The 2021 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Dingle Race has reached its 50-boat limit for the National Yacht Club fixture, bringing the club closer to rolling out a spectacular June offshore fixture starting from Dublin Bay.
The 50-boat limit has been made for practical reasons at the County Kerry finish of the 280-miler at Dingle, one of Europe's most westerly harbours.
Afloat's WM Nixon predicts the biennial fixture will be the race that should get sailing going again, if Covid restrictions are lifted.
Such restrictions are uppermost in the mind of Race Chairman Adam Winkelmann who told today's 2021 ICRA conference by Zoom that the biennial race is in 'great shape' but he is waiting for the next government Covid announcement in order to finalise plans.
A notice on the event website says "in these uncertain times, we may have to request some boats not to take part or some competitors may be forced to withdraw their entries".
Winklemann told ICRA that if the restrictions do not permit the race to go ahead on June 9th, then a decision has already been made to "push the event out until its next staging in June 2023".