galway was founded in the 13th century by the de Burgo family, and became an important seaport with sailing ships bearing wine imports and exports of fish, hides and wool.

How old is Galway bay?

Not as old as previously thought. Galway bay was once a series of lagoons, known as Loch Lurgan, plied by people in log canoes. Ancient tree stumps exposed by storms in 2010 have been dated back about 7,500 years.

What is the tonnage of the port?

It is about 660,000 tonnes as it is a tidal port.

Who is the harbourmaster of Galway port?

Capt Brian Sheridan, who succeeded his late father, Capt Frank Sheridan

When are the lock gates open?

The dock gates open approximately two hours before high water and close at high water subject to ship movements on each tide.

What's the biggest ship that can 'fit' in the harbour?

The typical ship sizes are in the region of 4,000 to 6,000 tonnes

Is renewable energy generating a lot of business for Galway port?

Turbines for about 14 wind projects have been imported in recent years, but the tonnage of these cargoes is light. A European industry report calculates that each turbine generates €10 million in locally generated revenue during construction and logistics/transport.

Is Galway a European cable location?

Yes, Iceland has selected Galway as European landing location for international telecommunications cables. Farice, a company wholly owned by the Icelandic Government, currently owns and operates two submarine cables linking Iceland to Northern Europe.

What's the update on the Galway port expansion plans?

It is "very much a live project", Harbourmaster Capt Sheridan says, and the Port of Galway board is "awaiting the outcome of a Bord Pleanála determination", he says.

Where does all the scrap go at Galway Port?

90% of the scrap steel is exported to Spain with the balance being shipped to Portugal. Since the pandemic, scrap steel is shipped to the Liverpool where it is either transhipped to larger ships bound for China.

Why is Galway Port exporting silage and the Irish farmers are crying out for it?

It might look like silage, but in fact, its bales domestic and municipal waste, exported to Denmark where the waste is incinerated, and the heat is used in district heating of homes and schools. It is called RDF or Refuse Derived Fuel and has been exported out of Galway since 2013.

When is the new ferry starting service from Galway?

The new ferry is arriving at Galway Bay onboard the cargo ship SVENJA. The vessel is currently on passage to Belem, Brazil before making her way across the Atlantic to Galway.

Is the Volvo Ocean Race coming back to Galway?

Two Volvo round world races have selected Galway for the prestigious yacht race route. Some 10,000 people welcomed the boats in during its first stopover in 2009, when a festival was marked by stunning weather. It was also selected for the race finish in 2012. The Volvo has changed its name and is now known as the "Ocean Race". Capt Sheridan says that once port expansion and the re-urbanisation of the docklands is complete, the port will welcome the "ocean race, Clipper race, Tall Ships race, Small Ships Regatta and maybe the America's Cup right into the city centre...".

When is Seafest coming back to Galway?

The pandemic was the reason why Seafest did not go ahead in Cork in 2020. Galway will welcome Seafest back after it calls to Waterford and Limerick, thus having been to all the Port cities.