What is the date and time of the 2020 Round Ireland Yacht Race?

August 22nd. Starting times: Monohulls 1300 hrs and Multihulls 13.10 hrs.

What is the Round Ireland Yacht Race distance?

Approximately 704 nautical miles or 1304 kilometres

Round Ireland Yacht 2024 Race Updates from Wicklow Sailing Club

Q: What is the Round Ireland Race speed record?

The Round Ireland race record of 38 h 37 min 7s is held by MOD-70 trimaran Musandam-Oman Sail and was set in June 2016.

Round Ireland Yacht 2024 Race Updates from Wicklow Sailing Club

Dawn patrol 1980, with an unforgettable experience many have shared since. It is the finish of the first Round Ireland Race at Wicklow, with Dave FitzGerald’s 40ft Partizan from Galway coming out of the sunrise to place second in line honours. The Sailing Instructions for the first race are viewable below

First Round Ireland Yacht Race 1980 Sailing Instructions

9th May 2018 Round Ireland

There will be some in the 2018 race who remember the first Round Ireland Yacht race in 1980. Back then, within a few weeks of the preliminary race programme being published, more than 50 requests for it were received. As…

In the groove. The 1981-designed Granada 38 Cavatina - a true cruiser-racer - closing in on the finish at Wicklow in the 2006 Round Ireland Race, when she became overall winner for the second time. Under the ownership of Ian Hickey of Royal Cork YC, Cavatina is this year doing the Volvo Round Ireland Race yet again.

Rockabill VI Spearheads Royal Irish Yacht Club Volvo Round Ireland Challenge

3rd May 2018 Round Ireland

The Volvo Round Ireland Race 2018 - in just eight weeks time on June 30th from Wicklow - will be marking 20 stagings of this biennial classic. When first raced in 1980, it was with a fleet of very modest…

There really is nothing else that matches this in world sailing – the crowded enthusiasm for the Volvo Ocean Race at the Gothenburg stopover

Your Chance to Be in Gothenburg for the big Volvo Ocean Race Festival in June

9th April 2018 Round Ireland

To celebrate Volvo Car Ireland’s sponsorship of the Volvo Round Ireland 2018, Volvo is offering some lucky person the very special opportunity to win a trip for two to witness the penultimate leg of the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-2018 in…

Paul Kavanagh’s veteran Swan 44 Pomeroy Swan sailed with success for Ireland on the RORC circuit during 2017, but the only time she was seen in Irish waters was when she rounded the rock during the Rolex Fastnet Race. This year, she’ll be seen in more detail in the Volvo Round Ireland Race

Volvo Round Ireland Has 37 Entries Already, But Early Bird Discount Ends on Friday

27th March 2018 Round Ireland

With just over 13 weeks to go to the start of the 2018 edition of the Volvo Round Ireland Yacht race, 37 boats have already taken advantage of the Early Bird entry rates writes W M Nixon. But the Early…

June's Round Ireland Race from Wicklow will include a new armed forces trophy

New Armed Forces Trophy Announced for 2018 Volvo Round Ireland Yacht Race

20th March 2018 Round Ireland

As entries continue to grow for the 2018 Round Ireland Yacht race, with 30 boats currently entered, Wicklow Sailing Club have announced a new trophy/category for the 2018 race – yet to be named – to recognise the best armed…

Dun Laoghaire–based J/122 Aurelia skippered by Chris Power Smith is one of 27 entries so far for the 2018 Volvo Round Ireland

New Race Director for 2018 Volvo Round Ireland Yacht Race

8th March 2018 Round Ireland

Wicklow Sailing Club's Volvo Round Ireland Committee has announced the appointment of Hal Fitzgerald as Race Director following the decision of Theo Phelan to stand down from the role, as Afloat.ie reported yesterday. Fitzgerald is an ex-commodore of Wicklow Sailing…

Race Organiser Theo Phelan of Wicklow SC (left) and RORC Commodore Michael Boyd after the latter had finished the hugely-successful Volvo Round Ireland Race 2016 as the highest-placed Irish skipper

Theo Phelan of Wicklow Sailing Club Retires as Round Ireland Race Organiser

7th March 2018 Round Ireland

It’s the end of an era. Theo Phelan of Wicklow, who has been intimately involved with the organsation of the biennial Round Ireland Race since 2008, has stood down from his demanding and time-consuming position after ten years in roles…

Volvo Round Ireland Launch - From left to right – Denise Cummins - Commodore Wicklow Sailing Club, Kyran O’Grady – Wicklow Sailing Club, Theo Phelan – Race Director Wicklow Sailing Club, Roisin Hennessy – Chairperson Volvo Round Ireland Committee & David Thomas – Managing Director Volvo Cars Ireland

Entries Open for 2018 Round Ireland Yacht Race

22nd January 2018 Round Ireland

The Volvo Round Ireland Yacht Race 2018, run by Wicklow Sailing Club, is a little over 5 months away and is expecting a strong turn out with very positive interest from the off-shore sailing community in Ireland, the UK and…

The 2016 race saw several records broken with George David in Rambler 88 (above) taking both 1st place in IRC and monohull Line Honours

Save the Date for Round Ireland 2018, One of the Longest Offshore Yacht Races in the RORC Calendar

20th December 2017 Round Ireland

If it’s an even-numbered year, it’s a Round Ireland Race Year! Things are warming up in Wicklow Sailing Club, the 2017 Mitsubishi Irish Sailing Club of the Year, where preparations for the 2018 Volvo Round Ireland Yacht Race are well under…

The Phaedo3 team is considering a further Round Ireland record bid

Another Round Ireland Speed Record Bid?

18th July 2016 Round Ireland

There are unconfirmed reports that the MOD70 Trimaran Phaedo3 will make a further bid at the Round Ireland Speed Record this month. The MOD70 skippered by American Lloyd Thornburg is understood to be considering a return to Ireland to make a…

A Sailing school entry was tenth overall in a fleet of 63–boats in this month's Volvo Round Ireland 2016. Above the INSS Reflex 38, Lynx ,sets out on her 700–mile journey off the Wicklow coast. Scroll down for video

Irish National Sailing School's Lynx is First School Boat in Round Ireland Yacht Race

30th June 2016 Round Ireland

INSS School principal and skipper Kenneth Rumball reviews his tenth place overall in Volvo Round Ireland 2016 on board the INSS Reflex 38, Lynx. The idea for the Irish National Sailing & Powerboat School to compete in the Round Ireland…

Volvo Round Ireland class three winner Euro Car Parks skippered by Dave Cullen of Howth. Read his race review below

How The J/109 Euro Car Parks Was A Class Winner Round Ireland

30th June 2016 Round Ireland

Taking a charter boat with old sails, borrowing a few other sails, filling it with a crew whose average age is nearly 50 might not sound like a recipe for success against some full–on campaigns but when Howth YC skipper…

The coolest stage for an awards ceremony…..George David’s Rambler 88 comes astern close in off the Wicklow pierheads immediately after finishing in a new record time to claim mono-hull line honours, the mono-hull round Ireland open record, the Volvo Round Ireland Race mono-hull record, and – eventually – 1st Overall IRC in the Volvo Round Ireland Race 2016. Just stepped aboard amongst Rambler’s rugged crew are Theo Phelan and David Ryan of Wicklow SC with a jeroboam of Astoria. After this informal yet effective ceremony, when Rambler 88 sailed north back to Dun Laoghaire she took a group of Wicklow schoolchildren with her for the sail of a lifetime

Volvo Round Ireland 2016: A Sailing Race Of Four Parts, Four Coasts & Four Seasons

25th June 2016 Round Ireland

At 704 miles long, with a course along coastlines of almost infinite variety, the Round Ireland Race was always a complex event for post-race analysis even when fleets amounted to only three dozen or so. But for 2016 in the…

Round Ireland Yacht Race 2016 Overall Results Downloadable Here!

24th June 2016 Round Ireland

Overall results for 2016's 63–boat fleet are downloadable below.

George David’s world-famous maxi yacht Rambler 88 has completed a unique treble of Round Ireland wins

Rambler 88 Declared Overall Handicap Winner in Round Ireland Race

24th June 2016 Round Ireland

American businessman George David’s world-famous maxi yacht Rambler 88 completed a unique treble of Round Ireland wins this morning when he was officially declared the outright winner of the 2016 Volvo Round Ireland Yacht Race. On Monday, David also broke the monohull…

This afternoon at Wicklow Harbour, commercial activity has returned with a ship in port, while the Volvo Round Ireland crews of the Sunfast 3600 Bellino and her sister-ship Bam (third in Class 3) and the vintage Swan 47 Sarabande (first in Class 2) tidy their vessels and think about having a shower.

Welcome Breeze Today For Round Ireland 2016

23rd June 2016 Round Ireland

Day 5 2000 While last night may have been eminently forgettable for racing, with its frustratingly light airs in the Irish Sea writes W M Nixon, today has brought a southerly breeze which freshened through midday. In combination with the ebb…

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Round Ireland Yacht Race Information

The Round Ireland Yacht Race is Ireland's classic offshore yacht race starts from Wicklow Sailing Club (WSC) and is organised jointly with the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) and the Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC). This page details the very latest updates from the 2008 race onwards including the race schedule, yacht entries and the all-important race updates from around the 704-mile course. Keep up to date with the Round Ireland Yacht Race here on this one handy reference page.

2020 Round Ireland Race

The 2020 race, the 21st edition, was the first race to be rescheduled then cancelled.

Following Government restrictions over COVID-19, a decision on the whether or not the 2020 race can be held was made on April 9 2020 to reschedule the race to Saturday, August 22nd. On July 27th, the race was regrettably cancelled due to ongoing concerns about COVID-19.

Because of COVID-19, the race had to have a virtual launch party at the Royal Irish Yacht Club for its 21st edition.

In spite of the pandemic, however, a record entry was in prospect for 2020 with 50 boats entered with four weeks to go to the race start. The race was also going big on size and variety to make good on a pre-race prediction that the fleet could reach 60. An Irish offshore selection trial also looked set to be a component part of the 2020 race.

The rescheduling of the race to a news date emphasises the race's national significance, according to Afloat here

FAQs

How many miles duration is the Round Ireland Yacht Race?

704 nautical miles, 810 miles or 1304 kilometres

What is the distance around Ireland's coastline?

3171 kilometres is the estimate of Ireland's coastline by the Ordnance Survey of Ireland.

Who is the sponsor of the 2020 Round Ireland Yacht Race?

SSE Renewables are the sponsors of the 2020 Round Ireland Race.

Who organises the Round Ireland Yacht Race?

Wicklow Sailing Club in association with the Royal Ocean Racing Club in London and The Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dublin.

Where is the Round Ireland Race Start?

Off Wicklow Harbour on Saturday, August 22nd 2020

What is the Round Ireland Race Start time?

Monohulls 1300 hrs and Multihulls 13.10 hrs

What is the Round Ireland Race course?

Leave Ireland and all its islands (excluding Rockall) to starboard.

How long does it take to sail Round Ireland?

It depends on the boat. The elapsed record time for the race is under 40 hours but most boats take five or six days to complete the course.

Is there a Round Ireland Race Tracker?

The Race Tracker is https://afloat.ie/sail/events/round-ireland/item/25789-round-ireland-yacht-race-tracker-2016-here.

What is the history of the Round Ireland Race?

The idea of a race around Ireland began in 1975 with a double-handed race starting and finishing in Bangor organised by Ballyholme Yacht Club with stopovers in Crosshaven and Killybegs. That race only had four entries. In 1980 Michael Jones put forward the idea of a non-stop race and was held in that year from Wicklow Sailing Club. Sixteen pioneers entered that race with Brian Coad’s Raasay of Melfort returning home after six days at sea to win the inaugural race. Read the first Round Ireland Yacht Race 1980 Sailing Instructions here

What is the Round Ireland Race speed record?

The Round Ireland race record of 38 h 37 min 7 s is held by MOD-70 trimaran Musandam-Oman Sail and was set in June 2016.

What is the Round Ireland Race Monohull Speed record?

George David’s Rambler 88 (USA) holds the fastest monohull race time of two days two hours 24 minutes and 9 seconds set in the 2016 race.

What was the first round Ireland voyage?

William Power's 45ft Olivia undertook a round Ireland cruise in September 1860

What is the Smallest Boat To Sail Round Ireland?

Richard Hayes completed his solo epic round Ireland voyage in September 2018 in a 14-foot Laser dinghy. The voyage had seen him log a total of 1,324 sea miles (2,452 kilometres) in 54 sailing days. in 1961, the Belfast Lough Waverly Durward crewed by Kevin and Colm MacLaverty and Mick Clarke went around Ireland in three-and-a-half weeks becoming the smallest keelboat ever to go round. While neither of these achievements occurred as part of the race they are part of Round Ireland sailing history